My mom had bought a 2000 9-3 that I liked. Later that year, I totaled my Lumina (I took out THIS sign on my way to Green Bay for New Years 05/06. You can see where the 2 signposts hit the car)

I got a nice chuck of change from the insurance company for the lumina, and started looking for a new car. I started reading about Saabs, found out that the NG900/OG9-3 was highly tunable, and then I found the above 1997 900 SE, black on black.

I've been hooked since! (I added it up, and since buying the 97 900 SE in February of 2006, I've had a total of 9 saabs... 8 of which have been C900's (3 SPG's and an Airflow Convertible too!)

 

I totaled my 1999 grand am in a similar fashion to Amish there, except with less snow and more 60 degrees and dry.

I wanted a hatch and a 5 speed. So glad I never found a honda I liked before this one. It was in the back of some small dealers lot that mainly dealt in SUVs and Trucks, said it came in with a group of trucks and hadn't really tried to move it in the few months he had it. I drove it and took it home.

A 1999 9-3 coupe base with the leather package. 114k on the odo. Brought the milage up to 156k, blew the trans, found another 99 9-3 and passed it on.

The coupes just look so much better than the 5 doors.

 

If your current one is your first one, you don't qualify for this thread.

ahhh come on! thats not fair! its my first Saab and the car that got me hooked!

BOOO!!

 

If your current one is your first one, you don't qualify for this thread.

My first Saab was my '89 SPG, which I still have. I think the rules of this thread are unfairly slanted against car-hoarders like myself.

I've had 3 other Saabs since (purchased my SPG in 2001, and my most recent 9-5 Aero in 2010).

An '87 900 4dr 8v NA 5spd and a '94 900s NA 5spd 4dr were in between.

 

Ok, if you still have your first one, and OTHER saabs, feel free to post up.

I just did not want this to be just another picture thread, ya know?

 

Car hoarding is not a crime!

 

This car became kind of a forum slut and made it's rounds. The last couple of times it was offered back to me but I passed on it. If It was converted to a 5mt and stayed in nice shape, I likely would have bought it back.

A memory that comes to mind is being young, like 17-18 and feeling the car take off at WOT and not knowing why and feeling panic set in before I realized the gas pedal was pinned under the floor mat Toyota style. I nearly soiled myself.

 

My first a 97 900 se 5spd. Like palmer this was at first a friends car and the first time I got a ride in it and he floored it in 2nd I was hooked. I few months later it developed some sort of trans problem and I had the chance to scoop it up for the price of the new tires on it. It had leaked out all the trans fluid so I replaced the axle seals topped it off and the first time I let the clutch out the trans blew to kingdom come. I got another trans in and drove the wheels off it all over n.e.

 

This was my mom's car for about 2 years. After my first car(1986 isuzu trooper) kicked the bucket completely, this came my way. I had it for about a year before I got my SPG, and this went to my brother, who in the course of 6 months ruined it.

 

I picked this up for almost a grand with a bad motor, this thing was a money pit but I loved the shit out of it. I had to sell it because I was going to school, I regret it a lot. It had 96k and a shitload of new parts.

 

My first SAAB & actual first car was a 1978 99 Turbo that I purchased in 1988 6 months before I actually had my license for $2000 (pic to come later when I dig it out and scan it).

Car was at a local used car lot, and my Uncle used to be a SAAB mechanic. I had him test drive it with me on a cold February day and quickly put down a deposit. I learned how to drive stick on it, and to do a bunch of mechanical work as well. While the majority of my friends belonged to the Volkswagen Posse I had something much better...and faster to all there dismay.

Damn I miss that car.

 

Cool thread!

I purchased my first Saab, a silver 1985 900 Sport, in 1989 at the age of 23. The Sport model was a Canadian option: 8v NA, manual sunroof, Ronal wheels. Took the car on trips from BC to Wyoming & Yellowstone, up Bear Tooth Pass, no issues, drove great. Used it as my wedding car in 1990. On the other hand, there were some electrical gremlins...which I now understand were likely related to broken insulation on the wiring harnesses. Sold the car in 1991, was starting my family, needed 4 doors, was frustrated with its unpredictability and didn't have the resources to address the problem. Enter the mini-van...

