Date: Wed, 19 Apr 2000 16:49:28 GMT From: donnellynopsamabay.rr.com (Buddy Donnelly) Subject: Re: 1st Saab
On Wed, 19 Apr 2000 14:34:43, vthomesnopsamther.net (Mike Mills) wrote: > Looking to buy my first Saab and have found an '86 900 turbo with 160K > miles that the owner says needs pads and rotors. Heh. Does he say that's *all* it needs? And will he put it in writing? I never feel good when a seller volunteers something that it needs, assuming there's something else, even more costly, he doesn't want to tell me about. > > I have a dozen questions, but my first is "Is there a FAQ for this > newsgroup?" No. But there's a wealth of online info at SAABNet, including a full page of other FAQs you might get something out of: http://www.saabnet.com/tsn/archive/files/faq/ > > Is there a ballpark price for this model? Too many variables on a car that old. If the body is in very good shape, interior is clean and not falling apart, everything (except the brakes?) works including the turbo and all the heater/air conditioning stuff, you're in the $500-$1500 range. If *anything* doesn't work, realize it can easily cost you nearly a thousand to get it back out of the shop. Search the Trader classified for comparables: http://www.autotrader.com/ But mostly, take your time and first, get the car to a smart independent SAAB shop for a Pre-Buy Check, which should cost you around $40. That will buy you a smarter inspection than *you* will ever do, and an educational walk-around with a writeup with estimates of everything that needs fixing. You can use the writeup to negotiate the buy price down. Or it will tell you: "Not this one." Occasionally, but not often the shop will whistle and say, "Nice car." If you buy a used SAAB, you'll have to have a good shop to keep it running, and paying them for a Pre-Buy Check is one of the best ways I know of to begin building a good relationship. > > Are there trouble spots that I should be sure to look out for in a > vehicle of this age? Everything? However, until you've owned and driven a 900, you may not understand what the magic is and be willing to put up with stuff going out and fixing it instead of trading it in. Start with the words "Efficient" and "Intelligent" and go up from there. > > .... and what does SPG mean? Special Performance Group. Top of the line option package. If your car is an SPG, it's got some ground effects stuff, a lower, harder suspension, a few trim pieces, and unique 3-spoke alloys with Pirelli P6 tires, and is generally both more desirable to old SAAB people and more likely, by now, to have been run into the ground by hard driving even if it hasn't been badly wrecked. SAABNet has an illustrated story on a restoration of an '86 SPG at: http://www.saabnet.com/tsn/archive/files/faq/spgres/ -- Good luck, Buddy Buddy Donnelly donnellynopsamabay.rr.com
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
