Date: Fri, 15 Nov 2002 22:58:12 -0000 From: Skodapilot <carl.robsonnopsamcing-czechs.com> Subject: Re: Where can I find a buyer guide to the classic 900 (not the newer 900/9-3/9-5)
In article <rcLtFBAIWW19EwAfnopsam.demon.co.uk>, cggsnopsam.freespam.demon.co.uk spouted forth into alt.autos.saab... > In article <MPG.183f0b5d2fc9a482989f06nopsam.cis.dfn.de>, SkodaPilot > <carl.robsonnopsamcing-czechs.com> writes > >However, I fancy something with a few more creature comforts. > >There are a few cars over the years that have been > >performance/comfort/luxury orientated family saloons/hatches that I have > >liked, among them the Audi GT Coupe (and the Quattro turbo coupe of > >course), the Volvo 480 Turbo, the Porsche 924, and the Saab 900 > >(Especially the turbo). > > Hi Carl, > I have owned various 900s over many years-carburettor to turbo16 (as > family transport) and for 9 years a Porsche 924 (self) concurrently. In > fact the line up at present is a just-purchased 9-3 Tdi, a c900T16S aero > - awaiting sale- and a Porsche 924S (my daily driver) Cheers for the post Chas. > Both c900 and 924 are very solid reliable well built cars. > The saab turbo 8 or 16V is much quicker than the 924 but the 900i is > about the same in a straight line. Handling is completely different ie > FWD v RWD, The Porsche (audi 2litre) has a rather coarse 125bhp engine > which is not fast in 0-60 but has great cruising ability and terrific > well balanced RWD handling which is really flattering. You can hang the > tail, it responds perfectly to throttle and steering inputs and makes > you feel a better driver than you are. My old audi 924 was a slower but > more fun (read chuckeable) sporting car than the present 924S with its > smooth and powerful 944 2.5 engine, softer suspension and the curse of > power steering. They were built to a similar quality to Saab and from > 1980 they were fully galvanised and shouldn't have much rust. The > mechanicals are simple, cheap and mainly VW sourced. The van-derived > engine will go for 250k not unlike a Saab. You can pile a huge amount of > gear into the hatch but only little people into the back seats. The > breakers yards are full of them. Nobody wants them, Porsche owners > despise them with a vengeance and yet they are a stunning and practical > economy sports car for the impecunious. Get a perfectly nice one for > under a grand and like a Saab, big mileages need not put you off. Sounds like either wuld do me nicely then. My biggest concern with the 924, because of the somewhat VW derived background would be no proper service history, and the cam belt, rather than chain. > Unless you get a Saab 900 turbo with an S pack handling deal, in the 900 > you have a car which is good to drive but with a front heavy feel and a > fair bit of understeer. The 900i is a fantastic, safe, quick enough, > roomy family car, full of character but not really a 'sports' or > performance machine. Quick enough describes what I'm looking for. I'm 6'2 so I find most modern cars (even some largish ones) have barely enough room. I can't drive a metro or Corsa (even the latest C model with seat height adjust) because my knees catch under the steering wheel before I have the clutch pedal fully out. Even my previous obsession the Skoda Marque (a love affair that won't completley abandon) has problems in the VW derived later models. My bought for nothing Estelle had loads of room, especially when I fitted a smaller sport steering wheel, but I lost some of the space when I slapped in a set of Toyota Celica sports recliners but still plenty. My bargain hunt Favorit had plenty of knee room with the standard boat wheel and well padded deck chairs (no support very flat, originally replaced with a set of shabby Diahatsu Charade recliners, that unfotunatley where past their best and rattled like mad), I now have acres of room with the Cobra Monaco buckets I've fitted, and the S-Racing X3 flat bottomed wheel will give me luxurious amounts, yet in a Fabia, it is back to borderline height, and even in an Octavia RS I find that using minimum seat height, and maximum wheel height and extension, I still have borderline clearance, and that is with a very small sports wheel factory fitted. Yet in a Volvo 240, or an Audi Coupe, both older cars of similar cabin space to the Octavia I have bundles of room. Haven't tried a 480 for size. All I would like is something that doesn't need screaming the nuts of every time I want to make progress, it's