1996 SAAB 900 from UK and Ireland - Comments

Original battery failed, - Replaced.

Exhaust pipe failed, (repeated short cold-weather journeys by previous owner.) - Replaced.

Headlight wipers neglected and defunct -Don't need them anyway.

Windscreen squirters blocked. - Fixed them.

I thought I loved this car the day I bought it, but within a week, I realized – This car is tiny. I’d just parted with my Ford Granada living room on wheels. So now I didn’t like it any more, because this was like a closet on wheels compared to the Granada. But over the coming months I began to notice things like; ‘This car is quick, this car is comfortable, this car is economical, this car is reliable.’ The list goes on.

One down side; Saab dealers know how to charge, I discovered this at my first service; IRP£390 (say €440) for what was effectively an oil change and a set of brake pads. I quickly learned how to change oil, plugs, and filters etc. So now I service it myself every 10000 Miles for approximately €50.

In summary, the car is an engineering masterpiece. Even though it’s a heavy 2.0 Liter Family Hatch, (it so wants to be a coupe) once you have come to a rapport with its willing engine, its solid Gearbox and its dynamic chassis / handling, you can out-maneuver any GTI in the hands of a driver who doesn’t understand his car, (and that’s most GTI drivers)

I should also comment on its strength, because a Honda Civic once wrote himself off in a futile attempt to bend my rear bumper; he failed.

P.S. I bought this car based on a one-liner from Jerome Clarkson. “Saab – A seriously good value second-hand buy.” – He was right.

The SAAB 900 is a superb car, with an awesome boot space. The only thing is, the jump from 2nd to 3rd gear can seem a bit large. But with 2 litres, who's complaining?

This car is still running... 2005... 151000 miles.

Have now been through 3 sets of pads, 2 full exhausts 1 clutch replacement fuel pump + filter replacement, 16 oil changes and filters 4 - 5 sets of spark plugs... It has cost me say 3K over 5 years to service.

The only difference between it and a new car is that its brakes squeek a bit, and the central locking dosent work any more.

My next car will be either the last of the 9-3 hatch backs, or a BMW 5 series (seccond hand of course). It will depend on my mood, and my budget at the time.

P.S.

I too have taken chunks out of my scalp on the tail-gate latch... very painfull. You probably won't do it a 3rd time... at least not a 4th.

But it's a good car!

164000 miles... A new Rear engine mounting... 250 Euros.

Check engine light, and ABS warning intermittantly. Still drives like a saab 900. What can I say ?

OK 167000 miles. Now I am really bored with this car, and lots of small problems are bugging me. The heater knob broke; the electric headlight height adjuster won't work on driver side; I still haven't got the central locking to work, If I want to take it up to 200000, I will need new disks (rotors) track-rod ends, and the usual bits and pieces just inside the front wheels, and I am not sure that the original alternator will make it the distance (I also suspect that the thickness of my exhaust manifold is less than 2 or 3 mm.) If I keep this car for an other year, I have no doubt that it will go the distance, but it will almost certainly cost me over a Grand to maintain.

On an other note, I almost had the cash in hand to buy an 2001 saab 9-5 2.0T when my research revealed that in 1998 Saab came up with 2 new engines... i.e. 205B and 235B (to replace the 204B and 234B) I had a near miss parting with 14k hard-earned Euros for an almost certain disaster waiting to happen. Imagine spending that kind of money on a car and only getting 40 - 50 thousand miles out of it (if your luckey). Google the words sludge and saab - find out for your self)

Looks like its gona-haf-to-be a 1999 520i.

GM take note... you broke one of the best marques in the shed - and you didn't get away with it. It is used car sales that demonstrate the longevity of a marque, look at VOLVO Mercedes BMW, and used-to-be SAAB. It's a sorry tale. All that aside, the 1996 900 was the best car I ever had. Pitty I can't get an other one.

167000 Miles. Aux drive belt idler pully (the grooved one) ceiszed. Very nasty screaching noise from engine, but not a show stopper. I kenw immediately by the noise what the problem was. I bought the two pullies (the grooved one and its smooth partner) from a saab dealer. (144Eur. I am repeatedly sickened by the price of spares for SAAB, and the fact that nobody in Ireland carries them except official SAAB dealers.) I replaced them myselfe in under an hour. I'm thankful that I have enough capability in my hands to do the basics myself. If anybody knows a good source for parts for SAAB In Ireland please let me know. (anthonyvbyrne@hotmail.com) I'm sure I should have been able to get those pullys for half what I paid. Soon I will need an exhaust manifold and gasket, and a set of front disks.

Captains Log... The Final entry. 171000 miles.- Rebuilt alternator last month. Waste of time. Last week some guy plowed into the driver side of my car at 50 MPH. Car completely destroyed. Due to legendary build solidity of SAAB, my 2 kids in back seat were completely unharmed (for which I give thanks to God).

I have replaced the Saab with a Ford Mondeo, not a Volvo S80.

The cars were about equal in terms of seccond hand value for money, but it boiled down to the following...

2 Tons of luxury, renowned reliability problems high running costs, high maintenance cost, slightly older... Versus 1.5 Tons of Safe reliable low running costs, low maintenance cost practical, simple, comfortable slightly newer troublefree motoring. No Contest!

Needless to say, If money were not an issue, it probably would have been a brand new Volvo S80 (In my opinion it is a classier car than the BMW 520 which is common in every sense of the word.)

p.s. If the build quality, Engineering quality, and reputation of SAAB motors had not been completly destroyed (in my opinion) by GM, I would now be driving a SAAB 95. Think about that Saab Management!

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