Scored a $500. Saab Convertible on CL last May

[Ferrariguyma]

Finally got around to putting it on the road. New hoses, belts, fluids, and top (big splurge was new top). Into it for $2000. with price of car, parts and tires.

1 Owner Garaged it's whole life, all records, keys, summer time beach ride sat covered in garage during winter. Lady did not use it last summer at all, battery died, and she was selling her house, car had to go. $500. cash and she was mine. 105,000 miles 5 speed and everything works! Ready for New England Leaf Peeping....

[GWN7]

Nice

[onewhippedpuppy]

Nice! I love the old Saabs.

[Macroni]

sweet ride....

[Ferrariguyma]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

Nice! I love the old Saabs.

A Maserati Coupe is on my bucketlist... How do you like yours?

[Zeke]

I remember seeing more than a few of those when they were new in the ritzy parts of Orange County, CA. Did they have turbo problems?

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by Ferrariguyma

A Maserati Coupe is on my bucketlist... How do you like yours?

Honestly I'm pretty meh on it. I hate the F1 gearbox, obviously more of a matter of preference but it's really hard to drive smoothly in manual mode and not a very good automatic either. It only makes sense when you're really driving hard, but the rest of the car isn't conducive to driving hard. In sport mode the suspension is borderline harsh but still allows too much body roll, in standard mode it bobbs like a Buick. The steering doesn't have very much feel either though it is decently weighted. On the upside the engine is simply fantastic, the sound is orgasmic, and the car is beautiful inside and out.

Overall it just isn't very well harmonized. Race engine, race gearbox, soggy handling. With a stick I would like it more, but still wouldn't love it. I'm getting ready to sell mine because it just doesn't do it for me, frankly I enjoy driving my RX8 and 911 much more. It's much more GT than sport, and it's not for me.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by Zeke

I remember seeing more than a few of those when they were new in the ritzy parts of Orange County, CA. Did they have turbo problems?

My '93 9000 Aero had 225k on it when I sold it, original turbo and no internal engine or transmission work. Saab knows how to build a turbo 4-cylinder.

[kaisen]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

Saab knows how to build a turbo 4-cylinder.

They were absolute junk from the late nineties on. Google is your friend. It will take you all of 15 seconds to find that their turbo/oiling/sludging problems are endemic. And the rest of the car (9-3 or 9-5, doesn't matter) isn't so good either.

[aigel]

Great deal there. I wish I could find something nice for $500 to mess with. You bought this to keep? Or drive for a summer and sell next spring? I couldn't see myself drive that for long (for reasons of self-image).

G

[nota]

Originally Posted by kaisen

They were absolute junk from the late nineties on. Google is your friend. It will take you all of 15 seconds to find that their turbo/oiling/sludging problems are endemic. And the rest of the car (9-3 or 9-5, doesn't matter) isn't so good either.

you have to use fake oil in turbo's
dead dino oil does coke/sludge
no matter the make

[kaisen]

Originally Posted by nota

you have to use fake oil in turbo's
dead dino oil does coke/sludge
no matter the make

That's not the whole of it, but synthetic is a good preventative measure

Read up on Saab's issues. It's not the type of oil or abusing the oil. It's the PCV system and poor engineering.

[speeder]

Originally Posted by Zeke

I remember seeing more than a few of those when they were new in the ritzy parts of Orange County, CA. Did they have turbo problems?

Being that the car in this thread is not a turbo, probably not.

[speeder]

I'm very familiar with Saabs up through the 900 line, having owned and worked on many. I have a love/hate feeling for them--I love the weird engineering and design + the way they drive and the space in them, etc. I love that they're odd and Swedish. Volvos are just Swedish. The engine in that one is sweet, N/A 16V DOHC.

