Saab 9000 .... buying advice
Discussion
guys, thinking of buying a 1994 CSE 2.0l turbo.
Anything I should know or what to look out for in one of these cars? Its supposedly been looked after (fsh) and had loads of money spent on it (£1.4k recently) Its got 126k miles and 1 yrs MOT all for £700. I had a read of an old parkers price guide, which said to look out for smoky turbos, and also mentioned that gearboxes could be iffy and that they ate front tyres?
Anyone got one and can comment on what theyre like? Service costs etc? What are they like to drive (I've never driven a saab before)
Cheers in advance
Anything I should know or what to look out for in one of these cars? Its supposedly been looked after (fsh) and had loads of money spent on it (£1.4k recently) Its got 126k miles and 1 yrs MOT all for £700. I had a read of an old parkers price guide, which said to look out for smoky turbos, and also mentioned that gearboxes could be iffy and that they ate front tyres?
Anyone got one and can comment on what theyre like? Service costs etc? What are they like to drive (I've never driven a saab before)
Cheers in advance
I didn't buy this car, turned out to be a dog being sold by a chavvy bloke who only bought it 4 months previously and had to spend £1400 getting some serious problems rectified. Also he neglected to tell me that the engine management fault light was on all the time, and the complete service history amounted to 7 stamps in the book for 126k miles (this doesnt add up). Also 2 previous owners was actually 3 previous owners on the paperwork, though he has some excuse for that too!
I was not too amused travelling 20 miles to view this banger for nothing.
Still, I'm going to look at a 1997 P reg 900 XS tomorrow, 2 owners, FSH, 1 yrs MOT and 4 months tax all for £900.
Cheers for the advice.
I was not too amused travelling 20 miles to view this banger for nothing.
Still, I'm going to look at a 1997 P reg 900 XS tomorrow, 2 owners, FSH, 1 yrs MOT and 4 months tax all for £900.
Cheers for the advice.
engine management light isn't necessarily anything major - however I think you are right to walk on the rest of that, sounds dodgy.
Not wishing to put you off, I think the 9000 is the better car even though it dates further back. Not that the ng900 is a bad car, very capable cruiser!
Not wishing to put you off, I think the 9000 is the better car even though it dates further back. Not that the ng900 is a bad car, very capable cruiser!
I like the 2.3 Turbo CS full pressure jobbie, it's a bit older being on a J plate but you can remove the cat and it's rated at 225 hp with a cat. It's like an aero but badged as a CS. It will reel in audi tt's without it's cat. I'm looking for another one, again on a J plate. These are pretty good cars with a lot of potential.
Boosted.
Boosted.
Don't write off a 9000 because of one dog. I had a 9k turbo for a year, fantastic car. The turbo was starting to smoke a little on the overrun, but otherwise it was great, very comfortable and fast. £900 should get you a nice one, and there are plenty out there, so don't settle for less.
There shouldn't be any rust, as they're fully galvanised. Watch out for saggy headlining too.
And visit Saabscene
There shouldn't be any rust, as they're fully galvanised. Watch out for saggy headlining too.
And visit Saabscene
The 9000 is a much better car in my opinion than the GM900, which most Saab people reckon to be the weakest of the Saab models.
If you are looking at a 9000, the best model is the Aero, which had 225bhp and 258lb torque as standard. Most people don't realise that it was a fair bit faster than a Volvo T5, but then us Saab'ers are quite happy to keep that a secret!
When modified, they make a pretty convincing choice. For just £800, I took mine to 283bhp with 305lb of torque. I data logged in gear acceleration a while ago and that gave similar times to a new 911 - that was with three people in the car! I had a BMW 535 before the 9000 and it felt positively pedestrian by comparison. Fuel consumption remains at a very respectable 30mpg+ on motorway runs as the gearing is high.
Standard suspension is pretty pants, but mine has Konis, sports springs, a Quaife LSD, poly bushes, strut brace and uprated rear ARB.
With Godspeed 325mm 4 pot Bembo's up front, it makes it a pretty convincing trackday car. Remember that Abbott Racing won two production car champs in a 9000, beating the Sierra Cosworths and M3's at the time.
These cars are built to last. Mine has done 125,000 miles, which is low compared to many. 200,000+ is common. The engines are probably Saab's finest mechanical hour. They are a great car to live with and if you want loads of space and high spec, combined with low purchase price, they take a lot of beating. It's a perfect compliment to my second car, an Elise.
I too can recommend Saabscene as I know most of the guys that run the site.
>> Edited by JezF on Thursday 21st July 23:40
If you are looking at a 9000, the best model is the Aero, which had 225bhp and 258lb torque as standard. Most people don't realise that it was a fair bit faster than a Volvo T5, but then us Saab'ers are quite happy to keep that a secret!
When modified, they make a pretty convincing choice. For just £800, I took mine to 283bhp with 305lb of torque. I data logged in gear acceleration a while ago and that gave similar times to a new 911 - that was with three people in the car! I had a BMW 535 before the 9000 and it felt positively pedestrian by comparison. Fuel consumption remains at a very respectable 30mpg+ on motorway runs as the gearing is high.
Standard suspension is pretty pants, but mine has Konis, sports springs, a Quaife LSD, poly bushes, strut brace and uprated rear ARB.
With Godspeed 325mm 4 pot Bembo's up front, it makes it a pretty convincing trackday car. Remember that Abbott Racing won two production car champs in a 9000, beating the Sierra Cosworths and M3's at the time.
These cars are built to last. Mine has done 125,000 miles, which is low compared to many. 200,000+ is common. The engines are probably Saab's finest mechanical hour. They are a great car to live with and if you want loads of space and high spec, combined with low purchase price, they take a lot of beating. It's a perfect compliment to my second car, an Elise.
I too can recommend Saabscene as I know most of the guys that run the site.
>> Edited by JezF on Thursday 21st July 23:40
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