Faults:

First squeak at 18+ years old.

New clutch @ 321,000 miles... no other major repairs.

After 325,000 miles many parts were nearing their life cycle end and the frequency of shop visits increased. Additionally, after last tow-in at a late hour in a not so desirable part of time and an estimated repair bill of ~$1500, my wife and my mechanic strongly suggested I give the Saab a peaceful end and obtain more reliable transportation.

General Comments:

...bought for my wife who I upset while teaching her to drive the manual 5 speed and she never touched it again... so it was passed to me. I learned to appreciate it, especially in the mountains during ski season... much better handling than my previous Pontiac station wagon.

Overall, it was a fun little car to drive... solidly built. It served me well; replaced by a 2007 Audi S4, however, I'd take that little Saab back any day. Early Saabs don't look like every other car on the freeway... they are UNIQUE. My hat's off to the Swedes... excellent engineering and production !!!

Faults:

The shock in the rear right broke through the wheel well, the shock mount popped off. the car also needs a new headliner.

General Comments:

It runs good, I never had a problem starting it. The car drives on curves so nicely. It does, however need quite a bit of work to pass inspection. I figure normal repairs for a car this old, but when I took it to a mechanic he just let it sit for weeks. The mechanic told me it would cost around $2,000 to fix the car so I asked him for a more accurate quote, he never got back to me. I went to get my car because it was plowed in, the mechanic never had any intention of looking at my SAAB. When the mechanic was backing it out he states the brake line popped. The brake lines are less than a year old. I also noticed one of my tail lights had been broken, from the plow or shovel. The car I drove in to this shop over a month ago now has to be taken out on a flatbed tow truck. I am devastated, I love my car, it is the cutest thing I have ever owned. (when it comes to a car)I was going to give it up, but I just cannot do it. I know this SAAB is worth fixing, I have a feeling it will last me two or more years. I just do not understand why I was mislead by this mechanic, he was recommended by friends. Now I am not sure of my rights, I do not think it's right that I have to pay to tow my car when I drove it to the shop.

Faults:

Rear brake line rusted and burst (112,600 miles). Replaced myself for about $17.

Clutch Slave Cylinder went out (114,800 miles). VERY DIFFICULT to replace, it took me about 35 hours because you must remove the disk prior to removing the slave, and removing the diss requires depressing the pressure plate WITH THE SLAVE CYLINDER WHICH WAS broken. I ended up depressing each finger on the pressure plate by hand and using 3/8" long pieces of 1/4" round stock wedged between the plate housing and fingers. Parts were cheap though, about $160 for a new disk, slave and pilot.

Fuel "straw" that sucks from the bottom of the tank to the pump developed a hole, and will suck air at about 1/3 tank and cause the car to quit running. I just fill up around 1/2 tank now, which is a shame because I used to get about 400 miles/tank.

General Comments:

I love the unique look of the car. Not many autos have such raw design appeal.

My Saab is a 4 door sedan with a trunk. I added an SPG front air dam and trunk lid spoiler which made it look slightly sportier.

The best way to drive a Saab is to never be a hurry to get where you're going. It drives best when eased along at an almost sleepy pace.