Date: Mon, 17 Mar 2003 19:52:50 GMT From: Paul Halliday <pjghnopsamyonder.co.uk> Subject: Re: Buying a 88/89 900 Turbo - help
in article Xns9341B6FC5725Ewibbleflipdoodahnopsam133.1.4, Simon Weller at ngnopsamch.fsnet.co.uk wrote on 17/03/2003 17:59: > I'm looking at buying a 900 turbo, probably on a 88/89 (G). It'll be UK > spec. > > What I'd like to know, before I go crawling all over it, is what areas > are prone to failure, what to look out for, especially turbo related and > what's desirable and what's not etc. Also average prices. > > Any links would be appreciated. I owned an '85 900i 8v saloon some years > ago so have an idea of the layout of the car. First thing is listen to the beast when you're test driving. Check the turbo doesn't over-whine. A whistle is good, but if it sounds like a helicopter under load, leave it alone. Check for smoke once it's warmed up and under boost pressure - blue smoke is turbo failure. Water cooling on the turbos came in late 80s. I'm not sure the exact MY though, but my '89 (8V) is. The gear box also got some strengthening at the end of the '80s, again, someone help me with the model year :) The LPT models (badged 900 S in the UK) are probably okay, but might be more into the '90s. If you've owned an older 900i (the '85 900i was a fine car - I miss my old Inga, sniff), you'll know the basics - gasket failures, tired vac pipes, radiator leaks, oil pressure switch leaks, dipstick tube leaks, mayonnaise in the dipstick, gearbox whine, etc. What's desirable? EXTRAS! Gauges, whale-tale (rather than the rubber chunk), exterior air vent covers, body kit (IMO, the slant nose doesn't look right without one and the flat nose looks odd with one), leather interior, leather steering wheel & gear knob, etc. Have a look through the brochures at http://www.saabnet.com/ for optional extras that you should look out for. Price-wise, there seems to be little different between the 8V and the 16V. Keep an eye on http://www.autotrader.com/ for price comparisons. I have noticed that over the last year, classic 900s are really going up in price. I think 500 UKP will get you a reasonably good car (usually 150,000 miles plus) that will need that again at the first MOT and will take up quite a lot of your time fiddling with little jobs. Meatball will no doubt back me up on this one - he got a gem recently for less than this. Around 1,000 UKP you'll get a good one - solid engine, with good body shell and a good runner (around 125,000 - 150,000 miles). Aeros seem to be around 2500 UKP and up. If you want pristine (and low mileage - sub-100,000 miles), then 3500 UKP and up seems to be the going rate. There's a smashing white 16V Aero (this was going to be my replacement for Orca, if the repairs went wrong) at one of my local garages (West Yorkshire, so a bit of a trip for you but a nice part of the country if you fancy a long weekend) - check http://www.saabspecialist.co.uk/. Happy hunting - the turbos are great fun. Paul 1989 900 Turbo S http://saab.go.dyndns.org/
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