1990 SAAB 900 from North America - Comments

Had the oil sending unit replaced, $30.

Brakes, exhaust, tires, battery... general maintenance.

Engine bypass hose replaced, $66.

Front axle, CV joints, ball joints, transmission linkage replaced, $450.

Heated seats stopped working.

Dash lights don't all work.

Airbag warning light and check engine light are always on.

Despite its maintenance requirements, this has been a great car, always getting me where I need to go at about 850 miles per week or more.

Great handling and very fun to drive. Gets a lot of looks from other people.

I am a 19 year old first car buyer and am interested in a used SAAB 900 S, model 1990. It has 297000 miles on it, but I test drove it and it ran great, any comments? Is fixing a car like this going to be a problem in the future??

AC

A car with that many miles is always questionable. If anything could handle that many miles, it would be a SAAB. My advice to you would be to talk low on price or look for a lower mileage 900. Also a good relationship with a mechanic is a plus. I live in a small town and have one of probably two SAABs in the city but I have a good mechanic who knows how to get these cars to run well.

Don't buy a Saab with that kind of mileage. It will need work for sure. Saab parts and labor are very expensive.

Not to be rude to the kind sir with the comment about buying the Saab with a lot of miles, after having 3 Saab's my family has had to replace 1 transmission in the combined 1,000,000 they have been driven of course they will need work, but all great things only are great with a little TLC. give it time, you won't be hurt by your choice.

Okay so it has high miles, my first SAAB was a 1986 8valve 900 and I still have it. I was a Volvo fan for years, but the artistic beauty of the "REAL" Saab shape is unmatched to this day. The only other car that I've owned that equaled my SAABs was a 1986 Alfa spider. Repairing a Saab is so much easier than a rice burner. Also real Saabs have timing chains, not rubber belts. This to me is a sign of quality. I am hoping to buy a 1990 900s four door next week and know that I can get parts very cheap and know that I will be driving one of the best kept secrets in auto land. My other car is a 1992 Mercedes 400E that is also a secret. However, parts and etc. for the Merc are insane. These SAABs are tank tough and I would love to have a stable of them. Currently, 1987 SPG, 1988 base (8valve), 1988 900s, and still have the 1986.

All cars will need repairs, but some of them are well worth it. Once you drive a "real" 900, nothing else will due.

Orig Swedish 900's are real drivers and mechanics cars. Parts are relatively inexpensive and accessible on the engine. Have converted a 900 automatic to manual transmission. New Parts for this swap (clutch kit, engine seals etc) cost approx $700, and the engine work labor cost approx $700 as well, not to mention the donor car (for the manual tranny parts) which cost $50. Including the project car itself at $50, this was a fun 6 month project in my spare time. But now I have a great 1990 Saab 900 with full leather, a bulletproof drive-train all for approx $1,500, plus a real education on how to take apart and fix these cars. Used Saab 900's are cheap. Not many special tools required (torx drivers and a couple of trick clutch tools you can make easily.)Did I mention the Saabs are very very very safe? They are. And comfortable? they are. Enjoy!

Easy to work on and well designed. Am doing same on recently purchased 1979 Alfa Romeo Spider. Both are true classics the likes of which are never to be seen on the drawing boards or roads again (alas).

I’ve yet to learn to love it. I’m a Japanese who live in Australia at the moment, bought one out of curiosity (as to why many people are mad about it) ; it is a 2.0 16-valve 3-door manual hatch, with full service history and 152k on the clock. I gave it an all-fluid change, new front brake disks; and because one of the rubber covers has a crack, I’d the drive shafts reconditioned at the same time.

Things don’t like:

• Compare to the E30 318is and E36 3.2 I had in Europe before, the 900 is just plain slow and has lots of road noise.

• While the gear change in the BMW was a joy, light and precise; the 900’s gear change is awful and has a very vintage feel.

• Even the 1.8 16-valve E30 had quicker acceleration than the 2.0 16-valve 900.

• Despite having thicker body panels than the BMW and the poorly made Peugeot 405, the body set off a resonance over rough roads; this is seriously lack of refinement. I already had suspension bushes checked and some of them replaced; I think it is because 900 is an old design (started life as the 99).

• It encourages me to drive slower with strong understeer, while the BMWs do the opposite.

• You need to take the whole rear light cluster out to change a light bulb, a very vintage design.

• Admirations from other people; they think it is great, I think it is noisy, slow and has horrible gear change.

Things I like:

• Changing light bulbs behind the instrument panel is very clever, just remove the speaker above and you have full access.

• All controls including the radio on the dash are at eye level and a short distance from the steering wheel.

• The seats are far more comfortable on a long trip than other French, Japanese, British and German cars the family or I had.

• The loading bay is so long, it can swallow a windsurfing board easily.

• All panels are thick; the hatch and the doors feel like a ton (that is why it is so slow!). Absolutely no rust given Australia is so dry.

• Very economical; comparable to the 318is and much better than the (much faster) Subaru Forester 2.5XT.

Advice on how to appreciate ‘Classic’ 900 are welcome.