[proctorj]

Hey guy's,

So here's the scenario: Im 17 just bout 2 pass my driving test and my old man has given me his white 1992 Saab 900 Turbo :cheesy: (Just think of the insurance costs! ) The drawback is it is misfiring due to a dropped valve, not a major problem as im training to be a mechanic an ive already got the head off an ready for fixing! It has done 170k miles an is looking a bit rough around the edges but is mechanically sound as far as i can tell....


So, what i would like to know is what you would advise me to do to bring it up to it's super cool retro look like some of you guy's have, judging by the pics?


I was thinking first of all a good wash, replacement of the minor missing interior components (Stereo & speakers 4 a start! ) and then a respray including bumpers?! Maybe then a leather interior?


Thanks for your help & advice!

Jon

 

[Jezzadee]

The problem is that all the bits that complement the look best are the originals, and are not cheap. The Aero bodykits (or Airflow on Carlssons) come up on Ebay sometimes but can go for £hundreds. 16" Aero or Super Aero wheels look excellent, and you can usually pick up a set for £100 to £300 depending on condition. It's possible to get regular 15" Aero wheels very cheaply - tenner each sometimes. A whaletail spoiler is a nice touch as well - you might find one in a scrapyard that could be restored well, but again they'll go for £150. Leather interiors come up on Ebay now and then or in the Classifieds on here.

Basically you have got a car that has so much more class than the average hothatch, has a unique feel to it, drives like nothing else and one that with a little tweaking will blow away most newer cars. I'd get it in good mechanical order first, then turn the power up a bit by doing the APC mod on www.900aero.com , and in the meantime I'd be looking round for the bodykit and other bits.

Insurance is going to be a bugger though

Welcome to Saab Central

 

[Orca]

Hi Jon ... and welcome to SAAB Central.

The classic 900 (C900, as we call it around here) is a cool retro car without doing much to it. Keep it as standard as you can. I'm not a great fan of painted bodykits, especially not on white. As you say, a good wash is a first ... you'll find the body kit is a nice dark grey colour and sits very nicely unpainted on the C900.

Styling ... okay, you're 17 and no doubt want your SAAB to look a little unique (well, we have people here of all ages and we're all the same) ... please don't do the eyebrows. It just looks terrible. A couple of styling tips are body colouring the radiator grille and putting some mesh behind the front part. Also, get some vent covers for the rear wings and cut a little mesh for that too. Make sure you get stainless mesh ... B&Q mesh is not stainless ... Halfords is. Well, blow me!!! A recommendation for Halfords :cheesy:

What about the door cards? You can re-cover them (and the boot shelf) in leatherette. See here for my efforts. Clear indicator/DRL covers are good. Leather interior is gorgeous ... but hot in this weather ;oops: Well kept velour is very nice too - I bet a good valet will bring up your interior very nicely. What else is retro? Rear louvres, anti-static straps (!), windscreen wiper fins, wiper boots, etc? Have a good look at old Audis and VWs from the '80s for ideas, too. Laser cut graphics for the windscreen and rear windows are nice ... well made "SAAB" logos and the Aero (airplane) logos look good. A body coloured sun visor with SAAB lettering would look good. De-badging is always a popular move in certain circles.

Pretty much keep it as it is, but add a little personal touch where you feel necessary. ... But don't do eyebrows!!!

As for insurance ... can't you buy a 50 quid lesser car (say a Metro ... I'll say sorry now to a member here called Nutcase :cheesy: ) and insure it as fully comp and drive the SAAB as a third-party? Some third-party policies allow you to also drive any other car as third-party, too, but I think you might need to be a little older. For a few quid, so long as a cheap (but rubbish) car is insurable, you'll save a load and be able to drive the SAAB.

Oh yeah (Dad speaking :evil: ), please go careful. We like SAAB drivers as much as we like SAAB cars. Neither are any good dead. The SAAB turbo is a powerful car. Sure, it's starting to show its age, but it is a powerful car; more so when you start to tune it ... and you will!!! Perhaps do the advanced driving license course, too. That does lower your insurance costs and will teach you a lot about how to actually drive properly.

 

[proctorj]

Thanks to both of you for your help.

In insurance terms my cheapest qoute so far has been...... wait for it...... £2500!!! The plan is to be a named driver on my dad's insurance & drive around a shed/metro (I came soo close 2 buying 1!) to build up NC.