fun for a while, but does your head in after the first couple of hours. And something cheap enough to fix and modify if I get adventurous. I also like cars from colder countries because they tend to take car of the drivers comfort more, even if in the case of Skoda it is in a slightly plasticky fashion, simple work works. > A 900turbo however has phenomenal grunt particularly in the 50-70 > overtaking zone where there is little to touch it. Add the S pack - > (lowered springs and anti roll bars) the understeer vanishes and the > suspension is transformed to give neutral handling and much more fun. > This is now widely recognised and well maintained nice survivors of the > turbo breed especially the S-aero are assuming collector status with > concomitant high prices. In the cheap zone under a grand there are many > abused dogs which could have expensive problems looming and few decent > turbo models. The 900i is fairly bomb proof. Blown turbos are easily > replaceable but the gearbox is a notable and quite expensive weakness. > By no means are all rust free. In both Saab and Porsche electrical > failures (windows etc) are a nuisance. > It's horses for courses. I respect both the 924 and the 900 and both are > highly useable and enjoyable old cars in their own way. You need to try > driving them. I like the 924, but find in some cases their bargain status have left a few dogs that look decent, but has been thrashed to hell and back with out proper maintenance by people who think they have owned a Porsche and that makes then simething, rather than owning a Porsche because it is a well built machine that serves it purpose well and is affordable. > I hope this is helpful. If you want any more specific details > particularly on the 924 let me know off the list. (BTW > alt.autos.porsche is imho, with the exception of a very few helpful > individuals, an appalling place where if you mention 924 you're likely > to get a torrent of abuse) Actually, I'm a semi regular visitor th A.A.P and find that apart from when holy war starts over the different variations of Porsche, and the Porsche/Other Marques (particulalry jap ones) wars, they aren't a bad bunch, and have done a not bad job of helping me with 924 questions. > Chas > ps -(prejudice section) - have driven a 480 turbo - forget it imho. > Audi quattro is an awesome car by all accounts but could be v. expensive > to maintain. If the Audi coupe, which admittedly looks attractive, > drives anything like the Audi 80 from which it is derived it will be > somewhat lacking in sparkle although undeniably robust. Yeah, I had heard that about the 480. All the toys, but not that spectacular in standard trim, but can be made to go absolutley mental when chipped because of the very stately standard program, more suited to decades or moderate speed pootling, than 3 years of foot to the floor back lane blasting. On the Audi front, the Coupe isn't exactley "Fast", but like the 900 as you say, quick enough. A friend has one, as well as a really nice Coupe Turbo Quattro. The Quattro goes like stink. He scarred the hell out of me (but in a good roller coaster/ horror movie way) when he took me for a flat out twisty back lane blast a few months ago. But before that he took me out in his GT Coupe. The petrol had gone off, because the car had been stored for a while so he could only use half throttle before it started pinking (didn't know it had gone of before hand), but for me only used to driving 1.2 and 1.3 cars with a 3o year old engine design, it was still quick if not startling. BTW I only passed this time last year, even though I'm 33, in a Punto Diesel, and before that, my previous driving experiences where in a Reliant Robin Van, a HA Viva Bedford van (ex BT), and a HC Viva coupe (bloody nice car). Although I have been a passenger in some quick machinery, and fast cars don't scare me, My mates Quattro, one of my Bosses tuned 911 (about 550bhp), his 355 F1 Ferrari (Gone now), and his new F550 Maranello, and the other bosses DB7 convertable, one of the sales guys brand new '02 M3, and anothers Porsche Boxster, and my department bosses AMG C36. To be honest, at work, i let the car park down a bit, with my rattling old Skodas, but I love it. I think a nice Saab would allow me to keep my quirks lose a few of the rattles, and maybe surprise one or two if I see them on the way home :) -- Carl Robson http://www.bouncing-czechs.com
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