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My Saab 9000T
Posted by SDPONDER (more from SDPONDER) on Fri, 7 Sep 2001 13:13:00 
Hello -

My name is Steven Ponder and, after several warnings
and insults from 'friends', have just purchased a
silver, manual, 1986 9000T: a one-owner vehicle with
less than 99000 miles on it. All receipts, manuals,
etc, were included (I paid $2300).

Now, I am 39 and have been through (i.e. owned) a lot
of cars over the last 20 years or so: (1) SVO, (1)
Merkur XR4ti, (1) CRX Si, (2) Porsche 944s, (1) 280z,
(2) 240z, (1) early MR2, Fiats, 87/89 Corvettes, 86/90
Supras, 89 Taurus, 87 Conquest TSi - well a lot of
cars.

And I *knew* about Saabs: quirky, fast, great
steering, great seats, good brakes, good outward
visibility, good high-speed stability - and - crappy
gearboxes, questionable electrics (regulators,
sunroofs, cruise control, ACC, etc).

As a matter of fact, whether it was a 1985 Saab 900T,
a 1993 9000CSE, a 1998 9-3 - or even a low-mileage
1988 9000T I had test driven - extensively - over
eight years ago - each Saab had a terrible, plasticky
shift-feel with their 5-speed transmissions (esp. 1-2
or 3-2), sagging headliner, floppy sun visors and a
very slow driver-side power window movement. Every
Saab I had ever driven for more than two days at a
stretch exhibited these traits/problems. Just like a
2001 Land Rover Discovery my wife and I had rented for
about two weeks for a drive up to Lake Tahoe and
Neveda. Spanning over *13* model years (i.e. 1985 to
1998), *these problems remained in various models I
had driven*. My 1987 Corvette - which I've had for
many years - has *never* had a headliner, transmissin,
sun-visor, A/C or power window problem - Never. I had
have been *very hard* on my Vette. Neither did my 1985
MR2, which had 116kmi when I purchased it and exactly
175kmi when I sold it, have these problems. Nor my
SVO, or my old Merkur. Or Conquest. Or Porsche. The
list goes on.

BUT! Despite 'illogic' or taunts/warnings from just
about *everyone*, I've *always* wanted an early
(86-89) 9000T. And it had to be silver and it had to
be a 5-speed. And, finally, it had to be a one-owner
vehicle. 

Now, I have one.

For the first two weeks, everything was fine. Great
road car. Great mileage. Very comfortable.

Then...The driver-side-window's  up/down movement got
slower and slower...then it stopped working
altogether. The headliner, despite being in excellent
shape when I purchased the car, has now begun to
sag...The 1-2 and 3-2 shift is getting more and more
'graunchy' (may try RedLine MTL).

What is wrong with Saab? Why can't they build QUALITY
cars?

And my 1987 Corvette, chock-full of 'low-quality' GM
plastics and rubber trim pieces, power accesories
galore, with over 140kmi on it, driven very hard over
the years, and needing only a change of oil every 5000
miles, one A/C re-charge and a new set of shocks - is
as strong as ever. Go figure.

But, strangely enough, my wife *loves* the Saab (she
used to bad-mouth Saabs until she drove this one).

Well, it's a four-door car. I have a family now. It's
a fast car with good steering feel and good brakes. It
looks better than these jade-colored, 'Stepford'
Camry's and Accords. And it *is* fun to drive.

Go Figure.

Thanks for your time and indulgence.

Sincerely, 

Steven D. Ponder

P.S. Know where I can get a great price on a
driver-side window regulator, headliner and a
driver-side visor?
Posts in this Thread:
StateOfNine.com
SaabClub.com
Jak Stoll Performance
M Car Covers
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