Life is not objective - a Saab 9000 CD rescue (1)
Life is not always fair. Above all, it is not objective, otherwise the Saab 9000 CD would be a car that would rank high on the popularity list. But the opposite is the case. The 9k with the big trunk is ignored by the fans. Yet he had so much to offer.
Prolog
The year 2018. In Hamburg, a 9000 CD is squaring the tires. For months it has been offered via an online portal and discussed in a forum. His appearance is sad, the pictures are unloving, he is not prepared. But - the price is low, the kilometers under 100.000, and it seems to be first-hand.
Why does nobody buy it? I have never had a CD, the Saab would not be without charm for me. But I am aware that my paradisiac garage and hall conditions will change in the foreseeable future. Another Saab is not debatable, I have to reduce. So no 9000 CD, but I keep the S class from Trollhättan under observation.
Summer is coming, summer is going. The Saab is still standing, its price is listed below € 2.000. What has to happen before someone buys it? But nobody takes pity on me and I almost forgot the story when my friend Oli contacted me in October.
Saab 9000 CD and the protector instinct
He may be the first to look right at the CD. Visually, the Saab is pitiable. But Oli also sees the 93.000 kilometers, the stainless state, 1. Hand. And the great condition in the interior. An 9000 is generally one of the cars where you can trust your feeling. A good, well-kept interior speaks for the first owner and then usually extends to the care condition.
If the Saab is loveless, neglected, has rust, then you have to look more closely. At my Anna project That was the case. All alarm lights went on, but I definitely wanted the car. Despite all the rules, Anna moved to the 7. April 2013 with me. I have not regretted the purchase since then. But if you look at the costs, you could have financed two projects with it.
Back to Oli, who like me tends to foolishness when it comes to cars from Trollhättan. In the case of the 9000 CD, however, he approaches the situation with reason. Rust is not visible, the body seems accident-free and good. Sure, there are some small dents, scratches, quirks on the bumpers. But the Saab comes from the year 1993. 25 years leave scratches or patina. That may be!
What is there to do? Especially the 4 brakes, the rear panel should be replaced or painted, the exhaust needs new from the middle. Molding, some lighting parts, all fluids and oils changed. A professional preparation is advisable, a dent would have to be pulled out, the rims would do well with a cosmetic operation.
The list is not long, the effort is manageable. The usual things when you want to save a 25-year-old car from the butcher. Some things remain in the gray area. The Airbag indicator light burns, transmission and engine make a good impression, but will this last?
The risk is calculable and I can't think of anything that would speak against buying it. And Oli strikes the following day. The Saab is saved, for little money. Now he gets a workshop and wellness program. And friend Oli discovers new sides of himself. He evolves into an auto-archaeologist.
Because, as always, the question arises what you pulled from the yard on the trailer. Once the prey is home, awakening follows. Or the surprise. Because things are often different from what they seem.
What's next with the 9000 CD? To be continued on the blog, stay tuned!
Oh, how nice. I have a very similar project right now:
I bought a 9000 CD M91 with 2,0i engine from Sweden (detour over Poland). Honestly, for too much money and not quite the condition that I had hoped for. A bit of rust at the end tips had to be eliminated at the coachbuilder, but otherwise the car is ok from the plate and the interior is good.
With 101tkm also with low km achievement.
Drives nicely The CD is really more comfortable than the CC (I have a CC of the same year of manufacture) - quieter and stiffer.
But the CD is a wallflower and is quite stuffy. My son thinks the stern is terrible (he prefers to drive an exhausted 901 - of course).
So actually almost nothing speaks for the car. But I wanted to have him once. It's a cozy car ... and I can always tweak something. Gearbox is still there (the differential howls) and the AC is not functional (must be converted). Otherwise I weaned the car from the oil drop (oil pump sealing ring and KW sealing ring) and did various other things. Wonderful…..
In Austria, two 9000CDs were advertised for a long time, but I do not know if they found a new owner. Why the CDs actually so little sought? Do all Saab drivers always have so much to transport?
Saab drivers are just waiting for the hatchback. But objectively speaking nothing against a CD, on the contrary. The CD is quieter in the interior, his body twisted less.
That he is quieter and stiffer I would not have thought so, but makes sense and is good to know. If you do not have to transport anything bigger, or if you also have an 9-3, 9-5 Combi, then you can be very happy with a CD
It's great that these treasures keep popping up !!!! Some of you may remember a red 9000 CS 2.0t with a non-verifiable but understandable 86.000 km that appeared on the internet last summer. Similar condition - bodywork neglected and unprocessed but almost rust-free. Impeccable technology. And a new interior. The whole thing at a reasonable price. Due to the proximity to the seller, I was the fastest. And after a technical and visual makeover at Ratzmann in Frankfurt, he is waiting for many trips through the summer. Keep it up community. Save the treasures !!!
