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I have been looking at Saabs recently with a view to buying one of the early GM 900s or maybe a 9000. Looked at one this afternoon that came with service history and a sheaf or really horrifyingly large bills. Anyone have any experience of these cars with regard to reliability and logevity.
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Have had a few in p/x in recent months and virtually had to give them away,i dont think they are a very good car,overated in terms of build quality and judging by the bills and repair work invoices that are allways in the old sheds they do need a lot of expensive attention.
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Try searching the archive for comments on on Saab 900 S and/or hope that a backroom subscriber (Mike Herridge)chips in to help! He admits to have had 12 SAAABs in 20 years and he might comment if he sees your post. I agree with TL's comment that they are cheap; there is a 900S on a 'P' near me with 56K showing, for £4995.
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try www.saab-900.com for all you need to know
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Designer
I ran a '96 'GM' 900 S for a couple of years. Bought at 20,000 miles from a Saab dealer, guaranteed mileage, no accidents etc
Didn't do that many miles so can't comment on logevity or reiability (although a neighbour ran a 9000 non-turbo auto to 175k, when expensive transmision problems loomed) but I can certainly comment that depreciation was far worse than anything else I've owned. Not easy to sell on, as they don't have 'mass-market' appeal. To make it more saleable it must have at least a sunroof or preferably a/c as the ventilation is not too good.
My main comment is you must try before you buy. Good points are comfy seats, excellent, quiet, motorway cruising, big boot, excellent heater.
The downsides are that non-turbos are a bit slow off the mark and a bit thirsty. Turbo performance is brilliant, and I'm told are no more thirsty than the others unless you're always using the performance.
To me the downside is the handling. I was very put off by the ease with which it lurched up on the suspension and understeered. Now, I know you don't buy these as sports cars, but this behaviour appeared even when I wasn't really trying - eg a tightening bend on an unfamiliar road. Definitely a motorway and A road car. Overall I found it too soft and underdamped, and I was concerned about its potential behaviour in an emergency. Provided you don't provoke it too much it's OK, but I was never really happy.
Which leads me to another issue. These cars have a reputation for safety. I can't dispute that, but our car felt a bit loose and I'm sure suffered from a bit of scutttle shake, which I didn't expect. Not as 'tight' as I expected.
Turbos are better, but I've only had a short drive and I wasn't convinced even they had suspension really up to the performance. I also had a run in an early diesel 9-3 when my car was in for service, and oh dear, was that a rough and gruff engine, but the handling seemed rather better than the 900. Certainly the damping had improved.
When we wanted to sell one car of our two we kept the 70 thousand mile Vectra and sold the 30 thousand mile Saab. Why? the Vectra handled better, didn't have scuttle shake and did 5 or 6 more miles to a gallon.
Regards
John S
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Chirping in as suggested!
Firstly, avoid the 1993-1998 900 model, it is not highly regarded, mainly due to the poor ride and generally lethargic handling. Better to go for the 9-3 if you want this size car, although reading between the lines it's outside your budget.
Secondly, look at the "Car by Car Breakdown" on this site. You'll see that the 9000 is highly rated. It is solid, safe and reliable - the latter being a sweeping generality of course, but I can only speak from experience. I run an old 9000, 1987, non-turbo, no ABS, no electric gizmos. I bought it at 90000 miles, it had been an ex-company car and had a new clutch at 83000 and new steering rack. It has now done 199,020 miles, on the same clutch and rack. The only failures have been a water pump at about 100000 and a head gasket at 148000. Apart from that, the engine is untouched. It has been run on unleaded since new and has only had 12000-mile oil changes. It has never broken down. It has never failed to start, even after three weeks in the garage unused.
The timing gear is often the weak point, and high mileage cars have often had them changed. Mine is original and very noisy, but at a fix price of somewhere between £750-1500 it ain't worth it!
Bset models are the run-out Anniversary spec, as they had leather, climate control ABS etc. Best engine is reckoned to be the 2.3 Eco (175bhp), mates well with the auto box (another weak point at high miles), the 2.0 Eco auto is not well-matched. The Aero is fast (225bhp, 6.9 secs 0-60).
