Faults:

When the engine heats up, the sensor fails, the car stalls and shuts off, and it won't start again until it cools down.

It experiences high wear on brake pads and discs, requiring frequent inspection and replacement.

It is common to find climate control or dashboard displays with dead pixels (SID display) and air conditioning compressor failures.

The 2.3i engine uses a timing chain (designed to last the vehicle's entire service life). However, it requires timely oil changes to prevent sludge buildup.

General Comments:

This car is the best I've ever had—better than the previous ones and the two I owned after it.

Aside from minor issues, the car is mechanically rock-solid—not a single engine problem in years. I sold it exactly as I had bought it.

Speaking of the engine, it’s a 2.3-liter unit that is very fuel-efficient for its size; it delivers impressive power and easily exceeds 210 km/h. It runs very quietly—both in the city and on the highway—and offers excellent overtaking performance.

It is very well made; the build quality couldn't be better (in my opinion, it surpasses Mercedes and BMW), and the materials are still in perfect condition after 20 years. Nothing needs replacing—everything is in order.

It has an excellent ride; the suspension makes the car easy to handle, and the braking is superb. A nice touch is that when you park at night in an unlit or dimly lit area, the parking lights stay on for 30 seconds. It is a car that was well ahead of its time; although built in 1996, it feels like it could have been made in 2016. It features plenty of technology, yet remains simple and high-quality. The Swedes really know how to build cars!.

Selling it was one of the worst decisions I ever made; no car I’ve owned was better than this Saab 900.

Fast, safe, reliable, and perfect for a typical family.

Faults:

This car is actually really good. I never expected this from a GM car, but hey, I've been proved wrong. It does have a good engine, but it's a little underpowered (131 HP). What happened is this, I bought the car and it was in reasonable shape, I only had to put new tyres and a new disk brake on it. It had 200 000 km, and well, that's a lot. I drive around 500 km a week:

Front suspension had to be replaced at 205000, due to our good road maintenance in Belgium. It cost me 350 euros (490 dollars).

Servo leaked power steering fluid. Pipe had to be replaced at 228000 km, cost me 125 euros for the pipe (rusted) and an hour's work. Saab is not cheap, so I did it at a local dealer.

General Comments:

I think it's a great comfortable car, that unfortunately lacks a bit of power. I'm selling it now, and buying a 2.3 Saab 1994. So you could say that overall it is a good car, and really cheap these days.

It looks great, the interior has a bit too much plastic, great seats, it had air-con, ABS, heated seats, onboard computer, electric windows, a massive trunk, and at great speeds it is really quiet. I owned a BMW 318 IS a couple years before, and it beats that car easily.

Downside, 10 litres at 100 KMs is not cheap or ecodriving!

Faults:

I fixed a broken clutch cable at 91000kms, then problems started with the gearbox. The rear gear became pretty hard to engage, and now I have to press the clutch harder than before if I want to shift gear in a smooth way.

I've noticed that sometimes a big white cloud of smoke is spewing from the exhaust pipe at high speed, but it never caused any troubles or loss of power.

General Comments:

This Saab is a very nice car to drive, handles very well, even in winter (without winter tyres!!) and is pretty silent.

About the motor, well let's say that the car is almost underpowered, the 2.0 133hp is not powerful enough for a car of this weight, just good for a smooth and calm ride, but nothing else. You'll have to get used to be overtaken by Smarts or other tiny cars on the highway.

And about the fuel consumption, it's a disaster, almost 10.5L/100km!!

One of the very good point of this Saab is the interior. I was very impressed by the interior space, the comfort of its seats and the cargo capacity. The dashboard is very nice-looking and practical.