Buyers Guide. classic 900 1978-1993
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http://www.paradisesaabs.com/c900-buyers-guide.html
Models, a brief rundown
ENGINES
The classic 900 was only available with one engine size, 1985cc. There was also a 2.1 engine available in other markets, but not the UK.
However there were 8 valve and 16 valve versions, carb, injection and turbo models.
The 1978-1981 models were the earlier engine type, called the B engine. These can be identified by the location of the distributor cap and the water pump on the top of the engine block. These engines are now very rare, and parts can be Difficult to get, especially waterpump and jackshaft components.
The 1981 onwards models had the newer H engines, 8 valve (B201) from 1981-1989, and 16 valve (B202) from 1984 to 1993. These engines are much more common and parts are very easy to obtain.
Turbocharged versions of all engines were available, with turbos oil cooled only until 1986 and water cooled turbos from 1986-1993
The early turbo cars were either standard turbos, or intercooler models.
The later turbo models were available as light pressure turbos (LPT) or full pressure turbos (FPT)
BODY TYPES
The 1979 and early 1980 models were essentially a 99 combi-coupe from the A pillers back, with a 99 floorpan. These cars used the tailgate from the 99, 99 seat mountings, a vertical spare wheel, metal fuel tank... Very few of these early cars now exist, and infact have more in common with the 99 than the later 900! In late 1980 the car received a substantially modified chassis although the outer panels, excepting the tailgate, were unchanged. These early cars were 3 and 5 door hatchbacks only (essentially the 99 combi-coupes with a longer bonnet).
From the 1981 model year onwards the car was available in 5 different body shells, the classic 900 covered almost all market segments.
2 door saloon, 4 door saloon, 3 door hatchback and 5 door hatchback. All these models featured essentially the same interior and floorpan, and all featured fold down rear seats. The hatchbacks were massive in the back, a totally flat floor over 6' long with the seats folded, and no rear sill, they were more practical than most estate cars!
The Convertible was introduced in 1986, and was based on the 2 door saloon bodyshell but with massively reinforced sections, including thicker sills, cross members under the rear seat, fixed rear bulkhead, bonded windscreen and strengthened windscreen frame.
The range was face lifted in 1986, the earlier cars being referred to as 'flat fronts'. The facelift comprised integrated bumpers, sloping headlamps and grille. No structural changes to bonnet or wings was made.
MODELS
There were many different versions of the classic 900 over the years, here we will detail the basic differences between the most common models available to the U.K. .
900 - base model, single carburettor, steel wheels, d.i.y. windows, no sunroof. no rear headrests...
GL - single carburettor model version of the B201 8 valve engine
GLS - twin carb version of the B201 8 valve engine
GLi - fuel injection version of the B201 8 valve engine
GLE - fuel injection version of the B201 8 valve with automatic transmission
EMS - non-turbo injected 'sports' model, used the B engine. 1978-1980.
S (upto 1989) - Fuel injection version of the B202 16valve engine
S (1990-1993) - Light Pressure Turbo
900i - base model fuel injected car, available in 8 valve and 16 valve versions.
XS - Fleet market special version of the B202 injection engine for 1992 and 1993
SE (1989-1990) - limited edition B202 injection with leather, walnut and cross spoke alloys
SE (1991-1993)- up-speced version of the B202 injection engine (Air conditioning etc). also available as an LPT
Turbo - essentially a turbocharged version of the EMS model. 1978-1980
Turbo 8 - B201 8 valve turbo
Turbo 16 - B202 16 valve turbo
T16S - B202 16 valve turbo intercooler, Aero bodykit
Turbo-S - this was the T16S renamed from 1990 - 1993
S Turbo - this was the Light Pressure Turbo version of the Turbo-S
Jubilee - Limited edition, used the last of the 8 valve injection engines. Leather, whaletail, SuperInca alloys. 1987/1988
Anniversary - Limited edition, used the last of the 8 valve turbo engines. black, whale tail, minilite style wheels. 1989
Ruby - Limited edition last production 3 door hatchback 1993
Carlsson - Limited edition T16S with Airflow bodykit, decals and extra 10bhp
In addition, the AERO model designation was also given to later cars with the aero bodykit These could be LPT, FPT or even non-turbo cars!
Mechanicals
The classic 900 has an unfair reputation for weak gearboxes. True they do go wrong, usually jumping out of gear or weak syncromesh, but often these faults usually only occur on very high mileage examples. We've known cars to be on their original gearbox at over 300,000 miles, we've also known 'boxes go on cars with less than 100,000 miles. It's all down to how they've been treated and maintained. Test drive the car and listen for noisy bearings in the gearbox. Also test for jumping out of gear, especially 1st and reverse. Budget for at least £250 for a used gearbox, and £800/£1000 for a reconditioned gearbox, plus fitting. The gearbox casing is also the engine sump, so removal of the engine is required to fit a gearbox. Often though what seems like a gearbox problem can only be either selector alignment issues - there's a rubber bushing that can disintegrate (£20) or engine mountings needing replacement, especially the front one which fixes to the gearbox casing.
