PH Carpool: Saab 900 Carlsson
With a username like 'twosaabs' it's not hard to guess where this week's Carpooler lays his hat
Car: Saab 900 Carlsson
Owned since: April 2012
Previously owned: Mk1 Fiat Uno, Peugeot 306 D-Turbo, MG ZT+, Saab 93 2.2 TiD (current)
Why I bought it:
My dad owned several Saabs when I was young, a pair of 99s and a 900. I grew up pretending to drive a broken down 99 which we still had in the garden. Something must have stuck because I got distracted while browsing the classifieds for a BMW E30. A few months later and after some missed opportunities I ended up with G837 KOG.
What I wish I'd known:
Most of the bad points about these cars are well known and fairly obvious (weak gearboxes, sagging headlining). One of the previous owners has added some non-standard buttons. I wish I'd asked the previous owner what they do, because I still have no idea, other than make an LED blink.
Things I love:
The noise and the smell. The smell of the interior is magical, it must be something to do with the materials used at the time but the smell reminds me of my first car - vinyl with a hint of petrol. The noise is addictive, the low burble of the slant-four combined with the whistles and rushes from the turbo and big pops and crackles on the overrun. The stainless exhaust fitted by a previous owner helps too.
Things I hate:
Keeping it clean. I hadn't fully thought through the implications of owning a white car. Any time it goes through a dirty puddle causes an immediate countdown to getting out the buckets and microfibre cloths.
Costs:
So far costs have been low. Insurance was nice and cheap from Adrian Flux on a classic limited mileage policy. The fuel economy is actually pretty good, especially compared with the MG ZT I owned previously. I tend to service most cars myself, however I intend to pay a trip to Jon Saab in Poole for a check-over. Most parts are shared with the more common Saab 900 T16s and the car came with a spare body kit, so I'm not too worried about the cost of parts in the future.
Where I've been:
Our biggest adventure has been to the PistonHeads Sunday Service at the Vauxhall Heritage Centre. I usually take it out closer to home, around the Blandford/Shaftesbury area and out to the New Forest. I'm hoping to be able to drive it to Le Mans next year as well.
What next?
I think I'll be hanging on to the Carly for a few years yet. The previous owner did a good job at touching up paint to keep rust in check, but the finish wasn't always the best. I'd like to get it resprayed at some point in the future if I can find a set of replacement decals.
It isn't unusual to wire in an LED to a pin on the APC which is grounded if knock is detected. This then gives a visual warning to the driver that the boost is having to be backed down to protect the engine.
Not a Carlsson I know, but a T16s with lots of money, time, blood, sweat and tears poured into it.
Loved it, but sold it to fund a VX220-shaped habit. Think the current owner may be thinking of selling it actually.
And OP, you do need to sort the wheels and rubbing strip things out - otherwise looks a tidy enough car.
Surprised it has a knock LED wired in though, presume it has been tweaked?
G
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3867348.htm
Too much money, if you ask me - decent nick or not. Perhaps the reason why it's not been attracting interest in the six+ months it's been up for sale. If the owner perhaps started around the £5.5k mark, he might get some takers. Going up against the Paradise Saab and Citikars of this world, price-wise, doesn't do it any favours (even if the car may be better than anything these two companies can muster).
Loved it, but sold it to fund a VX220-shaped habit. Think the current owner may be thinking of selling it actually.
And OP, you do need to sort the wheels and rubbing strip things out - otherwise looks a tidy enough car.
Surprised it has a knock LED wired in though, presume it has been tweaked?
As for the LED, I think one of the previous owners just had a thing for extra gadgets, there's a completely unnecessary aftermarket boost gauge installed too (which will probably have to be removed).
The previous owner actually offered me a set 16" wheels for £100 when I bought it. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to negotiate any money off of the car since another buyer had shown up early and offered me money to walk away from the deal, therefore all my cash went on the car .
Never quite got that - what's the reason then??
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