Saab: 900SE purchase advice!

Tony Curran wrote: 

I have had a 1996 900SE with the turbo-charged four-cylinder engine for
three years. I strongly concur in your plan to take the car to a Saab
specialist for a check before you buy it.

In test driving the car, I would:
(1) find a rough road to drive it over to check for rattles,
particularly from the front suspension;
(2) check that the heated seats are working, since they are very
expensive to fix (about $1,000 in the U.S.) if they're not;
(3) be sure that you can find a seating position that's suitable for
you, since (at least in the `96) there is telescopic steering, but not
tilt wheel;
(4) make sure that there is enough adjustment in the driver's side
mirror, since on some 900s the mirror doesn't adjust far enough out with
flat glass that is required in the U.S., and presumably in Canada (as
distinct from the convex glass that is standard in Europe).

My understanding is that the four-cylinder engine has a timing chain,
but the six-cylinder engine has a timing belt. As to maintenance costs,
I have found them to be much higher than on other cars I have owned. In
particular, the parts seem to be many times higher than those for other
cars.

On Sat, 27 Dec 2003 17:38:28 -0800, "Tony Curran"
<ca> wrote:
 

Make sure whoever looks at it knows Saabs well. They will know what to
look for.

Check for vibration when accelerating or at speed. See how the clutch
feels, it's about $1K to change. Check the climate control and make
sure the A/C works. Check the seat heaters. Check the seat release
controls if it's a 2 door. Test the CD player.

Look for any oil leaks around the front of the
head and under the tranny/driveshafts.

Ask when the DI (direct
ignition) cassette was last replaced (if ever). They tend to go after
70K miles. $400 at the dealer or $240 on the 'net + 10 minutes labor.
Frequent oil changes and synthetic oil use is a plus. Ask them if they
changed the coolant and/or thermostat.
 

Chain. They do have a serpentine belt and idler pulley that tends to
wear (what used to be a fan belt) . I advise replacing it at 50K
intervals. About $75 in parts and a half hour of labor.