Date: Sat, 4 Mar 2000 14:18:24 -0800 From: "Steve Marks" <sailbajanopsamlyweb.net> Subject: Re: Interested in buying 89 Saab 900s, have a few questions
Scott, At 150K you've got lots of car left, if it has been cared for; i.e. oil changed. The market price for a good late 80s 900s is about $2,000 - $3,000. The headliner is probably rotten and falling out unless the car has been kept in a garage. If the reason for the low price is just cosmetics, you could be getting a deal. The Automatic transmissions were the problem, not the five speeds, they're rock solid. If it's a 5 speed make sure it is not popping out of gear, especially 3rd and 5th are prone to go first. Accelerate hard in third and pull your foot off quickly, also check to see if it is hard to shift into 5th (tries to go into 3rd instead). Check and make sure clutch is not slipping, accelerate hard in 4th or 5th, and make sure the tach isn't running up faster than the car is accelerating. Check CV joints by turning in very tight circle (left & right ) at slow speed and listen for popping/grinding sounds. Drive the car at freewasy speed for at least 30 minutes and make sure it does not run hot. Temp gague needle should not go much above 9 o'clock (half-way) up into the green. Let the car sit and idle for 5 - 10 minutes and make sure the cooling fans behind the radiator come on. Check the A/C and the heater, if you have heater core/hose problems you could get coolant leaking into the footwells. Also check all positions on the A/C & Heater control to make sure air comes out of the right vents as selected by the control knob, there are servos that operate the various vents and they sometimes are a problem on older cars. Run the car up to about 45 - 50 on a straight stretch with no traffic and brake hard with your hands off the steering wheel to make sure the car is tracking properly under hard braking. Good luck, Steve Scott Morford <neuroticnopsam.net> wrote in message news:PBbw4.237$F7.4717nopsam.visi.com... > So I'm a poor college student looking for some wheels. I've seen late > 80s 900s for sale for pretty cheap ($850US), and I'm wondering if I'm going > to be able to get a few years out of it, or if I'm buying a lemon. I don't > think the 900s is a turbo, which is good. The car has about 150,000 miles on > it. > > I've heard that the transmission on these puppies are prone to fail, and > labor to replace it (in the US anyway) is pretty expensive. > > I'm looking for information on what I can expect out of the car, and what I > should look out for. I'd like to get 3 years out of the car, with minimal > maintenance. Please help. Thanks!
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