Why a Non Car Guy Daily Drives this Saab 900

This time on 427 Motorsports we take a look at the Saab 900 which our friend Joe has bought and taken on as his daily driver, despite being a self-confessed non car guy, and living in London...

[@iSchmidty13]

I only drive SAAB! I’m a designer and my favorite thing about them is how consistent they are. The 900 seamlessly evolved into the 1st gen 9-3, and the first gen 9-3 seamlessly evolved into the last 9-3. Sitting in my 2008 9-3, compared to sitting in a classic 900, everything is layed out roughly the same, all the design language and ergonomics are EXACTLY the same, and it just makes you feel connected to the car’s incredible heritage. It’s even got a clamshell bonnet, and all the proportions and angles are the same :) The last gen 9-3 is truly a classic 900 ran through a futuristic filter

[@nicholasdavis657]

What a lovely car and great it is being used as a daily here in London, despite ULEZ. My dad also had several Saabs whilst I was growing up and they have been special to me ever since.

[@jezkendall1893]

We've had SAABs for 30 odd years, currently a 9000 Aero. That C900 is such a cool car. Not only beautiful but safe. Enjoy it. There's a lot if support available from fellow owners.

[@petercdowney]

My Dad used to drive a Saab. Not a 900, but a 9000. The sound of a Saab 9000 engine starting up is a sound I remember very well from my childhood.

[@joecutro7318]

Great to see a 900SE 'Goose' survivor. This is such a classic and a great color, too. It made me laugh to watch the hood (aka bonnet) open from the non-UK driver side. 😉 I guess Saab didn't reengineer everything for right-hand drive. 😅 I owned a 1983 900Turbo 4-door sedan in the '80's in Colorado. I lived in Vail where the Vail (and Aspen) Police also drove 900Turbo's. Those were days when they were the best winter assault vehicles, especially with a set of studded snows. I live in Seattle now and have an '07 9-3t 2.0 convertible that still turns heads and is a fun summer car. It's good to see people from younger generations appreciating the craftsmanship and design for which Saab was so well known and loved. 👍🚘

[@ianrabbidge1321]

I bought a dark blue 2001 95 Aero HOT estate with 90,000 miles on the clock, used it as a daily driver, including annual road trips to Austria, and sold it with 285,000 miles on the clock 10 years later. Loved that car

[@bricksandstuff2631]

Aktiebolag is the Swedish term for "limited company" or "corporation". When used in company names, it is abbreviated AB (in Sweden)

[@G58]

I smuggled wine under the rear seat of my 99, and had lots of fun with the first love of my life, and slept on beaches in it. In my 900 Turbo I attended top level advertising meetings, delivered artwork and boxes of printed brochures etc. Also moved house in three trips! Loads of space with the seats folded forward. Now I’ve got a 1999 early shape 93 automatic Cabriolet with only 72,000 on the clock. It’s a lady’s car really, but I don’t care. We will never see cars like these again. Thank you for sharing.

[@diceymaan]

Had these come in RWD I would have kept mine, the design is beautifully subtle. Although I did own a 9-3 hatchback after it, which in my opinion looks better than the 900NG. Now I drive a 9-5 Estate and I might swap it for a 900OG :D It's so funny with cars, can't really explain well what it is with them and why you want them.

[@kanterezza]

Definitely a great car. My daily is a 9.3, but every other day it's the 900 convertible. And restauring a 9000 right now. Creates cars ever.

[@MrSkoda105s]

Great car! Nice interview 👌🏻 greetings from Holland

[@TheoPhilpot]

I cannot relate enough. Parents had saabs growing up. Introduced me to cars and now it's my entire personality. I only drive volvo because I can't drive a new saab. They just make so much sense.

[@edwardmalfroid946]

I wish I still had my 86 900S.

[@southhillfarm2795]

IMO, the 900 was the best model made by Saab. I remember the seats were very comfortable. Unique styling.

[@taytos93]

Lovely video 👍 Should be viewing an 04 saab 9-3 tomorrow with the idea of it as a new daily. I know the noughties cars are nowhere near the uniqueness of the pre-gm cars, but im still hoping to get a wiff of that Saab special sauce

[@427Motorsports]

They really are a special marque, hope the viewing goes well!

