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About to buy a '98 900S Convertible

659 views 5 replies 3 participants last post by  jfbabiak 
#1 ·
Hello everyone!
I am new to this forum, but fortunately not new to loving Saabs. I've owned a 1994 900SE Hatchback and a 1996 900SE Convertible. Loved those cars, especially the convertible! I am about to purchase a 1998 900S Convertible and was wondering if anyone had any comments or complaints about this model. It only has 55k miles on it, which shocked me, and looks very well cared for. The dealer, who runs his dealership out of his house, seems to be a very nice guy. Not at all shady and quite helpful with things. I am a little bit concerned because the price is so low! Like $3000 below KBB retail. I took it out for a testdrive and it seemed fine. I did notice that when coming to a stop, the engine felt like it was rumbling a little bit. Like the car seemed to be vibrating because of it. Any ideas? Thanks!!!
 
#3 ·
i'm concerned you might be another one of the people asking how to put a turbo on it considering your last 'vert was a turbo. :lol: the dealer may have underestimated the price, just like how my car's price was overestimated and bargained down. if you take the car to a saab mechanic you trust, and they say it's in good shape, then it's a keeper. welcome to sc. :)
 
#4 ·
saabchilten said:
i'm concerned you might be another one of the people asking how to put a turbo on it considering your last 'vert was a turbo. :lol: the dealer may have underestimated the price, just like how my car's price was overestimated and bargained down. if you take the car to a saab mechanic you trust, and they say it's in good shape, then it's a keeper. welcome to sc. :)
No, I have no intention of modifying the car in such a way. Only looking for a good and reliable vehicle. Unfortunately, since I haven't had a Saab since I moved down here to FL, I don't know of any Saab mechanics I can trust yet. Neither of my previous Saabs were turbos either. Both the hatchback and the convertible were both V6's. They had a lot of power in them too. The dealer is pretty sharp though, and knows that the retail price is over $8k (via KBB). He says that, being a home business, he buys them cheap and sells them at low prices with little markup to get a better turn around. Like I said earlier, he seems like a good and honest guy, and I don't believe he is trying to screw me over purposely. Just curious on my end if there is something I should look out for. Thanks for your response! And thanks to the other guy who responded first too.
 
#5 ·
$8k retail sounds awfully high to me. the retail listing on mine i think was $5k, which is what each saab mechanic i asked though seemed about right. saabs are rare here too, and probably not much rarer in florida, so 5k or more likely 4k depending on the condition of the car. again, have it checked out. here's a list of places in florida according to the database. try for a specialist if you can.
 
#6 ·
saabchilten said:
$8k retail sounds awfully high to me. the retail listing on mine i think was $5k, which is what each saab mechanic i asked though seemed about right. saabs are rare here too, and probably not much rarer in florida, so 5k or more likely 4k depending on the condition of the car. again, have it checked out. here's a list of places in florida according to the database. try for a specialist if you can.
Thanks for the advice and information. I think the reason for the high retail price is because it only has 55,000 miles on it. I just checked again, and according to KBB the 'retail' value is $9,055, the private party value is $7,220, and the trade-in value is $5,450. The dealer is selling it for $5,500, which to me seems like a good deal. We test drove it the other day, and it was very nice. Unfortunately it was late and it started to rain, so we had to cut it short. Also, one of the tires was in dire need of replacement (which the dealer has replaced), and was causing a rough ride over 40mph, so it was kind of hard to get a perfect judgement on the car's handling. There was some.....rumbling?..when the car came to a stop that seemed to be the engine. Besides that, the only things that I could find 'wrong' were the cruise control did not seem to work (I was going 40mph, would that matter?) and the front driver side speakers didn't work (which should be easily fixable I think). Besides that, the car seemed perfect. Thanks again!
 
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