The sad part is, the GM Saab cost over $40,000 (cost plus financing) new. To end up valued at $1,000 in 8 to 10 years is really sad. In the year 2016, who would spend $10,000 to fix up a 10 year 9-3 when it is worth $2,000.
My NG900 will soon be 11 years old, everything, and I mean everything, works perfectly. Apart from a headlamp bulb sensor unit, bulbs and spark plugs no electrical items have ever been replaced.
I also think the NG900/9-3 up until the SS don't go overboard on irreplacable electronics. The SID display is a known weakness, however it's not like the cars will be undrivable without it. I totally like older Saabs because of their appeal, however I do not buy into the whole "they were better cars" nostalgia.
Nor did they hold their value any better than post-94 Saabs. I recall I could not lease a Saab in '90 as a company car because of the residual value - the standard issue BMW 318 was infinitely superior in that respect against the old, classic 900 in the latter's heyday.
...pablo
in article ULfwf.45564$ snipped-for-privacy@newssvr29.news.prodigy.net, pablo at snipped-for-privacy@simplyhombreDOT.net wrote on 08/01/2006 21:47:
Nor do I! I do buy the "they were better cars, fact" thing, though :)
Paul
1989 900 Turbo S
WHat normally happens to the SIDs anyway? Being an electronics geek I'd be curious to have a look at a dead one.
You ever have problems with GM electronics? I remember crumbling wiring like on the 1985-1986 900's... and - you'd be hard pressed to find an
1985 or 1986 900 still on the road.Crash wise, a NG900/9-3 is much simpler and easier to fix. No huge expensive hood like the C900, no *welded* fenders like the 900, etc. Plus the NG900 / 9-3 front end is designed with deformable "boxes" behind the bumper and ahead of the frame rail. So in an impact enough to destroy the bumper (and otherwise bend the frame), the box will take the brunt of the impact, and all you need to do is bolt on new boxes and a new bumper, instead of putting the car on a frame jig.
Insurance companies totaling 10 year old cars is nothing new. It's much worse when they are totalling 6 month old BMW's because nobody knows how to repair the chassis.
Has it ocurred to you that the age of the wiring might have something to do with its condition ?
Graham
How do wires age? What mechanical stress is electrical wire exposed to? Even questionable quality electical wire will stay around for a while. Most local phone loops are a testimony to that...
...pablo
There's loads of them around here, dunno, maybe people replaced the wiring harnesses, Volvo had the same problem for about 8 years, I just got done rebuilding the harness in my 740, it was a pain in the ass when it failed suddenly and left the car dead in it's tracks but then it did make it some 273K miles before that happened.
The problem was a biodegradable insulation they used for a while on some cars. It was fine throughout most of the car, but when exposed to extreme heat or engine fluids the decomposition was greatly accelerated. I didn't realize Saab used this stuff too but apparently they did for a few years.
If you have a car with that problem you'll know it. Wires on and around the engine will have the insulation crumbling off anywhere they're exposed.
It's only worse if you're not BMW selling the same car twice :-)
Far as I've read, it's that flexi-board crap, in an iffy-contact to the edge of the display board, which corrodes. I'd guess it's a straight matrix addressing, based on the failure mode usually being horizontal or vertical groups of pixels.
I find it hard to believe that connector technology hasn't been figured out.
in article snipped-for-privacy@g49g2000cwa.googlegroups.com, SmaartAasSaabr at snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com wrote on 09/01/2006 04:45:
It's precisely that era of C900 that is plentiful where I live. My '89 is a spring chicken compared :) I'm green with envy every time I see a flat nose C900 ... Damn, I miss that car :(
Over time, the wires do go "green" at the ends, but a cut and splice when things start to go soft seems to fix most issues. I wouldn't call it crumbling ... That's much more for cheap Euro-tat cars!
Paul
1989 900 Turbo S
I have 2 - 8 year old 900's, both model year '98's, both with about 100k miles. I have done nothing but preventive maintenance to them in the past 2 years. These NG, GM SAABs suck, huh?
To be honest with you, I don't think the classic SAAB electrics were all that spiffy... It was the mechanicals that were always a cut above.
Wiring is typically aged most by heat and also in the case of cars, exposure to various chemicals. A car environment is fairly arduous.
Graham
I'm sure the connector technology exits. For some reason though car makers seem to like trying their own methods.
Graham
If I had a 6 month old BMW that got hit hard enough to bend the frame I'd want it to be totalled too. In an accident like that the car is just never completely the same no matter what, and the resale value is lowered accordingly.
Lol well some of the wires in my early-80's C900's are definitely crumbling. Well more to the point - it's the insulation that's crumbling, leaving bare tarnished copper strand bundles behind! The stuff that creates short-circuits and can be a potential fire hazard if not sorted out early on...
Especially around the hottest parts of the engine such as turbo, exhaust manifold, engine block itself, etc.
Craig.
Particularly the main harness that runs over the exhaust on the 900. The heatshield over the catalyst vapourizes and it burns the wiring on the other side of the floor.
The 85-86 were particularly bad due to a poor insulation... 84's are safe though.
Hey I have five C900's. Great little cars. But, many faults. Still, excellent ergonomics and road performance make up for it. Plus I can tell girls in bars that I drive a Saab.
It beats most brands of car for pulling power. ;-)
Graham
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