Guys,
I tacked this enquiry onto another thread that may not attract a good Saab expert/owner response so please excuse this semi-duplicate post.....
Had a day over at the "posh" side of the family in The Cotswolds yesterday. I was asked to advise on a Saab 900 convertible for a family/second car, and to comment on what could be found for £10,00. Now in the 80s I owned three Saab 900s so know that old model well, and lately have been offered/seen very cheap 9000s.
But as to this 900 convertible, I know very little.
So are they any good as a family car? Is the HJ guide right in saying they are poor to drive? How much of the Vauxhall floorpan/suspension do they use? What goes wrong that HJ hasn' covered? Do the hoods last, how much to relace?
I was horrified by the prices when checking this morning, £10,000 for a '94? OK so it has prestige but there are some really good quality family cars of that age at auction for under £2000 these days.
And if you had to spend the whole £10,000 a nearly new Mondeo should impress?
What do you think.
Thanks,
David
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I sold a J reg low pressure turbo 900 auto, convertible, black, tan leather, air, all electric including the roof, 25,000 miles, FSH, CD stack in the boot, Hong Kong import, for £9000. I was amazed at the price it got. Crap car. Bad scuttle shake. VERY slow. and people shout rude things begining with W at you if you get stuck at traffic lights. Only good thing was the air con which was very cold. With the roof up, you feel claustrophobic. I think it's probably reliable. Get a BMW instead although if your friend does get the Saab, it seems that it will hold it's value.
I agree about the 9000. Amazing value for money. I got a P reg saloon for £4000. 50,000 miles, air con (also very cold), manual, stack CD in the boot, FSH, only thing wrong was a "key" scratch down one side. The 9000 is bargain of the moment if you ask me.
Regards Richard.
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David
Haven't had a convertible, but ran a '96 900S 5 door for a while. Dreadful handling (roll, tyre squeal) although a good motorway car. Thirsty, slow off the mark, and even the saloon seemed to suffer from scuttle shake, so heaven help the convertible. Depreciated like mad. Wasn't impressed. Definitely try before you buy.
Regards
john
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What is the hold that Saab convertibles have over girls? My sister in law has just bought a 23K mile N reg 900 for money that she won't disclose (so it must be £10K plus 'cos of the embarrasment factor). Looks good, engine bay completely spotless, back discs badly scored, seems very underpowered, and the visible movement between the rear of the front doors and the B posts is mildly alarming. Sister in law is more concerned about the power of the stereo, the body colour, whether her sunglasses suit the car and if the alloys can be scraped easily when parking than any dynamic qualities the car may have.
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Darcy,
Quite.
Think we may have the same sister in law!
Her husband says something like a K-reg Metro would do. Wonder what the middle ground might be, or will the Saab be on the drive one day?
David
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David/Darcy
Didn't have the convertible, but my wife loved the 5 door 900. As you say dynamic qualities irrelevant!
Regards
john
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David,
Sister in law as yet unmarried.
We have only recently returned to being on speaking terms after she turned up with her aged Morris Minor convertible last Christmas, American boyfriend in tow, drank the place dry and then couldn't leave (the following day) because the Minor wouldn't start. I suggested she call a garage, but Madame (my wife, her sister) eventually persuaded me to look at the car.
There was no spark at the plugs, but a nice fat specimen at the coil. I pulled off the HT set and lobbed it in the bottom of the Aga while I connected up a battery charger and cleaned the (filthy) plugs and dragged a file over the points in situ. The dist. cap and the rotor arm were cleaned and the rotor arm 'lengthened' with a swift whack with hammer and screwdriver.
Of course, being a Morris Minor, it responded to the brutal treatment by starting immediately and running perfectly.
It had never been touched since the previous year when I fixed the choke linkage (with a paper clip I think) and I said I didn't want to see the car again unless it had been serviced.
Serious point here, I was at stress factor 9 when I was supposed to be enjoying a well-earned break. What if the damn thing didn't start? I no book to refer to for timing, points gap etc. and I hadn't looked under a Minor bonnet (apart from the choke thing) since changing the starter motor on my Mother's Minor in '72 or '73. My modest reputation in tatters ...(no, I'm not in the trade)
What is it about knowledge of e.g. cars and PCs that suddenly becomes public property when the chips are down? Never mind being a good Samaritan, my good Smaritan act was to tell her to get the car serviced a year ago.
Well, I had my rant at her and then went to the pub.
And then she wants me to coo over a rebodied Vauxhall with the torsional rigidity of a ripe banana ....
Signed, Mr Grumpy.
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Darcy,
Brilliant. Sounds like you offer the same "service with a growl" to friends as I do. You really should return to the CCC fold and give us more copy like that, some on the 4x4 would be nice.
Funny about the PC too. For some obscure reason I'm having a laptop delivered soon by a contact who was given my name as "someone who can sort out your PC for the Internet". Another few hours of unpaid stress no doubt.
David
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David
Thanks, you are too kind.
Exactly how much does the CCC pay for contributions?
I thought so, just the same as last time I wrota a para or two...
Oh, yes, my learned treatises on CX trivia are required reading for Citroen 'anoraks' the world over.
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Darcy
Know the problem. Like you, not in the trade, but the reputation for 'knowing a bit about cars'. Comes as a result of a lifelong interest, plus an engineering training.
Not so bad these days, but in a previous job got a constant stream of people directed in my direction. Not so bad if it's a simple problem and they can fix it themselves, but the number of times you end up with your head under a bonnet.....
Cheers
john
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