Sensible Secondhand Classics: 1983 Saab 900 "Classic" 2.0 GL Saloon - Lloyd Vehicle Consulting
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- Опубліковано 8 кві 2023
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Saab 900 Classic Buyer's Guide from The Classic Saab Guy: • Saab 900 Classic Buyer...
Welcome to Sensible Secondhand Classics, the series where we take a sensible classic car worth between £1000 and £5000 and put it through its paces in a very straightforward manner! This time, as we test a 1983 Saab 900 "Classic" 2.0 GL Saloon, we get specific about handbrake mechanisms, almost have an accident in the rain, look at something beige on beige, shut a bonnet off camera and generally experience very little of any consequence at all. Nothing untoward then!
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As an independent vehicle consultant, I take potential buyers through the whole car buying process from choosing a make and model to a vehicle handover and road tax. In addition to information on this service, I also have a selection of written and video reviews of cars that I have owned, hired, borrowed or have somehow come into my possession. Please use the Contact Me page on my website to get in touch, visit my Facebook page for latest updates and share this video if you like it! Thank you for watching.
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The unique thing of this car was the construction which took safety levels to a unparalleled level. There was no sills as such , and as you pointed out, the clam shell bonnet opened in an action unique solely to Saab . Then there was the engine which was not transverse as so many manufacturers took on not only with a view of space utilisation, but economic manufacturing. Saab put engineering quality first over economics of manufacturing. The detailing and clarity of the dash layout , the curved windscreen for better visibility, the head rests specifically designed to prevent whiplash as well as having the ignition switch in between the seats , the thought in design as as build quality that would eclipse German cars and virtually flip them into a cocked hat. No manufacturer , regardless of price today is as well thought out.
Yes, I have never quite seen another car which has a bonnet opening and closing action like this one. Immensely over engineered, but eminently fascinating, I have been waiting to drive one of these for years. The dashboard is amazingly ergonomic for 1983. The locking of the transmission in reverse is a bit strange, I think I would like to try an automatic which locks the selector in park and has a different pedal layout.
Brings new meaning to the term 'headlining', must be like driving in a tent. Love the beige on beige interior.
Fine review as always sir
Oh yes, it's a really common issue on classic 900s, apparently. It was a bit strange driving it, but I have had a few Rovers, and so I am quite familiar with this sort of thing...
Very nice, a beige Saab 900! That headlining...😲😲
Sir, beige on beige with classic Saab 900 saggy headlining!
The headlining isn’t a dead-breaker. It now costs £350 but a bit more if it has a sunshine roof. Any good car trimmer can do it. I’ve had 11 Saab 900’s & 2 99’s and the head-lining here is extreme. Only four have been renewed but usually on very high mileage cars kept outside. Of my current two 900’s & the 99 only one 900 has been done when it got to 167,000 miles. My later 1990 900i has 173,500 miles on it and part of the headlining looks a bit puffy, maybe in the next 3 years it will be done. ( Assuming I’m still around) If the car is garaged the head-lining lasts longer if the garage has a dehumidifier.
My 1990 five door is on winter-tyres and lives in the drive. It always starts. I’ve never had any particular electrical issues.
I love Saab 900’s best and especially five-door ones. The two-door 99 is built stronger though with a roll-cage over the windscreen & a strengthened front bulkhead.
In my Saab’s I’ve had two cars hit them both were write-offs but my rubber bumpers saved my Saabs. These are tough cars.
Happy Easter to you Sir!
A great review as always, there used to be one of these in my parents street, so it was nice to get a look inside one of these and what you thought about them.
Yes, been after a classic Saab for the channel for absolutely ages, and this one was offered to me. I jumped at the chance to have a go in it.
Thank you for this review. Brings back many happy memories. In 1999/2000 I owned a 1985 Saab 900i two door saloon. Loved driving it especially in bad weather as its road holding inspired great confidence and feelings of safety. I remember it's off set brake pedal did some times create a sense of fear though when going to use and it not being quite where expected. Happy Easter and safe travels. Regards.
Thank you for watching! Yes, the offset driving position was not my favourite, I imagine the automatic would be a bit better. With the power steering and excellent brakes, I can understand why your classic 900 felt so solid to drive in poor weather. Happy Easter to you as well!
