What I have here is a very much loved Saab 900 2 door saloon, with an 8 valve fuel injected engine, and an automatic gearbox, and 120K on the clock. Which the Saabists here will know is nothing scary in terms of Saab mileages.
While the injection system needs fettling (most likely a good clean and the air metering flap set properly), she always ran well, and drove like a dream - much as it pains me to say it over the one I have now - actually the nicest driving 900 I've been behind the wheel of. And despite being an auto, has a turn of speed that's put more than a few cars many years its junior to shame.
Unfortunately, it was taken off the road a couple of years back following the dramatic failure of a lower suspension balljoint - and due to lack of time it took a while to get that fixed. By the time it was fixed however, the MOT had run out - and I was driving my Niva...so it got safely parked in the corner of the drive to be fettled for the MOT when I got some time.
THen however I discovered that the tinworm had got into the driveshaft tunnels, and that they'll need to be welded up, and due to the time the car's been off the road, most of the brake lines will need to be replaced (they were well crusty when I got it). Both CV boots also need changing, and when starting one of them I've managed to knacker the offside front wheel bearing - a replacement hub complete with bearing is supplied with the car though. While it's never played up, the fuel pump does make some odd noises from time to time, so I've thrown in a spare one of them too.
Overall the body's not too bad - especially for a car of this age, the main rust being confined to the afforementioned bits of the underbody (only a huge problem due to the amount of stripping down needed to gain access), though it's not perfect - there's a part on the passenger side that really needs properly flatting back and repainting, because the previous owner for some reason decided to paint over a prior scrape with red telephone box paint...
The passenger door was falling apart when I got the car, but that has since been replaced with one that's completely rust free. Drivers one's not great, but is better than a lot I've seen.
It's also missing half the exhaust at the moment thanks to me needing it to fix my other 900 - a friend has apparently got another middle section and tailpipe though, so I should be able to supply with the car.
My intentions have always been to get the car back on the road, but I'm realising now that I quite simple am never going to have the time, and I don't have the kit needed to do the welding. If I had a garage near to where I stay it might be a different matter - but the car is stored at my parents house - an hour from here, and I can only get to it in the weekends...and I've got too many cars!
Three of them have to go...and this one's first.
Obviously, you'll need a trailer to pick her up as there's no tax/test, it'll easily drive down the drive and onto one though (to be honest, were it not for the wheel bearing it'd probably drive to Cornwall!). Therein lays the problem, given that the car's in rural Aberdeenshire.
Not asking any money for it, even though 900s seem to be going up in price lately, as the car doesn't owe me a penny, and I'll be very sorry to see it go. If it's not possible to get it back on the road, I'd like to think that an enthusiast would be able to at least use some of the parts to keep another one on the road.
If anyone's interested drop me an email or PM. I'll be out there at the weekend, so can obtain photos and such.
Here's a pretty recent one though.
