1992 n/a daily driver

[Crazyswede]

OK guys one last push ... looking for a replacement for my stolen 2005 9-5. i had no insurance coverage so i'm kinda starting at the bottom. i work in the auto field i'm a certified tech at a dodge dealership for the past 20 years and i have really gotten to dislike the newer boring vehicles on the road but they are also 100 times more reliable .. i have about a 75 mile round trip to work 6 days a week the two cars i'm looing at are :::: 2003 9-5 linear (auto) or a 1992 c900 (manual)...now the c900 has just had a head gasket,clutch,tires (just a ton of paperwork done)...not sure how much trust can go into a 20+ year old car

with the head gasket and clutch done you should be good for another 200k miles before they need to be changed.

[hutch]

I think you'll get a lot of 900 votes from this crowd, and I would certainly agree, I'd say the biggest hurdle to DD'ing a 900 is the fact that a lot of shops don't know how to work on them anymore. Since you're a tech at a dealership I would assume you have access to most tools and a lift so you can probably tackle anything on a 900 with ease. A 9-5 may be a touch more reliable with the trade off being that parts are generally more expensive, but likely still in production, though I'm sure thats debatable.

Whats the mileage on the 9-5? My 9-3 is at about 160k and I'm thinking it will need a lot of big ticket items in the next year like fuel pump, head gasket, turbo seals, etc. since they are all original.

If the 900 really has had that much recent work it will likely be the cheaper and more reliable car for the next 3-5 years but with any car you can never be certain.

[saabfan9]

I knew it would be a bias question here...I work with these soul-less cookie cutter new cars every day (maybe just been around the new cars daily makes you numb to them so I'm not sure I'm being fair) ...the last 900 I had was 13 years ago and I remember loving that car (it's what started the saab addiction) but at that time was only a 10-12 year old car which is what a 9-5 is now ... I have to deal with salt/snow and boy are we getting it this year but summer is coming.....also plan on taking the bumpers and grille off of the 1984 I have and just give up on that project

[Crazyswede]

I am in Vermont...lots of crap road conditions and lots of salt...all of it in fact. I DD a 2004 Dodge sprinter van with 320,000 miles on the clock, a 98 Saab 900 with 242,000 miles on the clock, and an 85 900 with an unknown mileage. they all have their issues and are all reasonably reliable. All together they cost less than one cheap new car.