Patrick Stewart drove one in the 1981 series Maybury reg RTF 343Y. My headmasters in primary and secondary school both had one
You are correct, sir! Would have been the later series, as this car was not registered until 1982. I suspect it was supplied by Saab UK, who were based in Reading, as it has a plate local to that area.
Thanks Joseph, great review as always, I like SAAB’s in general, particularily the classic 99 and 900, they look very well built and comfortable.
A neighbour in the street I grew up on had a white Y reg 900 like this one except it had the earlier version of rear lights, they had it for quite a few years and I don’t remember it ever failing on them.
I’d have one for sure, either an early 900 like this or a late 99.
Yes sir, a lot of people seem to absolutely love these classic Saabs, and I did very much enjoy it myself as well. I would like to try a later one with an automatic gearbox now, I think.
And those Saab Headlinings - they were a major design floor as they started hanging down with even the slightest exposure to any damp .... A great manufacturer who put safety as a first priority -
Yes, this car being put away in a garage for a number of years may have been responsible for the headlining drooping, but never mind! Thank you for watching once again.
The headlining is an easy trim shop job. Out of 11 Saab’s since 1985 only four have needed redoing, at a cost of £350 last year.
Great to see this beige beauty. What a glorious cars these are.. staggering it’s a 40 year old car but very usable. I recall in my early leasing company days we’d buy huge numbers of E30s, a few Audi 80s and Merc 190s but these always struck me as the more informed choice in a “those that know” sort of way.
Sir, yes, 40 years old now! It seems like this would be a good classic daily car when some minor issues are sorted out on this. The offset driving position is a bit strange, but the automatics may be a bit better. I would probably prefer this to an E30, although the 190Es are also excelllent too, of course!
I’ve 3 Saab’s - 1981, 1985 & 1990. The drooping headlining can be replaced by a trim shop for £350. I’ve had two of mine done. These are at 170,000 miles & going strong. The Saab 99 at 90,000 miles has no significant issues on the interior. I bought the 99 as it is a simple strong car with no ECU’s, no power steering & wind up windows. It has a 2litre engine & 2 doors & handles well. My 1990 is a five door with ABS and is good underneath with minor rust. It’s fast. I dislike the turbo cars as the ride is harder. The 900i is plenty fast enough. I’ve had 11. These cars always start even if not started for a few months! I’ve six cars but my Saabs are my daily cars all year round. They are comfortable, ride well and handle well. They do 29mpg. The 99 uses Shell Vmax to avoid E10 petrol. The bonnet is dead easy to open one handed on all Saabs. These are so well thought out cars. Great Clubs & owners.
It is a shame that I found the driving position to be a little awkward, as apart from that, most of the drawbacks I found would be solved by some minor repairs, a better specification or going for an automatic. I do think this is much better than the Morris Minor the owner used to have, it's certainly easier to drive and it cost less to buy, although those are fun in their own way.
Great review! The Finlandia/CD was indeed sold in the UK. I have an old 1983 Saab UK range advert that advertises the CD from £15,750.
Virtually no CD's remain on British roads...
I am the proud owner of an '88 F-reg 900i myself. Although, mine is more of a project than this one!
Thank you, Harry! I did as much research as I could for this video, and I think it (mostly) paid off. Very interesting cars, which seem to drive very well for something originally designed in the mid to late 1960s, although without power steering, I am sure that they would be very heavy. I would love to try a later one now, actually.
@Lloyd Vehicle Consulting Yeah, I can tell you did the research.
Perhaps when my 5 door 900i is in a better way, I'll reach out, and perhaps you can give it a try!
@@harrylangford3797 , it doesn't need to be in great condition, just whatever you would be happy with. My e-mail address appears on screen towards the start of the video, I will wait to hear back from you as and when you would like me to film it!
@Lloyd Vehicle Consulting Thanks, I will bare that in mind then!
My pleasure, sir!
My Dad's friends was a SAAB 900 GLs so quicker than this one but being a 1979 was only 4 speed.
Ran very smoothly, it replaced a 1977 Volvo 244 DL 2.1 which was a lot different. The SAAB was more sporty and the dash was like an aeroplane cockpit at night in 1979.
Really great car for covering longer journeys.
These drive very differently from the Volvo 240s, that is for sure! The Saab probably felt a bit more modern, even if the basic designs date from around the same time. Thank you for watching, sir!
If only today's cars looked as interesting as this.
