Advice needed on 1985 SPG

[TurboBudapest]

Hello Everyone,

I would need some advice on a car purchase. I have been looking for a good SPG for some time now (known as the 900 T16S here in Europe). My strong preference would be the 1985 model year in silver with red interior. They are becoming increasingly rare in Europe, with prices going up.

I have located a car in Italy which has peaked my interest. 1985 SPG in silver with red interior ad with only 200K Kms on it (which is about 130K miles).


- The leather is in great shape and the interior is generally complete. The front skins were replaced with Saab replacement covers from the factory, and are in almosrt new condition.

- The car has been in storage since 2006, and the engine and mechanicals are all in good shape.

- The dashboard is very cracked as usual.

- The only real rust on the car is the bottoms of the doors. Otherwise the car is quite solid.

- The front grill is cracked, and the bumpers are quite sun bleached/dried out.

- The car generally feels looks like it was well taken care of for most of its life, but is very dirty.

These cars are unobtainable in Hungary. It seems like I could get the owner to bring it to me to Hungary for a total purchase price of EUR 4000-4500 (which is about USD 6K-6,750).

When ever I hang out on the various Saab forums, it seems that most people feel that these cars should be going for the USD 2-3K range. That said, in Europe, you can never find them for these prices. I could buy a car in US and import, but just the shipping fo the car and paper work would end up costing around USD 1500-2000.

Thoughts please? I was thinking of purchasing it, giving it a very thorough clean and tune up, and then driving it for a year or two before doing a full restoration. The good news is that I have a very good Saab mechanic who works at very reasonable rates. He also has a direct source in Sweden for new and used parts which is very helpful. As to the cracked dash, I have a local person who is very good at covering dashes in leather - he should be able to do it right for a reasonable price in high quality leather in the right color (with the storage tray depression on the top of the dash done right with additional leather sewn in).

These cars are becoming very rare. I am starting to get a little panicked that if I do not purchase one soon, I will never be able to find the one I want at a decent price.

Would be grateful for your thoughts!

Best,

Ed

[SwedeSport]

Nice SPGs bring pretty good money here in the states. 4-5,000 USD. Cars that are really mint, will bring more than that.

A running, restorable car should bring 2-4K depending on how much work it will take to restore it.

I guess it comes down to how bad you want the car, and what you are willing to pay for it.

[DrewP]

I don't think you can really compare prices from within Europe to prices abroad. Demand, number of cars imported, climate, parts availability, etc. all have an effect on what a fair price is.

If they really are impossible to find and this one is in really good shape and is savable, (plus it's the exact color and options combination you want) then as long as you feel good about the asking price you won't have any qualms from us!

The only tricky thing about the model year 1985's is the wiring harness insulation. In hot climates it has a tendency to dry out and flake off the wires, particularly in the harness that sits on top of the engine where the fuel injectors are, and often at the connectors inside the left front door hinges. Just be prepared for that possibility.

[TurboBudapest]

Thanks SwedeSport, thanks Drew.

On the wiring harness, I am prepared to have to replace it entirely. That said, this being Hungary, I now I can get a new wiring harness made for reasonable cash, so not too worried.

I spoke to my Saab guy who has been buying and selling and working on Saab 900s from all over Europe for going on two decades now, and he said that in Europe he has not seen issues with the wiring loom. Is it possible that a different wiring loom was used in Europe than the US, or is it just that cars in the warmer southern US climates suffer more from this affliction due to the hot weather? If it is the latter, I could be in for trouble as this car has seen a lot of sun and hot climate!

I guess you are right though, that at the end of the day it all comes down to whether the money is worth it for me. Having discussed it with my mechanic, this could be a great car with very little work (probably just a little repair to the doors and a patch or two on the bottom, and would be a great basis for a good restoration if I ever decide to go down that route.

[Geoff]

I live in a cold region of the US and have owned four '85 900s (2 SPGs, 1 900T, 1 900S). They all had the wiring problem but the 16v cars were worse than the 8v cars. Our '87 Volvo 760 had the same issue.

Of course, all our 900 dashboards crack but that doesn't happen in Sweden...

[DrewP]

Both my '85's have been from a mix of moderate & humid and hot, dry climates, and they both have / had very disintegrated wiring.

It's very possible it was a US pollution control thing and other regions were unaffected.