Moss, Memories And A Cracked Block: Paul Cowland’s Saab 900 Cabriolet Dilemma

A Familiar Shape On A Friend’s Drive

When Paul Cowland opens his latest YouTube episode with the line “collecting an old Saab 900 from an old mate’s drive and deliberating what’s next,” you immediately sense this isn’t a routine project-car pickup. It’s personal. The car – an Odoardo Grey 900i Cabriolet – has been sitting on Glenn’s driveway for over two years, gathering moss, moisture and a kind of melancholy charm that only a neglected Saab can pull off.

Cowland has a long Saab history: he sold them in the ‘90s, grew up around them thanks to his father, and still owns several today. This 900i wasn’t meant to be an emotional trip; he bought it cheaply at auction, thinking it was a harmless indulgence. But the minute the bonnet goes up and the memories resurface, the decision suddenly becomes harder than he expected.

The Auction Surprise No One Wants

Right after buying the car from Manor Park Classics, things went sideways. The car looked presentable enough, but as soon as it was home, the real condition revealed itself. The MOT paperwork – supplied by the vendor – did not align with reality. Cowland chooses his words carefully but makes the point clear: the car should never have passed. A cracked engine block and a mismatched gearbox were the two big surprises.

Manor Park Classics, to their credit, stepped in and compensated him, but the damage was done. The 900 became one of those “I’ll get to it later” cars. And “later” turned into two and a half years. Every Saab owner knows how this happens: a car needs “just a few things,” then life intervenes, and suddenly the driveway becomes its habitat.

Waking Up A Sleeping 900

When Cowland and Glenn turn the key for the first time since the car’s hibernation, the 900 behaves exactly like an early 16-valve does after a long sleep. It clatters loudly – just like Paul remembers from the showroom days. Back then, he says, they would start cold 900s early just so customers wouldn’t hear that dramatic tappet symphony. But, exactly as expected, the engine settles down, grows quiet, and begins to sound surprisingly healthy for something with a cracked block.

Glenn, surrounded by his own small Saab museum – a 9-5, a Sonett, a pristine two-stroke 96—checks fluids, cables, and the mouse-chewed wiring near the bulkhead. They improvise a cardboard insulator for one exposed section just to get the car moving. It’s a very Saab moment: nothing elegant, everything effective.

Readers can watch Paul’s full video to feel the exact tone of the revival, the first start, the moss inspection, and the drive to the MOT station.

A Dashboard That Still Reminds Him Why He Loved Selling These

Sliding inside the 900, Cowland immediately shifts from diagnosis to nostalgia. Despite the grime, the interior layout still impresses him. The high-mounted radio, simple HVAC controls, clear instruments – Saab’s cockpit philosophy remains obvious even through the dirt.

He jokes that it’s “really quite a bogo spec” as a 900i, yet the Buffalo hide and the Odoardo grey paint combine into a very Saab-specific mood. Even the window mechanism needs “a little help,” which he forgives instantly. For a moment, this moss-covered convertible stops being a problem and becomes a reminder of the cars he sold brand new in the 1990s.

On the road, something unexpected happens: the car drives well. Annoyingly well, from a decision-making standpoint. The gearbox, though not original, shifts once you understand its quirks. The brakes bite confidently. The steering feels correct. Even the emissions look clean enough that Paul wonders aloud if the MOT tester might be pleasantly surprised.

When A Sluggish Project Suddenly Feels Worth Saving

Midway through the drive, you hear the shift in Cowland’s tone. He starts the trip thinking this is a parts donor or a candidate for a quick sale. But with every mile the car chips away at his resolve. Even the absurd amount of trapped water sloshing inside the soft top becomes a kind of strange, Saab-flavored punchline.

He repeats a phrase that feels like the heartbeat of the video: “I think it could be saved.”

This is not blind optimism. It’s a reaction Saab fans will recognise instantly: the moment when a car that should be a headache instead reminds you why you kept it in the first place. The B202, even cracked, runs sweet. The cabin still feels like a Saab. And the 900’s basic structure – tall bulkhead, long nose, stable underpinnings – shows its inherent resilience.

The Dilemma: Restore, Part Out, Or Try Something Wild?

By the end, Paul still doesn’t know what to do, and that’s exactly the point of the episode. His viewers are invited to choose:

• Restore it despite the cost and the cracked block.
• Part it out to keep other classic 900s alive.
• Sell it as-is to someone with the time and space.
• Or the wildcard: turn it into a 900 Speedster, chopping the screen and reshaping the rear—an idea he has joked about for years.

Because this is a standard 900i, not a Turbo S or a rare edition, there is room for creativity. The car isn’t historically precious, but it’s far from worthless. It’s simply stuck in the grey area where value and sentiment overlap in the worst possible way.

Why This Cheap, Mossy Saab Resonates

This isn’t a story about profit or restoration glory. It’s about the moment a neglected Saab wakes up and behaves better than you remembered. It’s about two old colleagues – Paul and Glenn – reviving a car that should by all logic be a lost cause. It’s about the quiet truth that many Saabs survive not because they are economically sensible, but because they still stir something in the people who touch them.

There are cleaner 900 Convertibles out there. There are worse ones too. But few tell the story of Saab ownership better than this algae-stained, cracked-block survivor. It sits exactly on the line between romance and reason – where most old Saabs eventually end up.

Whatever Paul ultimately decides, this short revival run has already justified the video: it captured the moment when a long-forgotten 900 reminded its owner why he bought it in the first place.