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A Solomonic Decision (long) Posted by Arabiflora [Email]  (#1129) [Profile/Gallery]
(more from Arabiflora) on Wed, 21 Mar 2007 20:46:51
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It's time to cull the herd and produce one reliable Saab from among the three that are presently in my driveway:
1. '88 900S NA, 5 spd 3 door, 366k mi. Drivetrain is solid (and original as far as I know), although shifting is a labor of patience during Wisconsin's cold winters. Unsuprising list of defects (headliner long gone, PS system leaks like a sieve, rust in all the usual places. Interior is actually quite nice, the car is remarkably dependable, and I've long vowed to see her roll 400k but (as they say) rust never sleeps.
2. '93 900S NA auto, 4 dr, burgandy, 120k mi. Engine is young and strong, body is in great shape (excepting an easily unnoticed dent benath rear pass door-- door works fine), has electric sunroof and, best of all, no rust. Auto tranny is toast, works only 1st and rev. Interior VERY nice, grey cloth, working seat heaters, etc.
3. '93 900S NA auto, 3 dr, burgandy, 204k mi. Rust and ding-free. Engine is strong but persistently passes oil into coolant system, suggesting future headgasket failure. Surprisingly, auto trans (orig. as far as I know [I got the car for free in '06]) still works well, hits all its marks with regularity, but there are some subtle hesitations on gear engagement and on acceleration that make me wonder how long that will be the case.
I've experienced two radiator hose failures on car #3 in the course of the last week (first was upper hose between temp sensor and thermostat, today's was in right-angle hose that receives hot coolant from block). Those failures in such quick succession suggest that the HG problem is about to go critical, so I have to decide among various options that occur to me:
1. Sell 'em all, use proceeds for down-payment on a new Corolla... Never mind, that WON'T happen, I just can't imagine not driving a C900.
2. Sell 'em all, use proceeds to buy a "clean" SPG. A couple of low-mile versions passed by on EBay recently for not much money (cp to buying new)... and after spending most of my formative Saab years in NA cars, don't I deserve a turbo???
3. Combine useful parts, sell the remains: Use body from the 93 3 dr, motor from the other 93, clutch, 5 spd, and other parts from the '88 to effect auto-to-manual conversion on my 'hybrid'.
Option 3 has always been my intention, but option 2 looks pretty good at present considering demands on my time (day job, family, community stuff) and limitations of my available tools and expertise...
Holy Crap, I think I just talked myself out of option 3: Sell the '93's as-is (are?), drive the '88 until the right SPG comes along. The romantic in me believes that I will be missing an opportunity for creation, but (as they also say) "A man's got to know his limitations."
EBay or SaabNet for sales-- any opinions?
, Wed, 21 Mar 2007 20:46:51 <-- Viewing This Message, Sat, 24 Mar 2007 12:52:26, Thu, 22 Mar 2007 22:43:58
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