SAAB weekend. True heroes.
A Bam 900 Turbo 16 S was for sale in Bamberg. An article about a (almost) drama and frankly a shame for the Saab community. So not a friendly article that I'm writing today. If you don't want to read this, you should stop now. Here are the details of the supposedly sought-after cult Saab. Last year of production, two previous owners. Complete Saab history in the legendary Saab color “odoardo-gray”. Not tinkered condition, leather interior with suede applications and the sought-after, rare, leather inserts in the doors. Rare Saab additional instruments, with the original Saab lettering, in the cockpit.
The airflow kit is complete, the engine with red box and the gearbox are in top condition, the body needs attention, given its age. These are the usual places that cause trouble even for the thickest Swedish steel after 20 years. There would be an axle shaft tunnel for which it was designed by the Saab Parts AB Repair kits have been available for some time now, as well as recordings of the struts, the doors and the hood. Nothing is, and that makes the Saab so interesting, in a condition that you could not overtake the original sheet metal with reasonable effort. And of course he has a sunroof, and as a bonus, you also get winter tires on original rims and an original wood dashboard. If one excludes the value of additional instruments, the second rim set and the second dashboard, one arrives at a ridiculously low vehicle price.
A cult Saab, the most sought-after, at a real price and with calculable effort for restoration. It should not be a problem to find a buyer who is spending money and time to get the 900 Turbo back on the road! That's how I thought after that Saab center Bamberg had switched the ad. I could not imagine how much I should be wrong!
In three days, the ad had good 900 hits and was thus in the statistics of Mobile.de in the first place of the car advertisements within 100 kilometers. An 20 year old Saab is more coveted than anything else sold around Bamberg. Crazy world !
But then there was a tragedy for the Saab community. Ralf Muckelbauer, with whom I speak on the phone regularly, received 200 (!) Email inquiries and phone calls every minute in the following days. Interested parties sent e-mails that corresponded to more questionnaires than inquiries, and many fans - they really are fans - apparently expect a 4000,00-year-old new car for well under € 20. In 1993, a good 500 Saab 900 Turbo 16 S series versions rolled off the production line in Trollhättan. Nevertheless, “fans” wanted to butcher the 900 Turbo - one of the last to be built in series trim before the last-run models. Or just wanted the interior, the rare leather or just the additional instruments.
An unbelievable tragedy, I can't think of any other words that happened around the Saab in recent weeks. Frustration grew in Bamberg, and the question is what do “friends” expect from the brand. If it wasn't a Saab, but a Porsche, BMW or Mercedes, then this car would have long gone to be restored. A few days ago Ralf Muckelbauer and I spoke on the phone again and talked about the 900.
As luck would have it, friend Marco and I were with our favorite Italian guy the night before with a young Saab fan. There he told us that he is looking for a Saab 900, so we were together in Bamberg on Saturday and watched the 900.
What can I say ? They still exist, the real heroes! The Saab 900 Turbo 16 S changed hands on Saturday - without much talk and haggling, by the way - and is being rebuilt piece by piece. Our young Saab fan saved a rare Saab and gave me back a little bit of faith in the fans.
Well gone, just so! If we do not learn to deal better with the Saab story witnesses, then someday we will not have any old Swedes left in our circles. Because the drama around the 900 Turbo 16 S is not an isolated case. Readers definitely remember that Saab 900R, which is for sale. The story there is similar to that of Bamberg, without wanting to go into detail. The single piece, a Saab with racing history and specific, German Saab past, would have been lost almost forever.
A buyer from Germany only found himself at the last minute, who will take over the Saab, all parts and the complete development documents. He wants to rebuild the Saab, and designer Uli Weinmann will support him. The Saab 900R will then come back to the public and can also be seen at Saab events.
Also this buyer is one of the true heroes! Act, instead of discussing in any forums or patrons forever. Who thinks that in this case a Saab fan would have jumped in, is wrong. The buyer is not from the Saab community.
