OPPINIONS WANTED!

"Mattbob" (mattbob) 04/26/2015 at 19:29 • Filed to: None

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So my GF has a 2005 Forester xs automatic. She has the opportunity to get her dad’s saab 9-2x that has a few suspension upgrades, upgraded downpipe, exhaust and tuning, and is in generally great shape.. It is also a manual. My GF loves driving a manual and is excellent at it. My question is, given the higher maintenance and cost of the Saab, should she get it? She isn’t really one to regularly check her oil or the like. Her dad and I tend to have to pester her about it. Would this be a recipe for disaster(ie, how sensitive are these cars to abuse?)? Also she would have a much faster car than me. :-(

JGrabowMSt > Mattbob 04/26/2015 at 19:34

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She keeps her car, you sell yours and you buy that.

Problem solved.

Mattbob > JGrabowMSt 04/26/2015 at 19:37

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her dad is getting rid of it, and techically her forester is worth more on trade, so it would be a swap, and she would just get it for nothing essentially. My cars are both old and shitty and not worth the trade. Also she says “HEY!”

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Mattbob 04/26/2015 at 19:42

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Mechanically, it’s an Impreza, so the only high-cost parts you should need to worry about are body panels, really. Even the interior is the same:

JGrabowMSt > Mattbob 04/26/2015 at 19:44

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If she’s not going to take care of it, then it’s a hard sell. It would be a shame to see that car get run into the ground. My sister has a brand new Sonic, no different. Lots of pushing to get her to do basic service (she hasn’t even had the oil changed yet, no idea of whether she checks the level or not).

Meanwhile my other sister has an 09 Mini Cooper that’s in fantastic shape. Only residual issues from when a tree fell on my mom’s first Cooper and smacked the crap out of hers. It’s got like 55k miles and is just starting to need brake service.

The lesson? Disinterested persons shouldn’t get nicely upgraded vehicles that require TLC.

vdub_nut: scooter snob > Mattbob 04/26/2015 at 19:44

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Fix your e36, then she won’t have a faster car than you. Also, yes, tell her to get it.

cornerslide > Mattbob 04/26/2015 at 19:46

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More complicated than originally reported. Would like to offer an opinion but now I’m staying out of it.

Mattbob > JGrabowMSt 04/26/2015 at 19:49

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She is making the case that is is her opportunity to learn, and she is interested in having me teach her how to do stuff. In my experience having a car you love to drive does make you more inclined to keep it up. Its a tough call.

Mattbob > vdub_nut: scooter snob 04/26/2015 at 19:50

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a 325i will not be made faster than a 9-2x with a tune and upgraded suspension without adding a lot of money to the intake.

JGrabowMSt > Mattbob 04/26/2015 at 19:53

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Well, there’s a balance. She trades cars, gets the Saab, and hopefully doesn’t turn it into a Saab story.

If she starts going down the dark road of not taking care of it though, she should face the decision of selling it to someone who will give it the time, or having to go out of pocket to restore it’s pride and glory on her own.

saabstory | fixes bikes, breaks cars > Mattbob 04/26/2015 at 19:56

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The only differences from the Impreza are (largely) cosmetic. In ‘05, the Aero had the same engine as the WRX and the Linear had an EJ253 powerplant. In 2006, the Aero got the EJ25, but all of them had a Subie gearbox and engine, IIRC. I haven’t owned either, but I’d guess that maintenance costs are comparable, and a Subaru tech could service a 9-2X, possibly for a lower rate than a specialty Saab shop.

Mattbob > saabstory | fixes bikes, breaks cars 04/26/2015 at 20:03

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it’s the aero with the WRX drivetrain. I have talked with him about the car quite a bit, and driven it a couple times. We are just at a point where we don’t know if the Forester not having the turbo means that it will be more reliable, and cheaper to run.

PS9 > Mattbob 04/26/2015 at 20:31

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NO. You must not let her drive a more powerful car than the one you have. If she gets this car, you must then upgrade to a twin-turbo LS7 making at least 1000HP to the wheels. You are the man who wears the pants in this family, and you must prove this to her by making sure no other man on the street has any hope of challenging you and winning.

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415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > Mattbob 04/26/2015 at 20:33

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SAABARU!

Mattbob > PS9 04/26/2015 at 20:36

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haha it’s weird that some people actually think that way. I wouldn’t mind he having more power. The only thin that might make me worry about her is turbo lag surprising her, but she will learn about it. I think it’s great that she is interested into cars somewhat, and this will only encourage it.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Mattbob 04/26/2015 at 21:27

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The Saab 9-2X will have maintenance costs that are the same as an Impreza or Impreza WRX (depending on whether that 9-2X has the turbo engine).

