WTB: Fast Swedish Car

[onewhippedpuppy]

Anyone help me out? I'd like to find a Saab 9000 Aero, 900SE (5 door), or Volvo T5 wagon. This will be my new "truck". Rust free, excellent mechanicals, good cosmetics, within 3-ish hours of Wichita. Obviously finding something halfway near me is the challenge, as I live in no-man's land for import cars. I'd prefer the Saab to be stick, Volvo I'll be stuck with an automagic (boo). Looking to spend under $4k, $3k would be ideal. Any leads are appreciated.

[alf]

I thought you meant one of these...

http://www.koenigsegg.com/

[Halm]

We had a '97 T-5 wagon for about 8 years, 150k miles. Great car. I consider it one of the 5 best cars I ever owned.

[masraum]

Exactly, when I saw the title I was thinking

Testosterone that you can drive. The sound and looks of this thing are Fantastic!!!



Much better than a Saab anything except maybe

[onewhippedpuppy]

Can you get a Koeingsegggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg for $3k?

[Jared at Pelican Parts]

You should be able to find a 1994-on 900SE Turbo for that price.

Manual boost controller set to 15psi, some light porting, intake work and a Porsche 930 blow off valve.

brace the steering rack and you will have a fast car.

[jorian]

Matt,

The Volvo T5 wagon/sedan did come in a 5 speed too. Rare but there out there.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Jared, I had a '97 900SE. With an MBC it was a lot of fun, I wish I still had it. One of the best cars I've ever had, very well made. Easily better than either of my past BMWs. A bit odd, but it really grew on me. Quick, 29 MPG, good ride, and the ability to swallow a bunch of stuff. With a different sway bar and the previously mentioned rack brace, they can also be made to handle pretty well.

Jorian, I've never seen an 850 T5 manual that wasn't a swap job. I know there were a limited number of S/V70 T5 models with a manual, I've only seen one for sale.

I'd really prefer a Saab, the Volvo is plan B. There's a '95 850 T5 wagon in KC for $3650, but it has 160k and no records. The dealer claims it is in good shape, but that's still somewhat iffy.

[livi]

Funny, here in Sweden most of the T5΄s are equipped with a manual gear box.

The K-egg factory is just a couple of miles from my home. I meet them on the roads regularly and I am always amazed by how low and wide they seem. Brutal, aggressive and raw like nothing else I have seen 'live'. And yes, the sound. It resembles a low pitch tiger roar. Almost triggers a primitive fight or flight reaction in the gut.

Coincidentally, they have set up their shop in a recently abandoned air force base that was there all the time when I grew up. Fighter planes like the Draken, Viggen and the JAS Gripen flying over our heads every day.

I am glad some things Swedish are appreciated 'over there'.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Everything overseas has a manual gearbox. Unfortunately, many of us fat lazy Americans seem to feel that shifting is too much work.

Somehow, Koeingseg working out of an abandoned air force base seems appropriate.

[svandamme]

i just test drove a new Volvo C30 1.6 D for new company car
have to say , more bang for you buck then say a Golf
and i had more pleasure driving it

it's tough picking a new midrange car after having driven Porsches for 6 years straight
even if they were old ones, any FWD after that is sort of non sporty
even if it has 240nm of torque , which is on par with my 944S

drove the audi A3, i was not impressed, base model has hardly any kit same for the VW's
while the C30 has pretty much everything standard

while driving the audi i never had a moment where i felt like forgetting i was driving, and just enjoying the ride
the C30 on the other hand, on country roads, i was just having fun

and also, here Golf's are a dime in a dozen, they're everywhere
the C30 is not as common, and i think it's interior is more stylish by far

made my choice, my new employer can get a lease on that C30 for me...
can't wait till i get it

[onewhippedpuppy]

The C30 is a cool, creative new car. I'd definitely drive one.

[beepbeep]

Originally Posted by Jared Fenton

You should be able to find a 1994-on 900SE Turbo for that price.

Manual boost controller set to 15psi, some light porting, intake work and a Porsche 930 blow off valve.

brace the steering rack and you will have a fast car.

94-98 cars are equipped with Trionic 5. Fitting a manual boost controller is very bad thing to do. Trionic 5 is speed-density system that treats pedal as torque-requestor and manipulates boost and ignition to get desired torque. If you disable it's posibility to manipulate boost it will wound back the timing and most probably lighten CE light. In worst case, it will hit the overboost switch and/or go lean. This is definately wrong car to "tune" by T-ing the wastegate hose.
99- and onwards (Trionic 7) are even more so, as they contain both MAP-sensor, fly-by-wire throttle and AMM. The more you try to raise the boost the less they will open the throttle and log lot's of error codes in ECU. You could "tune" old SAAB cars (equipped with Bosch LH ECU) by MBC...but even then it would render APC "deaf" and useless.

