Saab 900...its a classic (Saab 900)

Member Name: katie3410

Product:	Saab 900
Date:	10/02/05 (8901 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Being a classic!, Comfortable to drive, Reliable family car

Disadvantages: Can come across minor hicups, needs attention

Saab 900 turbo.

The car of all cars, yes I’m talking about the Saab 900 turbo. My fiancé (Shaun) has a Saab 900 turbo 16s (classic) Black, J-reg, 198,000 miles on the clock (yes that’s nearly 200,000 miles) and it’s still going! That just shows how good these cars can be if looked after. Shaun has had it over a year, and believe you me he loves this car! My partner found his 'true love' under a tree just over a year ago. With much love (as Saabs do need) it was restored back to its natural beauty. Saabs are quite weird looking but in a beautiful way. The way they can handle the road is brilliant, and the acceleration is wkd (probably because of the BHP-which we will come to later)

History

The Classic Saab 900, manufactured from 1979 until 1993, remains to this day a very popular car with many thousands having been sold around the world, in the UK alone approx 80,000 were sold. Over the 14 years of its production the classic Saab 900 was sold in many variations, including 3 and 5 door hatchbacks, 2 and 4 door saloons, convertible and of course with a Turbo charger as well as normally aspirated.

In its day the classic 900 Turbo could give many a car a surprise with its tremendous performance, and to this day it still surprises many! (believe me, my fiancés car definitely turns heads!) Our Saab 900 T16s is so comfortable, stylish and reliable. We’ve had a few problems with it though, but unfortunately anyone with a Saab will at some point experience ‘problems’ and considering the amount of miles its done, the problems are normally due to weather and the need for a servive.

The 900 line includes several series of models, each of which represents a distinct performance class: the Saab 900 with the carburettor engine, the Saab 900 I with the fuel injection engine, the Saab 900 Turbo with the 8 valve turbocharged engine, and the Saab 900 Turbo 16 and Saab 900 Turbo 16S with the 16 valve turbocharged engine and my fiancé has given his Saab 900 T16s a dump valve as a present (another reason why it turns heads!)

The reasons for the popularity of this car are many, but could include the uniqueness of its design, the reliability and long life, the pleasure of driving it the list could go on and on! (which my fiancée will indeed agree with)

BHP. Four performance classes

By varying the auxiliary equipment, the basic engines are available in four performance classes -100 bhp, 118 bhp, 155 bhp and 175 bhp. All engines deliver their peak torque at relatively low revs, and the torque remains high over a wide range of engine speeds. So the driver's gear-changing work is minimised, since he has excellent tractive power at his command over a wide span of engine revs. My fiancés is 240bhp, which obviously has been modified, and god can she go, with top speeds reaching 195miles an hour (This has been tested on a race track at santapod-not on public roads!)

Although high top speeds and good acceleration from rest are important ingredients in a Saabs high performance, good low-speed tractive power and swift overtaking acceleration are far more vital. And so is a high cruising speed, mile after mile.

These cars are beautiful on and off road, and they really do drive beautifully. Some Saabs come with cruise control: which enables you to stay at a desired speed, especially if your prone to speeding in a 50mph zone (not a personal experience though...honest!?!)

The turbo engine offers the same acceleration and top speed of many six cylinder or eight cylinder engines, but without their inherent drawbacks of high weight, unwieldy bulk, many moving parts and high fuel consumption. Believe me ours is bloody expensive to run, Shaun can do 45 miles on 180 pounds!!

These are just examples of standard size engines for a Saab 900

Carburettor engine
Engine rating, DIN:
100 bhp (73 kW) at 5200 rpm

Fuel injection engine
Rating, DIN:
118 bhp (87 kW) at 5500 rpm

Turbo engine
Rating, DIN:
155 bhp (114 kW) at 5000 rpm

16 valve turbo engine
Rating, DIN:
175 bhp (129 kW) at 5000 rpm

Awards:

The long succession of recent accolades confirms the competitiveness of the Saab 900 line. In Japan, for instance, it has received a design award from the Ministry of International Tiade and Industry (MITI). One of the largest British motoring journals has awarded the Saab 900 Turbo 16 S the title of the "Best Director's Car". Not to mention the largest West German motoringjournal, whose readers have acclaimed the Saab 900 as the best medium class imported car for six years in succession. These are just a couple of awards won.

Saabs are comfortable, reliable and safe. I recommend anyone to buy one, mainly a saab 900 T16s. Saabs have a stigma that it's an 'old mans car' but the generation is getting younger, which we Saab fanatics like to see!

Thanks for reading! x

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