Gumtree temptations of the day

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Sat 22 May 2021 11:21
Gumtree temptations of the day - SLO76
Spotted this while working very hard at my place of employment... Affluent elderly owner had it for 15yrs. Not anywhere near the standard of the predecessor Saab 9000 but still an interesting car for around £2k. I’ve seen it around and it’s caught my eye before. Had it been an estate it might be sat on my drive now.

www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-motorbikes/saab-9-5-li...l
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Sat 22 May 2021 11:24
Gumtree temptations of the day - SLO76
Another unusual tidy wee survivor...

www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-motorbikes/ultra-low-m...l
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Sat 22 May 2021 11:31
Gumtree temptations of the day - SLO76
Has to be cheap and the suns out too...

www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-motorbikes/mazda-mx5-c...l
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Sat 22 May 2021 11:32
Gumtree temptations of the day - SLO76
Love it!

www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-motorbikes/mk1-astra-l...l
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Sat 22 May 2021 11:41
Gumtree temptations of the day - Steveieb

Seems like all the bargains are in your neck of the woods SLO. Surprised about your comments about the Saab as looking back a few years you hadn’t got a good word to say about them. What has changed your views?

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Sat 22 May 2021 14:05
Gumtree temptations of the day - SLO76

Seems like all the bargains are in your neck of the woods SLO. Surprised about your comments about the Saab as looking back a few years you hadn’t got a good word to say about them. What has changed your views?

I’m no great fan of the GM (fake) Saab’s but this one has a perfect history and has the sort of owner you want to be buying from.
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Sat 22 May 2021 12:02
Gumtree temptations of the day - sammy1

Saabs didn;'t the bulkhead fail on some of these and need to be strengthened?

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Sat 22 May 2021 12:04
Gumtree temptations of the day - Xileno

I think that was the 900 (the GM era one) which my brother's wife also had which actually they thought was a better car than the 9-5.

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Sat 22 May 2021 12:51
Gumtree temptations of the day - nellyjak

..Could have been tempted by that Saab..!..and it was the 9-3 that suffered the bulkhead issues...cost cutting by the GM bean counters...but a relatively easy fix.

I had the 9-3 LPT "vert" auto...loved it...autobox was never an issue for me.

Edited by nellyjak on 22/05/2021 at 12:52

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Sat 22 May 2021 13:06
Gumtree temptations of the day - elekie&a/c doctor
One of my elderly neighbours has a 1999 Honda Civic , same as the Rover . Done 25k from new . Fully kitted out with ac and leather. The car’s brand new . I’ve got my eye on it .
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Sat 22 May 2021 14:40
Gumtree temptations of the day - SLO76
One of my elderly neighbours has a 1999 Honda Civic , same as the Rover . Done 25k from new . Fully kitted out with ac and leather. The car’s brand new . I’ve got my eye on it .

Good car that, very comfy and tough. I had my eye on a 1.8 VTi Estate some old fella had nearby but it’s vanished now along with him. Might be sitting in his garage somewhere.
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Sat 22 May 2021 17:00
Gumtree temptations of the day - Hugh Watt

I had a 1998 Saab 900 which did in due course have the bulkhead issue and the necessary fix (- fine otherwise and stayed in the family for 17 years). The 9-3 estate that succeeded it didn't have that problem; I don't think that model suffered it (?), and after 16 years it's still my son's runabout.

I was happy with my 3 Saabs over the course of 28 years, but you'd have to be quite an enthusiast to take one on now, I imagine! That said, I could be tempted by some of the restored and hotted-up examples I saw at a Saab specialist in deepest rural Essex...

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Sat 22 May 2021 13:24
Gumtree temptations of the day - Falkirk Bairn

30/40 years ago the former SAAB dealer in Ayr seemed to have a good following as they were very common in and around Ayr.

The original owners sold off the franchise.

From what I can see Parks seemed to have cornered a lot of franchises in Ayrshire, along with AClark. Take these 2 out of the choice very few new car franchises family owned.

Neither Parks or AC would tempt me to give them my money.

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Sat 22 May 2021 14:04
Gumtree temptations of the day - SLO76

30/40 years ago the former SAAB dealer in Ayr seemed to have a good following as they were very common in and around Ayr.

The original owners sold off the franchise.

From what I can see Parks seemed to have cornered a lot of franchises in Ayrshire, along with AClark. Take these 2 out of the choice very few new car franchises family owned.

Neither Parks or AC would tempt me to give them my money.

I used to work there in the early 90’s during school holidays. I loved Saab’s from pre GM years.
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Sat 22 May 2021 17:23
Gumtree temptations of the day - catsdad

I had a 2.3 1999 Saab 9-5 for a couple of years from nearly new. Nice car and a step above general GM quality. It followed a Vectra and while some of the oily bits were presumably GM the quality of trim and paint was way better in the Saab. The black paint felt like enamel.

I knew it was not really aircraft related as the ads at the time hinted but the cockpit design was a treat. It had a huge number of dash controls and buttons but I don’t recall ever struggling to find the right one.

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Sat 22 May 2021 18:46
Gumtree temptations of the day - nellyjak

The 9-5 was a good car..and with the 2.3 it was no slouch.

The Saab I had was one of the most comfortable cars I've ever had...only my current Estima surpasses it...with my old Volvo V70 coming close.

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Sat 22 May 2021 19:46
Gumtree temptations of the day - Steveieb

Paul Easter , the rally driver ran the River Garage in Old Stratford with his father Bill.

Being a small garage, lots of the big companies were not interested in granting him dealership so he started a long and successful relationship with Saab.

Back in the early seventies the 99 was an expensive car at £1500 and the 96 estate was £1100 against a Cortina at £800 but friends who were engineers were struck by the integrity . The original 99 shared an engine design with the Triumph Dolomite but eventually Saab developed their own engine.

Foolishly I went the Honda Accord way and watched it rust in front of my eyes whilst colleagues 99 looked as good as new .

Eventually I was offered a 99 but turned it down as it had no power steering and my wife couldn’t handle it as she had damaged her neck nursing. Another if only !

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Sat 22 May 2021 19:52
Gumtree temptations of the day - SLO76
Good engines in petrol spec, drove quite well, rode properly and the seats were great but the quality was poor compared to rivals. Anyone who tried a proper Saab before the American bean counters got their hands on the firm would see the big downward step. Last 9-5 I tried was my wife’s elderly aunts (yes she’s a petrol head) 2008 2.3T Aero automatic with a beefy 256bhp and while it fair went down the road it was horrendously thirsty and poorly built with rattles a plenty inside. It never went wrong but the £500 plus road tax and thirst were painful. I would never have bought one new or sunk much money into a used one but at £1500-£2000 for a decent one they’re great value now.
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