[@taytos93]

@@427Motorsports its a drop top, so if this sunny spell abruptly ends tomorrow, that'll be why!

[@roostertheguy]

Cant wait to find one and fix! I miss my old 95.

[@1aikane]

I have a 2006 SAAB 93 Aero. Love it.

[@swiper1818]

Having driven one many times they are great cars

[@stevel9914]

SAAB actually felt that the rear wiper was not required .... however some customers complained about water after the car was standing so a wiper became an accessory. However due to the aerodynamics the wiper is not required when on the move.

[@davidbauer1485]

I daily drive a '91 900S Convertable. Bought it with 154K miles three years ago, now at 185K. Still a lot of life as these routinely go 250 to 300K miles if maintained. Normally aspirated will generally run longer than a turbo. But you will miss the turbo when driving in the Mountains of Colorado. Lots of rust free Convertables here and the youg bucks and really old dudes seem to be interested, but they are still very affordable. Build quality on pre '94 900 is better than NG 900 or 9 3. I bought a new '99 9 3 SE back in '98, drove it 21 years to a 177k, wrecked it, then "upgraded" to the '91 Convertable from my very old dude mechanic as the tow truck delivered the wrecked 9 3. It was his Christmas special that year that had not sold. Maybe there will be enough interest from young hipsters and ancient baby boomers to keep them going over 30 years old and 300k miles. Retro clam shell styling rules! Put in your Moody Blues cassette tape and party like it's 1984!

[@427Motorsports]

Glad to hear of another being daily driven! We hope the younger generation do look after these cars!

[@iSchmidty13]

I’m usually against non-car people owning SAABs, because non-car people usually neglect their cars to the point of destruction But this 900 seems pretty well taken care of! :)

[@GarettOleksyn]

Lol what? I'm not a "car guy" and I own a Saab. It's just a car

[@iSchmidty13]

@@GarettOleksyn that’s the problem, it’s a dangerous mindset. It’s just an appliance to you, so you’ll probably neglect it and then eventually scrap it They’re so rare that we can’t afford to lose any to bad owners!

[@427Motorsports]

We don’t appreciate that mentality. You don’t have to be into cars to maintain something you own. I’m not a chef but I still clean my pots and pans when I finish cooking.

[@iSchmidty13]

@@427Motorsports absolutely, but the guy said “it’s just a car” which implies the mindset I’m talking about, where the user doesn’t care about the product beyond its function, and views it as semi disposable. It’s a danger to automotive history, it’s a danger to the environment, and it’s even a danger to our culture because it perpetuates disposable consumerism.

[@GarettOleksyn]

@@iSchmidty13 good job making assumptions. Yes, it's an appliance to me. An appliance that gets me from the airport and back. I am a pilot. I bought the saab because 1. Its a nice car 2. Saab made airplanes and I trusted their reliability. It is just that- a car. Rare yes, but a car. I take good care of my car, just like I take good care of my 1967 Cessna 177 Cardinal that I own. Talk about something being rare- less than 500 of those airplanes were made. I wash the airplane after every flight. So yes, I appreciate rare objects and treat them accordingly. When my saab breaks/dies, I'll scrap it. Why? Im not going to put everything I own into a vehicle. That's not a wise use of money. Get the stick out of your ass thinking you're special because you own a special brand of car. You're not. I'm not. Its a peice of metal with 4 wheels from Sweden. Its nice yes, but don't go around making assumptions of people because they won't go bankrupt refusing to turn their mode of transportation into some sort of museum exhibit.

[@worawatli8952]

I drive a 9000 CD 2.3 with no turbo, my first car and my only car, I usually ride motorscooter, but I need a car for the occasion. I went for a test drive in a used 9000 3 years ago, I was blown away by it, it is the my most favorite car I ever driven, I guess it wasn't sold for quite sometime because it doesn't have a turbo, people look for Saab here for the power on budget, but I just want a comfortable cheap used car. It isn't fast but have more than enough power for me when I need it, it is also not the most comfortable, but it is very nice and supple and the seat is very well design to be ergonomic, everythings are there for good reasons. It's the kind of car that know what you need but doesn't give all the things you want, make your life easy and take a lot of worries away while you drive it. Big reason I bought it is the great value it provide,at this price point + maintainance and repairs, I got the best deal out of it, much much better than German counterparts.

