1991 Saab 900 2.1 - Raffle Prize

[Laneco]

So we go to a car show today... It's a fund raiser for Children's Miracle Network and all proceeds go to them. On a lark, I bought tickets for the car give away. I was teasing my son that if I won the car, he could have it...

Well just to prove that God has an extraordinary sense of humor, I won the car. It's a 1991 Saab sedan, 2.3 liter DOHC engine and 5 speed manual. Car has plenty of miles on it but runs out entirely decently. No smoking, etc. Shifting is a bit dodgy but the car clearly needs motor mounts so that likely contributes to that issue. Synchros OK - just takes a friendly touch to find the gear. Kind of like a 915 with bad shift bushings.

Known problems? Kind of like the car, especially for $20!


****EDIT - engine is 2.3*****

***2nd edit - need to work on my reading skills car is a 9000S****

angela

[onewhippedpuppy]

You can't go wrong with a $20 car! I can't speak for the older 900, but if I recall correctly from my 9000 days the transmission bushings go bad as well as the shift cable needs periodic adjustment. I put a poly bushing in my 9000 and it really helped. My 9000 Aero had 235k when I sold it and ran like hell on the original turbo, no internal engine or transmission work, no leaks or smoking. The old Saabs are tanks.

Saab Net is the best place for the older cars, they have a strong following.

[rouxroux]

Fun car, parts are going to be a problem. I loved the old 99EMS...a bulldozer for POR rally use.

[bell]

We demand pics of you're son behind the wheel....

Those are pretty safe cars, I remember the autos being slow, but the manuals were just a wee bit peppy :-)

[Don Plumley]

Sweet!

I had a 900 Turbo years ago. Cool car.

Might suggest the skid plate to protect the tranny - it's part of the engine block. It hangs low and if it gets hit and cracks, engine goes bye bye.

[azasadny]

Congrats!! (I think...)

[Laneco]

We took it out for a drive with Ryan behind the wheel. He does know how to drive a stick, we taught him on my 911 but that was just around the pasture behind the shop. This little Saab with it's worn mounts and likely worn shift linkage/bushings is fairly challenging. So naturally he stalled it in front of a police officer. A lady police officer and YES she was definately looking right at him.

I did what any other respectable urban mommy would do - I busted up laughing!

Here's a couple of pics for you guys. He wore shoes when he was driving, these are just for fun.

angela

[speedracing944]

Looks to be a Saab 9000 not a 900. Pretty cool car for $20, heck that's a pretty cool car for $2000 as it looks to be in nice shape.

Speedy

[Laneco]

HOLY SMOKES Speedy is right! Just walked out and looked at the badging (as the title says 90A - three digits in Oregon) and indeed it is NOT a 900, it is a 9000S.

DOH!

Also, it's a liftback sort of setup. Looks like a sedan profile but is definately a lift/hatch type rear.

angela

[onewhippedpuppy]

Amen to that, it's a 9000. You'll be amazed how much stuff you can cram in there.

[speeder]

They are HUGE inside. Probably the best four door + hatch body ever sold in the states.

[Heel n Toe]

Angela, with recent news of the increasing shortages of SAAB parts, be sure and tell him he could probably part that thing out for a half a million bucks if he's not in love with it.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Eeuroparts is a good source, I still get their mailings and they are advertising that they now carry aftermarket versions of NLA OEM parts.

[bell]

That's a perfect first car for him......let him drive it into the ground.......
Sounds like he can fix the simple stuff......
$20.......perfect.....and being a saab 4 door insurance is going to be very reasonable...

[Tishabet]

I had an 89 9000 turbo for a while, was actually a great car albeit a bit rusty.

[billybek]

Cool car!
How many guys can say their first car was a Saab!
The price was right and if it turns out to be a POS you could always part it out.
Congrats.

[jhynesrockmtn]

I had a 92 9000s for a while that was in great shape. Perfect car for the kid. Heck, I liked driving it. In good shape it shifts, stops and handles well. Not too speedy but with the manual it's fine and gets great mileage. I sold to my ex (whom I'm on good terms with), she needed a reliable cheap car and she loves it.

[oldE]

So, Is Momma going to show the lad how to change engine mounts and shift bushings?

Lucky kid!

Have fun.
Best
Les

[Laneco]

Yes, the engine mounts we can see from the top are all bad. I can see the coupler and the bushing(s) in it are bad enough that there is probably a 20% or greater change in rotation between the two halves.

Belts are new, plugs are new, brakes are new. The car had been donated to North Medford High School auto shop. From the paperwork, looks like it's been there almost two years. They did the "easy" typical tune-up stuff but decided not to jump into the less ordinary items. I'm waiting to find out if they put a timing belt on it or not. Very good chance they did. The auto shop teacher is a local PCA member. So I can find out everything they did (that I have not already discovered).

I think I'll drive THIS to the next PCA meeting - LOL!

angela

[onewhippedpuppy]

Angela, I'm nearly certain that they have a timing chain. At least I know that my 2.3 turbo and later 2.0 turbo had chains.