1989 SAAB 900 i review from Australia and New Zealand

When I first bought the car:

- The speedo cable wasn't 'refreshing' quick enough, and so it kept hovering within about 5km/h of its real speed. This annoyed the hell out of me! Cost me $50 to get a new cable installed - easy fix.

- The thrust bearing was leaking and made a nagging noise when changing gear (however it still changed gear perfectly), but it annoyed me so I paid $350 for a clutch repair kit and had the problem fixed.

Since then...

- Two weeks after I bought the car (on new year’s day), I was driving home from a party the night before on the freeway. Being an 18 yr. old in a new car, I decided to have a bit of fun... bad idea. The temp was almost 40c outside and I was traveling at 130km/h with the air con on full, in hindsight it was a really bad idea. The air-conditioning compressor bearing seized and the fan-belt for the air-con started to literally fry on top of it. I limped it home not knowing what I'd done, and had the RACV (gotta love 'free2go for under 21's!) tell me what had happened. He dis-engaged the air-con (fan still worked) and away I went.

Two weeks and $600 later I had a new compressor, re-gassing and a cool air con! Unfortunately, the idiot of a mechanic I used didn't do the job properly (who was supposed to be a Saab, Volvo and BMW specialist), and 2 months after I had this done my air-con turned to room temp again. As summer is only just coming back now, I haven't got around to having it fixed again... yet

the same fool of a mechanic forgot to tighten some engine bolts – the noise it was making, I thought my engine was about to drop out! Luckily a real mechanic saw the problem immediately and cost me $40 in labour.

- Needs new shockers all round. However, I am definitely not complaining, they are the original boge shockers, and so to have lasted 200,000km is a damn fine effort. I imagine the springs could need attention as well.

- There is a slight sound upon start up, which I have since found out is a timing belt issue, possibly a tensioner. However this would be an expensive job, so it'll have to wait until I do more summer work!

- This is a very high pitched squeal coming from the rear right corner of the cabin, underneath the head rest. Have located but have been unable to remove thus far, and it's driving me crazy! (I may have a slight perfectionist issue haha)

- Needed new tyres. Had Goodyear Assurance put on all round with silica tech. Cost of $550.

My love of Saabs:

When I was 2 and ½ my father bought home a brand new white Saab 9000 hatchback, it was love at first sight (one of my first memories would you believe). For the next decade every couple of weekends I would be paid to vacuum and armouroil the interior (my dad is as fastidious as I am) which I was only happy to do. I loved everything about that car, from how much luggage you could fit in the enormous boot, to the incredibly comfortable seats and even its ability in a straight line. Unfortunately 390,000km into its life the transmission finally gave up, and it was simply not worth the $6,000 to replace it, as no mechanic has the courage or skill to fix them (how exasperating!).

How I got my car:

I was 17 when I first started looking for my first car. Naturally after my experience with my father’s car, a Saab was high on the list. Dad advised me against a 9000, due to the hefty maintenance bills, so I turned my attention to its little brother, the 900.

I found a beautiful 1993 aero coupe (turbo and leather!) but was too late. Just as well in the end, cause a few months later turbo’s became illegal for p plater’s much to my detriment! So I kept searching… a month or so after I turned 18 and had my license my father happened to mention to a friend that I was looking for a car. This friend was at the time trying to sell a cherry red 1989 Saab 900i 4 door sedan with a 2.0l N/A motor. Fate? It had done 192,000km, had 3 previous owners (1st was a BP executive and then 2 sisters – one being this man’s wife). It was in pretty reasonable nick for its age, needed a polish and a vacuuming, but after some negotiation I got it was a steal, $2,900 with rwc and 6 months rego.

My car:

It’s a magnificent machine, and I love it. I am a very fastidious owner (the best kind!) as I wash it weekly (and always shammy it dry) and armouroil and vacuum it early few weeks.

When I first got it, I had the whole interior steam cleaned, which combined with a new roof lining (previous owner had it done at a cost of $600+) made the cabin feel like it had just rolled off the show room floor.

Then I turned my attention towards the sound system; the original Alpine unit, whilst being top quality in its day, had clearly seen better days (it chose when it would work – not you!) so it had to go. It is place now sits a Pioneer head unit with mp3 and aux input (best thing cause you can plug an ipod in).

