saab 900 turbo

rustheap

hi i have a fairly good idea on most modern classics and their relative worth however i have come across a classic shape 1988 saab 900 turbo (uk plate) in mint condition and running well with auto box im thinking 1500 euro or is there the interest out there in these cars? also while im at it the mercedes 450 slc have you ever seen a car to have a more flexible price ???? whats a decent cond 2 one of them really worth in the real world a nice looking car but who wants to be burned on price !!any replies appreciated

PaulK_CCI

rustheap wrote:

hi i have a fairly good idea on most modern classics and their relative worth however i have come across a classic shape 1988 saab 900 turbo (uk plate) in mint condition and running well with auto box im thinking 1500 euro or is there the interest out there in these cars? also while im at it the mercedes 450 slc have you ever seen a car to have a more flexible price ???? whats a decent cond 2 one of them really worth in the real world a nice looking car but who wants to be burned on price !!any replies appreciated

The Saab 99/900 is an appreciating classic, but so far only still for the 1st series (upright nose) with a good condition original, well restored Turbo fetching the most. Here on the continent a very good early 99/900 Turbo 77-84 can sometimes fetch between 5-7k, but they would have to be genuinely good for that. The later 'slant nose' models are lagging way behind in desireability. The autobox is not considered a desireable option, even though the 5 speed box is pretty much the most unreliable of the two. Those later 900's make a superb daily driver though, if you want something different that is great to drive and relatively cheap to maintain. Go for the specials, like the Carlsson, or the GT version of the 900 Turbo, and the car will still be desireable when it's time to sell it on.

Re. the SLC's, as you say there is a very wide difference in price. Mainly because the production run was extremely long, it's always been considered as the SL's ugly duckling relative, so a lot of cars would have ended up in the wrong hands, and have been neglected badly. Nothing worse than a badly maintained Mercedes V8, as generally maintenance on an old Merc is surprisingly hassle free and relatively cheap, but once that V8 starts to give problems and needs an overhaul, it's going to cost you... The only model to keep an eye out for is the 450SLC 5.0. That's a very desireable and collectable model, built by Mercedes alongside their normal SLC's in a short production run to homologate the car for racing. There could still be a few out there that the owner's does not realise it's the rare 5 litre model.

green-blood

I dunno Paul, in the Uk and now here, all "classic" saab 900s have a decent reputation now.

a Full turbo, 175bhp (a 185 woudl be rare in auto) btw a LPT is 145, makes a very useable modern clasic, teh upright/slant nose facelift mark is 87/88 and the most noticeable mechanical change is that after teh facelift the handbrake operates the rear as opposed to he earlier front wheel operation. on early cars the calipers up front can stick.

manuals can suffer thrust bearing issues which reualt in graunchy 2-3 changes so an auto may be a good investment, even then a heavy foot and teh nature of 80s turbo charging can put serious pressure on teh box.

watch out for rust at the bottom of the doors, sills are good, rust at the end of edges of the bonnet, the box, smokey upchanges can indicate turbo wear, on manuals, the clutch can need its linkage shimmed if its loose, but other than that they are very stong. if you've no windscreen cover check teh screen condition, its an expensive item.

I love 'em :-)

www.saabcentral.com

Gerry

I run a 91 T16s as a daily driver, and it hasn't let me down yet It wasn't mint when I got it ( far from it ), so its a "rolling restoration".
One of the great things about these cars is how easy they are to work on. You can get them with all the modern comforts:
electric windows/mirrors/sunroof, ac, cruise control, electric heated seats, electric seat adjustment, abs, but still maintain the whole car yourself.
Most things are easily accessible, there is good documentation available even for the modern electronic systems which were added to the car later in its production. So it makes an ideal project for learning how to work on cars. There is a great internet community built around these cars, you can find help and advice for any problem, and
many places to order parts from. Its also easy to make improvements to the handling and engine ( for example, the turbo boost controller can be persuaded to give more boost with a few resistors ).

They are a great handling car, ride quality not the best compared to a modern car, but its worth it if you want to drive something a bit different. Mine is one of the later ones, but I think it looks better than the flatnose. The other advantages of going for a late one are:
- much better brakes after 87
- gearbox is a weak point, but was improved in 88 and 90.
- more chance of having extras, such as ac, cruise control, abs.
- after 1990, turbo is a watercooled mitsubishi te05. This is completely different to the earlier garrett, and is way nicer to drive.
It responds far quicker, making boost before 2000 rpm, so the old sayings about "80's turbocharging" don't apply to it. Its slightly smaller, but this is only an issue
if you want to go beyond 230hp.

The main bad point is, as mentioned, much less value placed on the later cars. Good ones will make reasonable money in the uk, but you don't buy them to make a profit.
Going back to the car in question - I'd not recommend an auto.
The gearing is very short, its a 3 speed box. The manual box is fine if it has been driven by someone with some mechanical sympathy, and has nice long gearing, so you'll make reasonable (35+) mpg on the motorway if the engine is in good order.
You can have your pick of 900's in the uk. Normally you'll need to spend more than 1500 to get a decent one. As mentioned above, special models have more resale. The kit on the carlsson won't appeal to everyone, a t16s will tend to be better value. Stay away from 2/4 doors unless you really prefer the shape, they have less resale, and look awful.

Theres a few in the irish buyandsell currently, they usually tend to be way overpriced for their condition, but might be worth checking those out also on the offchance that someone is willing to offer some value for money. It would save you 600-700 euro on the uk trip and vrt. If you need help checking a car out, just send me a pm.
I could waffle about these cars all day, ask more questions

rustheap

i bought an 88 saab 900 turbo auto only recently but its not really my thing its on adverts.ie and really is a clean example hope some saab nut out there is interested its a very fresh example going for chips thanks for the replies it made me realise shes not worth that much afterall ah well !!!:(

8~)

That the red one on ebay?

Gerry

Found it on adverts.ie, sorry, but a 2 door bog standard auto wouldn't be my thing either. I'd much rather me own car, ( have cleaned the wheels since )

EternalSunshine

I used to own an '87 standard Saab 900. Great cars which just a couple of known faults. However if i remember; having an auto combined with the turbo is not a great combination as the pinion bearing (forget what it is called) is the achilles heel of the car. Have to remove the engine to get at the gearbox.....costly.

But having said that..........the turbos are great cars.


G'luck

b.c

Great cars, heres mine