RE: SOTW: Saab 900 Turbo
Friday 16th March 2012
A grand would probably buy you Saab outright these days but, to keep things at a more realistic Shed level, we'll stick to a single example of Swedish weirdness and turbocharged fun.
Non saggy, velour heavy interior picturedInfo in the advert accompanying this 1989 900 16V Turbo is scarce but it's taxed and tested until the summer and boasts, quote, 'no sag'. If we're talking headlining here then that makes it one better than the last 900 Turbo Shed investigated, though considering this advert’s 'details' are about as extensive as 'red', 'petro'’ and '3 doors' you might want to give it a once over before chucking in your grand. There is what appears to be a folder with some paperwork, which is a little more encouraging. And for a shed the interior seems to have scrubbed up nice for the photos with some lovely late 80s velour action going on.
Classic Saab face wears its years wellEarlier in the year Saab itself sold off all its old cars and while no museum piece yet this 900 Turbo represents what, for many, was the last of the 'proper' Saabs. It ain't pretty, it's probably not much to drive by any reasonable modern standards and yet there's something melancholic and lovely about it.
SOTW: Saab 900 Turbo
Splash a grand on a leggy, 23-year-old Swede!
Non saggy, velour heavy interior pictured
A special mention also for the fact the correct three-spoke alloys are present and correct, the Saab 900 perhaps the only car in the history of time to even approach making such things look cool.
Classic Saab face wears its years well
You might not be able to actually save Saab for a grand. But you might be able to save this one.
Advert is reproduced below:
1989 Saab 900 turbo.
MOT until 6th August 2012
road tax until july 2012
immobiliser, power windows, sunroof, fabric on roof intact, no sag, cruise control, no faults
cd player
999 or nearest offer
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Discussion
Pedant alert!
Incorrect three-spokes - they're off a 9000. This year of breed sported the flatter threes and even later LPTs had a slightly different design to these ones.
If you're going to put money into a 900 Turbo, spend double that as a minimum and get something a little tidier - the paint on this is too far gone to do anything other than respray the thing and it's got a nasty Abbott Racing grille on it. The more original it is, the better.
And who wants linear acceleration when you can have a blast with good old 80s turbo lag?!
Oh, and the torquesteer thing is a myth - it's nowhere near as bad as some have made it out to be.
Incorrect three-spokes - they're off a 9000. This year of breed sported the flatter threes and even later LPTs had a slightly different design to these ones.
If you're going to put money into a 900 Turbo, spend double that as a minimum and get something a little tidier - the paint on this is too far gone to do anything other than respray the thing and it's got a nasty Abbott Racing grille on it. The more original it is, the better.
And who wants linear acceleration when you can have a blast with good old 80s turbo lag?!
Oh, and the torquesteer thing is a myth - it's nowhere near as bad as some have made it out to be.The Donster said:
Pedant alert!
Incorrect three-spokes - they're off a 9000. This year of breed sported the flatter threes and even later LPTs had a slightly different design to these ones.
If you're going to put money into a 900 Turbo, spend double that as a minimum and get something a little tidier - the paint on this is too far gone to do anything other than respray the thing and it's got a nasty Abbott Racing grille on it. The more original it is, the better.
And who wants linear acceleration when you can have a blast with good old 80s turbo lag?! Oh, and the torquesteer thing is a myth - it's nowhere near as bad as some have made it out to be.
Paintwork looks Ok to me? Nothing a good mop & polish wouldnt sort out surely.Incorrect three-spokes - they're off a 9000. This year of breed sported the flatter threes and even later LPTs had a slightly different design to these ones.
If you're going to put money into a 900 Turbo, spend double that as a minimum and get something a little tidier - the paint on this is too far gone to do anything other than respray the thing and it's got a nasty Abbott Racing grille on it. The more original it is, the better.
And who wants linear acceleration when you can have a blast with good old 80s turbo lag?!
Oh, and the torquesteer thing is a myth - it's nowhere near as bad as some have made it out to be.Oh boy! My uncle is a 50s-something unemployed painter and artist, guess what he drives! Saabs! He had a 99, and then a 900 turbo such as this. He is also an avid flyfisher, and let me tell you the boot is cavernous, especially with the seats folded down.
You could hide an afghan family in there!
They do rust a bit, but very nice and quirky..
You could hide an afghan family in there!
They do rust a bit, but very nice and quirky..
Deranged Granny said:
I like how the 'GB' sticker is on upside down.
I wonder if that's because the registration indicates it was quite probably originally first registered in South Wales. (Perhaps a previous owner was a member of Plaid Cymru?)Anyway, quite a sheddy sort of shed. Looks tatty under bonnet and in a few other places, but definitely useable and a bit different. Only concern (for me) would be the turbo. If anything went seriously wrong it would very likely be scrap.
Sea Demon said:
Paintwork looks Ok to me? Nothing a good mop & polish wouldnt sort out surely.
On reflection, it's probably only the tailgate that would need some paint. That said, I've owned a red 900 and it's a bugger to keep on top of once it starts to fade. As with any red car, I suppose.Deranged Granny said:
I like how the 'GB' sticker is on upside down.
Beat me to it! For some reason, this really made me smile 
Love the old turbo's; echo the shame it's in red comments, it's a bugger to get red paint back to it's former glory, but definitely looks good after some work!
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