1997 SAAB 9000 CSE review from North America

Nothing has gone wrong with the car since, but a list of things were wrong prior to purchase.

-Sunroof will only tilt up, not open as it should.

-Radiator leaking. Ironically had spare in the garage from a 1988 9000 which fit with minor modification.

-Discovered rear trailing arm mounting points to be rusted out, leaving the arms to hang and allowing the rear beam and panard assembly a large range of movement. Car was still perfectly drivable, amazingly. Required reinforcing metal and a spacer for the mount be welded in the hatch floor where there was no corrosion. Apparently a very unconventional failure for the 9000.

-Headlights both cracked and expensive.

-2/3 syncro weak.

-Turbo pressure gauge non-functional.

-Cruise works intermittently.

-Large boost leak from lower intercooler hose (simply a new hoseclamp fixed it).

I traded my 1992 Audi 100 S for this, my 6th Saab and 3rd daily driven 9000. I had completely sorted the Audi which was in stellar shape, but began to tire of it as a daily driver ... if you're a weekend track guy like me (modified 1986 Porsche 951 owner) you may have found yourself wishing for more fun during a daily commute than a slow large estate can offer.

I traded the Audi straight up for this car, which was owned by a college student in Milwaukee, WI, where I am sure it saw plenty of abuse on the pothole-ridden northeast side of town. The car came to me with lots of problems, but it was worth it because the bluebook value in good condition (which the car appears as from a purely cosmetic point of view) was much larger and it had the power I was looking for.

As I've said in previous 9000 reviews, the storage space is incredible... when living in a dormitory I was able to move the entirety of my possessions in one trip with my 1988 9000 Turbo, including computer desk, bass guitar and amplifier equipment, and futon.

I have seen reviews advocating the non-turbo model of this car, based on the idea that turbocharged cars are nothing but trouble. In my experience this is incorrect; the 9000 is an overdesigned low-stress system that isn't there to push the envelope, and because of it all problems I've had with Saab cars have been unrelated to the turbocharger system. The non-turbo feels like a morbidly slow dinosaur; a whole different car. It also yields fantastic efficiency, as I average 29 miles per gallon with a mixture of highway and city, amazing considering my non turbo 1994 9000 5-speed was only able to manage 24mpg and the contents of the next paragraph.

The car was resurrected from a timing chain failure (a result of very long oil change intervals) by the previous owner, who also took it upon himself to install the Mitsubishi TD04 turbocharger from the Aero trim model, a kevlar performance clutch, and cone-style intake. The balance shafts were disabled and flywheel lightened slightly. After this the car spent time on a dynamometer where the ECU was tuned to exploit the system as much as possible. The charts show 302 ft/lbs of torque and 264 hp @15 psi. 0-60 on a G-Tech accelerometer consistently reports 5.4 seconds with plentiful wheelspin. That performance increase (from 200hp/200ft.lbs. from the factory) was seen with less than a 1000 USD investment according to the previous owner.

Needless to say the car is very quick and despite the mileage and modification still gets great gas mileage; the only hints the car is modified come from the loud intake sound, vibration, and crushing in-gear acceleration. The brakes are also far less subject to fading than in the Audi 100.

The car isn't as solid feeling as the Audi, not nearly. While I noted the Audi had solid cast control arms like the Porsche (though unlike the Porsche were made from steel instead of lighter aluminum), the Saab retains the cheaper hollow design with two pressed pieces and a removable ball joint (although great for service!). This example is just one of many. As a result the Audi had incredible smoothness at speed that is often exhibited in BMW and Audi cars, while the Saab is more easily jarred and disturbed by road imperfections. This is something I have noted with all Saabs, not just this particular example.

If you're a prospective buyer of a 9000 I'd advise, as with any car, but particularly with european models, that you have a service history that satisfies not only manufacturer specifications, but also the trouble areas mechanics have noticed with various years. Either that, or if you're resourceful and adept with mechanical things. I have serviced all my Saabs myself and it has been the main reason I am able to own such a vehicle as a second, daily-driver car as a college student. The problems this car came with, for example, would have made it a terrible deal to anyone who doesn't perform their own service.

That said, however, I have noticed that most of the problems I encounter with Saabs can be fixed with less monetary investment, because the car (barring the Direct Ignition module (1990-1997) and Traction Control (1992-93 Turbos) ) comes apart into very thoughtful component parts. Saab must have had an engineering team good at identifying typical future failure points. The turbocharged Porsche, on the other hand, requires me to dump huge quantities of money and time into it (not to mention the engine bay is horribly crammed whereas the 9000 is open and accessible) all the time despite its pristine, 80,000 mile fair-weather-only condition.

That said, it's hard to find such a well-rounded car as the 9000. High early-life depreciation (a good thing now that they are all used), tons of storage space, a life expectancy far greater than most cars, lots of comfort amenities, and sports-car like characteristics provided the suspension is in good OEM or better shape make it so. Upgraded shock absorbers (at least the Bilstein package from the Aero or better), springs, and suspension bushings improve the handling a very appreciable amount. A fellow Porsche 951 enthusiast and friend just picked up a chipped 2001.5 Audi S4 for 14,500 USD, just to have it passed by in a friendly race by my much lighter (albeit only front-wheel-drive) 9000 CSE.

Overall a very nice, if eccentric, car.