Saab newbe.... Well maybe. Just need a bit of help.

[bigrj141]

Well I could possibly be joining the would of Saab soon, but before I do I need some reassurance and personal opinions on a few things.

First the car I intended to look at with the intention to buy, is a Saab 93 convertible 2000 onwards (one I will be looking at this weekend is a 2002)

What are the things I should be aware of when purchasing such car?

The car in will be looking at this weekend has just over 100k on the clock; Service history is limited with no history for the past for years. Although current owner has just had it serviced and has receipt for this. The car has had 9 pervious owners!!!!

Pictures for the car look good and after speaking with the current owner he informs me the car is in great condition with every thing working as it should and he is more than happy for me to arrange for the car to be checked over buy a mechanic.


So would the 100k put any one off?
How about the selection of owners it’s had in its lifetime?
And what about the lack of service history, is this an issue for a car that is 8 years old?

When I view the car can someone tell me of the things I should be looking out for?

Thanks in advance .

Ryan

[aeropilot]

bigrj141 said:

What are the things I should be aware of when purchasing such car?

The usual stuff for a 8 year old car.....but specifically on a 9-3 ragtop...cracked bulkhead around the rack mounting.

bigrj141 said:

So would the 100k put any one off?

Not if it had full Saab service history or from a known Saab indie specialist.

bigrj141 said:

How about the selection of owners it’s had in its lifetime?
And what about the lack of service history, is this an issue for a car that is 8 years old?

On these two issues alone I would be very wary....and personally I wouldn't even bother to go and see it...plenty of decent, genuine cars out there to choose from.
Lack of service history relevent to the age isn't the issue, it's lack of service history for a Saab in general is a walk away issue.

[bigrj141]

Thanks for your input and comments.

You now have me thinking about what to do. It's going at a very good price. £2600

How do you go about checking the bulkhead for cracks?

What is the Expected life of the Turbos on theses cars?

Thanks again,

[aeropilot]

bigrj141 said:

It's going at a very good price. £2600

From your description, I'm not surprised, it's a walk away job.

bigrj141 said:

How do you go about checking the bulkhead for cracks?

If they are bad they are visible. Do a google for Saab 9-3 bulkhead issues and it will chuck up a load of posts on the various Saab forums (Saabcentral, UKSaabs, Saabscene etc) and you see photos and other what to look for info.

bigrj141 said:

What is the Expected life of the Turbos on theses cars?

Depends on the model, the lpt's have the GT17 turbo, which is prone to failure, but with a Saab (or indie SH) have been known to well exceed 100k miles.
The Aero uses the Mitsi TD04 turbo and these are much more robust and can last 150k or more without issue, but again Saab or specialist Saab Indie SH is really a must.

[bigrj141]

Thanks aeropilot, mind made up. I'm walking away.

Hope the nice weather holds as my car is now sold and its the push bike to work for me.

[bigrj141]

OK i've been to view two 93 Conv's now and on both, the the Accelerator Pedal moves from side to side of few mm (amount 5mm each way on one) when the steering wheel is turned. I’m guessing that both of these cars have a cracked bulk head.

Would I be right in saying this?

I did try to look for cracks in the engine bay near the steering column, but I couldn’t really see any thing.

[saaby93]

Heres a photo of one from saab central
http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg304/NTecPics/...
http://www.saabcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t...
but I cant make up my mind whether the seam is supposed to be welded or whther it was always merely covered in sealant and its the sealant thats cracked