Only way to properly tune Trionic-equipped car is by re-programming the ECU.

930 blow-off valve isn't really blow-off valve but more of a recirculating valve. It's completly integrated with intermedium plenum and cannot be "moved" to other car. B2x4 engines fitted in 94-98 SAAB cars have perfectly functional Bosch recirculating BOV valve of similar design like those fitted to 964 Turbo and forward.

Even if you by some chance installed 930 BOV, it wouldn't raise output at all as BOV is closed at all times except throttle liftoff.

Further on, B2x4 engine heads flow nicely upwards 400hp and is one of last things I would do. There are plethora of other things that should be done furst before flow becomes the limit. One of them is small OEM turbocharger, second one are mild cams etc.

With other words, I find your tuning "hints" somewhat wrong!

[beepbeep]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

Everything overseas has a manual gearbox. Unfortunately, many of us fat lazy Americans seem to feel that shifting is too much work.

Somehow, Koeingseg working out of an abandoned air force base seems appropriate.

As SAAB goes, stay clear of everything with black DI-box (9-5, ng900 or og9-3).
There are some og9-3 with B204 engine (made 98-99) that are OK. With other words, you want 94-98 (99 for 9-3) car with red DI-box.

Cars equipped with B2x5 engines aren't as durable. I recomend finding a 9000 CSE 2.3 or 9000 Aero. Somehow, I doubt you will find an Aero for 4000$. You might find a nice 9000 CSE 2.3t with 200hk and manual gearbox though.

[alf]

How about this one? I know the owner and could get you a sweet deal.

http://seattle.craigslist.org/est/car/494736064.html

[jyl]

Aren't Saabs unreliable and/or expensive to fix? I was interested in a 900-series, my mechanic warned me off them.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Goran, while I agree that the ECU tune is the proper way to go, a conservative MBC tune is a cheap way to more HP. I tuned mine to boost cut (T5), then backed it way off. Never hit boost cut again, no pinging or ill effects. Boost came on much sooner and peaked higher. Again, while I agree that the ECU tune is better, an MBC isn't a path to certain disaster.

Also, I won't buy a T7 car. The sludge issues are just too common, and as you mentioned, they're difficult to modify. Belive it or not, you can find nice Aeros for under $4k. There's just not any near me, at least that I know of. My first choice is an Aero, second would be a '97-'98 9000 CSE, when they had the Aero motor/turbo.

Blow off valve is essentially a poser bit, it doesn't provide any performance gain over a bypass valve, except for high powered race cars. The only HP gain you will find is by replacing a factory bypass valve that isn't holding boost. Does that count as a mod?

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by alf

How about this one? I know the owner and could get you a sweet deal.

http://seattle.craigslist.org/est/car/494736064.html

9-5 Aero is nice, but it's automatic, in Seattle, and over twice what I want to spend.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by jyl

Aren't Saabs unreliable and/or expensive to fix? I was interested in a 900-series, my mechanic warned me off them.

My 900SE was flawless. From my wrenching, I found it to be better constructed than my E34 or E36 BMW. Better materials, more logical assembly. That applies to both the interior and mechanical systems. Parts cost is probably 1/2 that of German cars, very reasonable. I don't know what labor would be on one, I work for beer.

[beepbeep]

I actually own a SAAB 1990 900S beater that I bought for 300$ from a 92-yr old man (actually, from his son as he wasn't allowed to drive). It's a light-pressure turbo with 145hp and no intercooler. FI is Lucas CU14.

Wastegate rod was off, so it didn't produce any boost. Other from that, car was mint.

I "invested" 350$ extra in it:
- Hooked og900 intercooler (50$)
- Re-ground 264/9.45 cams (200$)
- One straight-trough muffler (50$)
- New oil, filters and 9000 Turbo 2.3t injectors. (50$)

Boost is raised to 1 bar and car is running on E85 ethanol blend. Being 103 octane, I advanced ignition a bit.

How fast? Let's just say car is faster than my 230hp Audi S4 -93 and keeps even pace with 964 C4 in straight line I would say approx 250hp in 1200kg body (two doors). Enviromentaly-friendly to boot!

It's a hoot to drive and I sometimes leave the S4 and drive old clunker just for fun. I'll try do do something about suspension this spring.

I never ever had so much power so cheap...and thing just keeps on ticking. Nothing, I say nothing has gone wrong in two years. Not even a fouled plug.

There is no AC, no power windows, no rear seats, no radio, no ABS. Just sunroof and cruise control. Best clunker I ever had. And boy does it haul on the highway! Just don't try to take the corners

P.S.
I work for a big SAAB-dealership.