1986 and 1990 SPG purchase advice

[nordwulf]

It's not often there are Saabs for sale in my town.. I am not actively looking for a 900 but sometimes you come across something that may be too good to pass up. $2,200 each. It sounds like they need some work and I haven't checked them out yet. Are these desirable years? Any major issues (besides rust) I should look for? What does it mean the cluthc needs to be bled?

Any thoughts and advice will be greatly appreciated.

I am actually selling two Saab SPG's. One is a 1986 SPG, and the other is a 1990. The '86 is gray, and the '90 is red. Both are in what I would call decent shape. The red one needs the front valence trim repaired or replaced. The coolant temp sensor needs to be replaced, which I may get around to. There is a rip on the driver's seat. The tires are older Hakapalita snow tires with almost no miles on them. The car drives nice.

The gray one starts and runs but too rich. It needs (I think) a maf sensor. I have a used one, but haven't put it on yet. It also needs a new windshield and the clutch needs to be bled. The gray one also has peeling clear coat on the roof and hood. That said, it has the more "pristine" body of the two, as it was a "garage queen" for most of it's life. The red one has 170,000 miles and a factory refurbished turbo.

If you have the ability and are willing to fix relatively minor issues, you will have two very nice SPG's with a fair market value of at least $8,000. If you are into Saabs, you know that's true. But for about $2,000 each, you can have two safe, reliable, long lived, comfortable, capable, fast, and fun to drive cars, which are unique to look at and really cool looking, in my opinion. Plus, in six years, only 7,000 of these were made available. So these cars are very collectible. Parts are cheap and readily available.

1986 Saab SPG



1990 Saab SPG

[euromobile900]

I have been waiting for a "Should I buy" question like this! Having just gone through the c900 acquisition process myself, to find a car for my girlfriend, and having seen the best, the worst, and everything in between, in pursuit of the perfect c900 (which we found--she will be on the forums shortly), I think I have a pretty good crack-pipe detector.

Edwardian Gray '86:
Wild Card #1: So he says it's got fuel injection issues. It probably either needs an air mass meter or an ECU, or possibly both. Maybe it's just a vacuum leak, but LH 2.2 components are so old now that nothing is certain at this point.
Wild Card #2: "Clutch needs to be bled". This is a very routine, easy job, involving a $40 Mityvac or a $3 air fitting and a compressor. A shop wouldn't charge more than half an hour's labor for it. Translation: The clutch doesn't just need to be bled! If it needed only that, he'd have done it himself and sold the car for more money! He doesn't sound stupid, so I'm going to guess that he just doesn't want to say that it has major hydraulic issues. For a DIYer like me, it would be $100-200 in parts and a good bit of diagnostic driving to cure the problem. Nothing major, but a good negotiation point for price. If you brought it to a mechanic, it could well run into the $500 range if you're unlucky.
Not-a-wild-card: The paint is peeling! Every single Edwardian Gray c900 I've ever seen has had peeling clear coat. If it's peeling in one spot, it's going to start in others. This is ugly. You'll probably need to get it repainted, if you want to keep it from rusting!
Not-a-wild-card #2: The windshield. These are easy, and I just got one professionally done for under $300.

Talladega Red '90:
No wild cards. The front valence trim is no big deal. Drive it until you find the trim at a junkyard, or convert it to flat-front. It's easy and (in my opinion) the flat front looks better. You can repair the seat fairly easily with needle-and-thread, as long as the rest of the seat looks in good condition, and it's just a busted seam. He says things about a coolant temp sensor. You need to pry at him for more specifics! In particular, WHICH coolant temperature sensor is he talking about, and why hasn't he done it himself already (easy job, cheap part)? Because he's billing it as the less-pristine body of the two, pay special attention to the pinch-welded seams around the trunk subfloor, the wheel arches, and the drive-shaft tunnels, to check for rust. The red paint is single-stage, so there's no risk of peeling clear, and you should be able to buff out scuffs--it's thick!

Bottom line:
I'd stay away from the '86. Let some schmuck grease-monkey like me go in and pick it up for $1000 after he gets no takers. Go for the car that you can drive, which has fewer issues. Press him about the things he does list as problems. Pry and poke and prod. If you see rust bubbles, don't be afraid to whip out your big screwdriver and poke--it will do no harm (just removes rust that would have flaked off anyway!), and it unnerves your would-be seller, so he might agree to a lower price. The '86 will need a paint job, but probably no welding, from the sounds of it. But the ad mentions body issues on the '90. Until you see it, you have to wonder if it's body rust issues, so be on your guard.