In terms of the body style i agree about keeping it as it is and just adding touches, it looks good! I will get it valeted at work when it's running again and see what it comes up like, However the white has to go! Mainly because I think the paintwork looks a bit rough at the mo & the little spots need rubbing back and painting, plus I want it to stand out... Im not sure whether or not to get the bumpers colour coded or not?!? I suppose it depends on the colour I go for. Dont worry about the eyebrow thing, thats not going to happen :nono;

The wheels are going to have to go up a size (or 2!) I guess that means new springs to go with them?

Getting the seats re-trimmed is also a must, leather or not! I like the look of yours Orca v. nice!

Thanks again both!

 

[Si]

eyebrows

Just wanted to agree with Orca, Eyebrows are a big no no, they would make a nice Saab look sooo cheap n tacky, same as those naff plates you get to make your Headlights look round, if yer gonna do it do it properly and either buy the twin Headlight conversion or try using Headlight off another make and build your own facia plate.

Think your cars prob a bit tooo new but i was thinking about buying a cheap runabout and insuring the Saab as a modern classic on a no more than 5k mileage a year policy, sticking with TPF & T at the mo though as I'm only paying about £290 for mine:cheesy: (5 yrs NCB, wooo hoo!).

what are eyebrows?

From Ahhhhemparts
http://www..co.uk/product_info.php/cPath/21_32/products_id/1766

 

[cinemarr]

But don't do eyebrows!!!

what are eyebrows?

 

[Orca]

These ... :nono;

 

[cinemarr]

not that I think they look wonderful and I've never seen a car with them but why are they such a :nono; ?

 

[Tomarse]

Think your cars prob a bit tooo new but i was thinking about buying a cheap runabout and insuring the Saab as a modern classic on a no more than 5k mileage a year policy, sticking with TPF & T at the mo though as I'm only paying about £290 for mine:cheesy: (5 yrs NCB, wooo hoo!).

Not much use for the original poster though - its hard work getting a saab turbo on a classic policy until youre over 21! (still hard work until youre over 25! - I had to work quote hard to find resonable quotes for the 99T)

I think that driving it on a parents insurance will be your best bet. meanwhile buy yourself a fiat panda or a metro and insure that to build up some no claims! (it can sit and rot at the bottom of the garden while you are insuring it if you dont want to drive it :lol

 

[ejenner]

the insurance cost should go down a bit later on. I think the Saab 900 Turbo is a relatively cheap car to insure (considering the output) so it's worth sticking with it. The Saab is cheap because it's not Japanese, not stolen or crashed regularly and it's old and the parts are quite cheap.

Don't worry about the silly bits, go for good maintainence and put as much right as possible. A respray will cost about £2~£3000 so it's not really something you'd do without thinking.

Probably best to just run your car as it is but improve it's condition as much as you can.

When your ready there are some nice cars dotted about and you could spend the same money on one of those instead. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=18263&item=4557620519&rd=1 for example.

 

[proctorj]

In terms of the respray, it's not going to cost more than £1000 unless I choose something extravegent because being in the motor trade & workin on one of the biggest industrial estates in the UK I know a few people who can do it for me a bit cheaper hopefully :cheesy: In terms of the maintenace I definatly agree, it shouldn't be a problem getting it up to scratch as I can use the workshop over the weekend for more complex stuff & get most parts at trade price...

 

[ejenner]

yes but that eBay saab has a recorded mileage (fair enough, add does say no documents, but still!! ) of 70,000. It has already been resprayed, it already has leather, Carlsson style bumpers and the add says he's putting 16" wheels on it as well (not shown on the picture) - the buy now price is £2250 - even if it was a mechanical shed it'd still be a good price if only for the re-painted shell.

 

[Jezzadee]

That's an LPT. Nothing wrong with that, but looking like it does, with those exterior mods, I'd reckon it was likely that it had also had some engine mods, most likely a good old cheap and nasty MBC. Could be miles off here, but if I was thinking of buying it the first thing I'd check would be that there was no valve or other engine damage from a badly fitted MBC.

Edit: 9 previous owners? 9?

 

[ejenner]

yeah - just spotted that! my view about these things is that you should just do everything you can to ensure the car looks solid when you go to inspect it. When it comes to verifying dodgy mileages just look at things like the amount of wear on the button-symbols, how smooth is the steering wheel, ect, ect... a low mileage car will be good in all these areas... v.s. clocked - it will be obvious.

 

[Orca]

The funny thing is ... high mileage SAABs do carry some kudos. The more the better when it comes to C900s :cheesy:

 

[ejenner]

bla, bla, bla - I see what your saying, but unless it's been looked after then the mileage will be a problem. Obviously it's not a problem with members cars but there are some real old skips hanging around. (especially 9000's :lol: )