i've recently bought a lovely saab c900 'vert (not the HPT) off a little old lady. she clearly hasn't ragged it around but there are a few little bits an pieces that she's neglected to get sorted.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/13783945@N00/3613460901

the most frustrating is that the front of the car is very low to the ground. all speed humps have to be approached with extreme caution or the the sump of the engine or the exhaust rubs on the bump.

then... at the back the lady told me that she had the suspension raised to increase the clearance (!) i don't even want to see what's been done. as a result the arches do sit a little higher at the back. however when there are passengers in the back and on fast bumpy roads i can hear the wheels rubbing on the arches.

are my springs shot to buggery? does my suspension need replacing?

it's also worth mentioning that i've got the saab 3 spoke alloys on it. i don't know if these are standard with this model, are from a 9000 or if they should be on there at all. i've got 190/50 r16 tyres on them could these be causing a problem?

any thoughts or advice greatly appreciated

obviously... it's not a FPT. new to all this...

Nice looking car, mate.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3620/3613460901_5a8cf6da7e.jpg

First off, are you sure it's "something hard" grounding, not the centre mudflaps, just in front of the rear suspension?

That car's obviously had some love and attention to it. 900s only ever (AFAIK) came with 15" rims, so they're off a 9000. You do need to be a bit careful with 16" tyre sizes, AIUI, but I'll let somebody more expert answer that one. It looks like the front's lower than standard, so first job's got to be to identify what springs are on it, I think - if you pull a front wheel off, you get good access to the springs, there may be some identification on them and the dampers. Nothing in the history with the car?

<thinks - wonder what the score is with the bumpers? Can't be "proper" Ruby ones, because the rear hatch bumper wouldn't fit a 'vert.>