And the reason for that is because it basically is a Subaru Impreza... with a nicer interior.

saabstory | fixes bikes, breaks cars > Mattbob 04/26/2015 at 21:54

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Well, keeping a steady and clean supply of oil going to the turbo is very important. That said, oil lasts very long these days, and it’s very important to change in any car. Is she willing to try and do a good job? I got my mom to test drive one of these, and while she ended up with a different Saab (it runs in the family) we both thoroughly enjoyed our time in the Saabaru. Very cool lil’ cars, also very quick.

vdub_nut: scooter snob > Mattbob 04/26/2015 at 22:01

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Not with that attitude it won’t.

Also, come to Pennsylvania some time.

Delusion77 > Mattbob 04/26/2015 at 22:25

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Tell her to get the saabaru! and just force her to take care of it

Mattbob > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 04/26/2015 at 22:26

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not much nicer. I hear its actually pretty much the same. But yeah, it’s got the 2.0 turbo

Mattbob > Delusion77 04/26/2015 at 22:27

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“force her to take care of it”.... Hahahahahahahaha. Thats not how these things work.

Frenchlicker > Mattbob 04/26/2015 at 22:55

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Get the thing and make sure she takes care of it. Fear should not hold one back from getting something awesome.

Delusion77 > Mattbob 04/26/2015 at 23:11

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:(

Kutanks > Mattbob 04/27/2015 at 00:09

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I love my 5MT Saabaru, and mine isn’t even the turbo

Fred von Halem > Mattbob 04/27/2015 at 00:42

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I check the oil in my girlfriends car. It’s just one of those things...

yamahog > Mattbob 04/27/2015 at 05:58

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I assume you’re all over 18 and her dad is gifting this out of the kindness of his heart. Therefore she is a grown ass woman who can either properly maintain her car or deal with the consequences (mainly the car exploding, costing her untold sums, and you going HAHA TOLD YOU SO).

Also, as I learned the hard way, faster car does not mean faster driver :/ Travis smoked me at autocross yesterday. I’m still very confident I’d beat him on two wheels, but that’s not happening any time soon.

Mattbob > yamahog 04/27/2015 at 07:35

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it is her dad being nice. Her forester is worth more on trade and he didn’t want his 92x to go to some rando, so he offered to swap cars with her. It’s not her not being able to deal with consequences, its actually her being responsible and trying to find out how much more this car is going to cost to keep up than her current one before jumping into something. Also, yeah she drives safe and slow, I have no complaints with her having a faster car, I was just joking.

Mattbob > Fred von Halem 04/27/2015 at 07:36

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true, and I would probably be more interested in helping her with this than her current snooze mobile.

Mattbob > yamahog 04/27/2015 at 07:39

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also.. on oppo at 5:58? What are you doing so early?

yamahog > Mattbob 04/27/2015 at 07:53

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In that case, I think that if she cares about it, she’ll take care of it, and if she has questions, there’s the internet, her dad, and her bf. It’s not like it’s an Italian supercar or something.

Also I wake up around 5:15-5:30 because I have to be at work by 7-7:30 and it takes me forever to get out of bed, shower, do my hair/makeup, throw on clothes, make coffee, and eat something :) Sadly I live about 15 minutes from work too.

William Byrd > Mattbob 04/27/2015 at 08:10

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Solid car, I owned a new black Aero back in the GM uber-rebate era. Fun car, looked a lot nicer than a Subaru IMO (inside and out). Go for it.

Mattbob > yamahog 04/27/2015 at 08:22

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Yeah, she is super excited about it. She loves manuals, and it sounds like this is the car to get her into really caring about it.

That’s rough though. I have to be at work between 7-7:15, but I usually don’t wake up till 6:15. I usually forego the whole make coffee/eat something in the morning.. also the makeup and hair because I’m perfect just the way I am hahaha. I guess that’s probably why I am just getting out of being zombie tired as I am typing this.

BLCKSTRM > Mattbob 04/27/2015 at 22:49

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Wow, I’d say my day got away from me.

You might be making this more complicated than it is. If she says she’s willing and wants it, you’re done.

Loving it goes a LONG way toward taking care of it. My 1992 Nissan Stanza got the bare minimum to keep it rolling. My tired old M3 gets all the attention my spousal patience budget will allow.

At some point (say, somewhere in the next 2k miles) you’ll just need to say, “hey, let’s check your oil.” 2 minutes later she’s thinking, “ok, that wasn’t so bad.”

Rinse and repeat, with the occasional top up until it’s due. By this point there’s a cadence and a higher level of comfort.

Teaching is more than just telling. I have my kids “help” me every time I do any work on the car, but I don’t call them back when they wander off. As they get older and they see this is a normal part of life (like cleaning their room, which we’re also working on), they understand and can help more. Not that she’s a child, but this is how learning works.

She doesn’t necessarily have to jump right in the deep end to learn how to swim.

Mattbob > BLCKSTRM 04/28/2015 at 07:35

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Thats true. Most of this asking on oppo was at her urging. She was the one who really wanted the opinions. She is really thinking it through. When it comes down to it, it is entirely her decision and I will help her with whatever.

Also, good job with your kids. “helping” my dad is how I have learned to do all the car stuff and have the confidence to do it. I’ve never had to take a car to a shop except for tires and alignments because of it.