giving up my '91 900 What now?

I have heard that one should avoid the 2003 9-3=E2=80=99s. I went with a= 2005 and =

am quite happy, but I did look at some 2003 models and they definitely =

were a bit scary.

Aaron W. Hsu

I you drop the "coupe" requirement, I'd cerainly check out a late model year 9000, is has the cargo capacity of the 900classic, folding rear seat and so on..

and if you really like the "sporty" bit, limit your search to Aero versions. They're great fun and have a lot of power.

Therá one on Mobile.de in Germany, however automatic

Thanks. I really like the flatback style of the 900 over the 9000 or

9-5. Also, the 2 liter is a good comprimise when you're paying what I do for fuel, also we are taxed on motor size. Still, all options are open!

Well, you said cargo space, and a 9000 has lots of it. And there are plenty around with 2.0LPT. And they do run well on LPG, maybe not that popular in Germany, but could save you a lot of $$. Don't know what part of Germany you live, but it might be worth your while to look beyond borders, nice 9000 with LPG are very cheap in the NL and Belgium. Like for instance this one:

That looks sweet! As I said, I like the straight back of the 900, but it's not an absolute necessity. We can run on LPG here, though you do have to plan your trips carefully. This car is less than two hours drive. Maybe I'll look into it. Thanks!

The good thing about LPG is that the normal petrol tank stays where it was, it is not removed. So if you keep a habit of leaving some liters of normal petrol in it, in case you run out of LPG, you just switch to benzin and you can continue on your way.

There is a german autogas forum-site which maintains POI files with all LPG filling stations, that you can upload on your portable satnav, like TomTom. I can cross Germany from Venlo to Basel without having to use Benzin.

I don't know how the german rules are is on importing used cars with an LPG installed, maybe check with the TUV website.

You really save a bundle of cash, and SAAB engines, especially the T5 in the 9000 run excellent on LPG. There are examples in the dutch SAABforum with 500.00km's and more. Mine is just at 395.000, but I'm working on it to catch up ;-)

BTW, I'm not trying to convince you though, just offering my thoughts...

When you check this car out, maybe first check with the seller if the car has the flat LPG tank, tgat fits in the spare tyre space, or the cylintder, which is bigger, but in your case useless, because it is placed right behind the rear seat, making the cargo aerea useless for you bass case

Thanks so much. We're now seriously looking into this. While importing a LPG car from Holland or Belgium would be complicated, it seems like there are now shops in our area which can make the conversion for less than =80500. I just paid =801.50 per liter today ($7.46/gal for those across the pond). Also, upon further research, it seems like LPG is pretty widely available in Germany, so I wouldn't have any trouble tanking up. I wonder why more people aren't doing this here? Even though Germany is a technology and engineering powerhouse, on the individual level we can be pretty stodgy about innovation. I have plenty of friends and relatives who refuse to install a microwave oven or stand-up shower! Go figure.

I looked at a '98 900 2.3i S 4-door today which looked brand new after

115k. No rust anywhere, drove wonderfully, and about $2500 (asking price from a dealer!). My question is about the back seat. Something was jammed, so we couldn't fold it down completely. There is a metal rail across the top of the back bench. I assume that this rail can be removed when the back seats are completely folded down, but is it possible to have one side of the rear seat up and functional without this bar in place? This is important to me since I would not be able to fit my double bass with the rail in place, but if it isn't there I could have both the bass and a back seat passenger. Also, what hoops need I jump through to install a roof rack on this thing? I've been driving the pre '93 so long I have no idea how this is done on modern or semi-modern cars. Thanks!!!!