1994 SAAB 900 SE from North America - Comments

Head gasket has blown (yesterday)

Clutch went out for the 3rd time (just fixed)

Drivers seat loose.

A/C failing (normal for this mileage)

Awful looking driver's leather seat.

I do love this car...why? It's 12 years old and it still gets ooohs and aaahs from people. The look of the car did not change for (8?) years, which leads most to believe it is only a year or two old. I have a 2 door black turbo, which I polish and wax twice a year. The car, visually, rocks. There are good reasons, however, why Saabs have a pretty poor resale value despite their good looks. In the American market, where Japanese cars set the bar for reliability, the saab just doesn't do well. I have owned 4 saabs, and they were always beautiful cars, but when you are on a date and have to pull over 'cause the car is sputtering 'cause the mechanic screwed something up (again) it tends to ruin the experience. Frankly, I don't blame the mechanics, I just think the cars are basically a bit screwy and not well designed. SAAB: Born from Jets, is a perfect motto for the car; as they are about almost as costly and require constant meticulous maintenance. My Mercedes was FAR cheaper to maintain.

How would you compare the Saab to the Volvo in terms of reliability?

My 2003 Saab 9-3 has been very reliable.

I couldn't be more pleased with the vehicle.

Hello.

I have a 1994 900SE, I have never had anything go wrong with it, I give it a massive service once a year and this costs about £800 I have also had the badges taken off, had the suspension lowered, poly bushes, an ecu chip, a dump valve, aftermarket discs, cold air intake, performance exhaust, short throw gear box, and that silly black plastic stickers around the doors taken off so the original paint can be seen, and I painted the grille the same colour as the body and put stainless mesh behind it and it has the 3 spoke viking wheels, it gets driven very hard when I take it away to the auto bahn in germany, seriously I have been paced by my brother on his hyabussa at 167mph in my saab, and most people seem to think its the very last model 93 viggen made, not a 94 SE, literally nothing ever goes wrong, I just get the ful service done once a year, honestly my other car is a 2000 bentley arnage and the Saab is better by comparision, when considering the cost.

I own a 1994 Saab 900 SE. I purchased it in Germany in 1996. Since returning to the U.S. the clutch has gone out twice, the headliner has disintegrated, there was a small leak in the main rear seal, the speakers are failing, the symbol on the hood and hatchback have lost all of their color, and I've replaced the clutch and manual transmission. Despite all of this I love the car.

It's as fun to drive today as it was when I bought it. I have never had a problem with the turbo charger. I haven't had to do anything major to it for a number of years, and it's paid for.

I also own a MB E320, and while the ride is more comfortable it is no where near as fun to drive as the Saab.

I have owned Volvos and a Mercedes. The Volvos were all the older rear wheel drive 4cyl. models and all were freakishly solid and dependable. The Mercedes was no doubt more luxurious, but I found it less comfortable to drive, terribly unreliable, and very expensive too keep as a result. I'm curious about the Saab 900 and 9000. They seem very well built, but I'm not sure of their dependability. Once you own a Volvo, nothing else seems as good. I just drove my mother's '95 Volvo 940 for the past week. It's got 178k miles on it. She does not maintain it properly and drives it kind of hard. I was amazed how well it still runs and drives. I'm looking to buy one now, but I've stumbled upon the idea of owning a Saab and I'm intrigued. Saabs are slicker looking and offer more luxury for about the same dough, but I wouldn't want to give up reliability for that.

If you look after any car it should serve you well. A SAAB 900s is not a Nissan or Toyota. It is not a glorified shopping trolley. It is a SAAB 900, a proper car. Treated well it will serve you well.

If you have a bad experience with a 900s, BLAME the previous owner, BLAME poor mechanics, BLAME yourself but do not blame the car!

I have two 900's one is manual, the other auto. Lovely vehicles, OIL CHANGES, OIL CHANGES, OIL CHANGES, OIL CHANGES! Filters as well. I change the oil and filter every 4000 miles or less.