Trollhattan Saab has changed!
The site you're viewing now is the original Trollhattan Saab weblog, though it's now an archive only and no new material is posted here. As of February 2009, all new material is posted at our new site - Saabs United.
Please join us at Saabs United and get your daily Saab fix from Saab sources all around the world.
You may know that I’m trying to save up for a Porsche 944 Turbo at the moment. What you probably don’t know is that I’m actually really, really bad at saving money.
Hence, I’ve come up with an idea to keep me amused whilst make my way to Zuffenhausen. Buy and sell childhood dream cars in increasing value along the way! That way I get to experience some of the vehicles that I was always curious about as a youngster whilst hopefully still progressing towards my 951.
I’ve already started with the Alfa, which I was quite keen to own. What I’m thinking of is putting that up for sale after Christmas and all going well, start shopping for a new car shortly thereafter.
The main rule I have to confine myself to is to only look at cars for sale here in Tasmania. There’s a lot more variety on the mainland, but you add time and around $1,000 to the price once you travel there and back and re-register the car here.
That lack of variety is a problem here in Tassie, though. Having a look at one of the more popular car sales websites here in Oz indicated that there were only around 40 cars on the site under $7,500 – my next likely target price.
There’s a possible candidate from these slim pickings, though. This is a Datsun 280ZX with a Turbo added on. Cared for by an old fella, rarely driven (only 80,000kms) and looks to be in very good condition.
Yes, I know the nudge bar does it no favours, but I’m taking it as a sign that the owner’s quite careful about what happens to it.
These were a genuine favourite of mine when I was a kid, so it’d be interesting to look at. The Turbo would make it interesting to drive, too.
The plan would me, much like the Alfa, to keep it and have some fun for six months or so, then sell it on early so not much money (if any) is lost on the sale. Then add my six months of savings to the proceeds and move on to the next car.
Other vehicles of interest – Honda CRX, Toyota MR2 AW11, BMW E30 323i, Volvo 850R, Alfa GTV6.
Anyone had any success at doing this sort of thing??
——
Please bear in mind there will always be a Saab in my driveway. This is just for fun and expanded horizons.
–
18 responses so far ↓
1 Adrian
// Dec 19, 2008 at 12:53 am
Of course, that nudge bar may be there because the old buy is either thoroughly incompetent at parking – or takes it off-roading regularly…
Don’t take this personally – but an amateur (and not an expert spanner-wielder, IIRC?) trying to make money buying and selling aging performance cars in the current market? What could _possibly_ go wrong, eh? Good luck… and keep us all posted!
2 Bernard
// Dec 19, 2008 at 1:08 am
Swade,
Define “success.” It’s a financial Russian roulette. The best you can hope for is to enjoy yourself and not spend too much money.
One blown transmission or head gasket and you are back to square one.
Out of your list, I would personally pick the MR2 and Alfa. Can you fit into an X1/9?
The 280ZX does nothing for me. It’s a soft, bloated mid-life crisis car. You would do a lot better with a ‘Z’ instead of a ‘ZX’, or a 510, or an RX7, or a late RWD Corolla (if you can get one that hasn’t been butchered by a fast and furious teenager).
I’ve always found that car shopping is best done with an open mind and no deadline.
3 David N.
// Dec 19, 2008 at 1:25 am
DO IT!! You’ll be living the dream!
Those 280’s have a nice, nearly bullet-proof, drivetrain. Styling aside, the only complaint I’ve heard, is that to keep weight down, some of the sheetmetal is a bit on the thin side (don’t slam the doors).
4 Tompa
// Dec 19, 2008 at 2:47 am
Why drive a Volvo 850R when you can drive a 9000 CS Aero with seats that acctually keep you in place and that you don´t ever want to get out of? (The R seats are just like the normal Volvo turbos) The Volvo´s got a nice engine just like the Saab but it´s Way to thirsty and the power is delivered at the wrong rpm´s.
The only thing that seams to get busted quicker on the Saabs are clutches.
Go for the 280.. Nice auto
5 ctm
// Dec 19, 2008 at 7:54 am
What about a Volvo 244 from around 1978?
6 Andy Rupert
// Dec 19, 2008 at 8:20 am
David N. has something. All the Datsun 260/280 variants in Ohio are rusted in half or soon will be. I’d have someone check it out first before buying.
