I'm thinking of buying a used 900 convertible with 137000 miles on it. Anyone know of any issues with Saabs at that mileage? It'd be great if you could also comment on what would be a reasonable price for such a car.
Mileage is largely irrelevant, condition is everything. Location is also needed as well as the year of the car to give you any idea of price, otherwise it could be anything from $500-$5,000 depending. Also the pre-GM 900's are worth more in general than a post-GM 900.
What year? Turbo? 5-Speed/Automatic?
137k isn't unreasonable for a Saab that has been well maintained, I've seen Saabs lasting well over 250k. My 87 9k went to almost 300k without any major issues. If its an NG900C (MY95-99), stay away from the 2.5 V6 (I found that out the hard way). And I also had a rather expensive auto tranny rebuild on a NG900. If its an older (1994 and earlier) convertible, I'm not sure what the failure trends are, but I know a lot of people on here do!-Chris
Marco wrote:
in article snipped-for-privacy@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com, Marco at snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com wrote on 18/01/2006 05:53:
It really is down to the maintenance of the car. Look for a good service history.
On the pre-GM 900s (up to 1993 and into 1994 for certain convertibles), engine wear is not really an issue. I wouldn't blink at 137000 miles, personally. Over 200,000 miles and I'd be tempted ... Over 300,000 miles and I'd buy it :)
Transmission wear is an issue, though, so if you can go for a test drive and see if it whines at constant speed in 3rd or above and stops when you let off the accelerator. Also, try a sporty run through second gear and third gear to see if the shifter pops out of gear. Still, removing, rebuilding a re-fitting the gearbox should not be more than 500 quid at the outside.
Paul
1989 900 Turbo S
That's pretty low for a 900, assuming we're talking about the Saab 4-cyl engine. What engine, tranny, and model year are you talking about?
I have an 85 900S manual NA that has 261000 miles. Burns absolutely no oil, runs great gets 25 mpg in town and 38 on interstate. I have seen these cars with 400000 miles and still running fine. Current book value is around $800.00.
Go to eBay and check the selling prices to get a realistic value of any car you plan to buy.
More information would help. Showing my bias, earned the hard (expensive) way - keep away from a 900 convertible newer than a 1994. The NG or GM Saabs have earned a reputation for having problems with GM parts (most of the elctrical stuff). The GM V6 is a horrible engine - learned personally the hard, expensive way. The automatic in the GM 900 has a history of expensive electrical problems - no suprise here. Also, as expected, the convertible is not as solid as the sedan. The Classic
900 c> I'm thinking of buying a used 900 convertible with 137000 miles on it.MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.