Who's a Lifer?
#22
I'll keep mine as long as I don't have to sink boatloads of money into it, and so far so good. Besides, I've had the SS paid off for a year now. I'll likely put at least 100K miles on it (2.5 more years) before thinking about getting a different car.
#26
The great 5 year / 100,000 mile barrier
Let's be honest. The turbo is expensive and can fail. After the power train warranty ends, all costs are on the owner. A while after that, parts will become hard to find. I have never seen a car before where people seem to buy it for the MEDIUM term. The value of the SS seems to drop dramatically at 100K (witness sale at $10K for one with 99K). So, the right question to ask is, are you planning to keep your SS beyond the parameters of the power train warranty and take the potential parts availability / repair cost hit?
EDIT - Please note that this is the SS forum. My son is still driving a banged-up 1995 Subaru Legacy wagon we bought new, now with 220K miles. I keep it running with $500 a year of "Subarubucks" I get in 3% credit card rebates. I normally keep cars for 10+ years, and plan to do that with my 2LT because its parts are more common and repair costs should be lower - I'd be afraid to keep an SS as long as I would want to.
EDIT - Please note that this is the SS forum. My son is still driving a banged-up 1995 Subaru Legacy wagon we bought new, now with 220K miles. I keep it running with $500 a year of "Subarubucks" I get in 3% credit card rebates. I normally keep cars for 10+ years, and plan to do that with my 2LT because its parts are more common and repair costs should be lower - I'd be afraid to keep an SS as long as I would want to.
Last edited by Doctuh; 01-18-2011 at 09:47 AM.
#27
Yes / No. I plan to keep it at least until I pay it off, so 4-5 years left on that. But for me that will mean the car will have 150k+ miles on it at that time. The longest I kept a car before was 3 years. I do not plan to trade in a car with negative from the loan on anothe car.
#28
When parts dry up in 10 years, thats when the real modding begins! When drivetrain and suspension parts become an issue, make it an issue to put a real drivtrain in it....Too bad its not pre-tunneled like the Probe's were. In order to keep these cars on the road, 10-20-30 years down the road, there is one of two options. Either take it off the road, or buy a doner or two for parts. I'm keeping mine, ans plan on acquiring a few more in the years to come, especially when they are dirt cheap! who knows what the future holds, I've been screaming V8 since day one. Plans are numerous for this car... but a piece at a time. when its all said and done its just a MONEY PIT, but it keeps me sane, and smiling. Plus there are a whole lot of worse things I could be spending cash on....older and wiser, but not by much. I'm a lifer.
#30
Now after 3 HHR's,and got my SS,lol, I am planning on having mine for a long time. If it gets to the point where it starts having serious issues and is paid off, it maybe time to find a different ride and put this one away in the garage and let the cutting and fabrication begin!! I'm saying tube chasis and a V8,lol.