I recently purchased another silver 1985 900 Sport which I thought at first could be the very same car I previously owned. Unfortunately it turned out to be a different one. But it's in great shape. I've got a project thread over on Saabcentral about it.

Two pics below - one is of my 900 at my wedding, the other is of a magazine ad from 1986 showing that year's silver Sport. It's cool to have the Sport back!

 

My first Saab - my second car.

1987 Saab 9000 Turbo 5 Speed Manual
Bought with about 264K
Rear shock tower was shot - drove it home from Bridgewater NJ to Jenkintown, PA with the R/R shock hitting the speaker. $10 and a package of sawzall blades later and a run to the junk yard with DeLorean and we had a solid rear shock tower/wheel well to be welded in. I drove to car to my tech school and handed it over to the body shop with the supplied panel to weld in. A week later and a box of pizza and it was solid again! I had to JB weld up the seams on both towers (learned about JB weld for the first time then) and I had a nice 264K Saab! Tuned APC by DeLorean, installed a boost gauge in the old analog clock location, related the headlight switch. Installed my Apline CDA-9813 radio and some Infinity speakers and I drove that car my senoir year in high school through the next 20 months back and forth to Exton, PA for Automotive Training Center and to work. @ 314K it was retired post a body guy f*ck up and I decided it was time to move onto a newer 9000 - thus my current 1995 9000 CS came into play. Along the way I owned 2 other SPG's (both never made it onto the road before they surcame to the rust).

Missed that car so much - it ended up being stripped and living @ DeLorean's property in Plymouth, PA as a dumpster in it's final days The head liner actually just got re-installed into my 86' 9000.

 

2003 SS w/ Linear Launch Package
Auto (CA traffic blows)
Bought with 40k miles, sold with about 65k, then bought my red Viggen.
Liked it a lot, but was lacking in the power dept.

A friend's dad unknowingly responded to my for sale ad to buy it for my friend's little brother. 16 y/o kid got a great car. I see him driving around a couple times a year. First time I saw him was kind of a funny exchange:

Me: *motions to roll down his window*
Me: Hey that's my old car!
Him: Oh you had one of these?
Me: Yeah, that one. Your dad bought it from me.

 

My first Saab was a citrin beige 94 9000cs 5spd. Interesting thing about the car was that it was a fpt from the factory even though it was a cs. My dad has always loved saabs and we have had at least 3 in the drive way since I can remember. The 9000 was my dads car for a while then my mothers until the reverse gear went. It was parked for some time then my dad had another transmission put in. Around that time I had gotten into an accident with my corrado so luckily for me my dad just handed me the keys and said it was mine. Interesting thing about this car was that it was an fpt from the factory even though it was a cs. This thing was so much fun to drive and everyone who sat in it were always impressed by the acceleration. Most of you know what happened to this car lol so lets not get into that but I will say, I learned the majority of what I know about cars today because of this thing.

 

You can see 4 other saabs in that pic lol

 

My first Saab was a 1994 9000 CDE.

I thought Saabs were ugly and unreliable (c900s for the most part). When my dad said he was going to buy a Saab for cheap from a friend that needed transmission repair, I did not like it. It was going to be my sisters, but whatever. They bought it, needed a trans governer or whatever and it was nasty. I cleaned the piss out of it everyday.

I hated c900s, but then I bought like 5 of them after this car. My sister crashed this car, then I totaled it years later. I took it for a joy ride when I only had my permit, hit 140mph and eventually got pulled over. Lawl.

My father and I really wanted to convert it to a manual trans, but we had no idea how easy it really was (after he bought a brand new DI cassette from the dealer he didn't want to deal with any ecu BS).

