Real Tally SPG or Dressed Up Turbo?

[SPGreg]

...wheel arches seem high to me. As does the price.

Thoughts?

http://denver.craigslist.org/cto/1882724327.html

[nordwulf]

Personally, I prefer Saabs that are factory original and have only Saab, Hirsch or other minor tasteful modifications. Mixing parts from different models and model years makes a car less valuable for me. And Bi-xenon headlights in a 900 is just wrong. But hey, we all have different tastes. I would never buy this car, regardless of the price.




$9000
Showroom Restored SPG for sale! A 1990 Saab SPG that has been lovingly restored at great expense and its time to sell her. This is a one of a kind Saab. It has 186000 miles and has been well cared for by all three owners using only Saab certified mechanics. I have full records from myself and the previous owner and partials from the original. The interior looks new because most of it is. It has new dash board, facia, switches and controls, all factory New Old Stock - that means it's all new out of the box and has Never been in another car! So much has been done to this car I can't list it all but it includes new power steering rack and knuckles, new brakes, new headliner, new glass, a newly rebuilt transmission that shifts smooth as butter, completely overhauled engine (not re-built), BI XENON headlines inside Euro glass, and much, much more! The front seats are newly recovered and came from a 1992 model retro fitted to this car. That means they are fully electric and the heated seat coils work! It has 16 inch Aero wheels from a 9000 and new high performance tires. It also sports a custom painted saab logo on the rear deck lid that saab lovers amaze over. It also has the rare whale tail spoiler also new. see 20+ pictures at http://www.flickr.com/photos/buffalorand/sets and the things I left out will show. 9000.00 is a steal as I have had it appraised at around 10-12 thou. Call Randy at 303-929-8846. I'd like to keep it in Denver and sell it to a Saab lover.

[Shazam]

Personally, I prefer Saabs that are factory original and have only Saab, Hirsch or other minor tasteful modifications. Mixing parts from different models and model years makes a car less valuable for me. And Bi-xenon headlights in a 900 is just wrong. But hey, we all have different tastes. I would never buy this car, regardless of the price.

I'm practically exactly the opposite. For example, with my 96, I've been thinking about swapping the front end out to the 2-stroke long-nose version. I want a car to look like it's mine... most of the modifications I like are small and tasteful, but they aren't original, and are often things that wouldn't be found on that model or year. That being said, in the end, it still looks original to the model or maybe the model prior or after. I want my car to be mine... I could care less about the value because I don't plan on selling it, and the less it is valued at, the cheaper my insurance

So I really like that 900. Would I have done things differently? You bet. Would I pay $9000 for it? Nope. If I had spare cash around, would I try to negotiate with that guy? Yup.

[TunnanOnRye]

Shazam, you are not trying to push your car off as a lovingly "restored" vehicle. Perhaps innocent, but the word restoration means a lot of different things to different people. Don't read me for a purist and I have done a lot of garage parts bin projects to get a car presentable.

I guess on a Saab site, SPG restoration means something from the insane and sublime where the frame and all bushings and grommets come off and yeah, I've done a few turkey wire grilles too. What we need here is another creative word instead of restoration. I mean, it's not a hack and slash job but it is not a restoration. How about a cosmetic, artistic interpretative rendering of what an SPG would have ??

Your 96 is a personal project and we all do what we can with the money we have. (please don't take that the wrong way cause I have no idea what your finances are like), and all things are a balance. For that matter any restorations are a balancing act from day #1. I used to live for the Villem B. Hahn, MG-Mitten and British Victoria Limited catalogs till it became not worth the time. Even if you bought the car for the right price, like a 2.0 914 for $200, you were in the red from the day you drove it home. So we piece them together and love them to death for what they are.

That said, does anyone know where to get those shoulder belt covers? They really caught my eye!

And I am quietly looking for something like your car. My wife saw that Monte Carlo on e-bay and was quite taken by it.

Regarding stuff like bi-xenon (I assume they give better vision), if they did and were functional, I wouldn't have a problem. One of the complaints about the C-5 Corvettes was the ancient oil-lamp headlights in a 170 mph car. That was on my list of things to do but it was, sadly sold.

[Shazam]

(please don't take that the wrong way cause I have no idea what your finances are like),

I basically have none! :icon_lol: (I didn't take you the wrong way) But realistically, being a full time student, with a part time job, I have little money for my 96. While it wasn't the best financial decision, I'd do it again every time. It gives me something to actually work towards, besides money that I pay for school that I don't see a direct/instant outcome from. If it wasn't for my parents generosity of letting me store/work on the car in the garage this summer, I'd be SOL.

But you are right... mine isn't a correct restoration. Only a "restoration" to the point that it will be restored to a usable condition... and maybe years down the road, something that is better than it was new. Good luck with your search... my parts guy has a 99 (not sure on the year, but it's a Triumph engine... so early). He is holding onto it until someone comes along that is willing to restore/save it. I've only seen the body, and it looked pretty nice, but it was a quick look over.

[TooMany2cvs]

How about a cosmetic, artistic interpretative rendering of what an SPG would have ??

What _is_ an SPG?

It's a c900T16 with a bit of tupperware stuck to the sides, and different springs/dampers, and slightly different settings in the APC box. No more, no less.
If it's still on the factory springs & dampers after 160k miles & 20yrs, then it's been a fairly shoddy "restoration".
So it's all about the APC box and the tupperware. Well, again, it's been restored - so that tupperware's been off (because they do like to rot behind there) and reattached anyway. Does it matter whether the first person to stick it to the side was 20yrs ago or last week?
As for the APC box - well, there's not exactly a shortage of websites telling you which pot to twiddle to what. Plus, of course, the restoration's likely to have included resetting the base & APC boost, right...?

So - does it matter what the person who bought the car new 20yrs was looking at? Red c900 with or without tupperware? You're now looking at a restored red c900 with tupperware. The quality of the workmanship in the restoration is surely far more important...

[JeffCullen]

I agree wholeheartedly re: the SPG kool aid.

I do like the look of the tupperware, but don't care if it's on a real "SPG" or not.

The springs were available as an option on any 900.

The "engine tuning kit"s were available as an option on any 900 Turbo.

[TooMany2cvs]

I do like the look of the tupperware, but don't care if it's on a real "SPG" or not.

It's even more inexplicable over here, where probably more 3dr T16s were sold with tupperware than without...

[JeffCullen]

Fine with me as lovely non-SPG T16s can be had for less dosh and tupperware can be applied later if desired, not to mention intrax/koni represents a superior setup compared to the original SPG springs.

[SPGreg]

I'm less partial to impersonators, I have to say. Not to say that by putting an SPG kit on a non-SPG that you're trying to impersonate an SPG. It may just mean you like the look. I love the look of the 'tupperware.' The 900 above looks mostly great whether it's an original SPG or not.

I have a certain loyalty to originality. I owned a 1968 El Camino and spent lots of time part-hunting for the purpose of making the car more like it was from the factory. But I did put an SS hood on because it looked better than the stock flat hood.

I spent some time on the Chevelle / El Camino forums in the past. There were often discussions about real SS cars vs clones or tributes. A "true SS" could be worth substantially more than a clone. There was probably more to differentiate an SS from a non-SS, depending on the year (engine size, hood, dash / cabin options, dif, transmission, etc.), so more work to be done clone your Chevelle. But given the potential profit that could be had, there was also more interest in cloning. But that community's SS/non-SS debate only gives a little bit of context to the SPG question. I suppose it's mostly academic.

I'd probably have to say that if a car wasn't an SPG from the get-go, it shouldn't be called an SPG. IMHO.