1983 BMW 728i vs SAAB 900

I have an old 1983 728i which was kept for the purpose of applying for classic status reduced road tax, but could not meet the requirement of owning two other cars in my own name. Presumably the condition is to prevent abuse of having a 'luxury' (as in high capacity engined car) at reduced road tax for daily use. But, let's face it, would you use an old Beemer for high mileage use? Never mind the fact that most people have other cars (not necessarily under their names, eg. Company car or son's car) for more dependable use.

Anyway, I asked a workshop operator for his opinion as to whether it is worthwhile for me to do up my car and continue paying Rm1,600 in road tax or to change to a smaller capacity engine to save road tax in the long run. People have to be mindful of the fact that I am 61, so the long run bit has to be reasonable, like 5 years. Well, that was the time frame which he used to convince me to do up my car instead of changing the engine. I am also conscious of the fact that he could be bias, being a spare parts supplier to the workshop. He said that to change the engine would cost Rm11,000. He estimated a worst case scenario of my repair costs plus a year's road tax at Rm5,000, which means repairs costing Rm3,400. For Rm11,000 (cost of change of engine), I could use the car for 5 years at the present road tax (Rm3,400 + Rm8,000).

By shelving the car for a number of years, it was my way of getting back at the government for penalizing owners of high capacity cars regardless of age of car, on the presumption that they are rich enough. Nothing could be further from the truth. Then, it was the irrelevant condition which requires me to own two other cars in my name. My savings over the last few years meant government's loss of revenue, though I know our government could not be bothered about such meagre sums. But cutting loss means peace of mind, which is more important to me.

Anyway, I was offered a same age SAAB 900 for Rm5,000 and the road tax is only Rm312 per year! Honestly, I was and still am tempted by the option. Just imagine having a car ready for use (it needs re-starting because it was unused since April 2010, inspection by Puspakom, and transfer) and not having to fret over high road tax! The widow of the owner said the roadholding is as good as her Jaguar! I believe SAAB is more collectible than the BMW (especially when the manufacturer might even close shop which would make it even more so). As it is, it is relatively more troublesome when it comes to spare parts.

I did a search and was encouraged by this report on Youtube:

Old Top Gear SAAB 900
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JhdHxrKg9g

My main problem is space. It has to be either or. If not for space, I would still keep the BMW (without repairs) and buy the SAAB!

Update: If you think my idea is silly, read this...

"A wife flew into a fury when her husband went to buy a car she had set her heart on — and bought an old MiG fighter jet instead.

Madcap Mustafa Aziz blew the £6,995 the couple had saved up for the used Porsche on a rusting Iraqi aircraft.

The plane-mad hubby, 45 — a collector of aircraft memorabilia — then had to tell his missus Mamu, 32, the Czech-built jet was kaput and will never even fly. He confessed yesterday: "She wasn't a happy bunny and called me a crackpot." But he added: "Thankfully she is an understanding woman." ...

Man goes out to buy car, returns with jet plane

http://www.malaysia-chronicle.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=26082:man-goes-out-to-buy-car-returns-with-jet-plane&Itemid=4
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