Faults:

Stereo had to be replaced.

Clutch slave cylinder leaking.

Steering rack leaking.

R power mirror only worked in 2 directions (had to be pushed back by hand).

2 central locking solenoids replaced over 6 months.

Idle control valve had to be replaced.

Ignition cartridge gave up in the middle of Sydney traffic.

General Comments:

Please read my comments on my Saab 9-3 2000 Type S Turbo: http://www.carsurvey.org/review_137781.html

Nothing else to say.

I would have been better off just taking my money and flushing it down the toilet, instead of wasting it on this Swedish freak.

One point I do want to make, just as an example of Saab design idiosyncrasy, if not say idiocy, is the positioning of the clutch slave cylinder. Why the hell, for whatever mean reason, was it placed in between the engine and gearbox? I had all 4 of the Type Four Platform cars, and Saab is the only one to do such idiotic thing. Even Fiat, being as pathetic as they are, still had the decency and understanding of placing the slave cylinder ON THE TOP of the gearbox, as they realized that it would have to be serviced/repaired more frequently than clutch replacement or gearbox overhaul.

Well done Saab! Keep doing a good job. You never cease to amuse me.

Faults:

The car had various faults when first purchased which the dealer agreed to fix, these included oil leaks, spongy and noisy brakes. Further problems developed, break noise returned, car started using water. Turns out the water was actually leaking into the engine (?!), this cost approx $6000 NZD to fix on a car that was purchased for $10,00 NZD. Fortunately this was covered by a mechanical warranty purchased when buying the car. Despite this water problem being fixed the car still lost water and required more trips to the mechanics and various other attempts to stop the water leaks. at about 95,000 kilometers the gear box started to become very rough when changing gears, and engine mount wear was showing. The whole engine would shake when changing down a gear at speed (eg when over taking). Rain water started leaking into the boot.

Bits of the car also started dropping off, internal light fitting covers just dropped out, a piece of roof trim blew off the roof when traveling at approx 100km per hour, the drivers seat belt clip split in two. Drivers seat belt often jammed when trying to put the seat belt on and would stay locked for at least 1/2 an hour before being able to operate the seat belt.

General Comments:

Car was generally nice to drive, but was a bit like driving a boat, hard to keep in a straight line - you had to concentrate when driving to stop the car from drifting around the road. Wheel alignment was fine, it wasn't due to this.

A Saab mechanic advised me that Saab parts are the most expensive of all manufacturers - even more expensive than Porsche.