For a little while, I was a Saab man. With a Monte Carlo Yellow 900 Turbo convertible in my garage, I gained access to one of the most enthusiastic and helpful car communities out there, which was particularly impressive considering Saab had already vanished from our shores as an active manufacturer at that point. So, it comes as little surprise that someone has posted a large collection of vehicles and parts for under $20,000 here on craigslist, because Saab fans tend to grab every parts car and mechanical bits they can find. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Tony Primo for the tip.
Now, the thing about Saab guys is they know how useful parts cars can be, and you can pick up non-running or running but somewhat needy cars for well under $3,000. This 1991 convertible looks great sitting on the classic tri-spoke wheels, but it is a naturally-aspirated model with an automatic transmission. The autos in these cars is an abysmal 3-speed GM-sourced automatic, which is another reason why the cars with the slushbox are almost always designated parts rigs. The good news is the bodywork appears sound and it ran when parked.
This appears to be the 1991 model the seller references, which is also an automatic but comes with the desirable turbocharged engine. In addition to the quirky designs and the trademark features like the ignition switch in the center console, Saab also pioneered the use of turbocharging as a means of delivering spunky performance with respectable fuel economy. It really fit the character of the car well, complete with a boost gauge in the cluster. With 175 b.h.p. and 195 lb.-ft. of torque, performance was more than respectable for this modest hot hatch. Sadly, this one has an unknown engine issue.
The seller uses this term “engine issues” to describe several of the cars in his collection, including this 1989 convertible which combines the desirable turbo engine with a 5-speed manual. He suspects this one needs a head gasket, which is not an uncommon fault on these generally robust engines. The 2.0L 16-valve mill is easy to live with when maintained, but so many of the convertibles were purely summer cars for owners that they often sat idle for several months every year. That, and they made great college cars for kids of a certain age, which only furthered the lack of proactive maintenance. For the Saab connoisseur, this is a collection worth looking at to have access to years’ worth of spare parts, but the price may still be somewhat high for most die-hards.
These are cool cars!!
Always wondered why the transmission was also the oil pan for the engine…
Because why not, since they’re already mounting the transmission underneath the engine anyway, might as well have the top of the transmission casing serve double-duty as an oil sump for the crankcase. It would have been considerably more complicated and expensive to arrange for an oil pan removable separately from the transmission.
Actually the automatic transmission used in the “Classic” 900 is not sourced from GM. It is a front-drive variant of the ancient Borg-Warner Type 35 or 37 3-speed used in Ramblers and Studebakers. It was also popular in various imports through the 1970s. The Saab 900 was probably the last automotive use of these transmissions. (By most accounts they are indeed abysmal in this application.)
My mother had a crayola crayon green Saab 1978 99 coupe and my father had a hand-me-down red 1986 red Saab 900s 4 door with a sunroof . As a kid in the mid 1980s i was riding in premium luxury compared to the dodge caravans and caprice estate wagons other families had.
I still have an ‘85 turbo 5 speed. 300k miles. Beyond fun to drive. Best car I ever owned, by far.
A little new for my taste, but Saabs rule. Ask any Saab lover. Like me.
Wow.. what a stash. I’ve had three of them (all stick shift) from back in the 70s up to a ’94 Turbo Convertible and I love them.. quirky tho they are. I think it would probably be better if the seller offered them individually as well though, I’m in a Saab group and there are still a lot of Saab drivers out there needing parts and I imagine there might be somone who is willing to take one of them on.
AMC Guy is spot on…..Saab used the Borg-Warner T-37 slushboxes in the C900. They are indeed abysmal gearboxes….especially with the turbocharged engines. They usually fail spectacularly at the 100K mark…and it’s usually the torque converter that fails. Once the whining starts, you have a few hundred miles to figure out if you really want to rebuild the box or toss it and start over with a five speed.
My ’90 900 Turbo convertible was born an automatic. Her gearbox gave it up at 105,000 miles. When I found her, she was being used as a parts car and a dumpster. A few months and a couple thousand later, I had a running, driving Saab…….with a five speed. Fiona is still happily on the road, almost 20 years later.
Saabs are amazingly resilient cars. Show them a little love, and they will. repay you with thousands of miles of smiles……