With SAAB's demise now official, would that put you off buying a cheap used SAAB convertible for summer motoring? Car wouldn't be a daily driver, but for fair-weather weekends and odd days. 6000 miles/year tops.
Have seen a 2001 2.2 petrol automatic with 60,000 miles and it's got me thinking...
Nothing inherently difficult about that engine/vintage that a local spanner-man can't keep on top of, surely..?!
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>> Have seen a 2001 2.2 petrol automatic with 60,000 miles and it's got me thinking...
Unusual, as no petrol models were made in that capacity for Europe ;-)
Otherwise, pretty straightforward. Regular and frequent oil changes are the key.
Last edited by: Mike H on Sat 31 Dec 11 at 23:15
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How much would you be paying for it? If it's an amount you could bear to lose, consider that as the worst case. Now estimate the probability that something - hood mechanism, say - will fail and require Saab-specific parts that can't be got at any price, leaving you with a car you can neither use nor sell. That, multiplied by the price you pay, is your 'cost of risk'. If that seems like a reasonable amount, then go for it. Just remember, if you're buying a toy, it shouldn't be costing you more than play money.
2001 means the first 9-3, which is (IMO) a nicer and more characterful car than the model that succeeded it. Whatever parts it shared with the Cavalier, you wouldn't mistake it for one. Like Mike, though, I'm puzzled by the 2.2 engine; by 2001, even the Saab 2.3 had been dropped in favour of a 2.0 LPT, hadn't it?
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Have a go in it with the top down.
Convertible SAABs are said to suffer dreadfully from scuttle shake.
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Not driven a convertible Nick, but I've had a 900NG for the past year. Mine was very much problem free (only breakdown as such was the clutch cable breaking), and a very comfortable car to drive. As above regular oil changes are recommended; mine was done every 5k.
Bear in mind it will drink petrol at a fair rate - I saw figures as low as 20mpg when pressing on.
If you're buying a convertible though get the bulkhead checked - it seems they're more susceptible to bulkhead separation than saloons.
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How handy are you Nickdownunder? could you launch a sorte on the oily bits if things went wrong?
Are you on first name terms with an indie who wouldn't extract too many NZ$ from your wallet?
Prepare for the worst - and hope for the best!
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Some early to mid '00s 9-3s adopted the GM 2.0 turbo unit IIRC, did they also use the GM 2.2 n/a unit? Otherwise it must be a 2.3 I guess.
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Pretty sure the only 2.3 9-3 was the Viggen, and I'd be altogether more wary of that at ten years old. All the others had 2.0s with degrees of turbocharging ranging from none (like the one I had) to 'HOT'. Overseas markets may be different, of course, but I've yet to see the evidence.
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Incidentally, one significant improvement of the 9-3 over the 900 that Ash has (and I did) is that the 900's cable clutch was replaced with a hydraulic one. Much more comfortable - the 900 was a bit of a beast on the left leg. But Nick's is an automatic anyway, so never mind.
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My little brother has a w reg 900 convertible. 2.0 turbo, so goes a bit, but by god does it rattle, even with the roof up.
The roof is giving him trouble at the mo, needing to be helped by hand before it will lift from the screen. Comfy seats though.
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I reckon it's probably a typo, and it's a 2.3 turbo. See what you think at tinyurl.com/72284yw
There are also a couple of 1997/8 900S's around but only about 500 quid cheaper.
Got a bit of a windfall coming in Feb, and these prices (by NZ standards) are affordable. SWMBO will probably murder me though :-)
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I guess it should say 2000cc so its a 2.0 turbo ...
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Nick doesn't mention the price, so I will: 8,700 NZD or, at today's rate, £4,350. That seems high for a ten-year-old car, but I know little about either the NZ or convertible markets, so who knows?
Looking at the pics, the car is the S model, with manual AC (the temperature knob was one of the few bits that failed on mine), which makes it certainly a 2.0 and most likely an LPT since the NA engine had been dropped by 2001.
It also has the weird two-stage speedometer that, for me, is a Saabism too far. The gaps between markings are so wide that it's like trying to read a large-print book.
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Trouble with light coloured interiors is they soon look grubby if not looked after (like that one)
Personaly - I'd look elsewhere.
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A Stag with a BMW straight 6 - that'l probably be better than the problematical V8!
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When is a Triumph Stag not a Triumph Stag!
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When it hasn't got a carp Triumph engine fitted?
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It has a BMW unit in it...3.0 six I think.
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A lot of the Stags I came across had the Ford V4 fitted :(
The better ones had the Rover V8 :)
That Stag is a left hooker but Kiwis drive on the right side of the road (i.e. on the left)
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>> When it hasn't got a carp Triumph engine fitted?
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AFAIK, some of them share a common heritage, but Saab developed the 2 litre slant 4.
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>> When it hasn't got a carp Triumph engine fitted?
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From what my Stag expert indies say
The engine is fine if you put the proper coolant in it and continue to do so.
The implication is that it is carp owners that are fault.
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If I havd a classic sports car, I would want it original. In later years with the benefits of hindsight and previous punters pains, you should be able to mitigate the issues.
A ford engined stag is fit only for the dump.
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an old classic should be original. ive driven both v8's in the stag and liked the 3.0ltr triumph engine better. im sure flushing the passageways properly and fitting a bigger radiator would go a long way towards trouble free motoring
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A friend had a Triumph Stag with the original V8. He had no problems mechanically, it was the bodywork that needed constant attention. He did maintain it properly though.
Lovely noise with the top down.
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coolant is one engine issue, the timing chains are another.
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>> something - hood mechanism, say
The mechanical bits will be out of the GM parts bin and readily available. The only real issue would be trim or body parts, but that's what breakers' yards and eBay are for. You'd be either insane or filthy rich to be contemplating buying such bits new anyway.
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I looked at an old Saab convertible when in the market for a fun car three years ago. The one I test-drove was Y-registered, then seven years old and already quite tired - but the main problem was that with the hood up it was just like driving a normal Saab saloon / hatchback.
The BMW Z3 I bought and still have - same vintage and similar mileage - was immaculate and feels much more like a sports car hood up or down. OK - it's a GT rather than an out-and-out sports car, but still a lot more fun.
I'm not sure if the Z3 was ever imported into NZ, but I'm sure the obvious alternative was - the MX-5.
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Never fancied the MX-5 personally. I respect that it's a great car in many ways but I just think "hairdresser"
I'm also tall and want plenty of interior space - I don't want my head to be higher than the windscreen..!
Used cars here are silly money - and very little choice to boot. Still might keep an eye on SAABs for the next few weeks to see if their bankruptcy scares any punters off. The lousy NZ "summer" weather at present will also be putting people off convertibles :-)
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Saw an article in the DT today where a SAAB enthusiast predicts that the convertibles will become collectors items and prices will start to rise! Rose-tinted specs methinks?
In any case there are too few of them in NZ to have any chance of bagging a bargain, particularly at NZ used car prices... Am hatching another idea..!
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>> Saw an article in the DT today where a SAAB enthusiast predicts that the convertibles
>> will become collectors items and prices will start to rise! Rose-tinted specs methinks?
Sound like someone trying to sell his SAAB convertible.
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>> I'm also tall and want plenty of interior space - I don't want my head
>> to be higher than the windscreen..!
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I used to have that problem in my MGB. Once, on the M25, a truck chucked a stone from its rear wheels which *just* cleared the top of the screen at the peak of its arc of flight and struck me right between the eyes!
I had to pull over until I knew what day it was and could see straight again.
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SAAB 9-3 - is now the time for a cheap convertible? - Mike H
