SOTW: Saab 900 Turbo(s)

Shed spots a pair of laggy Swedish models

Immaculate on a 'G'...

The first time I experienced scuttle shake properly was, perversely, in a Saab 900. A friend of mine at university had a late turbo 16-valve hatchback version that was so lacking in bracing structure, owing to the cavernous space behind the rear seats, that the CD player skipped if you drove over so much as a discarded cigarette packet.

And yet I always had a soft spot for the car. It was fast, it was unusual and it made a great noise. Admittedly it was not entirely standard - but even without the straight-through exhaust my mate had fitted (to his car, I ought to point out) the old triumph-derived slant-four still made the sort of God-gargling-mouthwash thrum that also makes old Subarus sound so good.

I was smitten. Who cared if it had enough torque steer to switch lanes via the throttle rather than the steering wheel?

By the late eighties, Saab had also managed to get rid of (some) the huge gobs of turbo lag that made the original 99 Turbo such an unpredictable beast.

...or tattier but on an 'L'? Choices, choices...

It might also have been a little down on capacity and cylinders compared with six-pot efforts from the likes of BMW, Mercedes and Audi, but with the aid of that turbo it was far from outgunned. Its 175bhp and, more significantly, 201lb ft of torque gave the 900 enough poke to deal with the 0-60mph sprint in less than eight seconds and to hit a maximum of 130mph.

Provided you could keep the thing in a straight line, the mid-range punch from the turbo meant overtaking was a bit of a doddle too.

Genuinely cheap, clean 900 Turbos are getting rare these days, but Shed has managed to spot two likely-looking candidates in the PH classifieds for below the magic £1k barrier. Both claim to have a full history, and both have plenty of MOT. And the differences? One appears to have been snapped in a scrapyard - and happens to be 200 quid cheaper.

Other than that and a small mileage difference there's not a lot to choose between them. Apart from the fact that the more expensive one looks a little bit more shiny...

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Advert for the 1989 car is reproduced below:

Saab 900 t16v (1989)
150,000 miles £950

...older car looks tidy inside...

1989 Black with grey trim and grey cloth interior in very clean condition.
150000 miles with lots of service paperwork. The car drives very tight due to new bearing , bushes and link arms all round, she is a great driver and i am only selling due to me relocating to a remote location were four wheel drive is more suitable.
MOT till June tax though has just run out.

Advert for the leggier 1993 car is reproduced below:

...but no cabin shot of the younger car

SAAB 900 T16S (1993)
175,000 miles £750

FOR SALE IS MY SAAB 900 T16S. THIS IS THE LAST OF THE RUN OUT EDITIONS 1993 ON A 'L'PLATE IN GOOD CONDITION WITH ALL SERVICE / MOT HISTORY. THE CAR IS MOT TILL SEPT 2011 AND TAXED UNTILL FEB 2011,

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W00DY

Original Poster

15,494 posts

227 months

[report]

[news]

Friday 14th January 2011

I was going to see the bottom one this weekend but couldn't be arsed with the drive to Scotand. Guy seems nice on the phone though, quite up front and honest. It needs tracking, but he's only done a few miles since the MOT.

ETA: I also emailed the top one's seller. Not immaculate, bit of bonnet rust. It's not an S either which is less desireable and windy windows could make resale tough.

Edited by W00DY on Friday 14th January 10:01