Reply #6: Well made, long lifespan, lots of expensive little quirks

[jobycom]

I've never owned one, but I work for a tire company, so I hear comments on them. They are very good cars, like a Volvo or Mercedes or Saab. The complaint I hear is that they break down a lot, and require expensive maintenance. Keep in mind that where I work, I will hear the negatives, not the positives. Plus, a thirteen year old car will have had all the normal quirks fixed by now, so your biggest problem will be things breaking. They are quality cars, so 97K miles is not high mileage. Age will cause some parts to fail, and they may be expensive.

I drive a 23 year old Mercedes Benz at the moment, and my opinion is that if you get an older car that runs well off the lot, it will run well for a long time. If it has obvious problems, like too many engine noises (adjusted for age), smoke, leaks, etc, it will be a constant maintenance problem. So judge the car on its own merits, but don't worry about the make. It's a good make--though good makes often have expensive parts.

Just my opinion on them. I'm a bookkeeper, not a mechanic.