Saab 900 (1979 – 1993) Review

The 'new generation' Saab 900 was built under General Motors stewardship, which meant engineers had access to the 2.5-litre V6 that was used in the Calibra and Omega. It was also offered in the Saab 900, but very few were sold - certainly in the UK. According to DVLA data, there are 29 900 SE V6 autos on the road. As such, valuing one is extremely difficult as so few come up for sale. Prices for this era of 900 convertible are held back by its GM heritage so even a very good one is only worth about £1500-2000. You may be able to ask a bit more for yours given the engine.

It could be anywhere from £1500 up to £4k+ - it's hard to say without knowing a bit more about the spec and the mileage/history. We asked Alex Rankin at the Saab Owners' Club GB and he had this to say: 'Any Saab with less than 100k on the clock now is considered worth having and adds value. Leather interior is sought after, but most are a bit shabby now. So if the interior is in good condition that adds value. I’ll stick my neck out and say in nice condition, with a good MoT history, reasonable mileage slightly more than 100k, and with a roof in good working condition and a good interior, I’d put its value at £3 to £3.5k. If it’s ‘really’ nice, and shall we say 80k on the clock then £4k and more is achievable. The LPT is nice, but obviously, a FPT will be potentially worth more, especially if it has the plastic body kit (which is not to my taste actually) and is a T16s version.'

This generation of 900 does suffer from body roll. Check for signs of cracked springs and leaking shock absorbers, you could also try bouncing the car at each corner to check the return rate. If you do decide to refresh the suspension, then it will be worth doing the bushes as a 'while you're there' job. If you decide not to replace them with stock items, make sure you drive as many modified or 'uprated' examples as you can because if you decide your new ride is too firm it's not an easy process to reverse. It's also likely to be an expensive one. Few suspension jobs go smoothly so if you're doing it yourself make sure you've got heat handy as you'll probably need to warm up siezed bolts and burn out stubborn bushes. You'll probably also need a decent press to get the new items home. Likewise, if you go for a garage, it could take a bit longer (and make the bill a bit higher) than originally expected. Which leaves you having to answer an important question: how much is the car worth to you? It would be quite easy to refresh the suspension and end up spending close to the purchase cost of the car on that one job. How deep are your pockets? Are there any more urgent or pressing jobs that would require funds first? Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

The housing association that you pay your garage rent to is legally liable (not the contractor it employed). Get quotations for the rectification work and demand that the housing association pays with threat of Small Claims action if they don't.