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Here's my $.02 for your parents. I have owned Saabs since I was 18 or 19, and I just turned 25. I have owned 4 900 turbos, and 1 900s. I agree with Ryan's comment whole-heartedly. I have found over the years that if you get some tools (a decent set of metric stuff from Sears will do nicely), there is just about nothing that you can't do on these cars yourself. They can be a pain sometimes, but are pretty forgiving.
Here's my advice for buying a Saab: Take the car that you intend to buy for a nice, long, drive. Make sure that the owner knows that you intend to fully inspect the vehicle, and that you may not be back for an hour or so. By this time, every component of the car should be in optimum operating conditions, and if anything that usually happens with the car hasn't happened yet, it's probably a good sign. MAKE SURE THAT THE TRANSMISSION IS GOOD! Put the car in reverse; if it doesn't *CLUNK* going in, that's a good sign. Next, let out the clutch in reverse, step on the gas, get up to 5 or 6 miles per hour, then let off the gas. If it doesn't pop out of gear, and you didn't hear a clunk on the way in, it's probably a pretty good tranny. Check around the rim of the head and any other gasket areas for leaks. (you should be doing all of this in a nice, big, empty parking lot, by the way). Next, put the car in first gear, crank the wheel all the way left, let out the clutch and give it a little bit of gas. If you hear a clacking sound, it needs a CV joint. Now crank the wheel all the way to the right. Do the same. No noise? Good. While you have the car out on the open road, keep a close eye on the temperature gauge. Try to find some nice steep hills, and go up them. If the temperature gauge seems like it is getting a little too high for comfort, the car may need a radiator (about $70 used, and you can do it yourself in an hour or 2) or a water pump (i think i paid 40 bucks for the one i just put in my car, and it was a total BITCH, but I got it done MYSELF in about 2 hours). Also, check the oil, see how it looks, give it a sniff. If it's pitch black and low, and smells really really gassy, the engine may be a little worn out, and the owners may not have been so "auto saavy". Next, go over to the other side of the engine (engine off, but warmed up) and pull out the gearbox dipstick. Give it a sniff and see how it looks. Look fairly clean? Good. Smell like burnt oil? Not so good. If it doesn't smell all that stinky, good deal. Of course, the motor oil will smell a little gassy probably, and the tranny oil (also motor oil in a 5 speed) should probably stink a little, if it really smells bad, the tranny's days may be numbered. Get a second opinion from a mechanic.
Here's the kicker: I have always paid between $500-900 for my Saabs, except my first one which I paid $2000 for (unknowingly got ripped off, but i still got my money's worth out of the car by far). The way I do this is buy a Saab from someone who really isn't a car person, which is fairly easy to do, especially since the Saab is typically a car owned mostly by stuck up yuppie types who haven't a clue. Usually they love their cars, but opt to sell them because they aren't running so great, and they figure that the car's days are numbered since it has such high mileage at say, 130,000 miles. Ha Ha. I love these people. 99 out of 100 times when a 900 isn't running right, or has an idle fluctuation type problem, or cuts out out of the clear blue every once in awhile, it is the result of rotten rubber vacuum hose. With $10 worth of this hose (available at any parts/hardware store), a pair of shears or a razor to cut it with, and an hour or so of your time, you will have a car that runs like BRAND NEW for a long time to come. I have purchased my last 4 Saabs under these circumstances.
Your parents may ask: "OK, so why has this guy had to have so many different Saabs then?". Well, my answer for that is that I live out in the BOONIES in upstate nowhere New York, and the freaking deer seem to LOVE my cars. I miss them all dearly. However, I have never sustained so much as a scratch or bruise in any saab I've owned, they handle like a BMW, you get the luxury of a BMW, have plenty of power to tow a small trailer anywhere through 6 inches of snow, whereas the Beemer is spinning it's rear tires on a frozen mudpuddle. No car I've ever ridden in/driven is as comfortable on long trips (those I've ridden in include Jaguars, Cadillacs, Lincolns, Mercedes, and even tractor trailers) as the Saab 900 series cars. I have come to the conclusion that there is no reason to own anything other than a Saab 900 Turbo. I have always liked BMW's, but parts demand exorbitant prices, whereas thousands of good saabs meet the junkyard every year (almost all because of people who didn't figure out the vacuum thing), and parts are easy as hell to find, and almost always at a decent price.
Sorry that was so long, but if you want to convince your parents, these arguments oughtta make a pretty strong case for you. Good luck, and get some tools. ~Matt
P.S.~ By the way, one more advantage: Back when my buddy and I were 18 or 19, we managed to stuff 2 (TWO) Three wheelers (Honda 200x's) under the rear hatch of his 82 900T, and closed the door. Of course we had to take the front tires off the three wheelers so they would sit low enough to fit in, but nonetheless, a testament to the incredible cargo space in a 900 Hatchback, something I left out of my rant before. I guess my $.02 has turned into $2.00.
, Tue, 7 Nov 2000 22:44:41
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