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Re: Finding a good C900 to buy? Posted by Saana88 [Email]  (#207)  [Profile/Gallery]
(more from Saana88) on Fri, 8 Jun 2007 16:00:15
In Reply to: Finding a good C900 to buy?, kyle morley, Fri, 8 Jun 2007 06:41:06 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
The northern C900 market has undergone what I call "Volvo 240/960 Wagon Syndrome" where everyone who has one is keeping it forever and all the ones available you don't want. You need an auction runner or a travel budget or a keen eye on the C900 classifieds. What do you consider "massive mileage," do you work on your own car, which transmixer do you want, and what will the car be expected to do? In my opinion, an '89 or '90 five-speed base car is the best basic transportation, with '88 being close but having some strikes against it. My '88 is still doing an awesome job at a mere 218k but it's been in the family for a long time and I know she's been kept up. You're looking at cars that have the potential to last nearly forever yet will be awfully fragile and expensive if care has been neglected. If you are looking for a college car, you want one that has been taken care of. If the sellers don't have a book of maintenance records, you need to do more research before buying. Stop by a Saab dealer with the VIN and have them search on the car's maintenance history (they have access to a nationwide database). If the sellers say they have used a local independant technician (a good one is nearly priceless), stop by that mechanic's shop for their recommendation and repair records. And finally, if you really know you are going to buy one, get the Bentley manual ahead of time and decide how much maintenance it appears you will be able to do yourself. Shop around for some typical parts prices since you already know where to get Saab parts. Ask your insurance agent for some quotes, and then drive the car, much longer than just around the block, and test for as many issues as you can. Drive around in circles in a parking lot to check for CV joint noise. Pry off the inspection cover and check the clutch wear. Pull a wheel and look at the brakes. See if the steering and suspension is tight (loose ball joints cannot be detected without unloading the suspension). With nobody behind you, brake hard to test how well you can modulate the pedal or how well the ABS works. Throw the car around a few corners to see if they used awful tires just to sell the car.
With all this talk, and I'm going to jinx myself here, my '88 still has her original drive joints (inner and outer), wheel bearings, ventilation fan, all instruments, upholstery except the headliner, timing chain/tensioner/guides, engine, fuel pumps (prepump getting changed this weekend), and a whole host of other stuff that just refuses to die. This design dates to the "when in doubt, overbuild" approach when 85% of the roads in Sweden were unpaved. You know, back when the third set of mudflaps had a purpose.
Yep, the C900 classifieds and local paper ads. Beware of swap-sheets that allow people to list cars for indefinite periods since the rip-off artists tend to reside there, and also fleebay. Some of the auction listings for 900s there are downright comical.
Also e-mail me. I may have a fine specimen for you, it depends on if he wants to sell or not.
Manual/automatic?
Turbo/non?
AC necessary?
Enjoy turning a wrench?
History?
You probably already know about the Nokians.... !
, Fri, 8 Jun 2007 16:00:15 <-- Viewing This Message
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