Text: tom@saabblog.net
Pictures: saabblog.net
In general, it should just be self-evident with classics like the 900, all (!!) the seller known (!!) Deficiencies in the ad text to mention. This spares many questions in advance. After all, a buyer wants to create a total cost estimate. I have often experienced obvious deficiencies that were concealed and could have spared me a long journey. That shapes and makes the next request all the more suspicious. Unfortunately, the dealers, who offer an honest car through the many black sheep in the industry much of the suspicion that has pent up due to poor vehicle descriptions and disappointments experienced by those interested as frustration.
Hello in the big Saab round,
I am glad that in connection with the Bamberg Turbo, a somewhat differentiating point of view has now returned! Namely, was also among the "specialists" who had reported to the dealership in response to the advertisement. Mr. Muckelbauer was extremely friendly and answered my - albeit few - questions competently and obviously without glossing over. Without restriction: Absolutely serious! But at least I can't drive 500 kilometers and back for a short time to look at a car - especially not when four children want to be “petted” at home. So I had planned the tour to Bamberg for the coming Saturday in the medium term. But now the car has been sold - fortunately in apparently good hands, but significantly, to someone who was able to drive by in a hurry. Had the 900 e.g. B. stood in Hanover, maybe it would have been different ...
Moin Tom,
I'm also from the north and interested in a really good 900 Turbo 16 S. Therefore, please forward my request - thank you!
Best Regards
Christian
Dear Christian, I like to do it. Please send me your phone number by mail.
Wow! Sounds like a dream ... you shouldn't be able to complain about a lack of demand.
I have a SAAB 900 Turbo S built in 1991. I am the first owner, the car has always been serviced by a specialist company according to instructions - has run a total of 96.000 km - as far as I know and can see, the car has no rust at all. The vehicle is practically a “hobby” and is in a well-ventilated car port all year round. For the past few years I've driven my Saab 900 Turbo S around 3.000 to 4.000 km a year; I have another trolley for daily use. After 22 years, I'm slowly thinking about giving up the Saab hobby because of advanced age. I am therefore offering the vehicle for sale.
Please report on the blog !!!
Then I'll add to the list ... where is the car?
@ Tom - please forward to Hans-Henning
Is in the north ... I forward all inquiries 🙂
Now one is again enticed to things that were just over.
Menno.
: )
In a way, I can understand the "fans":
- the real fans have already bought a Saab900 treasure and you don't have space for all the treasures on offer
- I now appreciate the advantages of the 9k compared to the 900, that's why I actively decided against a fancy 900 and I can well imagine that some other “fans” think the same way
The noses who then call and push the price are, in my opinion, dealers who somehow have to make ends meet and want to maximize the profit margin with such a “cult car”.
Overall, I can (!) Understand the behavior, even if it's a shame for the “cult objects”, BUT on the other hand it's only about cars - as much as I am rooted in the Saab car brand - because they People behind the wheel or their names in the sales contract are still more important to me than our “treasures” 😉
good time!
Sesi
I also saw the ad and immediately vividly imagined that this must be a real Freak magnet with the model and the price. Of course, there are the people who expect a new car for less than 4000 Euro. Quite apart from those who call out of curiosity only to be able to tell about it at the next Saab Stammtisch.
But I think that you have to be fair to see the whole thing from the point of view of the interested party. The car was advertised at a specialist workshop, which has a good reputation. Just because it was a knowledgeable sales address, I would have also assumed that the 16s is not reasonably advertised for under 4000 Euro, and asked me about the flaws. So everything has two sides.
The advertisement text was not informative, the few pictures did not give any real explanation. If someone reads such an ad that may live some 100 kilometers away, I think it's alright, if he inquires in detail before the condition of the car and also asks detailed questions. Just because someone asks in detail for defects does not mean that he expects that there are no shortcomings. And there are also the reverse stories of suffering from people blinded by send photos across the Republic and then stand in front of a grotto.
Also in order I find it in a serious buying interest, if the prospective buyer wants to clarify the price negotiation room already on the phone, because it is clear that no seller is particularly willing to negotiate, if he knows that the customer has just gegurkt from Flensburg to Garmisch and that Car buys anyway.
