1985 SAAB 900 Reviews

Heated seats don't work, I've had to replace front wheel bearings, and it's now time to do the front brakes, gas gauge jumps around.

The car is a well built tank, I put new tires on it and it handles pretty nice...

The seats are broke down right in the middle, but other than that... about the only thing that doesn't work is the wiper fluid.

Oh, and of course the ignition key is broke.

All in all, I've had 2 other models; 84 and 86, and I loved both of them... my wife's kinda jealous of the car... but hey, what can you do.

Many moving parts replaced over the 12 years that I have owned car.

CV joints, ball joints, tie rod ends x (2), fuel pump (ouch), plastic injector lines (brittle and easy to break, and hard to find!), clutch, slave cylinder, master brake cylinder, brakes, calipers, and rotors replaced many times.

No engine problems -- bullet proof 2.0, non turbo. Does not leak or burn oil.

Mechanic told me to replace power steering unit 100,000 miles ago. Ha!

Cooling fans have to manually activated.

Most electronic systems failed many years ago, so I wired them myself. Horn still works though!

Ignition switch failed long ago, so I used a screw driver to start it. That technique failed this year, so I hot wired in a button switch. Ignition problem is due to liquids getting in cylinder. Fix -- CUP HOLDERS!

I love this car. It is great in snow and ice. Did I say this car is great in snow and ice! Starts all the time (even in -10 degrees) if you do not touch the gas pedal -- otherwise it floods out. The fuel delivery system is manual and has plastic lines to the injectors. If they break, good luck finding replacements. I complained until the Saab dealer found a partial set in Sweden. The number one line went out, but the replacement lines I found did not have a number one. I used the no 4 line instead but flipping it over.

Overall, I would say that this is one of the best cars I have ever owned, and I have owned a lot of cars. It is starting to rust out, but the engine continues to run excellent. The transmission is manual and I have had no problems with it. Again, to save money, you must do a lot of the work yourself to keep it running good. People laugh at me, but it's OK, I love my Saab.

A/C system has never worked but doesn't bother me much.

It has minor oil and power steering leaks.

Head was planed and refitted and harmonic balancer replaced at 180,000 miles.

Heater control valve replaced at 200,000.

Clutch at 210,000.

Speedometer / Odometer and Tachometer all began failing around 235,000, and now do not work.

Exhaust needed to be repaired and welded every three months until I found someone who knew how to fix it.

The original radio stopped functioning in 2000.

It tends to run warm in the summer under 30 MPH and is a little sluggish in the heat.

I knew the second owner and purchased it from the third as an emergency vehicle. It quickly became my daily driver as my other cars failed. This car has needed some work over time but has never broken down. It drives great! The pedals, shift knob and steering wheel fall right into place. Fuel mileage is 25-30 MPG if driven gently, 15-20 MPG when driven it's hardest, which is hard acceleration and highway speeds of 90 plus MPH. It just cruises along!

It has huge cargo capacity, like a station wagon. With the rear seat folded and the hatch open but tied down, the car has easily carried huge objects like sofas, beds, and even three kayaks at once!

The car handles very well, particularly in the rain. It's like a snowmobile in the snow and ice. The car seems to be made to stay cool without A/C. Despite the Atlanta, Georgia heat, I can leave the windows up and vent fan running in 80 degree weather and am comfortable. I only crack the windows 1-3 inches until temps are over 90. It's cozy warm, even in very cold weather, and seems to run better the colder it gets.

Having a good mechanic (like I do) who knows the SAAB 900 is a big plus. We estimate mileage at 350,000 but it may be much more because we don't figure in road trips and weekend driving. The 210,000 mile clutch job was the car's first! This is the most reliable and inexpensive European import I have owned. SAAB claims this car can reach one million miles with proper maintenance and I believe them. This is a true classic and a seemingly bulletproof car.