UKSaabs

Hi all,

Went to see this silver Aero but didn't purchase for a number of reasons (none major). Its a 120K car which has been with its current 80 year owner for 12 years (self serviced). I don't usually go for DIY cars but with these there isn't much choice in what's available!

Positives:

Silver in good condition
New front wings
16" correct alloys
Super smooth engine/box/suspension
FSH until DIY but he's kept all receipts
Recent clutch
Re-padded drivers seat foam
Working sunroof
Original
Lovely wedge of paperwork
All keys

Negatives:

DIY servicing (I hate that)
Replacement front wings fitted but require correct alignment
Rear discs/pads pitted
Rear tyres 10 years old, cracked and low
Two small holes on the rear flitch panels either side of the rear bumper side spats
Some rust under OSF windscreen on scuttle (treated by said DIY'er)
Some rust on NSR door edge (treated by DIY'er)
Headlamp washer system junked
Drivers heated seat not functional
Various other DIY items around car
Paintwork evident on OSR quarter and door (no 3M tape used to feather edges - I HATE sloppy paintshops)


I walked away as we couldn't agree price.

What's this car actually worth? I know it's an Aero etc but with all that list above, I'd easily end up spending £3000 getting it how I want it, and figured it wasn't worth my time!

Ray

You don't mention the MOT status or history, Ray. Regardless, it would be the corrosion, not the home servicing, that would put me off.

If I was interested in the car that you describe, I think £1000 would be my target and £1500 my limit, always assuming of course that it is road legal with a half-decent MOT. But perceived values may vary and prices are notoriously subjective.

Regards, John.

BigRay wrote:Hi all,

Went to see this silver Aero but didn't purchase for a number of reasons (none major). Its a 120K car which has been with its current 80 year owner for 12 years (self serviced). I don't usually go for DIY cars but with these there isn't much choice in what's available!

Positives:

Silver in good condition
New front wings
16" correct alloys
Super smooth engine/box/suspension
FSH until DIY but he's kept all receipts
Recent clutch
Re-padded drivers seat foam
Working sunroof
Original
Lovely wedge of paperwork
All keys

Negatives:

DIY servicing (I hate that)
Replacement front wings fitted but require correct alignment
Rear discs/pads pitted
Rear tyres 10 years old, cracked and low
Two small holes on the rear flitch panels either side of the rear bumper side spats
Some rust under OSF windscreen on scuttle (treated by said DIY'er)
Some rust on NSR door edge (treated by DIY'er)
Headlamp washer system junked
Drivers heated seat not functional
Various other DIY items around car
Paintwork evident on OSR quarter and door (no 3M tape used to feather edges - I HATE sloppy paintshops)


I walked away as we couldn't agree price.

What's this car actually worth? I know it's an Aero etc but with all that list above, I'd easily end up spending £3000 getting it how I want it, and figured it wasn't worth my time!

Ray

That actually sounds like a good aero, someones obviously cared for it

Negatives are all not the worst on a car this age
DIY servicing...good thing, more likely to be decent parts used rather than the cheapest dross from eurocarparts fitted by the lowest common denominator at kwik fit
Wings can be realigned in a couple hours or so
Rear discs and pads, 60 to 70 quid for a decent set and maybe an hour or so to fit
Rear tyres, yeah that's a slight sticking point as I'd want decent tyres fitted
How bad are the holes?
Rust issues would be my biggest concern, that would require screen out and dealt with

Headlight washers are usually scrap anyway, the ones on my 9000 anniversary work but it's the only 9000 I've seen with them working
Heated seat, you can buy a kit to repair them I think
DIY items, it depends on what DIY items you mean
Paintwork, the car is coming up for 30 odd years old, unfortunately not all bodyshops see old Saabs as something to Revere....but yes I agree I dislike corners cut

It all depends on how much the car was being offered for, for a £2k car I'd say all the above isn't a dealbreaker but if it was closer to £4k or something I'd be going for more off.....but then I'm totally out of the loop on 9000 valuations as the last one I bought was £400 for a S reg anniversary

Thanks all.

MOT is due in around December.

The owner wanted £3000 for it which to me was way over priced.

I’ll agree with £1500 for it, but as you know, no one is going to take £1500 for their Aero!

DIY servicing?
For a good number of years every 747-400 I flew on was, to some extent, DIY serviced. Yes, I had worked on all 57 of them.

What makes you think that someone would does their own servicing is less capable than someone employed by a dealer? When you put a car in for servicing you have absolutely no idea whether the best technician in the place or the newest apprentice did the work. You also have no idea whether they really changed to oil, air, cabin and fuel filters or whether they just said they had. If you do the work yourself you can be absolutely certain that the parts were changed and that OEM or quality third party items were used.

If you have all the receipts I would be confident that the work had been done, far more so than I would be with an unknown independent “specialist’s” name on the top.

Having said that, you can get tyres replaced on the drive by the AA or any number of tyre vendors, just factor that in to any offer you might make.

The 9000 had headlamp washer/wipers if you can get the bits the wipers are easily replaced.

Seat heaters fail, it is easy enough to find the breaks in the element and repair them or you can get replacement elements. No fun if it is an electric seat because they are heavy.

