2002 SAAB 9-5 review from North America

Within the last six months the car developed a stutter when running, twice shutting off completely while sitting idle in traffic. Problem is that the stutter happened intermittently, so when we took it to a SAAB mechanic, they couldn't find the problem. After three attempts there, went to SAAB dealership. Initially, the dealer could not locate the problem, but on the second try they diagnosed it as a throttle issue. Luckily we purchased a warranty when we purchased the 9-5 (gently used). So the repair was covered. We'll see if this resolves the hiccup/stutter problem... So far so good ( x fingers crossed x)

Generally, we LOVE our SAAB. We also understand that 2002 (I think) is the last year Saab's were made in Sweden (prior to GM acquisition). Due to same, would likely not buy a GM SAAB, especially due to our recent problem with our 9-5. It's really kind of a love-hate relationship. Love the special feel of a SAAB, hate when something goes wrong.

I owned two Honda preludes in college and grad school and loved both dearly. Especially because they were pretty AND completely headache free. But do feel quite safe in the SAAB, so our next car will have to be a tank also (but no SUVs for us).