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Things to look at on a '95 9000 Aero from far away?

991 views 16 replies 7 participants last post by  UpholsteryCritic 
#1 ·
I'm considering buying a '95 9000 Aero with right around 140k on the clock for fun. I've always wanted one and the price is right on this one. It would be a second car.

I won't be able to drive the car unless I fly to go get it... so are there any things I can ask the seller in order to confirm that the car is in good shape? It's at a dealership, so I won't be able to get service records. I've already got a message in to the dealership that sold it new, so I'm having them research it.

Also, does $2500 for one with some body dents seem like a good price? It is a 5-speed. It seems cheap to me... it's not super rough, but it's not flawless either, by any means. It's a clear title one-owner car, too.

Finally, if you were to guess what a good estimate of annual running costs would be, what would you say? That is, what's a good budget for a car like this?

Thanks!
 
#3 ·
The vehicle has body dents at a dealership? That's unusual. Private party value (KBB) for that vehicle in fair condition is $3725. Could be a good deal, depending on what else is wrong. Body work is expensive though, unless it happens to just need a single panel and you can find one in the right color. Having no repair history really would make me hesitant. Mileage is ok, but it could be just about time for the clutch to be replaced, possibly transmission as well, which would double your price before even addressing the body damage.

Having recently flown to check out an Aero, with high probability of buying, I would advise against it. It's not that it cannot be done successfully, as many people have. However, it's hard to have a meeting of the minds when it comes to condition of the car. What one person thinks is in excellent condition may be just fair to someone else. Often I find that Saab sellers tend to overprice, or at least be very unwilling to lower below the 'excellent price, because they feel they have to make up for the thousands they've spent in repairs in recent years. If they have the repair records to prove everything that's been done, that's one thing. With no records, I would find it hard to pay a premium price. The best strategy would be to have the seller take as many high resolution pictures as they can, and email them to you. Make sure you clarify what you consider as damage and condition. That doesn't necessarily mean you will get all the pictures or information you request. Just talk a lot with the seller and get a feel for how the car has been treated. In you case, it being a dealer, that's an avenue that will give very little information, unfortunately.

In the end, I think you still need to set a couple prices. One would be the price you'll pay if the car is in the exact condition described, once you put your personal eyes on it and go for a drive. The second would be the price you'll pay if it's in somewhat lesser condition and or has dubious history. If the seller will not lower the price to account for true condition, walk away (or fly). If you haven't bought a round trip ticket ahead of time, it can certainly get expensive. I paid about $400 to go check out an Aero in Phoenix. Thought it was the perfect car, turned out not to be. Would have still bought it if the seller had been willing to come down in price.
 
#4 ·
Do the same myself, enjoy the trip all part of the adventure . My preference is mechanical reliability over cosmetics, rather a few bits of honest road rash than a cheap tart up spray job.
Be generally suspicious of service books / history etc.. to easy to falsify & anyway its the car as is, not as it has been
You need to speak to the owner & you need to be confident you can get the car home.
Given the milage, Type of journey is important, i,d walk away from a short journey car versus a long distance driver
Can the owner tell you the type, grade & manufacture of the oil,if not i,d walk away.
Tell them you have other cars to look at during your journey
Tell them, prior to buying your intention is to take the car out for a "spirited" run of atleast 50miles, your going to redline through the gears & conduct a few emergency stops. If it uses any water / oil / smokes / clutch slips / gearbox plays up / cold start engine rattles or otherwise does not feel right you,ll walk away, you don,t actually have to do this but if the seller will agree to it, then a good sign he has confidence in the car & it,s likely to get you home.
Basically its the honesty of the owner versus the car, you need to sort out over the phone
good luck:p
 
#5 ·
Thanks to both of you- good advice!

I am keeping notes on this thread for when I talk to the owner. I've emailed back and forth, but as soon as I confirm that it's still for sale (I'm second in line, but not worried), I'll have a phone chat with him while he's at the car.
 
#6 ·
Well..... I'm afraid it might be sold. I was second in line and it now appears that the first buyer is going to take it.