Rust and paintwork? Rust is almost inevitable on a 27 year old car, if you’re looking to by a 9000 you have to factor in body repairs. A DIY reprotection job, even a poor one, is preferable to leaving corrosion untreated. If you have the corroded metal repaired properly, paint repairs will inevitably follow so the areas of imperfect paint can be sorted at the same time.

What’s it really worth? What would you pay for a “perfect” example? Take that figure and subtract the cost of restoration and you will have a good idea. I agree with Steve, it sounds good for its age, would I pay £3,000 for it? Probably not, but I haven’t seen it. £2,000 probably, maybe even a bit more depending on how much rust there is and what it looks like from underneath. Then again I would be entrusting the bodywork to a known, very small body shop, and I don’t have the inconvenience of having to go to work.

Agree with you on rubbish garages fleecing people so there are some merits to home servicing, I understand that. Heck, I used to do a fair bit myself until my back troubles began (gym damage).

I guess I only trust myself working on cars from a DIY perspective as I am originally an R&D Engineer from the Automotive world; I know I have the skills and knowledge, just not the desire any more.

It’s a fair car, agreed. But, I don’t think it’s worth the £3000.

Would I pay £2000 for it? Probably not now with some of the comments above.

I’d be happy at £1500, but I’d rather not insult the seller with that kind of offer.

Cheers

I have had my 1995 9000 Aero for around 15 years now and generally do all my own work on both my cars - I virtually know every nut and bolt on the 9000 having worked on most of it and oil changes/plugs every 6k miles. I don't trust garages to do a good job - just me - It needs a few minor things doing, has had new front wings from another 9000, sprayed, stone chipped coating on the inside. It's on 185,000 miles, stage 3, full JT, SAS bars and Eibach springs/Bilsteins.
It did have a partial engine rebuilt at Saabflight some years back - new clutch, head gasket, timing chains etc which cost me £2k, new callipers, discs, bushes - basically, anything worn was attended to.
I looked at mine the other day and wondered what it is worth. I know i would never recover what is spent but given the prices of some 9000 Aero's recently would like to recover £3-3.5 k but car is only worth what someone is willing to pay. I have a spare engine/gearbox and other parts - just in case so do i throw that in as a package or sell separately. It's not perfect but a good solid car for someone if they want to extend its life.
Not looking to sell at present but that would be the level i would be looking at.

For the benefit of the uninitiated like myself, could some kind owner please explain the attraction of an 'Aero' and its seemingly disproportionate price premium?

We have owned several 9000s, saloons and hatches, from '88 to '96 cars, both 2.0 and 2.3 litre L and HPTs, all automatics, but never an 'Aero'. Only one failed to please, the 2.3 HPT that lunched its gearbox!

Our present long-term ownership V6 is, in our view, one of the nicest to drive, with its seamless power delivery and abundant low-down torque characteristics. So what would an 'Aero' offer that ours does not?

I think the £3K mentioned by Mike is not unreasonable for any well-sorted 9000, but I stand by my £1500 for a car such as the one described by Ray. I do not think the fact that it happens to be an 'Aero' is overly significant, nor do I think that such an offer would necessarily be seen as an insult. After all, the vendor is perfectly free to decline if he should feel it inadequate.

Regards, John.

The Aero has some features that are absent from other models, front seats for example, that make it more attractive. That and the fact that they were produced in small numbers will drive a price premium.

The car, as described, seems an above average 27 year old Saab. Its value is determined by how much someone is prepared to pay to own a 9000 Aero, if they have around £6,000 to spare it might make a good purchase but few people will pay as much to restore a Saab as they paid to acquire it in the first place. Between £1,500 and £2,000 seems about right if, and only if, one is prepared to accept an overall loss on buying and restoring. It isn’t worth even tat to run into the ground.

What's the interior like ? Drivers seat heater is a known weak point but you want the leather in good condition. DIY maintenance by an enthusiast should be considered a plus, particularly if documented. You can then see if something like a new DI is genuine or Chinese rubbish. I own 2 Aeros and look after my son's 9000 and do all my own maintenance except for odd specific jobs when I use a good indy. Is it a manual? They command higher prices for their tuning/performance capability.
The car seems pretty fair and if a manual is probably worth around 2.5k. It is low mileage with a fsh and there are not many coming up for sale. The owners are tending to hang on to them. It's only perhaps when folks are looking at a mobility scooter as their next purchase that they come on the market now. If you want it because you love the cabin ambience allied with great performance then go for it cos prices are going up. It will never be an investment if you plan any pro body work but if it's your hobby and you have access to other cars then -yeah. Do your homework. Check the mot history. If a tyre is 10yrs old I would guess it has seen little use in the past few yrs.
As regard the cachet surrounding a 9000 Aero. Those seats are just superb. Ask Paul Taylor. You get extra performance and the look of the car is different and more purposeful with its slightly lowered suspension, Aero wheels and body trim. It commands a premium for a reason.
Should you seriously consider some pro work have a look at my thread in Your Cars entitled 9000 Aero Rescue which will give you some idea of costs.

I'd say that was easily £2ks worth of car in todays' market. As for what makes them so special: seats (front and rear), 150mph performance, presence, body styling (only the Anniversary at the end of production looked the same) and the fact that when released in 1993 they were advertised as having a 50-70 acceleration faster than a Ferrari F40.