1989 Saab 900 Turbo
Driving my Dream Car
By David Hajian
31 July 2022
My love for classic Saab 900s is no secret on Old New England Cars. To own one of these, or a few, would easily be a dream come true for me. A Saab 900 isn't as iconic as a BMW E30, nor is it as fast as Toyota Supra Mk. II. To me, a Saab 900 has a personality, like a quiet kid sitting by himself at lunch. Once you start talking to him, you start to learn he's more intersting than what others percieve him as. The Saab 900 looks like a strange car from the '80s, but underneath it all is a world full of quirkiness and innovation.
I had been looking for a classic Saab for the past two years at this point, starting my journey my senior year of high school in 2020. I had seen many great deals pass by, as due to my busy schedule, I was unable to find time to check them out. My criteria was a combi coupe (hatchback) or sedan Saab 900 made from the golden years of 1979 to 1993, priced under $3000.
Fast forward two summers later, and it was a warm summer night in July, and I found myself, once again, scouring Craigslist and Facebook marketplace, searching for cars that were in budget and relatively close by. On a whim, I decided to visit the New Hampshire Craigslist page, where I found a surprise waiting for me.
Above: The 900 Turbo the day I drove it (7/30/22)
A recent listing posted just a few hours ago showed a dark gray 1989 Saab 900 Turbo for only $1700! I was in shock at how low the price was, especially given the price of cars at the time. Saab 900s had also begun to rise in value as they began reaching their classic car phase. I would be lucky to find one for $2500, but this was something special. I immediately clicked on the listing. The Saab looked to be in decent shape, and the description said the car ran and drove fine. It had an automatic transmission, but for the price, I didn't really care. I knew I had to see what this car was all about, so I contacted the seller the next day.
After talking with the seller, I learned that it was his commuter car, but I he wanted to sell it because he had another 900 convertible and newer 9-3 hatchback and wanted to downsize his collection. He said the car was in good shape. It had a few things it needed done, such as some minor cosmetic things, but the car was solid and reliable. We agreed to meet on Saturday morning, July 30 to check the car out.
It took some convincing from my parents to let me take the two hour voyage up to Merrimack, New Hampshire, but they eventually caved and let me do it. Early that morning, I embarked on my journey up to see the car. It was a beautiful drive. The weather was warm, the sky clear, and the trees was filled of endless greens. I was excited and filled with anticipation. Thoughts about this car actually being as it was described to me or something too good to be true filled my mind as I drove north up Interstate 95.
Above: Rear quarter shot of the 900 (7/30/22)
I arrived at the house where the car was located, and was immediately greeted by the seller. A nice fellow, he was an older man who lived out in the rural suburbs of Merrimack off a small highway. The Saab was parked out front and it appeared just as I saw it in the ad. I immediately got down to business and began examining the car.
The exterior showed its age, but was in overall decent condition. There was only a patch of primer on the bottom of the passenger side door where the owner had repaired some rust. I felt around the undersides, where I found no holes or rot. I looked inside, where I found a maroon colored interior, the marque only that of an '80s car. The seats and accessories were in a similar lightly worn condition as the exterior. There was a bit of trim missing from the center console, but nothing that took away from the vehicle's appearance.
Lastly, I opened the large clam shell hood, revealing the longitudinally mounted Saab B201 slant four engine. It idled smoothly with no jumps in RPMs, and the exhaust burbled a nice quiet, rhythmic idle. So far, everything was as described, and I found myself in disbelief that something this good could be so low priced. Finally, it was time to give the Saab a test drive. The owner said I could drive around the surrounding areas, but not to go much further than that. Filled with excitement, I stepped inside and began the drive.
It shifted into forward gear smoothly, as I crept out of the driveway. Inside the Saab, the interior felt rather tall. The dashboard sat high, and I felt like I was in a much larger vehicle than a smaller Swedish sports car. The speedometer was a bit shaky, but still functioned. The seller had said it would need work when we had talked on the phone a few days prior. The odometer read 117k miles, and still functioned properly. I drove towards the main road I had turned off of to test the car's driving at faster speeds.
Man, this car was slow! At least by today's standards it was. I had to drive in the breakdown lane to get the car up to speed, but I eventually did. The Borg Warner T-3 three speed automatic transmission was sluggish and revved high. I immediately knew why some Saab enthusiasts disliked these, however it did eventually get up to speed. The car drove very smoothly, and the Turbo spooled nicely. The driving experience was quiet and relaxing, and despite the slow three speed transmission, I felt engaged and present in the car I was driving. I drove the car for around 15 minutes, before turning back and returning to the seller's house.
Driving the Saab (7/30/22)
I thanked the seller for his time, and let him know that I would be in touch about potentially purchasing the car from him. I made my way back home, and began thinking of ways on how I would convince my parents to let me buy the car. For one, the car was in great shape, mechanically and structurally. Two, the price was well in budget for me. When I got home, we talked it over, and eventually the verdict ruled negative for the purchase of the Saab. The deciding factor was the lack of an airbag, in which 1990 would be the first year airbags would be equipped in Saab 900s. Disappointed, I understood the reasoning, and let the seller know I would pass on the car.
I really had the time of my life driving this car. Sure, the car was slow due to its transmission, but it was enjoyable. Even though I had pass up the opportunity to buy the car, I was more glad that I got the experience to drive my first ever classic Saab. Driving a classic car, especially one of my dream cars, was different in a contently way from driving a modern car. Sure, maybe the five speed manual transmission would have been more engaging and fun, but for me, the idea of driving my dream car, no matter what transmission it had was good enough. I'm hoping to drive another Saab soon, or maybe purchase one for myself in the future, but for now, I'll just have to keep searching.