buy advice 1984 Saab 900 Sport?

"SPG", maybe? Does the word "sport" actually appear on the car?

Naah, that's not even all that remarkably high.

If this is the car I'm thinking, with a turbo and (was it red in 1984?) the high-output APC computer, I'd buy it. Even if it's not the turbo, if the performance is acceptable to you now, it'll be even better once you've got the vacuum leak worked out.

The classic 900 is a fantastic car - easy to work on, handles fantastically in any weather, fun to drive, and all sorts of other, hard to describe reasons. Many of us here are very familiar with them, and are more than happy to help out with any questions you'll have.

For 500 bucks, I'd say go for it; the biggest limiting factor is body condition; all else can be fixed. Do take a listen to the transmission, check for pinion bearing noise (it would be road-speed dependant, changing as you get onto, and off of, the "loud-pedal"). Listen for a sharp whine that changes as road speed does (but is independant of what gear you're in). If you hear it, smile, shake the seller's hand, and thank them for the test drive. If it's quiet, I'd say buy it. Of course, the other standard checks for major problems make sense (odd colored smoke, that sort of thing), but generally these are pretty healthy beasts.

Hope this helps, Dave Hinz

Hi Dave... thanx for the speedy response! To answer your questions:

The labelling on the back of the car reads "900 Sport"... I had a quick peek inside, didn't see anything in the dash that looked like a turbo boost gauge though.

Nice to know.

This car is black, 3-dr hatch with a sunroof.

Good to know, I've always liked the 900 (I've got a thing for unusual styling... my last European car was an '84 Peugeot 505S).

THANKYOU THANKYOU!! This is especially the sort of info I'm looking for... with any luck I'll get a chance to take her for a spin tonight and I will be sure to listen for tranny whine.

I'll report back when I get more info/experience with this car.

Cheers, Wade

Being a Peugeot flagellant (great cars too BTW) you will understand that you may have a parts problem out in Calgary (which I think is where this SAAB is).. While I totally agree with brother Dave regarding desirability - I would sooo have this machine checked over by a good wrench miester you trust before any cash changes hands..

Get a good one and it will be a joy out to 600,000kms+ with regular maintenance - get a bad one and it will bleed you dry before sucking much of the joy of life out of you.. The mileage is really good on this one, mostly Highway too I'll bet given your local, but it's almost too good..

I would have a private pro shop carefully go over the compression, the under body, the exhaust system, the brakes, the suspension, the clutch/transmission (an hour a normal shop - about $50 here) before picking up this one's ticket.. It might be that someone had put together something out of parts (which is amazingly easy to to on that vintage of SAAB)..

If you see a good old 9000 body with a squeaked motor anywhere out there in that price range - flag me..

Thanx for the heads-up Dexter... I'm actually in Victoria BC, also where this Saab is that I'm considering. Being on Shaw internet, posts often appear to come from Calgary where their head office resides.

I'll snoop around for some good Saab mechanics... there's one garage downtown that specializes in European cars (that's where the Peugeot went)... great guys. I'll ask them how they feel about working on Saabs.

The Peugeot was a great car, only 150,000km on board, but the driver's side front strut blew through, and I couldn't find replacement parts cheap enough to cost-justify (it was also another sub-$1000 beater). The fellow I sold it to was planning on using it as a parts car for his Peugeot, but once he saw it, decided to part out his own car and fix up mine. (!)

Cheers, Wade

Dexter J wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@lamelamelame.org:

No pwob - I have a very long but sort of funny post floating around here on buying old SAABs here if you want a chuckle:

You will appreciate the seats if you do get an older SAAB - they are as good as the Peugeot and usually keep working well after the machine itself has been retired.. Hit a wrecker yard and try one out sometime.

Very interesting regarding Shaw node, didn't know they fed everything through Calgary.. Makes sense of course..

Anyway - happy trails - I'd take the machine to your regular shop as this visit you want someone who is going to be honestly critical about it without trying to restore her.. SAAB shops, being good SAAB shops, want everything to work perfectly - this is not often desirable in the $500 utility classic like ours.. If it is a real runner - you can restore her later..

Take a close look at the suspension and the peddles to see if they counter indicate the mileage - you can flip an instrument pod in that model in about hour and it just sounds to good to be true to me..

Remember - get a good one and you are good to 600,000kms+ - get a bad one and it will bleed you dry before sucking much of the joy of life out of you..

Ok, I've now been to visit this car, odo is actually 268,000km (a touch lower than previously reported). The vacuum leak is severe in that the car is very difficult to start and once going one must keep the go pedal at least slightly depressed to keep it going. I've had vacuum leaks on previous vehicles, they've never been a serious repair, can I assume the same for an 84 Saab 900?

Otherwise, the car drove very well - NO tranny whine, suspension still very firm, no CV clunking, recent tires, recent brakes, under the hood (my God was that hood opening up a shock, never seen a hood slide forward then pivot on the front like that!) the engine appears very clean, no leaks, oil was good, forgot to check the rad.

My thinking at this point is that this will likely be a good car to pick up. I just need to track down a mechanic to have a closer look at it to (hopefully) confirm what my gut feelings are on this beast. Further comments VERY welcome.