Saab certainly knew how to make a distinctive car, sir!
Agreed. That headlining is VERY distinctive!
....and the Arabian Tent edition.
Always admired the Saab of course, and one of the earliest modern cars to have rubber bumpers, but they inexplicably put a silver strip of trim in them which showed every mark.
Yes, apparently this is a really common problem! I think the silver strip must have been to make them look like a lot of other cars at the time.
Had loads of 99s and 900s over the years, back when you could pick up a T16S for a few hundred quid..BTW the distinctive transmision noise is due to the chain driven final drive. This one sounds like the pinion may be on the way out though...
Yes, I think that was what the owner said before I took it out for a drive. You can't get classic 900s with an MOT for under £1,000 any more, but I think you can get them for under £2,000. Thank you for watching, Mike, hope you enjoyed the video, I would like to try an automatic facelifted one of these next.
Lovely Saab. I owned a mid 70s 99 and loved it. If I remember the brake lines were enameled.
Thank you very much indeed for watching! Yes, as classic Saab as they get... Wouldn't surprise me if the brake lines were better protected than most cars of the day.
Hello Sir and a very Good Easter Sunday Morning to you. Just came across this video title now and delighted to do so as I am a huge Saab fan. In fact, I was wondering if you would one day cover a Saab...and here is your video! About to watch it now with great interest. I'd be very surprised if I appear in this video of yours, in the same way I did in one of your NEC ones! Right away I see the very common Saab 900 issue of sagging headliner.
Sir, I have been waiting to be offered a classic Saab 900, and that day finally arrived. Yes, the sagging headlining seems to be very, very common, doesn't it? Happy Easter to you as well!
Another great review and another coincidence as after my Dad had the 260c he got one of these it was a GLS in brown - he thought it to be a great car - it was but again suffered from rust around the wheel arches - I had an 8 valve turbo myself - I really wish id kept it great review Happy Easter Lloyd.
It's actually Joseph, as you would have seen in the title sequence of this video, but so many people make this mistake (despite me showing both names or saying them in most reviews) that I don't really notice any more. Happy Easter to you as well, Robin!
@@lloydvehicleconsulting Hi Joseph Sorry I didn't realize that - but coming back to coincidences around your videos and the cars my Dad had - His full name was Joseph Stuart would you believe - Happy Easter keep up the good work and the music to the video is really good as well ...Best Robin.
As I said, it happens so often that I just expect it now, but I give both names at the start of every episode of Sensible Secondhand Reviews/Classics, No Budget Reviews and Tweed Jacket Reviews, so I am really surprised more people do not notice that.
The Saab 99 with no power steering is fine to drive but adding 2-3 pounds of air to the front tyres helps! I’m 76 now and really like the handling. Mine has a 4 speed gearbox and this is quicker to use than the 5-speed later gearbox. A Saab 99 can be really hustled down a narrow road. I’ve put mine on Ronal Minilite wheels & it looks good. I’ve priced electric power-steering at £1,000 from EZ steering! Now its 40+ years old no road tax is payable! 3 of my 6 cars have no power-steering, so its nothing to put people off. I’ve all my cars on a classic multi-car insurance policy to reduce costs and do up to 3,000 miles in each. My policy lets me drive to work which is important! The cost for 6 cars is less than half of one car insurance on a regular car!
Thank you for watching, sounds like you really know about these cars.
Good Evening Sir, a smorgasbord of delight!!!
Glad you enjoyed it, sir!
Very nice car the Saab 900 , rare in saloon body shape . Curious Saab , Audi and Alfa Romeo had cars called 90 on sale at the same time , same size , after the same customers.
@@richardhowlett7398 , yes, I had forgotten about that, but you are absolutely correct!
Correction,The 900 NG/9-3 were based on the Vector platform !!!
That's not true at all. The Mark III Vauxhall Cavalier and the Opel Vectra A were the same car, the second generation 900 and first generation 9-3 was NOT based on a Vector platform, but they were based on a Vectra or Cavalier platform!!!
I wonder if that gear knob is the original, as I looks like the one from a Chrysler Alpine.
Not sure, I know that the Valment factory in Finland produced Talbot Solaras, Alpines and Horizons and Saab 900s at the same time...
Certainly very different from the original one in my 84 gls
Further..-Yea you can open the bonnet with just one hand !!!.
Anything else positive to say about this video that took a long time to make?