In exchange for beer vouchers, obviously...
I found a C900 convertible at a dealer in Staten Island that I'm rather interested in but it's too expensive for his cheapness here to just take the risk, buy it sight unseen and have it shipped out here. I won't have the time to fly out there either (although that would make a cool road trip back) so I figured the next best thing would be to see if a member of the hive mind was able to give the car a once-over. The other reason I don't want to fly out there is that said dealer has multiple C900s in stock that I might find appealing and the last thing I need is to come home with a big rig full of Saabs.
I'm mainly concerned with the body and convertible roof condition (it's supposed to be rust free, but I think rust free on the East Coast might not mean the same as rust free out here in the Western desert) and a general condition check than a SAAB-specific inspection - if the engine and turbo don't make any funny noises and the gearbox works fine, that's good enough at this point.
This is the car in question, BTW: http://www.saabclassic.net/1992_Saab_Saab_Staten%20Island_NY_191422755.veh
Any chance it's a place that specializes in Rovers? They had 1 or 2 classic 900s for a while. I trust they don't have Sandy cars. I've seen their stuff on eBay. A lot of cool low mile Land Rovers, Saabs, etc.
Not far from me, I'm in Brooklyn
I think they also advertise as RoverClassic and the site roverclassic.net redirects to the one in my link, yes. And for some reason "Sandy car" came to mind, hence the question if anybody could eyeball the car for me.
I did find them on ebay and noticed that they do seem to have nice low-mileage Saabs for similar prices that people ask for 200k+ cars out here.
Yeah they seem to have all of these crazy low mile cars. They had an original 84 GTI with like 20k miles on it a few months back, a 900 SPG with something like 30k miles. They aren't a cheap place but seem to have good stuff and good reviews. They are also not located in the part of the island hit by Sandy. They're on the hill. No damage. Much unlike me and my hood.
I MIGHT be able to drive out there Friday if I have time and could take a gander.
Its not implausible that that a c900 that clean would be in NYC, since the Mid-Atlantic region was probably SAABs biggest single market in the entire world. If it was closer to Philly I would check it out for you. You might want to try asking on one of the SAAB specific forums, since they are sure to have members in that region....Not that there's anything wrong with this forum.
@HappyAndy, I'd prefer not to join yet another forum, I'm beginning to lose track 
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@redhookfern, that would be very much appreciated.
Timo, if you're already considering a car on this side of the country, you may want to contact Robert Motorcars in Woodbury, CT. The guy has a little dealership who specializes in Saabs. He's always has some nifty European stuff there.
Okay so I think I may be able to head out that way later on Friday. Is there anything specific you want me to look over? Do you want me to speak with them or just check it out on my own.
In reply to redhookfern:
Thanks, I really appreciate it. If you can't make it it's no biggie, I really should be buying something more sensible anyway but the usual case of AADD strikes again.
My main concern is the condition of the body, roof and interior - it looks really clean in the pictures but there are some areas where these cars will rust eventually and they're all under the car - for certain things like rusty rocker panels you'll have to open the doors to check them anyway so it might be worth having a chat with the dealer.
Also, if you can at least get them to start the engine so you can check for funny noises and check if the A/C works, that would be grand.
If you don't mind I'll let them know that you might be coming out to have a look at the car for me, that way they don't mistake you for a potential victim, err, customer 
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Sure, just find out for me if this place is an actual lot, or more of a wholesaler set up. If it's the latter, sometimes around NYC those types of operations keep their cars locked up in warehouses, unless an appointment is made. This was the case with my 944. If I can make it out there, it would probably be after 3:30ish.
So.... Google map/satellite the address on their site (145 Storer Ave. Staten Island, NY 10309) and attempt to walk via google down the alley that is Storer Ave.
It's like a fanced up lot in some semi-indsutrial/semi-residential neighborooh (fairly common around NYC area), but I don't even see any kind of office or garage. I used the address listed on their site, and there are definitely Rovers and some cars in the lot, but it is in no way a dealership. If I had to guess, they are wholesalers that work out of their home and maybe show cars here by appointment or somewhere else and this is simply the business address. It's not exactly an inviting looking place and I doubt I would've found this address if I hadn't checked. This place screams E-Dealer, but they do seem to appear to have a lot sales listed on their site.
classic 900s.. check the driveshaft "tunnels" behind the front wheels. One of the things that makes these cars so stiff and strong is that the shaft go "through" holes in the body rather than under it. All sorts of crud gets caught in and around these tunnels and as they are in the wheel wells, rust soon ensues. The battery being right in front of it on the passengerside does not help.
The underside of the sparetyre well in the trunk is another well known rust area. Easy to patch though
In reply to redhookfern:
I haven't heard back from him so far but unfortunately it looks like our Corvette attempted to commit seppukku on the way to work, which means I probably need to look at a different car with a slushbox. Wife doesn't drive a manual and the 'vette was our "backup car".
He did get back to me asking to call ahead so he can make sure someone's around.
However after a closer inspection of the finances last night it looks like the toy budget has to go towards replacing the 'vette so I won't be able to swing this car. I'll let him know what's going on and thanks a lot for your offer of help.
