1996 SAAB 9000 CSE from UK and Ireland - Comments

Inadequate braking system, brake discs regularly warped.

Leaking head gasket.

Several exhaust system failures.

Numerous squeaks and rattles.

Fantastic car, huge performance at a much more competitive price than a BMW or Mercedes. My 5 speed manual would do 75mph in 2nd gear and 110mph in 3rd gear.

Superb engine, lots of torque, 323nm from 1800rpm right where you need it.

Great experience let down by a few reliability niggles.

There are complaints about exhaust system failures and a leaking head gasket, together with comments about 75 in 2nd 110 in 3rd.

I'm not a mechanic, but methinks they could be related!

I have had a number of 900s and 9000s over the years. Change the oil every three months with decent (synthetic for Turbos) stuff and you rarely have problems. My current 900 has 194K on the clock.

Patrick.

I have owned a 9000 V6 3.0 auto since 30K miles. The car is luxury at its best. I have found the economy better than my old 2.0 Saab of 1989, with more power than you will ever need. At 81K and 8 years the exhaust is the original. Steering with Michelins is OK, but not excellent. The timing belt is costly to replace and the change cycle seems very short. I have the electric roof with climate control and full electric seats at the front. Yes there are a few annoying rattles, and the TCS warning light has appeared on the dash (anybody got any tips on this), but so far I am extremely pleased with it.

Malcolm Place, East Sussex.

My advice being a Saab Mechanic is to just stay away from the V6. The costly maintenance and repairs can be disturbing. We dread every time a V6 comes in the shop. The rest of the Saab line is extremely reliable.

I HAVE FOUND THE 4 CYLINDER WITH A TURBO A MUCH BETTER ENGINE. THE V-6 is too unreliable and costly to maintain.

The V6 is troublesome.

The problems you describe with the exhaust system could be due to worn out engine mounts. The upper mount is easy to, but the lowers are hard to check without removing the top bolt and jacking the engine up. If your engine doesn't leak oil look for oil and associated caking of debris on the subframe near the engine mounting locations as evidence of failure.