After having the clutch replaced and installing a new battery, our new (to us) 2004 drop top is now operational, if not bug-free. It was a police impound that was abandoned by the previous owner when she decided to leave it rather than spend $1600.00 to have the clutch replaced.

I was going to crush it based on mileage (195,000) like I did the last Saab (1994 9000 with 435,000 miles and a smashed front end), but my bride digs cabrios and one of my Grandfathers was from Sweden, so the investment was made and the car is actually very nice, once we got it running and cleaned out all the drug paraphenalia, booze bottles and other detritus of live-aboard homeless car owners.

It's an Arc, manual in Nocturne blue with a black top (that doesn't move on it's own). Paint is in very nice shape, especially for a GM of that era, no rust, but the front lip and splash tray are missing (I may have left them in the ditch I pulled the car from, but it was dark and I wasn't really looking for them).

I pulled a couple of codes that indicated a bad connection somewhere, possible explaining the slow battery drain, and one that had to do with the throttle position.

It isn't showing a CEL, but the SID display is not as responsive as I think it should be, and the ACC likes to shut the AC off at random and won't come back on until I reboot the system. Also the trunk lid will not open with the top down.

I would like to avoid having to buy a Tech 2, but here in Northwest AR, I don't know of anyone who has any experience with these cars. I have restored a bunch of cars, but have very little experience with anything this "exotic". So it looks like I will be spending a lot of time with you folks and experiencing yet another steep learning curve. Thanks ahead of time for the help. ---Doc Lee in Siloam Springs, AR.