Faults:

Engine seized not long after purchased. This was because previous owner never serviced the car.

Right head lamp washer not working.

Radio mast not working

SID lines fading.

Headlamps work, but SID tells me Headlamp failure

Airbag light came one. Bottle under the passenger Seat damaged the sensor in the seat belt clasp. Wires soldered together, all fine.

General Comments:

Bought the car second hand, and did not check the service history. Caveat emptor I suppose. The oil filter on these things are really fine, and the car can suffer from "black death".

However, my mechanic (non Saab dealer, but total Saab fan) sourced a replacement engine for me in the UK. It took him a long time though. Since then, I have put just over 4000 miles on the clock everyone of them has been a total joy so far. I have been on all sorts of roads, and the car is comfy and fast. I never go above 3,500 RPM because I never have to. The acceleration in in top from anything above 90Kph is great. Just press the loud pedal, and the horizon comes in the windscreen at you.

I have driven 6 hour journeys and the seats are completely comfortable.

Father has a 2001 Passat, and he has had more problems with that than I have had with this.

Faults:

Happily driving my son back to university, and the car started making an awful sound from the engine. I pulled over, and as I did, the car stopped. I turned the engine over and the noise was worse, and car would not start up again. Got towed to my local garage, and they informed me that my engine had seized up. I needed to have a new engine. It has been very difficult to purchase a 2nd hand or reconditioned engine.

Saab now have my car, and are putting in the replacement engine. I have been in contact with Saab UK and the dealership where I bought my car from in 2006; they are not interested, and are not admitting that there is a problem with these cars. Don't know where to go from here. I feel they should bear the cost. I am very disappointed in Saab's customer service, or lack of it.

Faults:

My Saab 9-3 2.2 TDI (1999) with just under 150,000 miles on the clock, has been diagnosed with major engine failure - piston 3 is not compressing fuel, hence the black smoke from the exhaust.

I expected to it reach well over 200,000 miles, being a diesel - a friend has an old Ford Mondeo, which has done 240,000 and still going strong.

I have been meticulous in serving this car at every specified interval, and as a professional musician, most of the mileage has been cruising on the motorway. I wonder what Saab can say that would inspire me to recommend their company to anyone? Reliability? High mileage? I don't think so, despite high service costs...

With a quote of around £4000 for a new engine and £1500 for a secondhand one, my only option is to sell the car for scrap. Needless to say, I am unlikely to buy another Saab, which is a great shame, as I've had a number of Saabs over the years.

General Comments:

Saabs are known for having good seats, and this car is no exception, but the problem here is that the steering wheel is not directly in front of the driver, but a few inches left of centre. This, combined with the fact that there is nowhere to rest your left foot when it's not on the clutch (there isn't enough space between the clutch and the centre console to fit your foot through to place on the the miniscule "footrest"), plus the long reach for the gearstick, results in a permanently twisted driving position.

The diesel engine is noisy and unrefined by modern standards, and the steering is heavy (definitely not for little old ladies). The brakes are excellent and the car holds the road well.

The enormous boot has proved useful, the rear seats split, but there is a safety bar, which the seat belts attach to, which remains in place unless both seats are folded (and even then, it still gets in the way).

The SID display always loses pixels - the same as on GM cars. This is a blatant design fault, but SAAB still want over £200 for a new display. Info on fixing it yourself can be found here http://www.saab9-5.com/howto/sidrepair.htm and here http://www.thesaabsite.com/93/Saab-Sidrepairs.htm.