Here we go again: How are late 80's Saab?

[MattBelliveau]

Going to look at an '89 900 tonight. Standard 5-speed. Anyone know anything about these cars. How's the longevity? Thanks!

[TX76513]

Originally Posted by MattBelliveau

Going to look at an '89 900 tonight. Standard 5-speed. Anyone know anything about these cars. How's the longevity? Thanks!

Matt - here is some good reading on that car.
http://www.saabcentral.com/features/saab_900/press_reviews/autocar.php

[MattBelliveau]

Nice site, if a bit glorifying. Anyone else?

[FarmallCharlie]

I had a couple back of them in the late 80's early 90's. There was a fairly common problem with the 5 speed transmissions, where they wouldn't stay in 5th gear. I had one act up at about 130K, at the time I had a good used tranny available and swapped it out. The key lock on the shifter was troublesome also. My buddy fixed mine so I didn't have to put it into reverse to shut it off and take the key. That helped allot. I was living in WI at the time, great heater, fair A/C system. Front end needed some work, ball joints etc. The engine never gave me any problems. One of the cars spent almost 100K at 1.0 bar of max boost, without any other mods than not expecting sustained full throttle runs at that boost level. Turbo laaaaaag was pretty bad compared to the newer turbo-ed cars.

[brick8]

They are lots of fun to drive and are not too hard for a diy'r to fix. There is a good Bentley manual available which is very helpful. For more info, try the http://www.saabnet.com/tsn/bb/900/ website. The hatchbacks are very roomy for such a small car.

[MattBelliveau]

I checked it out yesterday. No go. I was looking for a winter car, preferably a gasser. The body was in decent condition, except the fuel door, which was basically crumbling with rust. The main problem, was that EVERY exterior light was either broke, smashed out, or the mounting was destroyed, probably resulting in the need for fabrication. Also, the interior electrical (not much there), like the dash lights and stuff, were extremely jerry-rigged (sorry,Jerry). 276k on the odo, 5-speed, in which 4th was out, and a weak clutch. Interior in nice shape. $500. Runs good. If I had a garage (the house I live in doesn't have one), and could find a really cheap parts car, I might have picked it up. However, and my better half would agree, I have room in my driveway for only one money pit, and I prefer it have a three pointed star on the hood. Till next time...

[Obnoxio]

I used to be a Saab nut. Had an old Sonnett and a 79 "99" Turbo. I got cured of my Saabness when I moved to the south. Good cars if you have someone close by who can get parts. Belts are tricky to replace, engine is in backwards, trans take some getting used to, eclectic cars. I liked my 99, I thought that was the best looking Saab, IMHO.





-OB

[thorsen]

I have a 1991 900, non-turbo. I use it for my winter beater once they start salting the streets. It's a great car in the cold, but not so good in the summer. Once the AC kicks on the engine really bogs down.

Parts are cheaper than the equivilant MB parts (I use eeuroparts.com) and the car is dead simple to work on. The car has got what has to be the easiest clutch in the world to replace. I replaced mine last week in about 90 minutes. The engine runs north-south and there is no bell housing to remove.

The trannys are notoriously weak, especially in the turbo models. They are not designed for drag racing, and some people can't resist the urge to boost the engine and dump the clutch. Stay away from the automatics at all costs.

Headgaskets are a known weakspot. Expect a 100k mile lifetime. It costs $1,000 - $1,500 for a shop to do it, less than $250 if you do it yourself.

For a 3000lb (I think that's what they weigh) car, the ride is actually pretty crisp. It handles well and accelerates decently. Lay the back seat down and the rear hatch can swallow an impressive load.

My favorite part are the brakes. On the ABS cars, the master cylinder has an electric pump that pressurizes the system. The brake feel and action is the best of any car I have ever driven.

I originally bought the car to use as an economical commuter and can pull 25-35mpg city-highway. The turbo and SPG models get slightly worse economy but are wicked-fast. My non-turbo paid for itself in 9 months with the money I saved in gas over my old Pathfinder.

Compared to my 1984 300SD, I would say that on a mile-to-mile basis, the Saab is cheaper to work on and gets better fuel mileage. I prefer the ride of the SD, obviously.

[soxfan]

Had an 89 Turbo..

loved it.. it developed "neurological" issues.. if you left it for 2 days the battery went dead. No one, including dealers and indies could find it. Other than that it was a great car, lots of fun to drive, and easy to find in a parking lot. They were unique...

[Jim B.]

Check the open discussionss sections under yesterdays post by Dave St. Louis, "Good grief, I just bought a Saab 900" (for under $500) for a few remarks on this very issue.

Saabs were always different, very Swedish in the Volvo safety tilt, and quirky with the key in the floor, saddled with the unfortunate Yuppie image, not too easy to find mechanics for them except of course on the East and West coast.

I personally loved and still do - the old RWD drive Volvos, they are safe, comfortable, reasonable to maintain with good mechanics, and everlasting.
I still miss the old 740, and it is still out there running.