80's Saab 900 Turbo

mondeo

Hey,

I have a 93 Bmw 525 which is nice but I am thinking of exchanging it for an 89' SAAB 900 Turbo. It's an interesting car and I would fancy having one.Their a slightly unusual design. I seen one a few weeks back in Superquinn in Ballinteer and I said to myself wow thats unusual. They
were pretty hot back in the 80's and early 90's. What do people think about them?

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ea/Saab-900-Turbo.jpg

ronnie3585

Really cool car, always liked them. If insurance wasn't such an issue for me I would love to own one as they are changing hands for decent money these days.

mondeo

ronnie3585 wrote: »

Really cool car, always liked them. If insurance wasn't such an issue for me I would love to own one as they are changing hands for decent money these days.

They are a cracking car, pretty unique looking zooming past down the road compared to todays turbo cars. Their is not many for sale, uk import would be likely.

peasant

Nice machine and fairly reliable but not without faults.

Saab have one of the largest and most helpful online communities ...do a search for Saab forums and then spend the rest of this long, rainy weekend reading up before you commit to buying

Muckie

Definitely dont see too many of the on the roads any more.

Go for it if its in good nick. Model classic, drive something different.

Esel

http://adverts.ie/90813

Yakult

coming down from dublin two weeks ago and I saw a nice little convoy of 7 or 8 on the motorway. Really nice looking cars imo

mumblin deaf ro

I'm also in the market for one of these, preferably from a UK specialist like paradise saabs or Hagstrom. If you go for one over twenty years old you'd be eligible for classic car insurance of €190 through some car clubs provided you have another car.

They tend to last well if serviced regularly, especially if you buy from a saab club owner. Main things to watch out for is rust around door seals, saggy headlining or slipping out of gear in reverse. If you buy a copy of Lance Cole's book about the 900 it has a chapter about what to look for when buying a second hand 900 turbo.

One final thing, don't buy one until I have mine

mondeo

I would buy one in near perfect condition not a broken down one. A UK one would be my route I would imagine..

peasant

Don't buy an automatic ...it breaks.

Having said that, the punch in the back that you get when the old fashioned three speed auto box kicks down in combination with the brutal uptake of the turbo after its old fashioned lag ...that's just something else.

All 175 horses giving you a right kick up the arse and firing the car off like a bullet ...the acceleration from ~80 km/h to 120 kmh literally was in a blink of an eye...best fun I ever had ...until the gearbox broke

Esel

Does the autobox regularly give problems in these? I'm an auto fan, btw.

peasant

I think it is a bit overwhelmed with the full on 16V/175-185 bhp turbo, yes.

But as with any older car ...it seems to be a matter of opinion. Some people swear by it, others say it's useless.

All I can tell you for certain is that I broke mine (too many whooosh moments ) and that the repair would have cost three times as much as the car was worth.

mondeo

In June I will go over and stay with my cousin for a 2 weeks in Birmingham and that should give me time to find a crackin Saab... I did not know they had 175+ bhp, thats a surprise for a front wheel drive turbo car. Do they have an LSD? It sounds like a teriffic car for abit of fun down the N7 on Sundays.

@ peasant....Do these old Saabs have independant rear suspension?

Barr

Huge fan of the classic 900 .. if you buy a good one they are practically depreciation proof

jozi

I do like these. Seen one driven by a lady last week, hope she knows I was staring at the car and herself

mumblin deaf ro

Ahem, if 175 bhp isn't enough . . .

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C90786/#