Saab 900 convertible - future classic?
Discussion
YES for sure, need a good colour combination, look for rust… door and window rubbers no longer available… speak with David Greenwood http://www.saabflight.com
Negatives? If he wants it purely as an investment I'd suggest it's the wrong car - there are probably others out there in a similar vein that will give a better return depending on what he's after. As an object of desire - each to their own. As a "classic" to enjoy owning and driving? A friend of mine had one of these and I found it to be one of the most dull and unrewarding drives I've driven. With the top down the rear seats were uncomfortable for adult passengers due to buffeting so might just as well have had a two seater. The performance was unexciting and it was surprisingly thirsty. It felt nicely built but was just generally dull in pretty much every respect. The mate who owned it covered something like twenty thousand miles in it and considered it a "good" car - he recently traded it for an eighties Camaro RS soft top which is vulgar in comparison but puts a smile on his face every time he drives it (most days to work, that is).
If your mate fancies one get him to drive one before deciding.
If your mate fancies one get him to drive one before deciding.
Thanks for those replies fellas, I'll pass them along. It's not so much buying one to make money, rather my suggestion to him was that it probably wont lose money if he keeps it a few years and looks after it. He's not really after driving thrills (he currently drives a C class Merc) he just wants something interesting and different, so long as it's reliable. I don't know the specifics of the car other than it's owned by someone where he works. If he goes ahead with it I'll update.
iSore said:
I like the 900 Turbos, but the Convertible? Hmmm. Given that 2500 quid buys a really tidy and unmolested E30 325i Convertible, the Saab isn't really the one to have.
I agree, i think the coupe Turbo will be a better bet and much more fun, unless he really wants a convertible classic.As an investment? Maybe if he has 20 years to waste on it. And in that time he will have missed out on probably hundreds of cars that provide a better return. About the only thing going for it is that it's a convertible (drop tops almost always perform better price-wise than their hard top equivalent) but it isn't a really desirable car now and it never will be. Happy to be taken to task about this opinion in twenty years....
Assuming this thread is talking about the 85-94 convertible, not the 94-98 GM version...
Let's put a few rumours to bed: it's not a sporty drive, no, there's a fair bit of scuttle shake and it does feel a bit floppy. I've not driven an e30 cab, but I'd hazard a guess that it doesn't have huge amounts of structural rigidity either. Yes, it's FWD, but the handling is really pretty tidy and it can be hustled quite nicely. Image has, IMHO, always been superb with the 900 convertibles. If you see a nice one on the road it could be driven by absolutely anybody - young lad, middle aged woman, lawyer, etc. They have always held their values much better than the tin tops - a few years ago a nice turbo tintop was £3k, and nice convertible £7k+. A really nice one will still cost you several thousand, not bad on a car that is 20 years old. You won't make money on one yet, but you won't lose that much.
They work best as cruisers. The autos aren't great, best engine/box combo IMHO is the 150bhp LPT (badged 900S) with manual box. Get a late one with decent spec and low miles and you'll have a lovely cruiser that will get you noticed in a good way IMHO.
I am biased, but they have been modern classics since they were replaced by the GM900 in 94 IMHO; nothing on the road like them!
Let's put a few rumours to bed: it's not a sporty drive, no, there's a fair bit of scuttle shake and it does feel a bit floppy. I've not driven an e30 cab, but I'd hazard a guess that it doesn't have huge amounts of structural rigidity either. Yes, it's FWD, but the handling is really pretty tidy and it can be hustled quite nicely. Image has, IMHO, always been superb with the 900 convertibles. If you see a nice one on the road it could be driven by absolutely anybody - young lad, middle aged woman, lawyer, etc. They have always held their values much better than the tin tops - a few years ago a nice turbo tintop was £3k, and nice convertible £7k+. A really nice one will still cost you several thousand, not bad on a car that is 20 years old. You won't make money on one yet, but you won't lose that much.
They work best as cruisers. The autos aren't great, best engine/box combo IMHO is the 150bhp LPT (badged 900S) with manual box. Get a late one with decent spec and low miles and you'll have a lovely cruiser that will get you noticed in a good way IMHO.
I am biased, but they have been modern classics since they were replaced by the GM900 in 94 IMHO; nothing on the road like them!
A 325i Auto Convertible is way better. A nice original one is so nice and uptogether, they're powerful and the autobox is superb. The Saab 900 is a great car (I think the GM version was alright as well) but the 325i was better. A Convertible version will appreciate in value more because they were a lot more desirable when new than the Saab, and there are so few nice ones left that haven't been bruvved up.
Scuttle shake was actually worse on the later E36 - the E30 wasn't bad at all.
Scuttle shake was actually worse on the later E36 - the E30 wasn't bad at all.
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