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Re: Saab 9000s Posted by Ari [Email]  (#2847) [Profile/Gallery]
(more from Ari) on Thu, 5 Jun 2003 05:37:29
In Reply to: Saab 9000s, MarcW, Wed, 4 Jun 2003 13:14:02 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
For complete disclosure, I've got a '92 non-turbo, which I've had since new.
OK, get ready for this - the only thing that has ever failed on the car is the radio. All other work has been standard replacement items (brake pads, battery every 4 years, muffler after 8 years...)
Do I consider this rare? Yes - I've got plenty of other Saabs that have required more work, but they're older and higher mileage. This car is very well treated and low miles.
There is some talk about the balance shaft sprockets being softer in that time frame. That's about it. Some '92s came with TCS (traction control), which could be a problem if it acted up.
One very important thing to remember - this is a 13 year old car. I don't care if it's a Saab, Mercedes, Toyota or Honda - it's a 13 year old car with the equivalent of 6+ trips around the world. ANY car of this vintage and mileage will require maintenance and work. Actually, that's not true - there are plenty of cars out there that would require no maintenance, because they would have been JUNK three years and 25K miles ago.
Trouble spots in a 9000 - heater cores leak (turn heat on, Defrost, sniff for coolant smell). The automatic transmissions aren't very robust, and typically last 80-100K miles. If this car is on it's original tranny, keep an eye out for hard shifting or over-reving between shifts. But the tranny may have been replaced already, OR you've got a good one. AC compressors like to fail.
About the only complaint I have is that a NA automatic is pretty slow in terms of acceleration. Getting up to highway speed, and some speed changes to find holes in traffic require planning and patience. Of course, I'm comparing this to my other Turbos. However, my '92 is very deceptive, and I usually find myself going 85 without realizing it.
Check through the maintenance records to see what has and hasn't been done. No records - then plan on doing some preventative maintenance now. Coolant should be flushed every two-three years. Brake fluid flushed every 2 years. Tranny fluid replaced every 15K miles. Inspect running gear especially CV joint boots. Put in a new serpentine belt. Of course, oil, and all filters (oil, air, fuel, tranny).
An older 9000 in good shape is a fantastic car. Comfortable, much bigger on the inside than the outside, capable of carrying an amazing amount of stuff. Great in snow.
OK, say you dump this car and get something else. Getting something else will require an outlay of cash. If you buy used, all you're doing is spending money to buy something else that will need maintenance and will fail, also. The only cars that don't break are made by Matchbox, and even then they only don't break if you leave them in the box.
My recommendation - get the car checked over by a decent tech that knows Saabs. Then don't sweat when he tells you everything that's wrong. That's his job. Evaluate from there. Drive the car for a few weeks. Buy groceries and be amazed at how the trunk eats them. Hit the home center for something big and bulky. Be equally amazed. Decide if you like the car. Then you can decide if you want to keep it.
If you want to keep it, unless you've got the records and know what's been done, spend a few bucks and get the fluids and filters changed, drop in new plugs, check the brakes.
Quite honestly, Saabs are great cars, but they can be expensive to keep running. If you can do some simple work yourself, the price drops quickly. I usually pay other folks to do brake flushes, but I always do my own brake work. A lot of minor electrical things can go wrong, but the electrical manual and a meter and you're in good shape.
If you need to go to the dealer to have everything fixed, from oil changes to light bulbs replaced, don't keep the car. Of course, under those conditions, only buy new cars, and sell it before the warranty is up. ALL CARS BREAK.
Since you've come into this car with minimal investment, you can put aside the $$ you would have normally spent to get the car against the normal maintenance any car requires. This puts you way ahead. So the real question is - do you like driving the Saab? If so, then enjoy.
posted by 192.249....
, Thu, 5 Jun 2003 05:37:29 <-- Viewing This Message
, Thu, 5 Jun 2003 03:41:51, Thu, 5 Jun 2003 03:53:10
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