Thing is, it is a very light repair for someone who can go body work, or
wants to get into convertible ownership for a restoration price.

The things like the bonnet and boot aren't so bad, even if you wanted to
replace them.  genuine OEM spec bonnet from Euro carparts is £300, a
pattern one is £150 + paint (and it isn't metallic).

I know it sounds bad, but really isn't.
And you wouldn't believe (I still can't believe seeing as what I paid),
the prices that C900 convertibles sell for. A good one with arround
150k+ original miles regularly get sold for £5-7k. I reckon about a
grand spending and it would be a £4k car (if you can DIY the roof and
welding).

9000s, even Aeros and Annis appear to be down to peanuts, while £1800 is
the bare base starting price for a wreck for a C900 convert turbo.

It has MOT until August 2006, and Tax until end of Jan 2006, so it isn't
as if I'm selling up because everything is running out. I'm still not
sure how the last guy got it through an MOT with the screen surrund so
bad. It certainly isn't rotten, but it definatley needs some new metal
adding in a couple of small places.

I could drive it until spring, bail the water out where it leaks in the
back and flog it in the spring for silly money with a bit of a bodge and
filler job where the surround looks flaky and put it up for £3k, but I
can't do that. I would rather someone else got an honest winter resto
that they can see, at about the market price. I paid £2500 for it in
August, the roof isn't as great as I hoped, and now I've found the
additional rust than what I was told about (blind ebay buy from a guy
selling because he was going abroad). I don't have access to even a
lockup, so all my repairs get done in the alley at the back of the
house. That would mean paying for someone to fit a new roof, and do the
welding and probably fitting a new windscreen if the one breaks (that
would be easy on fully comp insurance) while the repair is being done.
All that adds to what I would need to pay out.

I know of a couple of people who have traded out late 9Ks for C900
convertibles.

When you don't have a garage or somewhere to get the car off the road, any
old(er) car needing TLC can be a handful. I'm reading between the lines a
little, but I think that's where Carl is with this car. No time and/or space
to deal with it. If he had space, it would be full of old car and he'd have
another daily driver. It is as he describes - a good project car, most of
the way "there" and in need of finishing and cherishing.

The right person will come along Carl, I'm sure of that. The price at just
over 2K is not at all bad for a C900 convertible already with leather and
bodykit, but do be aware that they shift of eBay for less. Is it not a
possibility that a nearby SAAB specialist would take it as part-exchange for
a late 9K? My mate got an almost pristine 2.3 Anni for just short of 3K
recently.

Shame - perhaps later, when you have the facilities to deal with "the
dream", it'll be worthwhile. I keep putting off the Citroen CX and the
Triumph Spitfire for the same reasons ... and found two C900s to be more
than I could cope with and (kicks self again!!!) let the flat nose go :(

Chin up, pal. Good luck!

Paul

1989 900 Turbo S
http://saab.go.dyndns.org/

Vart tog vägen vägen?
SAAB : Nothing on earth comes close

I had a CD LPT as a courtesy for a week when I had my last 900.
It felt more planted but soggier.
It didn't have the bumping but responsive ride of the T16.
I hoped the softer sprung Vert might help my back after the heavily
tweaked Celica GT4, but it hasn't really, and I hoped that I might get
away with a Roof, and some service/wear and tear work, but this looks to
be a little more.

I think things will work out, even if I just pick up a cheap golf 3
Diesel to get through the winter and decide where I want to be.

In article <a64a85b21db33fb5e172ada532fa0355
@localhost.talkaboutautos.com>, barberirealty@msn.com says...

I know, it is vaguely english.
After dreaming of owning one for so long, it isn't something I wanted to
be writing at all.