:???:

It's still in the junkyard, and I used to see it occasionally when I needed Saab parts.

 

One picture, Bro.

 

totaled my done up 00 maxima senior year of highschool and took a huge loss, didnt know what i wanted and didnt have much $$. . something with performance potential, heated seats, leather and a sunroof were all a must. . saw this 2000 SE hot turbo with 110k on it for the right price in the right color back in 05. . fell in love with saabs since. drove it until about 175k put it up for sale and a week later it was gone for exactly my asking price..some kid fell in love with it and what i had done to it.. even with all the problems i had with it, made me appreciate them so much more.

 

My first Saab is my current one and I love it... If I were to get another one it would definitely be another early 95 Aero because I think they look the best

 

If your current one is your first one, you don't qualify for this thread.


One picture, and a story.

:roll:

 

It was time to get my first car and coming from a Saab family it had to be a Saab, my step dad was calling a junk yard for parts and found out they had an 85' SPG. We went straight down and picked it up on the trailer. It had 159K on the mileage and a blown 5 speed tranny. In the same month a customer had wrecked their 1989 900 Turbo so we purchased that and I did a full motor swap with the 89' to my SPG. Ended up driving it for many years but eventually upgraded to a 92' 9000 Turbo, we still have the SPG in our yard but it just sits now.

 

Alighty. My first was a 1988 C900T that had been brought up from Florida in 1999. I test drove it after I had a 1994 Acura Integra sold out from under we at some other dealership. It "broke down" on the test drive, the A/C seized up, I finally figured out to just turn it off and for some reason decided to buy the car. That was the summer of 2000

The car was a rust free white C900T, had about 140k miles, and was an automatic. It ran great and I had no idea what to look for in a c900 other than rust. Within months the fucking trans shat out. I befriended a guy who knew c900s in an out, and he and I swapped in a manual trans. That friendship was the reason I got into turning wrenches on cars. We swapped quite a few more cars, and parted out about a dozen c900s. I acquired a lot of parts, including SPG kits, Aero wheels, whale tails, and other fun stuff. Most of the "rare" stuff went on the c900 and it became a white SPG clone.

I have absolutely ZERO photos of the car in its prime. I didn't drive it in the winter much, and when I sold it, there was still zero rust on the car.

This is how I saw it on Wednesday, it had been parked behind Palmer and I for probably an hour before we noticed it. It was parked RIGHT behind us...like 20 feet away :lol:

It is in sad shape cosmetically with rot through on every wheel arch. I do know the next owner after me (who is not the current owner) broke the trans I put in it, and ended up getting a very nice one in there, and did a head gasket, timing chain, new seals, and a bunch more shit in the few years he had it. It was always a very good driving car, and hopefully it still is for the current owner. I'm sad to see it in this shape, but glad to see it's still being driven!

 

This is how I saw it on Wednesday, it had been parked behind Palmer and I for probably an hour before we noticed it. It was parked RIGHT behind us...like 20 feet away :lol:

"has that been there the whole time?"

herpderpderpderp

 

My brother had a '99 9-5, that was being a money pit. To get out of the money-pitness and the payment he sold it and bought a '92 and '86 c900S sedan for $300/ea. Used the '86 for parts, put some basic maintenance stuff in the '92 and away he went. Until it got cold and it wouldn't start, compression test = not good. So in the fall he traded it + cash for a '96 9000CS that my dad was selling at the time. I got my license in the spring, right around the time when the 900 was fine.

(lol HDR phase)

 

Between you and me we would have heard it pull up.

Hell, as you pointed out even the noise the door makes is unmistakable.

:mrgreen:

 

The first Saab that I owned and actually registered and drove was really ratty multicolored '68 95 that I had in high school:

It was four colors (spray can blue and rust body, primer red fenders, green hood) and had some comfy 900 EMS seats in the front. A very memorable car, lots of fun stuffing seven people into that thing.

Those mudflaps and soccerballs are now on my '72 96.