This is getting too predictable

[howard]

Despite me getting rid of cars, I now have another - but it really is rather nice

Some of you might have seen it on eBay.





Needs new calipers and exhaust for the MOT (the other parts I have) - it's a wee bit filthy but will clean up magnificently, you'll see

[spunkymonkey]

Ohh, now I'm really jealous! May have to think of an auto version of that one day as a tow car

[howard]

I know where there's a nice flat-front 900i auto combi for sale for £250.....

I think it's done 80,000 (no more than 100,000, that's for sure).

This has actually cheered me up as I was really rather more upset than I thought I would be about selling my blue 33. Just goes to show that sometimes things happen for a reason.

They mingle quite well, Saabs and DAFs. They're both very individual, and good condition ones still turn up nice and cheaply. This 'un came in at £225, which when you consider what new spares come with it is a bit of a steal. And, sure it has a few rust bubbles, but it's as straight as you like.

Interior is a bit messy (kids and dogs tend to make that sort of mess!) but I'm hopeful it will clean up presentably enough.

It'll look terrific with my refurbished minilites on, and the colour isn't THAT bad! I'd have preferred bright orange though!

[spunkymonkey]

Nope, a 900 just isn't the same - nasty modern re-style that it is ;D

[howard]

I do actually sort of agree with you, in that I prefer the looks of the 99 but similiarly they ain't half bad cars, and still very cheap if you can live without a turbo. I love them all.

And there was me thinking you wanted one for practical reasons!

[howard]

Oh, crud. Look what I've ended up buying too!

Two in one day.

Was only just down the road and I couldn't resist - the interior is spot-on so worth having just for that!

[pauldaf44]

Oh Howard you done it again. How many cars have you got now? Im glad im not paying your tax and insurance bills.

Anyway how much trouble are you in with the mrs now?

[howard]

Paul, do you think if I had a Missus I'd be allowed to buy two cars in a day??? It's little details like that that mean I can go on eBay and carandclassic - and you can count up the cars I actually have when I update my signature! Six of those are for sale, and this yellow 'un will most likely be "spares only" but you never know.

It's about time I took out a fleet policy I reckon, but when you're my age you can get a years insurance for £115 fully comp on older cars. I can cope with that - mostly! They're not all taxed and insured you know!

[pauldaf44]

Your making me jelous again. I want that insurance deal.

[howard]

It's easy - you just have to get old!

And don't have accidents, obviously!

[spunkymonkey]

Was that second one the stupidly cheap one for spares on carandclassic? Did see that earlier and thought of you ;D

[33grinder]

I'm also jealous Howard.

What a lovely pair you've got there, oo-er!

I'm also jealous that you don't have the missus problem. No stealth buying and wondering where you're going to put them for you! ;D

[stefan]

Have to say my Mrs dose not both to much, don't think i have got 2 in one though

[howard]

Even if I did find someone daft enough to enter into a relationship with me, I do have the use of a decent sized warehouse to hide them in so I still reckon I could get away with it!

That yellow one was indeed from carandclassic.com, and has been advertised before for £400 - I do have a feeling though that I might look it over and decide it deserves a second chance. These cars are getting rarer by the day, and I really hate tearing things apart just for the sake of it. If it's really rotten then fine, but I certainly won't hurry any decision! Just get rid of those awful wheel trims........

[howard]

Had a good look round that yellow beastie today - it's surprisingly good! I was under the impression it had not been used for years but the MOT expired only in February 2010!

It has some surface rust and as far as I can see, no holes. Has a leaky caliper but with fluid topped up it pumps up OK. Interior is very nice indeed. A good T-cut will have her shining again! I'm very pleased!!!

Am getting it picked up next week so will be spending most of the summer polishing, I should imagine!

[howard]

Ssssssh, John. I've sold two, and have another six for sale.......

And for what I paid, I'd be nuts not to.

Still saving, and not doing too bad - contrary to popular belief! I still have all the motorbikes to get rid of too!

[howard]

Oh dear, you sure you want me to list these wonderful eccentricities (mostly saved from the scrappy!).

Toying with the idea of selling my everyday bike because, well, I don't use it every day, and too many people I know have had too many close shaves recently....it's a four year old Suzuki Marauder (a mighty 125cc).

Bikes I will be getting rid of include:

Honda Melody x3
Honda Runaway
Ariel 3 x3 (or is it 4??) trikes
Jawa 350

Erm, there are probably others hiding somewhere!

I shall be keeping the ex-Onne Union Sport-a-Matic though!!

[Patrick]

Oh! I love the sound of a Jawa 350 - I see they still make it (over there) despite the take overs that the company has been through - but we can't have them over here because of emission regulations. Bit of trivia; The same regulations that put paid to Ford developing a two stroke engine for the original Ford Ka - which is why it had to soldier on with the old Fiesta "Kent" engine. My Dad had two CZ's and three Jawa 350's whilst I was young. Many an adventure had there - he would commute to London from Kent and over to Heathrow Airport as well for a while, before the M25 had been fully built. He always hung on to the bikes for spares, so there was an R reg one in the garage and his everyday one was an N reg (late seventies/early eighties).

