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, Wed, 6 Feb 2013 09:34:58
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I've been an autobody tech for about 32 years. Of those 32 years, I've spent more than 23 of them as a frame specialist. I am not trying to "trash talk" this car that seems to have both of the big Saab sites abuzz, but merely trying to shed some light on the situation as far as I can tell from the many pictures available. Perhaps the next owner is one of our group and they can use this info to help make an educated decision when pursuing this car. That being said, here's what I see:
The right side, (passenger side) sustained the most damage. The first thing that gets you looking at this problem is the mis-aligned parking light. When you look further, you can see that the fender is still shifted downward at the front. Look at the shot from the right side, follow the line from the parking light to the leading edge of the passenger door. Look at the body line between the top of the fender and the edge of the hood. Notice that the front and rear of that gap are wide, with the center, (right over the wheel arch) much tighter. This issue does not exist on the driver's side. This means that the car was impacted from the right front. This also means that the car was not "pulled" properly when it was on the frame machine. The damage is still locked into the car. Is it a deal breaker? No. Is the seller being forthright in his disclosure of the car's accident history? It appears not. For those of you who think that Carfax is a foolproof way to determine vehicle history, you are mistaken. Many vehicles are repaired with no insurance company involvement, thereby keeping it "off the records".
With this car potentially reaching a value of 18 grand, you have to ask yourself some serious questions using your brain and not your heart: If I pay 18 grand and brought it to a reputable bodyshop to repair these issues after I purchase it, how much would I have invested in the car at that point? I personally wouldn't do it for less than $2500.00, as the bumper needs to be removed, the lights, the rad. and condenser, the rad support, etc. Mount the car to a frame machine, clamp it up and measure it with a computer guided laser measuring system. The fender may buckle when forward pressure is applied to it, thereby requiring bodywork, then of course paintwork...which would mean removing the lower body cladding , de-trimming the door and blending the color into the door to make the color blend undetectable. Question #2. If every person that bleeds Saab blood is watching this transaction, if it does ever come time to sell this car, (kid goes to college, major medical expenses, things happen in life) will you be able to say you fixed the car right once you owned it because the question WILL invariably come up. This car is an investment. It is a very clean example. It has been in a accident that caused structural damage. It is still bent. Those are the facts. Bid accordingly gentlemen. Bob T.
PS: The dash appears to be a re-dye, as it's color looks nothing like the NOS dash that I have here that came directly out of the Saab box......
posted by 64.12.116...
, Wed, 6 Feb 2013 09:34:58, Tue, 12 Feb 2013 10:24:32
, Sat, 9 Feb 2013 12:09:54
, Thu, 7 Feb 2013 16:23:07, Fri, 8 Feb 2013 09:46:42, Thu, 7 Feb 2013 08:33:57, Thu, 7 Feb 2013 09:20:05, Thu, 7 Feb 2013 10:04:28
, Wed, 6 Feb 2013 18:12:06, Thu, 7 Feb 2013 05:14:39, Fri, 15 Feb 2013 05:21:19, Wed, 6 Feb 2013 13:12:41, Wed, 6 Feb 2013 13:16:15, Wed, 6 Feb 2013 17:36:58, Thu, 7 Feb 2013 06:40:25, Thu, 7 Feb 2013 07:46:56
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