What I really think is a bad idea, however, are long e-mails with question lists and the associated demands. If I'm interested in a car, I'll call. And then it is the phone call once not about whether at the exhaust tailpipe traces of rust can be seen, but that sellers and prospective buyers get an impression of each other and gross (!) Deficiencies of the car are clarified. I have had good experiences with keeping serious addresses and, secondly, formulating questions that are as open as possible. "Can you say what kind of major repairs are needed? Do you see any need for action on the bodywork? " you can still QUESTIONS if you can send an e-mail with some detailed questions.
But in the end, you can never clarify all the details from the state of use of the cigarette lighter to the condition of the axle shaft tunnel in the distance. Ultimately, the feeling must be right, and there must be a basic trust between the seller and the buyer. I bought my 9000 blind after a 20minütigen telephone call. The only pictures a friend made with a cell phone camera when he accidentally spotted the car in the yard. And the last question I asked the CEO of the prestigious Saab Center was this: "You have a good reputation in the scene. I tell you honestly, I do not know that well. That's why I just ask you directly: Can I buy the car with a clear conscience? "He then told me again what you could or should do from his point of view, and said," Yes, if you ask me: Den kann you can buy. "Shortly thereafter, I sent the fax with the binding purchase intent and until the day of picking had no doubt that I can rely on the statements. The trust was not disappointed.
The Saab community is not so bad after my personal experience. On the seller side as on the buyer side.
Great car in my favorite color. The vehicle even made it to the foreign Saab forums. The price seems more than fair to me. Congratulations to the new owner!
The guys Tom describes are probably in every industry. I had to experience something like that when I was selling boats. There came people who were so crazy about it that you had to be happy when they took it for free. I didn't go through that for long and sent the guys off board - which made them very indignant. In the end we also found our “hero”.
However, there are also cases (this does not include the 16 S above, of course), as traders smell morning air and have the euro symbol in their eyes. So at the end of 2012 I saw an 9000 Anniversary at a well-known SAAB house that was going to taste 4 bills. The photos looked nice.
Praised as non-smokers, no children, no animals ... But that is of no use if the previous owner transports heavy goods on the back seat, which leaves holes in the beautiful Anniversary cushions! In addition, the poor car had been hit hard once. The roof was thickly filled, as you could see in a loose spot. The hood repainted with the spray can and still rusty. There were dents on the sides, the height and depth of which could not have come from shopping carts. The seller was about to get the red numbers, but I stopped him. A look into the engine compartment and under the car, the case was over, test drive unnecessary! The brown plague had already done a great job and the entire drive train should have been repackaged.
You don't have to act anymore and get angry for a long time - get into your own beautiful SAAB and enjoy the return trip.
The buyer can only be complimented, he has bought clever. If I remove the extra rims, wood and additional instruments, then the SAAB has tasted less than 3 bills. A Turbo 16 S at this price, no matter what condition and then last year. Insanity !!!
Just wonder what the other "fans" expected.
Thank you for an unpleasant article that describes everything very aptly. It fits in with the experiences we made years ago with the sale of our first-hand 900 S Cabriolet BJ 1990. Alleged fans who wanted to redeem us from our Saab for half the price. Then an elderly gentleman came, paid without trial and drives the 900 today. In retrospect, he has, we still have nice contact, made the best deal of his car life.
Nice to the point. The real madness of the time is often searched for cars. In a forum 3 was well weeks ago when the gray former Tour Combi appeared if I remember correctly written, you could probably achieve for such a car not more than 25.000 Euro. Absolutely ridiculous and with the knowledge of today at what price this car has changed hands and what offers are made to the owners of these absolutely rare cars you can only shake your head. Whether you can talk about fans of the brand and connoisseurs in such requests then everyone should decide for themselves.
That reminds me hard of the Volvo scene…. woe to you want to sell a rare and good Volvo.
You can listen to whole fairy tales, sagas and stories, at the latest when the price comes to an end, the dreaming stops. A rustproof Volvo 240 BJ 1991 with air conditioning, automatic machine, ABS, El windows and cruise control in beautiful condition should be around sFr. 1500.– to be had ... oh but it is advertised for 3500.–