Re: $aabs

[Charles Schwartz <cschwart@stern.nyu.edu>]

At 12:00 PM 10/16/97 -0400, you wrote:

Igor,

No offense, but you don't know Saab 900's from dirt.  I own one.  An 89
Turbo in fact.  

"An aquaintanance (sic) of mine once owned an '89 900T 5sp. That thing was
so quick we 
called it a *Mad Hare*. Exhibited a horrendous torque steer, tho, if you
rev it up"

The 900 has a longitudinal engine design, like an Audi.  Yes, there is a
great turbo rush beginning at 2000 rpms, but I have noticed no more torque
steer than on my Audi.  Maybe the one you drove needed bushings.

"- - The tranny is mounted to the BOTTOM of the oil pan. In case of a minor
repair, 
like of the oil pan gasket leak, one has to drop the tranny!"

The oil pan gasket is located between the engine and the trans.  They are
sealed together.  I have NEVER heard of a leak in this area, nor has one
ever been mentioned on any Saab mailing list.

"- - The belts and pulleys are on BOTH sides of the engine. Mostly on the
rear side. 
The water pump is there also. The gap between the pulleys and the firewall is 
hardly more than 20mm. Got a water pump leak? Too bad, now you've gotta
drop the engine and the tranny."

There are NO belts on the rear of the engine.  That is where the bell
housing is located.  I changed my water pump this summer, an easy job that
require only moving the air con compressor out of the way (2 bolts).
Anyone who would drop the engine on a 900 to change a water pump, would
drop the engine on an Audi to change the air filter.

"- - If you're standing in front of the car and wave the driver to open the
hood, it jumps at you by no less than 1 ft forward, hitting you in the area 
of...hmm...reproductive organs. I still remember my surprise, when it
happened to me for the first time."

That is done on purpose to control the birth rate of certain populations.

"- - Saab has the hood that opens like on a BMW, leaving you only two sides
for 
access. Any medium sized repair forces you to take the hood off. When
afterwards you put it back on you have to realign the gaps. PITA."

One of the nicest features on the Saab is the great hood and access that it
gives.  You only need to remove the hood (2 bolts) to change the clutch (2
hour job) or remove the radiator.  The hood does not need to be realigned
at all.

Stick to Audi's Igor.  You don't seem to be able to appreciate more than
one kind of car at a time.

Charles