Anyone know of a nice price and condition 9000 Aero? ;oops:
 
#7 ·
Bummer, and silver is such a great color for the Aero. If your heart is set on a low priced Aero that doesn't need major work, I would say be prepared for a wait. The good news is that far more Aeros were sold with manual transmission, so that's something. At least in your part of the country, they are a heck of a lot more common than mine!
 
#8 ·
Aaron Gilbert said:
Bummer, and silver is such a great color for the Aero. If your heart is set on a low priced Aero that doesn't need major work, I would say be prepared for a wait. The good news is that far more Aeros were sold with manual transmission, so that's something. At least in your part of the country, they are a heck of a lot more common than mine!
Well, it may be for sale again! We'll see... I'm patient. I don't actually need this car- I just want one!

They are pretty rare in my part of the country... there are a lot of foreign cars buzzing around my town, but the rest of Michigan is almost all domestic. For some reason, my town is very import-savvy.
 
#10 ·
Looks nice, but automatic? Ewww. I drove a '97 automatic Aero, and it felt relatively slow to me (not too surprising since it has the same torque/HP as the regular CSE). Plus I just don't dig the beige interior, which I think is officially called 'taupe'. Sure has nice low mileage, though. The '97 I drove was just a little more, about 91k. From my research, I think that was the most expensive 9000 you could buy, going by book values. The one I drove was listed at $8500 (also a dealer), but they eventually lowered the price to $6995, and it seems it's no long posted.
 
#11 ·
Aaron Gilbert said:
The one I drove was listed at $8500 (also a dealer), but they eventually lowered the price to $6995, and it seems it's no long posted.
I guess I spoke too soon. The car was just relisted on craigslist today, now at $6800. That deal is starting to look better and better. The car is in near mint condition, other than a tiny hole through the rear bumper cover, and a hole in one headlight. I guess there just isn't any demand for automatic Aeros around here? Or else it has some major problem that shows up when potential buyers have it inspected.
 
#14 ·
Thanks again everyone.

On second thought, I've decided to reconsider the one I was looking at. It didn't look like a BAD car, just not a great car. My biggest concern was that the front seats looked liked the leather had expanded and then had shrunk, which is an obvious sign of a flooded car. That's an immediate red flag. The other thing is that they weren't really budging much on their price and it needed new tires immediately.


I have since found a '93. It has around 120,000 miles and is a 5-speed. Immediate downsides are:
-TCS (same as the '95)
-5-speed is not the upgraded one offered in '94. Is this a big demerit? Am I giving up a lot?
-one airbag, but then again, it's a 14 year old car, so it probably doesn't do much anyway.
-needs a new headliner
-has been painted a different color. Was green, has a supposedly very high quality respray and you can only see that it was green in the spare tire well. A little odd.

But it's priced right and is a private owner who has done some work to it. Nothing that would raise a flag- a new a/c control on the inside and some suspension work (nothing aftermarket- just standard stuff). Plus it has decent tires and some service history.

Any thoughts on that car? It's about the same distance from me. Maybe 10 hours drive.
 
#15 ·
Hooligan said:
...
I have since found a '93. It has around 120,000 miles and is a 5-speed. Immediate downsides are:
-TCS (same as the '95)
-5-speed is not the upgraded one offered in '94. Is this a big demerit? Am I giving up a lot?
-one airbag, but then again, it's a 14 year old car, so it probably doesn't do much anyway.
-needs a new headliner
-has been painted a different color. Was green, has a supposedly very high quality respray and you can only see that it was green in the spare tire well. A little odd.

But it's priced right and is a private owner who has done some work to it. Nothing that would raise a flag- a new a/c control on the inside and some suspension work (nothing aftermarket- just standard stuff). Plus it has decent tires and some service history.