For maintenance at reasonable cost, you need to hunt out a non-franchised specialist. Main dealers can be arrogant and expensive although there are exceptions. Lots of high-mileage cars around, don't be frightened of cars with 125000. The more bills the better - less to go wrong!
You could also trawl round the forums and adverts on the Saab Owners Club site (saabclub.co.uk) for a general flavour.
Phew, lots of info here, I'll shut up for a while.
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Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to reply, some really helpful info here on the prospective purchase of a Saab.
As regards the comments of John S on driving a GM 900, this very much concurs with my own experience. Yes I did have a good drive of a 1995 900 S with 100K on the clock. This was around 10 miles on fast and hilly A roads in Cornwall and the experience was good but less than impressive. On the upside, the car is comfortable, quiet and both felt and looked like a quality product.
However, on the downside it was somewhat uninvolving to drive and certainly did not handle in the manner expected of a car that is marketed as a sporting saloon. It also felt somewhat underpowered on the longer uphill stretches. Fast enough on the level if you use the revs but lacking torque to pull uphill at any real speed.
The info panel also indicated only 25.5 mpg which would tend to concur with John's comment on fuel economy. Overall, it felt like a car with a heavy body and an engine that although smooth and free revving, would need to be worked hard to make good progress. This may then result in disapointing mpg figures.
I also had a brief go in a 1995 900 SE Turbo that was substantially quicker than the normally aspirated version. However, this car was beginning to show some worrying signs of rust in the seams around the door surrounds and in various other areas mainly on the drivers side. Crashed and badly repaired?
Thanks also to Mike Herridge for his recommendations regarding 9000s and yes I have driven a couple of these. Both were 92 models, manual with the 2.0 LPT engine. One was absolutely mint with 100K on the clock. The car is in a local Saab specialist garage but it is unfortunately priced at £3995, a bit steep for a car of that age. The second 9000 is priced at a more reasonable £2195 with 135K on the clock, however it is a bit tired cosmetically. No body rust but some underneath coupled with a slightly oily and rusty engine bay. However, the info panel did indicate a more hopeful mpg figure of 29.6 after some fairly spirited driving again on fast A roads in Cornwall.
My impressions with the 9000s are that the cars are quick, comfortable and surprisingly nimble given the size of the vehicle.
So looks like a 9000 could be the better option. Thanks again to all and good to find a forum with helpful and knowledgeable correspondents.
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>>The car is in a local Saab specialist garage but it is unfortunately priced at £3995, a bit steep for a car of that age. The second 9000 is priced at a more reasonable £2195 with 135K on the clock<<
For 3995 you would pick up a 100k ex fleet 9-5 at auction.
The other day a BCA trade in auction I saw a good looking 9000 on an L plate with under 100k sell for £500-£600 (can't remember exactly).
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Yes I realised that £3995 is way over the top for a K plate 9000 LPT even in mint condition. However, cars are more expensive in Cornwall due to the remote location. Thanks for the advice re auctions.
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From the geogrpahical references in your message you're probably some way from Abotts in Essex who do a handling upgrade for the 900 (see Car by Car Breakdown), which is a shame.
Matthew Kelly
No, not that one.
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Forgot to mention amongst all the other info that I average about 31mpg in winter & 33mpg in summer in my old banger - hasn't varied over the last 9 years/100000 miles!
Take a look at eBay (search on "Saab") - usually loads of 9000s for sale, some seem absolute crackers at good prices.
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Hi Mike, nice to see you back! You helped me with TDi problems a few months back! Any non-franchise specialists known to you in the Bedford area or might the owner's club be a good place to ask?
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I haven't been anywhere, I check the site most days but haven't felt moved to comment often recently - when I have, it's been a case of biting my tongue as there have been a few, shall we say, odd threads recently (e.g. the long debate over Toad's signature).
I live down in the deep south near Portsmouth, can't comment on anyone in the Bedford area. Try the owners club site, might be something there. Do you drive a Saab - you mentioned TDi in your post?
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Thanks Mike; my partner drives a 9-3 TDi with which you gave help re injector seal failure some time ago. I went to the Saab owner's site and found an independent garage about 30 miles away. It is a balance between main dealer servicing prices but a loan car (thank you) v spending a day at a loose end in rural Hertfordshire to save £??. Thanks for the input, positive as ever!
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