Engines are very strong on these cars, often needing very little major work at all. Headgaskets can go between 100,000 and 180,000 miles, but it's not a very difficiult or expensive job to replace. Do the usual headgasket checks (oil in water, mayonnaise in the oil etc). Listen for noisy timing chains, especially when the engine is warm. A noisy rattle is to be expected from a cold engine, due to the hydraulic tappet design, but this should quieten after a few minutes at worst.
Cooling system needs to be in tip-top condition, especially on turbo models, so check for leaks. Under the exhaust manifold are two core plugs and a water drain boss, these can corrode out from the inside after becoming blocked, so check there's no leaks from them - not expensive ( £20) but often forgotten about due to their location. Also check for excessive pressure in the cooling system (be very careful opening the expansion bottle cap though!)
Turbochargers life can vary, some lasting 250,000 miles, others 120,000 miles. Regular oil changes are the key to long life. Good used turbos are available from around £85, reconditioned ones from around £350-£400.
Brakes are generally easy to work on. The handbrake operated on the front wheels until the 1987 models, and the front callipers use a special tool to wind back the pistons. From 1987 the more conventional rear handbrake design was used.
ABS was an option from 1989, and standard from 1991. This system has no servo back-up, so check the ABS warning lights go out once up to pressure, and that the brake pedal doesn't feel excessively hard to press.
Clutches are very easy to replace on classic 900s, but can suffer from hydraulic leaks in the slave cylinder or master cylinder. The connecting hose can also weep fluid.
Check Engine Light (CEL) should go out when the car is started, if it stays on most likely causes are the Lambda sensor in the exhaust, or could be the Air Mass Meter (AMM), often it's just a split vacuum hose, however the CEL light could be any number of sensors or components. Usually it won't make any difference to the driving, but it probably will cause the engine to 'over fuel' and cost in lost MPG at best. A diagnostic check is recommended for this.
Suspension springs and shocks should last in excess of 100,000 miles. check there is no excessive bounce when pushing down on each corner of the car. If clunking can be felt over bumps, it's often rear bushes or front shock absorber bushes that need replacing.
Exhausts can often suffer under body damage as these cars, especially turbos, are quite low to the ground.
Body / Chassis
With the youngest of these cars now 17 years old, and the oldest now over 30 years old, corrosion is something that must be considered. In fact chassis corrosion is the single most important thing to check on any classic 900. These cars can often look good but be rotten on the chassis! Good ones however are still out there, it just needs an expert eye to tell the difference. Assuming you find a good one then the 1st thing to do is to apply waxoyl/anti-rust treatment to the chassis.
The easy to spot common rust areas are: door inside bottoms, bonnet rear side edges inside and out, tailgate lower edges and rear screen surrounds, wheel arches, lower front wheel arches infront of the wheels. More difficult to spot are: front driveshaft/chassis tunnels- especially the drivers side, radiator cross member (esp. the earth ground point), the front bumper support rails and towing eyes, jacking points, sill seams, rear tie-bar mounting areas, inside boot under the false floor - especially the far corners, rear shock absorber upper mountings, base of B-pillars, windscreen surrounds - especially on convertibles, and also on convertibles the B pillar seam the whole height from the base to the door latch. Corrosion in the front wheel arch lips often extends to the inner wings as well, and the wings on a c900 are welded on, not bolted on!
Interior
Headlinings will almost certainly need replacing if they haven't been already. to change a headlining the whole card needs to be removed, and the sunroof dismantled. Budget £275/£325 for the job. Otherwise the interiors of the classic 900s are very hard wearing considering the huge mileages these cars can cover. Dashboards can crack (£75 for a good used one). The leather on the drivers seat bolster can wear - especially on the 1991-1993 seats (the earlier ones seem a lot better). Damp carpets can be due to blocked sunroof drain channels, or if on the passenger side only can be due to a leaking heater control valve (£25). Ventilation fans can get a little noisy, and the dashboard has to be removed to fit them. Check the operation of the vacuum controlled heater ventilation controls work, it can be a nightmare to fix if they don't work. Check for a full history and/or MoTs to verify the mileage as the interiors can easily hide a high mileage car with a 'wrong' speedometer fitted!
Convertibles
In addition to all the chassis/body corrosion checks, make sure the hood operation is working well. It should only take approx 15 seconds for the hood to fully retract or raise, and the hood should raise evenly on both sides. If it is jerky or comes up at an angle then budget for replacement rams (£150 each). The hood can be lowered or raised manually, but if the over-ride valve is not used it will damage the rams.
Check the hood condition as well, wear or even tears are common on the sides just behind the rear side windows. Budget £800/£1200 for a replacement hood to be fitted. Some rubber seals are no longer available new, so check the condition of these, especially the ones above the front windows and the ones fixed to the front edge of the rear side windows.
The rear screen section is separate to the main hood material, and often rots at the lower edges where it's hidden behind the main hood. water leaks into the boot from there and most convertibles will suffer from this at some point. The only proper fix is a new rear screen section (budget an extra £450 for this on top of the main hood price).
Conclusion
Don't be frightened by all the above, I've written this guide to hopefully save you from making an expensive mistake buying the wrong car. There are plenty of very nice examples out there, just do your homework and don't buy the first you see without a good inspection.
Buy a nice example and you will have a car that will be a joy to own and drive.
Dan.