The Lizi
Bonjour. Je regrette que vous vous polaris sur les Saab ancienne et que vous ne faites presque pour pour soutenir une nouvelle image de Saab même si maintenant ce sera des Nevs.
Well, such a project irritates and unleashes unimaginable energies, but is fully understandable.
Sometimes a little luck also helps. Recently I was able to solve the “accommodation problem” for my 20 year old 9-5 mini fleet with another super dry “GDR garage”. Now the "long-range hunters", which have now been properly prepared again, are well housed. A total of 2 miles have already been covered in 30 years and apart from a defective air conditioning compressor in the winter vehicle, everything else works. However, the winter car needs a little “rust cure” for the next AU, otherwise there will be no new badge.
Such a stainless 9000 is a fine thing and would also appeal to me. Unfortunately, my wife has strictly forbidden me to rent or buy any further “GDR garages”. I have to accept that and the current waiting list for such garages is very, very long anyway. Ultimately, it's almost similar to the Trabi sales contract. You order, wait and wait and look forward to a new car when you retire.
Good luck and have fun with the 9000er CD.
I completely forgot that our CD was also first-hand, 119.000 km. Stand forever and three days at the dealer in Lower Saxony. In Talladega Red, the car seemed unsaleable, maintained despite checkbook, fresh MOT and fluids. Nearly 63.000 km later and the typical 9000er diseases, the car is still running like new.
I think it's good that the CD finally gets some more attention. Perhaps the rarest produced 9000. At meetings one is with the model absolute outsider, if 9000 then one sees mostly only the Turbos or CS models.
There are too many CD models dying. But who knows, maybe a little hype will develop around the strange 9000 model 😉
Thanks to Oli for saving the SAAB. May this rare 9000-er give him much pleasure! 🙂
Yes, this story is exciting. It's always amazing what wonderful SAAB stories life can do.
Already, with this background and CV, this SAAB 9000 CD will (hopefully) become an icon.
It must be the model ...
In the last week a 9-3 “vacuum cleaner” Bj. 2002 (?), For a similarly low price, was bought in front of my nose in the region. Here, too, the topic was first owner, approx. 80 thousand km on the speedometer and “small Ditscher” present. The driver had died, the widow handed in the SAAB. The SAAB was not 3 days! Zack, then he was gone and I made a long nose ... So: there is a demand for SAAB bargains! The quality of the old series is still in consciousness! Good!
Good spring weekend!
VERY BIG (S) CLASS
It's great that the CD is saved. Tom is once again close to the action and thinks about the developments in the scene with and even ahead ...
The motorization and body styles are becoming increasingly unimportant. This is also shown by the latest reader contributions and the comments. Half of the readership in 2019 has so far been traded by SAAB vacuum cleaners.
A 900 Turbo wasn't a convertible, coupe or 5-door hatchback, but actually a sedan. Then there was a 9-5 SC ...
Not a single vehicle has met the usual SAAB cliché and widespread ideal image of the turbo engine in a Swedish hatchback - and yet each one is a true SAAB through and through.
With each passing year and every SAAB blessing the time, our joy will grow in every SAAB we are allowed to drive or see - no matter which engine is in it and what body it is.
I'm looking forward to the sequel, press Oli and the CD both fingers crossed! ! !
I've had a preference for 9000 CD since 1982. My first 900 was already a 4-door. My first new purchase, after a few used ones, a 9000CD 2,3 FPT, still in first hand, since May 1995. This year it should be back on the slopes, except for a few wear parts everything is still in original condition. The significantly lower curb weight than my Eros still makes driving a lot of fun. After the original 195/65 15 had to make way for 225/50 16, the handling is also okay. I don't think there are many vehicles left in the first hand and I am delighted that he has remained loyal to me for so long. Next year we will have “silver wedding anniversary”.
There is probably something with my ability to write a decent mail gone wrong. I ask for the contact of Oli I would rebuild the car. LG
Write fast and do not tense me on the torture! I have been toying with an 9000er for years, even if the same place of abyss opens up for me as it does for Tom, at some point he will come.
I also find a CD charming, also because of its rarity. What amazes me, especially for a practical Saab: Obviously, there was never a convertible rear seat on the CD, but only a hatch, or am I wrong?
That's true. The CD was never with folding rear seat, which was due to the rear. The hatch was intended for any ski holidays or similar. One of the really few disadvantages of the CD, which I bother now and then, even if you can live well with it. Otherwise, this is a terrific car. Whether turbo or not, a really good travel car!