7 Patrick L
// Dec 19, 2008 at 8:23 am
I will have to agree with “Tompa” on the 850-thing… A few months ago i owned a black 855 T5-R at the same time as my current Saab 9000 CS Aero – And i promise you, you will be bored by the Volvo in no time. Sure enough the 850 is a great car, but it just feels dead and lifeless compared to the Aero, the car don´t give you the feedback you want and it´s thirsty on a level you couldn´t imagine if you haven´t owned something like an EVO. My Aero feels about as economic as driving a Prius in comparison – AND its waaaay faster than the 850R, mine was chipped to(claimed) 291bhp and despite my Aero beeing standard it simply felt faster and alot gutsier.
850 T5-R/R = Good car(but thirsty)
9000 CS Aero = Cracking car!
8 swade
// Dec 19, 2008 at 8:27 am
Adrian, the purpose isn’t to trade my way up to the car that I want. I’m not doing it for that purpose. As Bernard suggests, the idea is to have some fun, own some cars that I’ve always admired, and not lose too much money along the way. If I can buy low and sell high, then all well and good, but the main point is ownership and ticking some automotive boxes.
Andy, they have some rust problems here in Oz, too, but not nearly so much, I’d imagine. Almost any car can survive here if it’s been kept in a decently dry place (thankfully, there’s plenty of those around in Australia). This one looks like it’s been pretty well cared for.
ctm, didn’t Volvo make some coupes in that era? Well, I don’t know you can really call them coupes as they still looked like bricks, but they were two door sedans. There’s an orange one around my way, very nicely restored, too. Looks good.
9 ctm
// Dec 19, 2008 at 8:45 am
Swade,
Maybe the 262C? http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volvo_262_C
10 Markac
// Dec 19, 2008 at 9:27 am
Swade: In Australia we had the 242GT two door. If you had to buy a 240 series it would be the one to buy. Not that there would be many good ones left now. The 260 series coupe had a Bertone styled roof and possibly made it the ugliest Volvo ever? The only Volvo I’d ever buy is the P1800, but they are far too expensive now.
11 ColorCode252
// Dec 19, 2008 at 10:07 am
SW – a ‘96 red 850 R wagon is rockin. After Saab #1 was declared a loss in 2005, I was in the market for an 850R – especially a red wagon. A black R sedan came in my way but since I was dead-set for the red wagon I decided to forgo . . .
12 Bernard
// Dec 19, 2008 at 11:27 am
Swade,
The Bertone-built Volvo coupés are interesting cars. Mind you, they are still Volvos, so they drive like school buses, but they also have stuff like real wool carpeting.
Perhaps you need to own one for a few months to get over the whole “Saab and Volvo are both from Sweden, so that must mean that they are similar in some way” thing.
Any chance of you finding a “low mileage one owner” two-stroke or V4 Saab in Tasmania?
13 turbin
// Dec 19, 2008 at 11:54 am
Lemon! describes the 262c as looking like ,”an everyday Volvo sedan that had been hit by a lift”. Wheels said, “The Car for Little People with Big Wallets”.
14 weeds
// Dec 19, 2008 at 12:53 pm
Swade, those 280zx’s are pretty awful – soft, gutless cruisers built for the American market.
If your looking for cheapo fun, I would look for an MR2 AW11 supercharged, an MR2 SW20 Turbo (early ones go for peanuts and will put a smile a mile wide on your face), or since you like cars with an unusual character, how about an 80s RX-7?
http://www.terra2imports.ca/ab-images/113998958129863.jpg
15 Dan S.
// Dec 19, 2008 at 3:45 pm
“I’m actually really, really bad at saving money.”
Since you’re an accountant that gave me a big LOL,
Good luck in your endeavor. Now I understand your Porsche frustration at my blog’s mention of RacingJunk.com
Take care & be carefully frugal.
16 Arnold
// Dec 19, 2008 at 7:50 pm
I agree with Weeds. The 280zx is a bloated boulevard cruiser.
17 Tompa
// Dec 19, 2008 at 8:07 pm
If I had the money I would go for a Lamborghini LM.. Just to be able to run over all the Hummers in Stockholm city..
…
18 Steve Saab 9000x2
// Mar 3, 2009 at 10:18 am
I am not sure if there is much seasonal variation with the car prices in Oz but when I lived in Canada I used to have great fun buying out of season & selling in season (plus got to drive fun cars Supra/Merc/Vette/F150 etc). I found what worked best for me was to find a mechanically and structurally sound vehicle that just needed to be cleaned & polished. Sold the Supra for 2x what I paid for it and 3x for the Merc. Having said that, unless you will be keeping it for more than one year you’re always driving out of season
Now living in Seasonless England I just drive the Maptune’d 9000’s @ WOT to make up for the joy of summertime or sunshine no profit to be made but no real loss risk either.
PS when you go to buy a car get cash for what you want to pay & give it to them first, then offer your price, people are very averse to giving cash back (even if it’s less than they want