I thought this had slipped through my fingers when I misremembered the time the eBay auction would end and it had finished by the time I went online - for a mere £56. Oh well - I emailed the seller, as I had asked him loads of questions, apologising for not having bid and asking him to contact me if he had any problem with the buyer. Sure enough he replied today, the winning bidder pulled out so the 900 is mine for just £50! I'm going to collect it on Friday.
Friday, 4-11-05
Up to Bury St Edmunds on the coach, and first encountered my Saab in the dark, and freezing cold. Best way to buy a car, obviously. Went around it with a torch and it didn't seem too bad - there was no obvious rust, it was clean inside, the levels were all ok and, most importantly, the area which killed my 99 was sound. Drove it home, and it was ok except for a strange intermittent vibration.
I've always liked comfy cars and the 900 certainly is that; it's got a smooth ride without wallowing over bumps like the Passat used to and because the suspension is actually attached to the car it feels much more tied down than the bouncy old 99. Saab always did the best seats, comfy and with good support, and it felt good to have an automatic again after the Passat's heavy clutch. I'm especially happy that it's a Borg Warner 35 - it reminds me of driving the Arsemobile!
Saturday, 5-11-05
Time for that dreaded MoT. The tester wasn't too unkind to me; he said straight away that it wasn't as bad as he'd expected but let me see the long list of fail points before telling me that they were actually pretty minor. A few blown bulbs (listed individually), the rear seatbelt buckles missing, presumed under the rear bench, one dodgy tyre and (there's always a biggie) a chip in the windscreen.
When I got the car, there was an extra full-size spare wheel in the boot as well as the space-saver spare. It has a lovely new tyre on it... with a nail embedded in it. Looking at the pictures, you may notice that the front wheel is different. I guess a previous owner bought new tyres, immediately got a puncture and couldn't afford another new one so put a second-hand wheel on instead. That would explain why the tyre is so much more worn than the others.
Monday, 7-11-05
I was making some calls at lunchtime to get prices for windscreen repair and was so impressed by Nationwide's quote that when when the girl said, "I can fit you in today," I said, "Yes please!" I work just round the corner from my house so was able to go and meet the guy - he'd made a start when I got there. Very impressive piece of kit, which injects resin into the screen and does a cycle of pumping air in and out until (£33 and about as many minutes later) the crack is almost invisible. The key word here is almost - it is entirely up to the discretion of the MoT tester as to whether or not it will pass. Nationwide will discount the price of the repair off a new screen in that event, but the chap really couldn't give me exact odds - he said he'd even had MoT testers ask him if his repairs were acceptable or not!
I've seen kits advertised for you to do these repairs yourself but it looked pretty skilled and obviously they used a hand-operated syringe rather then the professional pump. For the sake of thirty quid, I reckon I'd go with a professional every time.
Wednesday, 9-11-05
£5.97's worth of light bulbs and I'm one step closer to the MoT. I was a little concerned that it's blown four bulbs in a year (both sidelights, one tail lamp and one numberplate lamp) but then I thought - it's a Saab! The lights are on all the time!
The fault with the sidelights was quite entertaining (if you're a sad car-geek). With the ignition on only the left one worked, and with the lights on only the right one worked. I was expecting to have to go guddling about for an earthing fault but it turns out that 900s have twin-filament sidelights, like brake/tail lights. They're designed to go dimmer when you turn the headlights on.
Saturday, 12-11-05
Took it for a new Toyo tyre which I'd ordered from Black Circles. Very impressed with that service - I was able to get a Toyo for just under fifty quid, a price which would only get you a brand you'd never heard of somewhere like KwikFit. After the Stomil incident on the Passat I'm a little bit fussy about tyres. The wheels all match now as well, by the way, having found the original left front in the boot.
Then back to Formula One for the MoT retest. The tester was a little fussy about the repaired chip on the screen (and rightly so, because it is still visible) but passed it on everything else... except for the emissions! The tester was a proper old-fashioned mechanic and he whipped the top off the carb and found a tear in the throttle diaphragm. Nuts.
Friday, 18-11-05
Having found and fitted a diaphragm for just three quid from a local motor factor, I was optimistic about the MoT. But no; the emissions are still high. The tester didn't think there was anything that a good tune wouldn't fix though.
Saturday, 3-12-05
Took it to a local garage for that tune... and after an hour and a half of twiddling they completely failed to get the CO output below the required level. I must admit I'm starting to lose faith in this Saab and thinking that I will just never, ever get a good one - my last Saab was a disaster too.
Tuesday, 20-12-05
Right, that's it - the Saab's going back on ebay where it came from. A very dear friend of mine rang me last night. She's sick of me having cars that don't work (because then I don't visit her!) and so she's offered me a loan to buy something decent! Watch this space!
Update Friday 14-07-06
I've just discovered that the heater matrix I've owned for the last few years under the misapprehension that it was from a 99 is actually from a 900. Anyone want it?