[@427Motorsports]

We would love to experience a 9000 sometime!

[@worawatli8952]

@@427Motorsports If you are in Thailand, I'll gladly offer an interview. lol Quite jealous of you guys that you can find the classic 900 for reasonable price, where I live, classic 900 has gone up a lot in value, but 9000 prices are still the same for years, no body want them now but so many were sold back in the days.

[@RCanning78]

I thought this was filmed in the 1990s with the wobbly camera work! Maybe that was the intention, but I think I now have vertigo! Maybe even a cellphone would be a better option for more stable video?

[@427Motorsports]

That was the original intention but unfortunately I think we went a bit too wobbly! We'll have a tripod for the next one for sure!

[@af5579]

i'd be happy to loan you a 99 turbo if you ever want to make a video on it

[@427Motorsports]

Where ya based?

[@af5579]

@@427Motorsports outside of newry, best time to see the car would be in around june

[@427Motorsports]

Absolutely perfect - if you’re on social media send Tomo or Conor a message! 😅

[@ThePrissy11]

Love my Saab even though it is of the GM ownership era.❤️. That is a beautiful 900 but the steering wheel is on the wrong side😆

[@427Motorsports]

Hahah, whatever you say! ;)

[@Spheredalai]

Saab😍💯👍

[@wilhelmignis1314]

6:47 min: "AB" in "SAAB" stands for "aktiebolaget" = company on shares. "aktie" = share, "bolaget" = company

[@427Motorsports]

Ahh, that makes sense, thank you!

[@davidorama6690]

That’s one gorgeous SAAB - it’s just a pity that it’s not red.

[@broadmoorheights4321]

Can you still buy a 900 Turbo in Sweden today and bring it back to the US?

[@427Motorsports]

Other than the 25 year import rule etc we can’t see why not!

[@cardiffchris]

Beautiful car to an engineer. Confusing to car yokels.

[@doraemeah3424]

Could tell that was Scotland…

[@LIAMNEALE8]

A lot of wobbly camera work in this one lads. This guy is a Saab enthusiast so a car guy in my books. cool car. i'd a 900 turbo for a week or so, did you know the hand brake goes to the front wheels! Not useful at all 😂🤔

[@427Motorsports]

Just trying out a new camera, apologies for the shaky footage, it'll have a tripod going forward 😁 Yes Joe is a good sport and very good on camera!

[@casatranquila9529]

handbrake on front wheels only pre 87 Saab 900s after on rear . Saab 900 T16 > a proper car 🚗

[@stevel9914]

clean the earth strap next to the radiator .. could be the cause of your electrical issues.

[@stevel9914]

looks more like nocturne blue to me

[@edturners]

thats a proper Saab none of the GM tosh

[@DingKong]

Lovely example. Saab's were great and it's a shame they were 'GM'ed' into oblivion

[@nathanielnicholson559]

The reality is that GM held SAAB afloat for longer than they would've lasted if GM hadn't gotten involved. Maybe GM could've done more/differently to revive SAAB, maybe not (probably could've though), but GM did not ruin SAAB, it was already near dead and GM's cpr was not effective enough. Shame either way. I'm on my 8th 900 (and 1 99) and I want to drive them as long as I can drive.

[@stefanstefan2105]

"non car guy" car guy doesn't mean someone that loves sports car i am a car guy and i love old classic cars with not more power than 75 hp there is no sense to but a sports car it consumes to much fuel and in most countries there are not enough good roads

[@427Motorsports]

No, he's just not big into cars in general, but likes Saabs. We didn't infer that you must like fancy cars to be into cars - half our channel is full of shite econoboxes!

[@stefanstefan2105]

@@427Motorsports ok

[@toggler6985]

The NG model looked generically boring and blended with the rest of that era. The c900 is by far the better looking shape! I have two 5dr 1993 turbos in black and will pass on to an enthusiast whom I know will look after and enjoy when I finally kark it!

[@StoneHighland]

I'm 58 years old, Always had Classic SsSaabs ab since 87 amongst my other Motors, I cannae watch you video due to your Advertisements from Islamic States

[@427Motorsports]

Ads are totally out of our control, but cool to know!

[@SB-cd2mx]

👍👍👍

[@racing3060]

💚🤍❤👍💪💪🏁🏁🏁