1996 SAAB 900 SE Turbo review from UK and Ireland

Front suspension arm MOT fail.

A/C Leak.

A/C blocked.

O2 sensor.

All Jockey wheels replaced noisy.

Tailgate gas struts.

Brake liners.

Blown Turbo.

Rear silencer block replaced MOT fail.

Valve stem guides.

The last car before I bought the Saab was a 1993 BMW E34 525 SE. I needed a car, which had more load space than the saloon I was driving, but did not want an estate. So it was the SAAB hatch back, which had the advantage of not being a Ford or Vauxhall.

I like the styling, performance and the badge. The car is a real wolf in sheep's clothing. The full turbo being 185BHP the acceleration is breath taking. From the lights rubbish as it is front wheel drive it just wants to spin the wheels, but for 40 to 70 this must be one of the fastest cars on the road without going down the mega insurance premiums for blacklisted performance cars. This is what you buy a SAAB for in my opinion.

I found the overall comfort to be a bit lacking. The low profile tyres can be a bit wearing on poor roads as was the stiff suspension, but if you are on your own and driving the A roads it's a great car.

The leather in black and the black bodywork in black again, did make the car look very classy though.

The handling is indifferent for such a performance car, the chassis is just not up to the power. The car will veer down road cambers and across the road with the torque steer, keeps you on your toes though. I would guess handling kits from SAAB specialist would sort this. But the balance is just about right though, so you could push it quite hard into corners without too much fuss.

The size of the boot was very good, but I did keep bashing my head on the tailgate catch so many times I lost count. The three doors made access to the rear seats poor. My rear passengers felt quite claustrophobic in the back.

Overall loved the performance and styling. Hated the repair costs and general reliability issues. This has put me off Saabs now, which is a shame because I do still quite like them. I have now changed to a 1998 BMW 525 SE touring which feels like it will do intergalactic miles, quickly safely and reliably. Repair costs are irrelevant if it does not go wrong