I hate cars and

Break it, don’t throw good money after bad.
As soon as the rot has a hold it’s a nightmare. I sold an E39 M5 a few years ago that I had spent a fortune on, including a 4K!! respray but the rust was back within a year.
It’s wibblepoo but not much you can do about it.
I learned then, that if it’s a car you love and really want to keep you need to nip any rust in the bud right away and keep on top of it.
If you don’t it just becomes uneconomical.

Ritchie, wise words. Not what I want to hear but I'm sure you're right!

Melle, no. It's my Saab 9000 Aero. The 900 had a bare shell tespray a few years back.


Just can't get my head around parting it out. They're such rare cars now too and so well engineered.

I have a thread on here about my Subaru brat project. I went as far as giving up on the UK car and importing a rust free one from the states.
Cheaper and a much better solution in the long run, might be worth thinking about?

If you have the space i would keep it. I have managed to keep hold of my first car, mk3 fiesta, and it needs at least 1 rear arch, which i have purchased but have the skill to weld yet. At some point i will be confident enough to make the repair and install the other upgrades i have been slowly buying (XR2i suspension etc). The point is if there not worth anything then money is irrelevant, they are worth more sentimentally. If storage is easy and dry, wrap it up and return to it in a different season of life when you have time to learn to weld etc. Welding is an art but you can learn to weld to a reasonable standard with a bit of time patience and effort.

To be honest, I think this is a first world problem...

I think it's a first weld problem.

You don't want rid of the car, so keep it. Then either get a replacement shell and build one awesome one out of the two, or buy a welder and learn how to weld. If you balls it up, cut it out and do it again. My dad had a '73 VW Squareback that someone had learned to weld on - they started at the front and worked backwards, and by the time they got to the back they were so much better that they redid the front again. He had that 20 years ago and its still going now!

If your thinking of breaking it you may as well have a go at the body work, start with some simple bits and go from there, you will soon get the hang of it, if it all goes pear shaped then pull it apart for spares!

If you get stuck ask for help here!

I guessed as soon as I saw your username it would be the 9k. I have the same problem with my first 9k; it's been in my family for 20 years this year or next, was my first proper 'family' car that I took my first born home in, and in general has always felt so much tighter and better screwed together than my wife's 9k Aeroversary. I'm loathed to get rid of it, but it needs a considerable amount of welding (for a 9k at least) to the rear on both sides including a complete arch, and the paint work is shot so would need a respray as I can't do ratty cars to that extent. That's the killer, £3k absolute minimum for a respray around here, and at the end of the day it's a 1994 CSE LPT that, even with bodywork done and all the stage 5 items fitted, will be worth the square root of F all. Decisions decisions.

I also feel your pain regarding a replacement. There is literally nothing that achieves what a good 9000 does in terms of retro, gets under your skin, power and performance, practicality, comfort, 35mpg reasonably achievable, value for money. I've recently been looking to replace my 9-5 with something older with the above check list, but didn't want yet another 9k and wanted something J, but the options are so few and far between because most are 6 cylinder and won't get near the same fuel economy. Looks like I may get around this by satisfying my wife's other car desires (T25/Disco) so that I can take her 9k as a daily and secretly work on adding an turbo 80's/90's J to the fleet in place of my MX5 without the requirement of 35mpg.

Good luck with your decisions. I have tended to agree with a few of the above points in that, if the future of the car is condemned anyway, waving a weldy stick at it isn't going to hurt the situation anymore and may just save the car. Or, if you have the money to put into it, justify that you know how good every other area of the car is and 9k Aeros are creeping up in value, therefore in the long run the repairs probably won't cost much more than getting rid and replacing.

Same Swedish boat here - the clutch on my 98 9000 CSE went last year so financially I should have just scrapped it but it's the best car I've ever had so ended up getting it sorted. Should I ever get rid I know that I will have to get another 9k!!