I read that due to the bankruptcy of SAAB (and its USA distributor, SAAB of North America), there are actually new cars stiing in New Jersey, which cannot be sold (until the bankruptcy court decides what to do with them). This strikes me as odd-cars depreciate rapidly, and their value must be dropping drastically.
At any rate, would a 3 year old, unused car be a good buy?
This sounds familiar. Was another large batch of cars left moldering in a warehouse for years within some recent time frame? Toyotas or Nissans, maybe?
Discontinued vehicles are a bitch as far as parts and service, that goes double for cars whose manufacturers are out of business. The ability of third parties to make aftermarket and remanufactured parts depends heavily on being able to get the specs from the manufacturer. Not to mention service bulletins, training, recalls, etc.
I might buy a three year old unused car, but I don’t think I’d buy one under those circumstances. If you decide differently, I’d recommend you speak to a mechanic about how to gently wake it up. If it has been sitting for three years it may not have lubrication well distributed and ready to do its job, just turning the crankshaft may cause the engine to seize.
Enjoy,
Steven
SAABs used to be rather unusual cars back in the day (a friend of mine had one back in the 1990s), with also sorts of unusual parts and quirks. Not sure if that was still the case, but if it remained so then Mtgman’s caution above is even more relevant.
The last generation of Saabs used a GM platform with a number of parts common to other models. That might make it a little easier to keep them running, but I think that all things considered, those cars are a writeoff as vehicles as well as as a financial burden.
Do unused cars really depreciate that fast? Sure, a car that is being regularly used can be expected to go down in value, ideally proportional to its usage, but one that has never been driven?
When a sold car drives off the dealer’s lot several thousand dollars in value jumps out of the trunk and turns to mist and that’s for a new car. For 3 year old orphans with potentially significant corrosion or mechanical issues due to non-prepped long term disuse the hit would be huge. Not being driven at all is huge negative in this scenario. Non-driven cars that sit for extended perioda develop all sorts of critical problems unless prepped for inactive storage. At a minimum the tires and battery probably need to be replaced.
They were stuck in bankruptcy litigation for a while, I don’t know about 3 years. Seems like they auctioned them off recently…
Apparently, SAAB has been bought by the Chinese, production to restart in 2014 as electric vehicles.