Faults:

I've had the car for 7,000 miles of driving and had very few problems. The turbo was bad when I bought it and was replaced under warranty. The water pump had a slow leak which was also covered by warranty.

General Comments:

Automobiles are meant as transportation, but SAAB's are considered an Individualist car. They are for someone who recognizes fine engineering, ergonomics, comfort, safety, and innovation. They are for someone who doesn't want vanilla transportation - for someone who likes different. SAAB has always led the pack for others to copy. My 1973 SAAB had a heated drivers seat and front-wheel drive. Actually the first and all SAAB's were front-wheel drive. Who else had that in 1973? In 1997, they introduced ventilated seats along with seat heaters. And now 10 years later, Toyota/Lexus is copying. To me, the cockpit is very well thought out. There are many features that make owning a SAAB a treat. The passenger outside mirror tilts down when in reverse so you can see the curb (button to activate) and then returns when you go forward, seat heaters/coolers, cooled glove box, Bosch anti-lock brakes with active yaw control, side air bags, radio with weather band, CD, and cassette. Memory seats, direct ignition, bi-xenon headlights. Tilt and telescopic steering wheel.

If you want a generic car with no personality, buy a Honda or Toyota. If you want a European car that costs a bit more to maintain but makes you grin every time you drive it, buy a SAAB.

This is one of the few cars I've owned that I can't wait to drive! I love to just sit in it.

Faults:

When the car was purchased, there was a problem with the battery holding a charge. A new battery was installed and have had no problems since.

New front rotors and brake pads were required at 60k miles ($650).

Car sometimes has starting problems (has been happening since 50k miles). It'll either take a while to kick over or sometimes will stall out when first started in the morning. I'm going to get the spark plugs changed.

ABS component failed at 40k miles. It was replaced by the dealer under warranty.

Passenger side window seemed to come loose at 45k miles. It has a rattle when halfway down when the car goes over bumps. I haven't gotten around to having it checked yet.

Check engine light comes on every 5-15k miles. The car shows no signs of problems when it comes on though. I initially paid $65 to have it shut off by the dealer (dealer said nothing was wrong), but have since let it go off on its own (as it does). It does prove to be annoying though.

A new bearing plate and front struts were required at 50k miles ($800).

A Service Anti Theft Soon light came on at 65k miles. The system seems to work fine, but again, the light proves to be annoying.

General Comments:

This is my first SAAB and have been highly interested in purchasing one since I started driving. To be honest, I'm a bit indifferent about the car. It's a beautiful, safe and ultra comfortable car; and performs reasonably well in all weather conditions, however, with the annoyances and the astronomical cost of maintenance, I've lost the love for the car that I had at purchase. I understand that it is a luxury European car and requires costly maintenance, however, maintenance parts (shocks, brakes, tires, etc.) seemed to fail much more prematurely on this car than any other I've owned; especially since the car isn't driven rough; ever.

I recently relocated and my new local dealer isn't so great. They constantly tell me something new that I need done to the car after I've already done it. For example, about 4 weeks after I personally changed all filters in the car (Air, Fuel, Cabin) and the serpentine belt, they told me I needed new ones because the parts were old and worn out. I'll be looking to sell the car soon and will probably go the BMW or Lexus route.