Any thoughts on that car? It's about the same distance from me. Maybe 10 hours drive.
- The 5 speed in the '94+ is a big improvement, definitely. It shifts so much more smoothly than earlier years. It's also reported to be more durable and long lived, not even counting the fact that it has a drain plug, which means a more thorough and complete fluid change, if you like to do that. All that said, my '87 9000T was just over 100k on it's transmission when I sold it, and it still felt just the same as the day after it was rebuilt. As far as I can tell, the throws are still the same, but the newer ones make fast shifting much easier because the synchros as so much better.

- I wouldn't fret a second about only one airbag. I personally am still a bit puzzled as to the purpose of an airbag. Isn't it supposed to prevent your head from moving forward and contacting anything (steering wheel, dashboard, windshield, etc)? If so, I can't see how that's ever going to happen in a Saab 9000 with a belted driver and properly operating seatbelts. Personally, I wouldn't mind if my '91 had no driver airbag. I'd be more concerned about what the airbag is going to do to my face since I wear eyeglasses, than I would be about my safety if there were no airbag.

- I have only looked at one 9000 that didn't need a new headliner so far. That was a '97 Aero with only 91k miles. My experience shows they tend to start going around the 170-200k mark, though I suppose it could be much less in harsh climates. You can repair yourself for the cost of fabric and glue, or have an upholstery shop do it for $200-400. I need mine done too, as well as the rear 'sail' panels with the reading lights.

- So they did a full repaint including the engine compartment and all door sills? That must have been $$$$$$ ! Odd that they skipped the spare tire well, but I guess you do never see that part. I would wonder why the repaint, though. The Eucalyptus green was such an awesome color. If the owner won't explain why it was repainted, I would be very hesitant.
 
#16 ·
Aaron Gilbert said:
- The 5 speed in the '94+ is a big improvement, definitely. It shifts so much more smoothly than earlier years. It's also reported to be more durable and long lived, not even counting the fact that it has a drain plug, which means a more thorough and complete fluid change, if you like to do that. All that said, my '87 9000T was just over 100k on it's transmission when I sold it, and it still felt just the same as the day after it was rebuilt. As far as I can tell, the throws are still the same, but the newer ones make fast shifting much easier because the synchros as so much better.
This is my only real legitimate concern with this car (other than the TCS, but I'm not opposed to installing a defeat switch). Then again, my other car is an '86 Alfa Spider, not a car known for its precise transmission. Let's just say that Tony Romo can throw shorter than this transmission. Or something like that. Bad analogy.

- I wouldn't fret a second about only one airbag. I personally am still a bit puzzled as to the purpose of an airbag. Isn't it supposed to prevent your head from moving forward and contacting anything (steering wheel, dashboard, windshield, etc)? If so, I can't see how that's ever going to happen in a Saab 9000 with a belted driver and properly operating seatbelts. Personally, I wouldn't mind if my '91 had no driver airbag. I'd be more concerned about what the airbag is going to do to my face since I wear eyeglasses, than I would be about my safety if there were no airbag.
Yeah, doesn't really bother me all that much. I figure that an old airbag is probably TOO powerful, anyway, and might not even work. The 9000 has one of the most solid structures ever built.

- I have only looked at one 9000 that didn't need a new headliner so far. That was a '97 Aero with only 91k miles. My experience shows they tend to start going around the 170-200k mark, though I suppose it could be much less in harsh climates. You can repair yourself for the cost of fabric and glue, or have an upholstery shop do it for $200-400. I need mine done too, as well as the rear 'sail' panels with the reading lights.
Even the shop price you quote is reasonable.

- So they did a full repaint including the engine compartment and all door sills? That must have been $$$$$$ ! Odd that they skipped the spare tire well, but I guess you do never see that part. I would wonder why the repaint, though. The Eucalyptus green was such an awesome color. If the owner won't explain why it was repainted, I would be very hesitant.
I agree! It is strange. I don't know about the engine compartment (I doubt it- that requires an entire engine removal to be done properly), but I konw that the door sills are painted- at least he said so. Very strange. He swears it's a high quality paint job that was undertaken by the previous owner. I don't like that it's not original, but I've never liked that Eucalyptus green anyway....
 
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