Good luck, and go get 'em!

[rpiereck]

What the heck is front vallance trim?

[nordwulf]

Thanks for the great advice so far. I was leaning more towards the 86 because it sounded like it was in better shape. But small issues can be bigger than expected. And without this advice, I would have never known.

I always admired the 1990 Saab 900 SPG in the Heritage Collection and am hoping this 1990 just needs some cleaning and it will be like that. Probably not that easy but it all depends what the seller means with "decent shape".



As I mentioned, I don't really need one but always keep an eye open for the right car. And I guess it never hurts to look, right? I'll give him a call tomorrow so I can check them out. The only problem is I don't have a garage right now so working on it will be difficult.

Some information was added:

To answer all the questions so far. Vin number on the red 1990 is YS3AL35L6L7015476. I have rather extensive maintenance and repair records for the red 1990. Some also for the 1986, but less so. Both have a touch of rust on the inside bottom of the doors. If I see any more, I will update this. The '90 drives nice and shifts nice. The 1986 did, but the clutch is having issues due to sitting unused for years. I bought the 1986 after the clutch issue, but I know the repair shop that gave the 1986 a thorough going over prior to it being parked. I have the paperwork from that going over, which if I remember correctly, cost the owner over 100.00 just for the check. The transmission was fine.

[rpiereck]

That red SPG sure is pretty, I love that color comb. I imagine the interior being black, right Frank? I am sure having a classic SAAB in the garage would be great Frank, even if you only bring it out when the weather is right.

[nordwulf]

That red SPG sure is pretty, I love that color comb. I imagine the interior being black, right Frank? I am sure having a classic SAAB in the garage would be great Frank, even if you only bring it out when the weather is right.

Yes, it is a black interior. The problem is I don't have a garage right now so it would be sitting outside.

I checked them out today and decided they are not something for me right now. Just too many smaller and potential bigger issues and, even after your advice, I don't know exactly what I am looking for. Show me a 9-5 and I can pretty much figure out if it is a good or bad car within a few minutes. With a 900, not so much.

I drove the red 1990 and it actually drove pretty good. Steering and clutch was heavy, but probably not something unusual. It shifted smoothly through all gears and the turbo seemed fine. The AC compressor didn't have a belt and wasn't working. Driver's side window didn't go down. Headliner was completely gone and it had the usual cracks in the dash. There was rust but I didn't check it out into great detail underneath. Some trim pieces fell off or were missing. The engine was oily in certain places but I didn't check that out in greater detail either. It started up fine but was a bit loud, possibly the valves. Do these have hydraulic valve lifters? Paint was very faded and looked like it needed some work to get it back to nice and shiny again.

The 1986 grey SPG was sitting a bit in the back. The interior was quite a bit nicer. The window tint looked purple and needs to be removed. Not as much rust as the other one as expected. Headliner was gone as well. I didn't drive it or check it out more because I wasn't really interested in that one.

Both were stored outside through the winter and didn't look like they got a lot of attention lately. Just a bit dirty and tired. Both need quite a bit of work to get them in good mechanical condition again. The problem is, I can't really tell what it is they need exactly. I think I rather spend twice or three times on a pristine model that was taken care of and doesn't need much or any work.

Seller and his wife were very nice and they knew quite a bit about Saabs. Both cars are probably good for someone who wants something to fix up and has the garage space for it. Unfortunately, that person isn't me right now.

And another small detail.. I always wanted a convertible and these are not it. But it was a good experience and the more Saabs you check out and drive, the easier it becomes to find that car that feels just right. Thanks again for the advice, I learn more about the 900 every time.

They are on eBay as well, both together with an opening bid of $3,200. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/320901849913

[s900t8v]

There aren't many pre facelift SPG's around (the 86) that woulda been sweet!

Understand, these things can be money sinks, with DIY my neglected 84 900 5 door Turbo has cost me around 4g and that's all DIY and buying US parts

[rpiereck]

$3200 seems to me to a be a bit steepd for the conditon you describe. However, both sound like good fixer uppers, if that's what one is looking for. You are absolutely right, if you aren't looking to fix them and do not have the garage to do so it would be wise and wait for a better car.

[jdwertz]

Buy my Commed , seriously