One occasion "Gladys" as she was called developed electrical faults and coming back from work either the lights would work but the engine wouldn't or vice versa. Not fun - it was raining too of course. Another remembrance was an evening spent with a Jawa engine half hanging out of a hot oven - it needed heating before he could work on it! apparently! (Three guesses that his marriage didn't last long after that). I also remember him making his own, revoltingly smelling glue to stick his fibreglass front faring together with. It was brown, gloopy and stank is all I remember of it. Another not very clever thing he managed - and in general he was brilliant at most DIY stuff - was when he used our new electric fire to bend some perspex for a new windscreen he was making - So he turned the fire on it's side!!!! Consequently, the little spring elements within the heat tubes sort of slid to one end - so until it settled back down again there was a hot spot at one end of the fire for quite a while afterwards!

Round about 1985 I spotted an A reg one in the paper for £425 - it was a bit too much for us at the time - and because of their image I suppose, just a few months later it was readvertised at £125! Dad snapped it up! Still had the noise but it sounded so much cleaner than the older two, which, between them had probably covered about 250,000 miles. They weren't barnstormer bikes, or even very sexy, but as one reviewer once said, you could drive them through several hedges or even brick walls and you had the feeling they'd survive in tact. The low revving engine made for a great commuter bike I'd say.

Dad went off one evening - and before the distinguished note had died away it was heard coming back again..... Gladys limped into the drive, behaving badly and Dad hurled his helmet onto the grass.......

......and from a safe distance I took a photo.

[howard]

Did I not mention it has a sidecar???

[howard]

Having just updated my "signature" I've just realised that as of today I have more Saabs than DAFs. Okay, so it's slightly skewed by the amount of spares cars (three of the Saabs will not be going back on the road, and one DAF 33 is for spares) - but even so, it's a worrying trend!

[howard]

Talking of CZs and sidecars, if anyone wants it just take the bloomin' thing away

[kenr]

What nice 99's. I had a 1969 BRG 99 2 door. Bought it when I was doing my nurse training in 1988. It was a chrome bumper model. I have never seen another one since. Sadly it blew the headgasket a week after the previous owner bought it back off me. The heater on it was amazing, sounded like a Jumbo taking off. I loved the array of heater hoses that demisted the rear screen. It also had low fuel and seatbelt warning lights..... not bad for 1969. Love the key in the floor gearbox lock. Fantastic idea.

[howard]

Thank you very much!

They're even better now - spent a few hours today T-cutting and having a good ol' look around the Werther's original coloured one to see what needs doing. A few minor things I wasn't aware of, such as passenger door not working from the outside, rear passenger window not winding down, that sort of thing. All relatively straightforward, especially if you have a 900i that's being used for bits! Nothing has worried me too much yet, and I've had very positive comments from Saab enthusiasts who have come to take a look....

Did take my camera, but it refused to take any pictures until the batteries are replaced! Grrrr....

The central ignition was a good idea, and not just for security but for safety too. I'm ALMOST as keen on Saabs as I am on DAFs!

[howard]

Wow, we should have Bank Holidays every week!

Had a good rest, some lovely easter eggs, and managed to get on with some cars, too!

The brown 99 has its front seats out as the passenger side has collapsed and will be repaired (you can still get kits from Saab). I have cleaned out the interior of all traces of dog and child and the more I look around the car you can tell it has lived a cherished life until it was an inherited by a family member who used it simply as an old car. Grim stuff really, like putting your hand down the back of someone's grotty sofa, but hopefully something that will only be done once!


The car itself is awesome though, and is cleaning up magnificently.


The interior shot still shows mud on the door panels and is pre-vacuum!


Haven't found anything seriously amiss - although it will need a new exhaust, new brake calipers and new rear suspension arms. Will be worth the effort though - I really like the car!


Of course, some on here may know about the Triumph/Saab 99 connection...........

[pauldaf44]

that would be slant 4 engines I think

[spunkymonkey]

Stupid water pump design

Funny that the Saab version never seemed to develop the overheating / blown head gasket rep that the Triumph slants did.

[howard]

You are correct, Paul! That is indeed what I was thinking of.

The water pump was the weak link in an otherwise reliable engine, but Saab did re-engineer the engine a lot, presumably aleviating the overheating/head gasket issue.

[stefan]

Saab did have the over heating problems that the dolly did that is why Saab re engineered the unite to suit them.

To biggest diffrences was better water pump but most of all they got rid of the angled head bolts that the triumph engine had on one side of the engine making them all go 90 degrees through the head, after that no more head gasket problems.