1985-1998 [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
 | [Main 9000 Bulletin Board | BBFAQ |
Prev by Date | Next by Date | Post Followup ]
Member Login / Signup - Members see fewer ads. - Latest Member Gallery Photos
Re: Considering an 88 9000 Turbo Posted by Ari [Email]  (#2847) [Profile/Gallery]
(more from Ari) on Mon, 29 Oct 2001 16:17:20
In Reply to: Considering an 88 9000 Turbo, anothermike, Mon, 29 Oct 2001 13:27:58 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
The '88 is a good year (I've had 2). Fast, comfy, and well-appointed.
Has the tranny been replaced? Check the maintenance records. No records? Then worry about a lot more than the tranny.
Trannys tend to give some warning before they go. Back the car up and come to a full stop. Put the car in drive. Does the tranny bang, or is there a long pause before it shifts? Not a good sign. Are the shifts smooth? Under moderate power, a good tranny shifts very smoothly. If it shifts with a lurch, or the engine spins up between shifts, that's a very bad sign. Going up a hill in 3rd gear, press the gas for a downshift. Is it smooth, or did it feel like you got kicked in the back?
The ABS light being on isn't a good sign. It can be very simple, or very expensive. Most likely it's a bad wheel sensor, and replacing the sensor will fix the problem. Unfortunately, the ABS system contains some very expensive parts, and if one of those is bad, repairs could be more than the cost of the car. Yes, you can drive the car quite easily with no ABS - the brakes work just fine, only you have no ABS. But the ABS is VERY NICE. I went from a '86 900T to an '88 9000T, and the ABS is Very Nice (did I say that before?) A Saab dealer or a well-equipped independent shop can read out the ABS codes and see what's wrong.
What about the hatch doesn't open? If you squeeze the handle, does it feel like it's binding, or does the handle just move freely, like the hatch was locked?
Most likely it's the linkage rod from the release mechanism down to the latch. It likes to fall off. It's easy to put back on. The other option is that sometimes the release mechanism itself fails. Bend down and look up at the release 'paddle' on the hatch. You'll see that it's a wide piece of metal with two thin legs that go up into the mechanism. Pull on it. Both legs should move. One leg is just a hinge, the other drives the release mechanism. I've seen one leg break. The only solution is to by a new latch assembly - about $75 from the dealer.
Either way, you'll want the hatch open. You want to know what's going on back there - make sure the hatch isn't sprung from an accident, that a family of voles isn't living in the trunk, that the spare is there, and that the spare tire well hasn't rotted out. To do this the back seat must be folded down, and you crawl back there and remove the rear fabric panel - this requires a flat-blade screwdriver and a torx driver (for the grab handle).
If you're not familiar with this breed, find a mechanic that knows the 9000 to check it out. I have to believe that the car isn't that expensive - $3K, $4K tops. That's not a lot of money, but it doesn't take too many expensive things to go wrong (tranny, heater core...) to make the car a bad deal.
Good luck!
posted by 140.157....
, Mon, 29 Oct 2001 16:17:20 <-- Viewing This Message
No Site Registration is Required to Post - Site Membership is optional (Member Features List), but helps to keep the site online
for all Saabers. If the site helps you, please consider helping the site by becoming a member.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
