RE: Shed Of The Week: Saab 9000

RE: Shed Of The Week: Saab 9000

Friday 3rd April 2015

Shed Of The Week: Saab 9000

A big old slab of Swedish goodness has Shed's eye this week



'Last of the true Saabs'. How often have you read that phrase? It's generally applied to pre-2000 Saabs, that being the year in which General Motors upped its stake in the company to 100 per cent.

Great white hope?
Great white hope?
Actually, GM began the careful and painstaking process of turning a quality company into a rubbish one some 11 years earlier, in 1989, when it took a 50 per cent share in Saab.

This week's Shed is interesting because it was built in 1997, when the firm was only 50 per cent rubbish, and when Saab was celebrating its 50th anniversary. (Time out: we call them Saabs, but as the vendor rightly points out in his ad, we should be saying SAAB, what with it being an acronym. Stands for Svenska Aeroplan AB, or Swedish Aeroplane Company. Like most folk, we'll be sticking with the popular/wrong 'Saab'. Saab or SAAB, any firm that can create something as mad as this - see 2:50 on - is all right by us.)

Now, where were we? Oh yes, 1997, the year of Blair's landslide election victory, the birth of Dolly the first cloned sheep, and the death of Princess Di. The 9000 had been around for a long time before that though, since 1984 in fact, the year of the miners' strike, the Libyan Embassy siege and the demise of the £1 note.

The last great Saab. Apparently
The last great Saab. Apparently
It was a joint venture with Fiat (the 9000, not the £1 note). Sharing the same Type 4 platform as the excellent Alfa 164, but cloaked this time by the Italo-Swedish partnership of Giorgetto Giugiaro and Bjorn Envall (the 164 was by Pininfarina), it came in saloon or 'liftback' options. It doesn't really matter which, because as we all know, all Saabs have huge boots. Our Shed is the saloon, which is sort of cool. And it's in white, which has recently become the most popular colour for a new car. Just goes to show. Keep those flared pants on hold, they'll come round again eventually.

The LPT (Light Pressure Turbo) on the slant-four 2.0-litre is a sweet option. With something over 1,400kg to lug around - actually not that bad for a big exec saloon back then - 150hp won't give you the whoosh factor of an Aero, but it will give you a feeling that you'll get to your destination, and in supreme comfort too. Yes, it's an automatic, but power rather than any inherent design fault is what tends to break Saab autos. Or the manuals come to that. If the torque converter does go AWOL, that's the end of the game for a £750 car, but with only 73,000 miles up you'd be very unlucky to hit that particular buffer on this car.

The 9000 was discontinued in 1998, so it's reasonable to suppose that our Shed would have been as good as the factory could make them. The direct ignition module is known for failing. Luckily, it's a side of the road swapout: canny owners simply carry a spare. Brake discs can be expensive to replace, but as any bargeman will tell you, the trick with brakes is never to use them. Over time, Saab heater motor blowers can need new bushes, as can a fair few of the suspension components (front lower control arms, steering rack, rear anti-roll bar).

Lightly stressed, lightly used too
Lightly stressed, lightly used too
A loud rattle on start-up means a loose timing chain. If it doesn't quieten down after half a minute or so it probably needs to be replaced. Blue smoke and a louder than normal whistle means either your turbo's nobbled or you're being pursued by the police. Headlamp reflectors get loose, panel bulbs pop, ABS sensors stop sensing and heaters sometimes only blow on max, but everything is fixable.

Bright, sparky women tend to like Saabs. Even Mrs Shed, the exact opposite of bright and sparky, appreciated the clean functionality of the 9000's interior when a misty green one appeared in a corner of Shed's yard a few years back. She said she liked to dust it, but when Shed asked her to dust his broom, all he got was a frosty glare.

The vendor's excited claim of a NEW MOT! (Never Enter Wet Motorways On Thursdays) is obviously a nice bonus. Home servicing on Saabs of this vintage is perfectly acceptable as long as the vendor is a enthusiast, as our one obviously is, having owned this specimen for the last 13 years. The presence of many cleaning bottles in the seatback pockets indicates a loved car and, if the rust free appearance of the underbonnet area is any guide, a solid one too. The snaps are not ideal but there's no obvious sign of brown on the door bottoms, rear sills/arches or screen surrounds. Makes you wonder what the backstory is on the sale. It must be a huge wrench to say goodbye to a faithful servant, an experience Shed is in constant danger of having for himself if he keeps on going the way he's going.

The fact that there are over 4,000 9000s left is testament to their strength and longevity. Simple, honest, and as straight as a school tie in a high wind, this is a smart man's alternative to a leggy Aero at a half or even a third of the price.

Here's the ad.

Last of the True SAABs
2 litre LPT in good condition and owned by us since 2002.White
ONLY 73,600 genuine miles complete with old MOTs and bills.
Main things replaced--- Ignition Tray,2x ABS wheel sensors and drivers door mirror assy.
It HAS a NEW MOT!.
Serviced by me and still have original SAAB service book.
Drives smoothly and autobox changes seamlessly.
Interior is cloth and is immaculate.No tears or splits or marks.
Tyres in good condition..Its a pleasure to drive and will be a shame to see it go
Driven carefully it can achieve over 35 mpg.It is unmodified and reasonable to insure. This car is driven daily and has been 100% reliable.
Viewing and Collection Worcester Park ,Surrey

   
   
Author
Discussion

B'stard Child

Original Poster:

28,324 posts

245 months

Friday 3rd April 2015
quotequote all
I borrowed a non turbo one from work a while back, manual box and I thought it was going to be awfull - it actually impressed me with a nice box of cogs making the most of the normally aspirated engine.

