1988 SAAB 900 S 2.0 from North America

Summary:

This car will last a lifetime if you treat it good

Faults:

Automatic seat-belts quit working and it was very difficult to fix them, so I decomssioned them.

Air mass regulator went out a $400 part.

Shifting is not very smooth.

Check engine light would come on when driving fast down mountain road into town??

General Comments:

I was worried about purchasing a car with such high miles, but the seller ensured me these cars lasted a long time, he was right.

The previous owners did not take care of the car like I did, I discovered it had been abused a little. In the 3 years I owned the car I only spent about $500 in maintenance, wow!

I drove this 600 miles every weekend for 6 months during the summer, up and down a mountain during ski season and it never missed a beat.

The best investment I made in this car, was a set up Bosch Platinum + 4 plugs. It improved both the gas mileage and the performance. Always use Mobil 1 5W-30 it will start much better in the winter.

Although it is a somewhat heavy car, and under powered, it drove like it was on rails, and was excellent in snow, but make sure you have 4 tires.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 13th April, 2002

1988 SAAB 900 2.0 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

An excellent family saloon

Faults:

We have had the starter motor replaced.

Replaced the front wheel bearing.

The radiator burst.

General Comments:

This car beats the Volvo for style. Sleek lines, excellent build quality and a comfortable interior give this car 'a touch of class'.

At 13 years of age this car is in superb condition - it has no rust at all.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 3rd November, 2001

1988 SAAB 900 SPG 2.0 turbo from North America

Summary:

Fun to drive and a pleasure to own when it's not in the shop

Faults:

Verified by two separate mechanics that the transmission was going out at 150,000 miles.

Took my mechanic four days to fix the cruise control.

General Comments:

This was a beautiful Saab, with a bullet proof engine and turbo, great gas mileage, and stable in the snow and mountains of Colorado.

The best advice/caution I can give someone who is considering purchasing a Saab 900 Turbo or 9000 Turbo is to have the transmission checked for wear, as this is a good way to tell how much longer the transmission is likely to last.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 25th July, 2001

26th Jul 2001, 13:10

Your car's tranny has lasted fairly well -- the manual gearbox is the weak spot of a SAAB Turbo. Although I normally prefer manual over auto, in the SAAB's case the auto will be the way to go.

1st Dec 2001, 21:00

What the other guy said about the manual tranny lasting a fairly good amount of miles is very untrue. The Auto tranny is the one with problems. They fall apart after about 120K to 140K miles. I have a 1985 Saab 900 turbo with a manual. It has over 350,000 miles on it. All original too. I just kept on replacing the tranny fluid to keep it running well!!

17th Jan 2002, 19:02

Yes, the old 3-speed automatics are very doggy, much better to go with manual.

1988 SAAB 900 SPG 1.9 turbo from North America

Summary:

Total piece of crap

Faults:

You name it, it has gone wrong!

General Comments:

It is the biggest piece of crap I've ever owned, I wouldn't drive another one if it were given to me.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 26th April, 2001

21st May 2001, 22:20

Obviously the guy doesn't know what he is talking about because he doesn't even know the correct size engine. Nice, try again...

2nd Jun 2001, 03:30

Wow man, you don't know what you have, I've been a SAAB mechanic for six years, I could only dream of having an SPG, a little tweak of the APC box and you can boost to over 240HP! the cars handle like a racecar, and with proper maintenance I have seen them last over 500,000 miles.

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1988 SAAB 900 i 2.0 8 valve from Netherlands

Summary:

A very reliable and extremely good looking car

Faults:

200.000 km: leaking head gasket.

210.000 new rear brakepads. Since then the brakes made a ticking sound when I braked. The mechanic (a SAAB master technician) could not find the reason, but solved it by greasing some parts and then the problem disappeared temporarily.

The failing dashboard light was repaired in 2000. But after about a year the light failed again. A costly repair.

General Comments:

In general it was a decent well-performing and reliable car. However, a bit old-fashioned and not as big on the inside as you would think looking from the outside. Now I drive a 9000 CSE and it's a BIG difference, not only in interior size.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 9th March, 2001

23rd Jan 2002, 09:51

I also had a ticking noise, it was more constant and only disappeared when I accelerated. Never got around to greasing, instead the CV joint exploded and left me stranded, quick and cheap to replace and now going well.

17th Feb 2006, 14:22

Had mine for 270000km now, only changed the clutch and some minor problems as broken heater knob and other minor things. Still goes like stink, and the looks are very, very nice indeed... this is a great value for money second hand car.