The banner above is an advertisment - if it asks you to download software, please ignore.
Site News - 4/9 Saab Owners' Convention Day Pass Raffle | 3/26 M Car Covers (by State of Nine)

The Saab Network Mailing List FAQ
Search:

Main Index
[ Prev by Date ] [ Next by Date ] Member Login / Signup - Members see fewer ads. - Latest Member Gallery Photos
Re: Buying a Used Saab
Posted by max (more from max) on Mon, 3 Jan 2000 21:56:04
In Reply to: , Kok Chen, Sat, 17 Dec 1988 12:00:00 

Matt - don't let these things scare you off.

First, the ventilation system is designed to blow cold air from the center
vents at certain settings.  This is so that the driver can have a stream of
cool air directed at his face while the rest of the car is heated.  It
helps me stay alert on long drives and it keeps fresh air for breathing so
that the car does not become stuffy.  I wish that all cars were made this
way.

Second, the dome light clips can break.  I think that there was a service
bulletin on this at some point.  Just replace it with one from a junkyard.
I bought a spare earlier this week for $1.

Third, the knob behind the blinker lever is to dim the dash lights.  The
locknut on it can loosen.  Tighten it with a cone wrench from a bicycle
store. These are very thin wrenches.  I cannot remember what size is used.

Fourth, The headlight switch has tabs that break quite easily, especially
when it is forced.  Not a big deal.  Again, find one in a junkyard.  No
tools necessary, just pull out the light, pull  the connector and replace
with a used switch, or just live with it because the switch still works.

Fifth, the automatics will turn these rpms at highway speeds - nothing is
wrong with it.

Sixth, the engine computers were defective so it is good that it was
replaced. See Nines (the Saab Club Magazine) from last month for an article
about rebuilt engine computers.  What's  a good price?  Depends on many
things.  Mileage is academic on Saabs.  What is more important is
condition.  The car could be worth anywhere from about $100 to $5,000.  The
automatic transmissions are seen by many as a drawback, both because of
reliability concerns and because of high rpms on the highway.  A friend of
mine has about 150,000 miles on his 1990 automatic.  I like the shift feel
of those old 3 speed automatics so I wouldn't mind having one.  However, if
it has never been rebuilt, keep in mind that a rebuilt transmission
installed is probably about $3,000 or so.

Do you have a 240 series Volvo?  I like Volvos too despite the Saab/Volvo
rivalry on these lists.  I will say that my 900 feels like a far more
modern machine than my 240DL did.  The crummy old live rear axle combined
with rear wheel drive made the 240 handle like a Mustang, or a dump truck
or a Impala/Crown Victoria

Paul

Posts in this Thread:
StateOfNine.com
SaabClub.com
Jak Stoll Performance
M Car Covers
Ad Available

The content on this site may not be republished without permission. Copyright © 1988-2024 - The Saab Network - saabnet.com.
For usage guidelines, see the Mission & Privacy Notice.
[Contact | Site Map | Saabnet.com on Facebook | Saabnet.com on Twitter | Shop Amazon via TSN | Site Donations]

This is a moderated FAQ - Posting is a privilege, not a right. Unsolicited commercial postings are not allowed (no Spam). Please, no For Sale or Wanted postings, SERIOUSLY. Classifieds are to be listed in The Saab Network Classifieds pages. This is a problem solving forum for over 250,000 Saab owners, so expect to see problems discussed here even though our cars are generally very reliable. This is not an anything goes type of forum. TSN has been a moderated forum since 1988. For usage guidelines, see the TSN Mission and Purpose Page. Please remember that you are not anonymous
Your address is: 18.216.190.167 - Using Mozilla/5.0 AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko; compatible; ClaudeBot/1.0; +claudebot@anthropic.com) - Logged.
Site Members do not see red text instructions, green links, and bottom of the page banners.
Click here to see all the Site Membership Benefits!