I placed 6” 3-way 270w Pioneer speakers on the rear parcel shelf (had to unfortunately have holes cut in because the design of it would not allow for anything above 4” in the original position) and 4” 2-way 110w pioneers in the dashboard. It's not the best set up in history I know, but it certainly does the job. I plan on adding a variable Kenwood 4 channel amp and another set of 6” speakers in the rear doors in the future to give it a bit of pep!

Apart from that it is basically in original (very good) condition. I plan on doing a few things such as cold air-intake, exhaust, tinted windows and central locking (the one thing that currently bugs me a lot as I often have a few passengers with me). Also, I would love to get a set of the aero wheels for my baby, and when I get around to replacing the shockers I will be importing heavy duty Bilsteins.

The good:

It's so hard to point out any particular features because I love the whole thing! However, in the interests of a review I shall try to be as unbiased as possible.

- Handling, this thing really does handle like it’s on rails. The steering is direct and well weighted, and the turning circle is brilliant.

- Seats, Saab seats are renowned for being comfy for a reason… they are just so good! The previous owner had the driver’s seats respringed, which is great, however I believe my heated seat was disconnected at the time (no!)

- Visibility – I’ve driven many of my friend’s Falcons, Commodores and Magnas, but none of them are as easy to see out of as my Saab. I am only 5 foot 10”, but seriously the driving position is great.

- Safety – now obviously being almost 20 decades old it doesn’t have all the mod safety cons, however what it does have is a very sturdy structure with is virtually bulletproof. I had my research before buying one (and still am) and I have come across countless stories of people being in large accidents in 900’s and walking away unscathed. I haven’t had the displeasure of an accident and hopefully never will (fingers crossed), but it's good to know that I’m protected should the need arise.

- Style – I’m not a typical 19 year old, I enjoy being different, and in my Saab I certainly am. Many argue that it's not the best looking car going around, and sure it’s no Aston Martin, but seriously, can you think of a car that’s style ages as well as these? Saab engineers have been very good at keeping their models looking more current than they are – I frequently get asked how old my car is, and when I say it's 1989 most of them are in disbelief it’s anywhere near that old. Also, I was never going to be a typical p plate Commodore driver, and now after a year I am well known around town as “the Saab driver.” What can I say? I love the attention it brings.

- Interior layout – Saab started out making aeroplanes, and they carried some interesting ideas over to their cars. Namely the layout of the interior console, everything is arranged in ergonomically, meaning that the most frequently used items are close to the steering wheel (and placed up high) so that the driver spends more time looking at the road ahead than at the buttons on their stereo. Why didn’t anyone else think of this?

- Key position – as you may be aware, the position of the ignition is in the centre console behind the gear shifter. Whilst this is unique and a talking point, there is good logic to it. This car is virtually impossible to hot wire as there are no ignition wires running under the steering wheel. Did someone say clever?

The bad:

- As I said I did my research. Due to the unusual engine layout, Saab could only fit in a 3 speed automatic transmission. As a result they are somewhat sluggish, however luckily I have the 5spd manual so this isn’t an issue for me, but be warned.

- Air conditioning – perhaps this has just been my problem, however I believe that the air con system isn’t so flash. You must remember where these cars were made, and as such they irregularly ever need one. Hence I believe Saab didn’t spend too much time designing this item. However if someone else out there knows differently, I’d be happy to hear about it!

- Rear leg room – whilst the car is very comfortable in the front in all respects, it must be said the rear leg room is a bit small for a car of this size. However head room is more than adequate, and this inclusion of rear head rests is helpful.

- Repairs – whilst Saab has reduced the price of many of the parts required for these cars, be aware that some mechanics will attempt to rip you off because i'ts European. Also, be careful who you trust to treat your baby’s illnesses, as some mechanics haven’t worked on them before and don’t know what they’re doing. This is not your average car, so it needs to be treated with respect, and sometimes this means opening your wallet and forking over your hard earned.

The verdict:

This car is a beauty. I would happily recommend to anyone interested in buying one, however I would advise that you have some spare cash tucked away for the inevitable things that do go wrong. They are old cars now and this is bound to happen from time to time. Make sure you do regular oil changes, and don’t use the cheap rubbish. Look after you 900 and it will reward you tenfold.

Please feel free to contact me at skubasteve89@hotmail.com if you have any comments, queries or anything else. I am more than happy to talk to a fellow Saab enthusiast!

Note: mines called ‘the cougar’ – cause it looks good for an old girl haha.