A local Saturn dealer has a '97 Saab 900 that is on Craigslist for $2300....tho it DEFINITELY sounds like they'd take LESS. It has the V6/auto combo which several folks on here say is a PITA to run/work on. As a DD would this really be such a bad choice?
I owned a '95 900S for about a year in 2007. 5-door, 2.3l I-4/5MT, bought it for $1300. It was a reliable DD, fairly efficient, built like a tank, and had a ton of cargo room, but it was rather boring to drive. Power was alright, but shifting was horrid with a clutch pedal that needed to be put through the firewall to engage and very long, vague throws. I spun mine on a snowy day into a guardrail and sheared off the front left corner of the car. After installing a new radiator and headlight, it drove almost as if nothing had happened. Parts are wicked expensive, though.
I will agree on the NG900 being fairly boring to drive. In my 94turbo you can definatly feel where all the weight is on the car.
It does have nice power though.
Chances are the clutch issue was a matter of "self adjusting" clutch cable not working.. not that any of them did.
Run away; Saab V6 =
If it had a 2.3 it would be a whole different story
The ad for this car reads like a PRE-apology, in that the saleman feels this COULD be an OK car....but it also might die before you get it to the street. They didn't even bother to wash it before taking pix.
So is that time bomb "ticking"?
The V6 in that car is a fine engine so long as you keep the timing belt changed every 60k or so. That's really all that I've heard of that kills them.
For $2300, you could find a mid-mileage 5-spd 2.0 Turbo NG900 like that. Basically the same car, but with some fun thrown into the mix. And better gas mileage. And more tuning options.
I would agree with everyone else, a manual turbo is the only way to go with these cars. My 99 9-3 has 185k on it, all I have had to do to it is a AC comp and a fuel pump and I am not easy on it.
As for parts being expensive, you just have to know where to look.
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