The achilles heal of all 900 Saabs is the transaxle. They are the weak link in the driveline and they are very weak. They WILL fail, it's a "when" not an "if". And the repair always exceeds the value of the car, since the cars are worth very little. I'd own one again if it had a fresh transaxle and the total price was around what you're in that car. It looks very nice and your investment is OK, just enjoy it and don't hammer on it at all, maybe you'll get lucky for quite a while.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by kaisen

They were absolute junk from the late nineties on. Google is your friend. It will take you all of 15 seconds to find that their turbo/oiling/sludging problems are endemic. And the rest of the car (9-3 or 9-5, doesn't matter) isn't so good either.

Those weren't Saabs, they were GM products. Both of my Saabs were before GM was exercising much control over product, hence my favorable opinion of Saab. My little sister in law bought a 2003 9-3 against my advice, it was an incredible POS.

[chocolatelab]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

My '93 9000 Aero had 225k on it when I sold it, original turbo and no internal engine or transmission work. Saab knows how to build a turbo 4-cylinder.

My dad put 350k on his and replaced the turbo at 275k

Great car.

And it was pretty fast.

[Ferrariguyma]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

Honestly I'm pretty meh on it. I hate the F1 gearbox, obviously more of a matter of preference but it's really hard to drive smoothly in manual mode and not a very good automatic either. It only makes sense when you're really driving hard, but the rest of the car isn't conducive to driving hard. In sport mode the suspension is borderline harsh but still allows too much body roll, in standard mode it bobbs like a Buick. The steering doesn't have very much feel either though it is decently weighted. On the upside the engine is simply fantastic, the sound is orgasmic, and the car is beautiful inside and out.

Overall it just isn't very well harmonized. Race engine, race gearbox, soggy handling. With a stick I would like it more, but still wouldn't love it. I'm getting ready to sell mine because it just doesn't do it for me, frankly I enjoy driving my RX8 and 911 much more. It's much more GT than sport, and it's not for me.

I have been semi-shopping 02-06 GT Coupe's I am terrified of the F1 transmissions.

The prices on the Maserati Coupes have become stupid cheap now running $19-26k

I am going to have to wait out a renovation project on my house before I pull the trigger on a trident.

Andrew

[beepbeep]

If 900S is same model as here in Sweden then it's 147hp light pressure turbo. That is IMHO the best engine. Torque is abundant but engine is not so hi-strung that transaxle suffers. Also, it has THE best sound of all 4-cylinder engines ever, due to uneven length header and only one muffler.

I have bought one for 400$, tuned it to 260hp and drove it both on track and town until rust ate the body. It was one of those cars that just refused to die.

P.S.
OK, I blew one head gasket and one primary transmission chain. But that was at the end, running on E85 and boosting a lot.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by Ferrariguyma

I have been semi-shopping 02-06 GT Coupe's I am terrified of the F1 transmissions.

The prices on the Maserati Coupes have become stupid cheap now running $19-26k

I am going to have to wait out a renovation project on my house before I pull the trigger on a trident.

Andrew

My only advice would be to drive one first. I drive the RX8 or 911 before the Maserati, it just sits. A GT model with the 6-speed manual and conventional suspension (not Skyhook) would be my first choice, then you could add springs, shocks, and sway bars to make it handle like a proper sports car. It's still heavier and softer than a Ferrari, but you'd be a lot closer. BTW, parts costs are terrifying, even buying online.

[b2524]

so here is my Saab story:
bought this car (92, 900S) from a VP here at work. sat in his garage 10 years after his daughter moved to China to teach.
got it for $500 with a fresh top.
put new tires and a new battery in it along with a set of plugs.
Gave it to a friend of my daughters.
she drove it for about a year and a half.
an old lady backed into it in a parking lot and took off. thought she had hit the curb.
dented the rear fender, not enough to worry about. her insurance company gave my daughters friend 3500 and totaled the car. we had it titled with a salvaged pink. and she kept driving it, no body work done.
then this summer it over heated because the electric fan was bad. turned out the motor is cooked, water in the oil.
i'm going to trade it for a rear end from a car in a local junkyard unless someone here wants it. it runs and drives. i put block sealer in it. not sure if it fixed it.
$350 and it is yours (to cover my time working on the car over the last 2 years).
as-is-where-is.