I prefer my saloons in German flavour (partic Opel derived) so I feel I must apologise for the dogs breakfast GM made of SAAB

rallycross

12,747 posts

236 months

Friday 3rd April 2015
quotequote all
not with those wheel trims no thanks

VolvoT5

4,155 posts

173 months

Friday 3rd April 2015
quotequote all
This one is doing absolutely nothing for me, and I'm usually a SAAB fan.

Nope.

carinaman

21,224 posts

171 months

Friday 3rd April 2015
quotequote all
A bright and sparky woman I know doesn't like the bowed windscreen of the 900. That could look quite presentable with some better wheels on it.

JMF894

5,478 posts

154 months

Friday 3rd April 2015
quotequote all
I owned a 1998 Anniversary 2.0 lpt run out model back in 2006. I spent far too much on it but it was pushing 290bhp and 310 ft/lb

A simple stage 1 remap will take this motor to 190bhp and they go rather well with it. Just make sure the front bushes are renewed. Mine were totally shot and the front suspension may as well have been held together with bailing twine.

A days work and a few select polybushes later the thing was nailed down. Replacing one of the top engine mounts with poly tightens it up nicely too but does send a little more vibration through to the cabin on tickover.

FWIW that motor is good for 500bhp if your wallet can stomach it.

If you can found one a full pressure turbo 2.3 with auto kicks out 200bhp and has all the bells and whistles. Quite stealthy tbh.

Jimbo

Liquid Tuna

1,398 posts

155 months

Friday 3rd April 2015
quotequote all
I'm struggling to find anything to get excited about with this one.

JMF894

5,478 posts

154 months

Friday 3rd April 2015
quotequote all
Admittedly this one is a little staid

angelicupstarts

257 posts

130 months

Friday 3rd April 2015
quotequote all
nope ...nothing
has to be more interesting cars for £1000 and under

saaby93

32,038 posts

177 months

Friday 3rd April 2015
quotequote all
Good Call PH . these are often confused with the later 9-5 but completely different
Isnt it the same platform as the Citroen XM and Alfa something?

carinaman

21,224 posts

171 months

Friday 3rd April 2015
quotequote all
saaby93 said:
Isnt it the same platform as the Citroen XM and Alfa something?
Tipo Quattro - 164/Thema/Croma/9000

I chanced upon this a couple of weeks ago when considering a 2.3 Aero:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVjOmrqDc1Y

harrykul

2,770 posts

225 months

Friday 3rd April 2015
quotequote all
We had a blue CS Ecopower auto just like this one for years. Great cars, tough as old boots and the best seats...

Numeric

1,393 posts

150 months

Friday 3rd April 2015
quotequote all
From the days when it was allowed for cars to be practical and very comfortable rather than hard as hell on 20" alloys with an interior you are scared to touch and freezing cold/hot leather seats.

But it is us that spurred the change and SAAB got left behind I guess!

Lotusgone

1,160 posts

126 months

Friday 3rd April 2015
quotequote all
The 9000 LPT was the least satisfying of the three big Saabs I have owned - the turbo lost boost and two local specialists could not put it right. Big and comfy, but a bit ponderous. The article has it right, for the money and if performance is not an issue, it's fine. But the Aero HOT was really good (bar the gearbox breaking...).

morgrp

4,128 posts

197 months

Friday 3rd April 2015
quotequote all
Nice "I can't believe they're not alloys" the cable ties are a tasteful addition.

Mmm, no thanks, not as bullet proof as people think - if I want bullet proof and Swedish I'll take a volvo 850 - tougher, with a much nicer engine...

J4CKO

41,287 posts

199 months

Friday 3rd April 2015
quotequote all
Alright I suppose but I would be looking for an Aero that has had some fiddling done if I fancied a 9000.

MadDog1962

890 posts

161 months

Friday 3rd April 2015
quotequote all
No. Don't do it.

This is just a tired old heap. Street legal maybe. But not worth the risk or trouble even at only £750.

Shed was doing well year to date. Have to do better next week.

RoverP6B

4,338 posts

127 months

Friday 3rd April 2015
quotequote all
Same basic engine as a Triumph Dolomite Sprint, only better-made. Can't get too excited about this, to be honest. The post-facelift hatch with its projecting roof-mounted third brake light is more interesting, but even then... if I was to have a Tipo Quattro, it would have to be a 164 V6 or a Thema 8.32 - although I understand Saab heavily reengineered the shell, so it was a lot safer than its Italian siblings...

TwyRob

312 posts

110 months

Friday 3rd April 2015
quotequote all
RoverP6B said:
Same basic engine as a Triumph Dolomite Sprint, only better-made. ...
Not really. The b204/234 engine is pretty far removed from the first slant 4 derived b series engine from the Saab 99. A really long way removed! It is a strong and reliable engine, this one may be a fairly boring example with low levels of trim and an automatic gearbox but a tidy CSE/CDE with alloys and leather makes a lot of sense for shed motoring.

JMF894

5,478 posts

154 months

Friday 3rd April 2015
quotequote all
You could have this instead................

Just sayin'

http://www.uksaabs.co.uk/UKS/viewtopic.php?f=17&am...

JMF894

5,478 posts

154 months