"normal" repairs?

Not very unusual I guess. It seems that the later Saab models can be very expensive to repair. I checked the repair costs for my '00 9-5 and they exceeded the sum of the repair costs for my five earlier Saabs. Thus, this is probably the last Saab I have bought (unless I found some nice 9000 from '97 or '98). Probably have to find some boring but reliable Japanese car next time (please forgive me for writing such words!).

Also you should question every repair. Sometimes some of these repairs can be done at local shopes that charge much less. Mufflers,brakes struts,tires oil changes etc.

papa

Thanks for empathizing. My previous car was a Honda Civic - impeccably reliable! Then, I bought this used SAAB with 50k on it about a year ago. It's got

63k on it now. I wish someone could tell me why all these things went wrong about the same time and what they all mean! - The dealer told me "it's nothing unusual" but I have my doubts. Do you think I got a lemon or something? Is it time to cut my losses and get some other car? I love the way this car drives, its intelligent design, comfort and the space inside but if it brakes down again anytime soon my bank account may not be able to cover the repair.

I guess I didn't realize how expensive it can be to fix this car. However, I did check with one other shop before approving the repairs. I bought this car used with 50k on it about a year ago. It's got 63k on it now. I wish someone could tell me why all these things went wrong about the same time and what they all mean! - The dealer told me "it's nothing unusual" but I have my doubts. Do you think I got a lemon or something? Is it time to cut my losses and get some other car? I love the way this car drives, its intelligent design, comfort and the space inside but if it brakes down again anytime soon my bank account may not be able to cover the repair.

It's possible the previous owner abused the car, or that it was a lemon, or that the dealer is incompetent but you still haven't given many details as to the problems.

I think it is normal when you buy a used car that the vender makes an economic decision to shy away from repair bills. So there will always be some restoration to do. The question is more whether you get value for money for the repairs. It does look quite expensive for what you get. However, if you bought the car from a dealer, then they usually provide a limited warranty.

provide

How would you find out which one it is? What kind of details do you mean? I'm not a mechanic -- I'm just looking at the list on the invoice. All I need to decide right now is whether this car is worth keeping and whether I can afford to wait to find out.

These things happen randomly. Your brakes don't know that your spark plugs are fouled (hypothetically speaking). Therefore, lots of stuff can come up at once. Also, you are likely to find out about things when you bring them in.

This is the way it goes. It's probably not a lemon.

Well then query the garage about what they're doing; cross check what the say. E.g. what is an induction tune up? Never heard of that on a modern car with ECU. The sensors either work or they don't, there should be no tune up. What model, engine do you have? What are the symptoms that suggests the repairs?

The induction service was as they told me at the dealer to remove the built-up in the carburator, if I remember correctly. It wasn't actually called "tune-up" but a 60k service, which included spark plugs, belts, oil seal rings, wiper blade, air and fuel filters, etc.

I'd like to know how they removed buildup from the carburetor in a car that doesn't have one...