I'm a sucker for a broken car (meet Chico)

I just realized that several of the cars that I have owned over the course of my driving career have been broken when I bought them. While one good reason for this is that I come from a family that believes in fixing things, and have now married a guy who does, too, it occurs to me that this is not normal behavior. That said, I have come out ahead just about every time, even if I've driven the car for a couple years. My first broken car was Frank, a mid-80's Volvo 242 sedan with a cracked head. I bought him for $50, and invested maybe $200-$300 more. Not bad for a vehicle that I drove for a year and sold for a profit. Then there was the 1985 BMW 528 that I bought for (I think) $500 with accident damage to the hood and fender, and had repaired. I did end up having to drop an engine into that car, which was an extra $350 or so. I believe I drove the Beemer for 4-5 years, and finally sold it for about what I had originally put into it. Let's see, then there was a BMW 535 that had no problems that I drove for awhile, and then a Saab 900 named Mr. Frisky (well, I had to have Mr. Frisky's sunroof fixed, but for an $800 car, that's not too bad) and then I bought Lola, my Corolla wagon. She was also $800, and had a failing clutch when I bought her. I babied the clutch for almost a year, and then S. replaced it. She still runs like a champ, 240,000 miles notwithstanding. And the Golf. We all know about the trials and tribulations of Mary Margaret. (If you don't, feel free to check the archives.)

Why this long-winded recap? Because I've done it again. Call me an automotive Florence Nightingale, I just can't help but want to nurse (worthy) cars back to health. My latest patient is Chico (so named by his former owner.) A 1999 Saab 93, he is suffering from a blown head gasket and has an electric window that won't roll down. Luckily, my friend Jerry is just about the best Saab mechanic in the Twin Cities, and Chico is in his capable hands even as we speak. I think that Chico has it in him to be great once more, he just needs some love. (his former owner left him for a new Mini.)