As to the "sport" designation, I asked the seller about that and apparently this was a limited edition version based on the rally car of the time... sound familiar to anyone? On the driver's side of the rear there is the Saab label and beside it or beneath it the Sport label. On the passenger side of the rear is the 900 label.

Cheers, Wade

Zekkye wrote in news:Xns93BB901F3FA99zekkyeshawca@24.64.223.211:

No seriosu, but be prepared to nail down about 3 miles of hose (especially on a Turbo) before you've tracked down the leak.

More time consuming making sure that all the hoses are actually connected, and if they they are, and there is a genuine leak, replacing each hose carefully. Those behind the dash are the worst, but luckily don't leak as often.

I have heard of a saab 900 Sport, but this was a dutch car.

Hm, I'm not familiar with it, but the Canadian market is different enough from the USA'n market that these sorts of things don't surprise me any more. The turbo is right next to the battery if there is one (a turbo, that is).

Here's a link, by the way, listing some of the high-mileage Saabs out there that people have registered:

If it's a turbo, under the hood on the driver's side, right over by the air filter, will be an APC controller - handles the boost and so on. The top of it is about 1.5" by 6" or so (from memory)...if it's red, it's the equivalent of the USA'n SPG model.

I don't think I've forgotten anything special to look at for that era of cars. Look for a turbo and note the color of the box I mentioned above if it's a turbo. In any case, for the price, if the body is good and it's a black 3-door 900 with a decent tranny, the price sounds like it's very good. A turbo would be a plus, the red APC box would be another. If you're comfortable with tools, there are very few things that will come up that you won't be able to deal with on that car (with some guidance from the group).

Let us know, I like the sounds of it from here...

Dave Hinz

Unless you have an intake manifold crack or something (which I've never heard of), it's gonna be a rubber part...at 20 years, it's a good idea to replace all the (what, 5mm?) rubber vacuum lines you can find in the engine compartment anyway.

Sounds like the price, then, is due to the drivability issue which you are attributing to a vacuum leak. I'll go with Dexter on this and have a trusted wrench check it out; if it's that severe you want to make sure that he agrees that to be the cause, not something serious.

Not a bad idea, but for $500 Canadian, I personally would be willing to pay that for a good rolling body with a known bad engine... all else is a plus.

Still sounds like an SPG with a different brand, but my reference books aren't where I am right now. See previous questions regarding turbo and APC box color (if turbo is present). The fuel pressure regulator has a pressure rating on it, that's good info to know as well in trying to identify the beast in terms that more of us will understand.

Dave Hinz

Agreed - but for the 'sport' decal..

I seem to remember the old GLS had a 'Sport' tag on it somewhere which is why am I wondering if this one has been put together and sprayed.. Not that it's a bad thing done properly.. However - the mileage is really making me scratch my head though as it almost impossible to keep a Canadian car below

30,000kms annually (big, wide country - lots and lots of space between towns) and on a 20 year old car around here - it just doesn't sound right..

I'm not trying to be a stick in the mud - if it's running and safetied (check to see if it has passed emissions - the pwob described could just as easily be a compression issue) - $500 is pretty much a great price for anything on the road.. Brother Dave has touched upon something important - you should be able to transplant an entire drive train into that machine from anything with a B series motor for about $800.. They literally bolt in and out as needed.. Try to get the axles and front suspension/hubs if you are doing it..

That said - anyone coming across an '89-'92 9000 with a dead motor but nice interior and body in the same price range - don't hesitate to be in touch through the site below.. Apparently - my western brothers are giving up on excellent utility classics these days.. :) ..

The Sport was a "Special Edition" for the Canadian market. Off the top of my head they had the chrome grill instead of painted plastic, and the Minilight style alloys. I think they were to "S" spec, and maybe had the three aux gauge panel in the lower DIN slot. Tail spoiler too, I think. I had the chrome grill from one that I bough from a friend in CA on my 85 Turbo - that grill is rare as hen's teeth in the States, as it was only sold here as a super expensive accessory. Otherwise nothing too different from any other non-turbo 84. Oh, they may well have had the turbo suspension - gas-charged shocks.

Kevin Rhodes Westbrook, Maine

snipped-for-privacy@spamcop.net wrote in news:bf90of$cmpvi$ snipped-for-privacy@ID-134476.news.uni-berlin.de:

Hi Dave... definitely not a turbo, but is fuel-injected. I didn't look for the red APC box under the hood, but I'll likely be going back to look at it tomorrow morning & hopefully take it to a wrench for inspection. I'll check then.

Cheers, Wade

If it's not a turbo, there won't be a red APC box. Let us know how the wrench feels about the car.

Dave Hinz

Regarding this supposed vacuum-leak on this 84 Saab 900 I'm considering (non-turbo, fuel-injected), is it possible that what the seller is assuming to be a vacuum leak could be something more serious such as the mass airflow sensor going south? I'm just trying to have a worst-case scenario in my head for when I take the car to the garage tomorrow for a pre- purchase check-up.

Cheers, Wade