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Comment by A_D_E_P_T | Hacker News Reader

Yeah. I honestly don't know if I'd trade my 2006 Saab 9-3 Aero for a 2023 anything. No trouble, no nonsense, it's fast enough, it doesn't nag at me if I drive around the block without my seatbelt, and minor repairs are rarely more than $100.

A few years back, I had a late model Mercedes GLS, and the damn thing was in the shop almost every other month, and each time it was at least $300-400. Mostly it was electronic components that were at fault; an error in the anti-theft system which cost me $2000 was too much to bear, and I sold the car at a loss...

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On most cars you can disable the seatbelt chime with the right sequence, it's just not advertised and won't be found in the manual, but is easily found online.

Pretty much all cars sell at a loss. The chip issues appreciating car values is not a generally normal thing for vehicle values.

"minor repairs are rarely more than $100"

2005 9-3 Linear here. I wish minor repairs were that cheap. Wait until you need your water pump replaced ;) Get ready to squick hard at the required labor charges (water pump is integral to the engine IIRC, requiring the engine to be pulled.)

Right now I need new spark plugs, injectors, and a turbo replaced, and a grounding strap issue somewhere I haven't been able to isolate. Gonna run me a small bit of change.

Hello fellow sabers. I wouldn't trade my 88 900T for anything. Its just about to crank over 340K

Well, that's a "real" Saab, the newer ones are just built on the GM standard platform with a bit of Saabish styling.

2005 was the first year of GM ownership of the brand but SAAB engineers were still all over that vehicle. I could tell in my 9-3t. Definitely some wiring harness decisions you wouldn't see out of GM!

hah those GM connectors are light years ahead of the OG saab/volvo ones that saab used in the 90s. Those were absolute trash. My whole harness on my 88 is just... deteriorating slowly and randomly.

Don't forget the Saabaru

That's the difference, he's doing his own work. Hell, around here the minimum labour charge is already more than $100.

As someone who owned a Saabaru, many 4 figure shop quotes become a weekend and <$100 in parts. Just depends on if you have the time and space to DIY.

Around here the minimum labor charge alone is more than $100, so you must be doing all the work yourself.

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