I've heard that Saabs in the last 5-6 years are okay. Anything before that was crap. I have a friend who has owned Saabs for quite awhile. Drives a Saab SUV thing now, used to drive their little 4-door. Out of curiosity, HCP, since I've always thought about the Passat - how often would it break down? My dream car is the A6 but I'll be lucky if I ever have that kind of money.
I had a 05 Passat wagon and loved it. Not one problem ever. I just returned it. It also only had 24,000 miles, so it was just warming up.
My father is a fan of Saabs - but only the old ones, not the new ones. I also heard strange things about the Freeman guys - so I would be careful buying there. If they allow you to have the car inspected by a proper mechanic - you should be fine, if they do not... I would look elsewhere, just my opinion. Personally, I find most modern cars too complicated - but as far as driving experience - I prefer the BMWs to the Audis - the Audis are usually very nose-heavy and scary expensive when things get wrong, especially the turbo-charged motors. The E39 BMW you linked to is a fantastic car - but they, too, can get really expensive when things go wrong. If memory serves, they had stupid plastic radiators on them - so when you get one, usually upgrading to an aftermarket steel one solves a lot of the issues. Also - the link you provided was for the 6 cylinder engine in the BMW - these are the right engines for these cars, do not be tempted by the bigger engine V8s - they are a lot more complicated to service.
Thanks for the help guys. Made my choice, on my way to pick it up right now. http://portland.craigslist.org/clc/ctd/1335953778.html
Nice! I'm jealous! I'm looking forward to driving it when you are out of town working. I'm trying to talk my wife into getting this, but she isnt going for it. Our vehicles right now are all paid for and she wants to keep it that way. Sometimes it sucks having a responsible wife. http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/ctd/1341933741.html
Why didn't you just finance the residual and end up buying it . . . with those low miles, you might have been able to sell it and make a little money . . . although in this economy it could be tough. How come you didn't buy it? Edit: just read the rest of the thread . . . congrats on the new car, it looks awesome.