Anyone have (or had) a Saab as a 2nd car?

My wife is looking for a car with some of the "creature comforts" that she as become use to over the years and a Saab 9000 S has caught her attention. I'm not trying to change the basis of this forum (911), I just want to hear if there is any positive or negative experiences with Saabs from fellow 911 owners whom I can trust!

I have zero knowledge or experiences with Saabs and don't want to get in over my head!

Thanks,


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Anthony Kram
77 Targa

Now I have an 86 900 SPG Turbo:
Its a great car that doubles as a truck as well as a snowmobile in northern Michigan. Its been very reliable and so far easy enough to repair. It needs very little even at 180,000 miles. Transmissions are the Achilles heel. The 9000 series is less problematic, but the automatic in that model can be expensive should it not have had the best of care. I prefer the "uniqueness of the 900 series, but appreciate the 9000 sereis and the updates as well. Quality of switch gear is excellent.

I have had 3 Saabs since 86... All good
cars all 900 my wife currently drives 99 9-3
A great car but probably the last Saab we will buy. January of this year GM took over full ownership of Saab. In a recenent Autoweek ther was a small article that said the new redesigned Saab will share the platform with a Saturn. You know how it will go from that point on. So by a real Saab while you still can and have fun.

Thanks for the information. The one we are considering (1991 9000S) is a 5 speed manual, so if we end up buying, hopefully we will not have to worry about those automatic tranny glitches!



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Anthony Kram
77 Targa

I had a swedish Saab 900s from new and then kept in the family by my sister. Great driving car, fantastic for those winter ski runs and also an A one hauler of goods and people. Sis also had a 9000 at the same time. Kudos!
Love that center key and those heated seats.

I worked at an independent Saab dealer as a mechanic for 4 years. I know Saab's inside and out. Personally, I have owned 4, 86 9000T, 87 9000S, 91 9000CD, and 93 900S.

Saab's are great cars. They, like all cars, have their problem spots, but overall will serve you for well over 150K. Parts are easy to get and not too expensive. And the older cars are very easy to work on, esp the classic 900.

If you are looking at a 9000S, look for warped brake rotors, a leaking heater core (coolant smell when you turn the heat on), idle stability problems, broken engine mounts, and if the car has ACC, make sure it works and goes to all the heat/AC positions. There are more items, but they are year specific, so let me know.

If you need more any info on the car, or have any questions, I'm full of it (info that is). Feel free to e-mail me directly at nickshu@yahoo.com

As for the future of Saab, they continue to grow and increase sales an an unbelieveable rate. Unfortunately, however, the future cars (including the current 9-5) will be on the Opel platform, which is shared with Saturn, Cadillac, Chevy, Buick...you get the picture. However, Saab will continue production of its 2.3L turbo 4, as well as the Opel turbo V-6 until the cool new Variable Compression engine shows up in a couple of years. If you haven't read about this engine, look it up, its an engineering marvel!

Nick.

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Nick Shumaker
1982 911SC Coupe

[This message has been edited by Nickshu (edited 02-11-2001).]

S wedish
A utomobiles
A lways
B reak

i won't be a party pooper and tell you all the Saab (rhymes with sob) stories i know, but if that's what you truly want, go for it! in Ithaca, Saabs are as common as ants at a picnic. every garage has one either on the lift, or in the parking lot waiting to get put on the lift. some cars i've seen so many times i wonder if they welded them to the lift

i'll add this bit of advice though...

here's something a Saab enthusiast friend of mine said about his car (he had 3 Saabs) after waiting 3 months for a few trifling parts that were needed to get his car running. he hadn't had it one year and it spend more time in the garage, than in HIS garage.

"Saab uses plate tectonics to ship parts. they leave your order on the docks in Stockholm... and then wait for the continents to drift together."

if you want an expensive turbocharged car that will run forever, costs a lot to fix, takes foever to get parts delivered, and depreciates faster than a falling rock...

buy a Maserati, probably end up being cheaper than an equivalent Saab

like i said before, these are my experiences. i know that there are Saab owners that love their cars to the death... but i know a LOT of mechanics that love Saabs even more . what other common car can you charge rediculous rates for parts and labor... and just about guarantee that they will return a few months later with another problem that will set the owner back another $800-$2000? there's a garage in Ithaca that does ONLY Saabs... and he gets a hell of a lot of business.

again, if it's really what you want then go for it! don't let me stop you, i just though i'd warn you first.

obin

[This message has been edited by Obin Robinson (edited 02-11-2001).]

diverdan, jabb, ras911, Nick and Obin--thanks for your candid perspective on Saabs! I will consider all of your thoughts when I look at the one currently for sale nearby.


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Anthony Kram
77 Targa

I have had Two Saabs. Both 900's.
One was an 86 spg turbo. Very tempermental compared to the 911. Seemed to always need a tweek here or there. Handled quit well and sounded cool.
My two sisters have new 900"s and have no complaints.

I've had 2 900s and 3 9000s. I currently have 2 '92 9000S 5 speeds. They are great cars, but do have quirks. Like black licorice and the Grateful Dead, the people that are into Saabs are VERY into Saabs and those that aren't really dislike them.

One thing that many people do agree on is their safety. My wife was run off the road by a drunk driver and wrapped an 85 900 (without airbags) around a telephone pole going 60mph. Had she been in a VW, she wouldn't have survived the crash. Everything crumpled as it should have.

They do require maintenance, but they are very reliable. In addition to some of the things listed earlier, you should make sure that the headliner isn't sagging and that the fan works in all positions (about $500 to replace this for some reason). Saabs seem to go through CV boots - and therefore CV joints - more often than other cars that I've owned. Another wat to check for a faulty heater core, in addition to the smell, is by looking for excess condensation on the windshield.

There are some bulletin boards similar to this for Saab owners - one is called TSN (The Saab Network).

One other thing I forgot to mention. If a cupholder is one of the creature comforts that your wife is looking for, you won't find one in a 91 9000.

We were kind of hoping that our second Saab, a 1999 9-3, would be trouble free and a keeper (We are currently leasing this one). Our older 900S started to cost us a fortune after about 7 years of routine maintenance. Fortunately, the new one is still under warrantee and we figure any more visits to the garage for non-maintenance things, we'll likely say goodbye when the lease is up.

Monkey,

My 91 9000 has a cupholder, 2 to be exact. There was a factory option cupholder that fit into the center console box.

My 900 has one too, but I made that one.


Nick.

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Nick Shumaker
1982 911SC Coupe

I have an 85 900 Turbo. It was a theft recovery I bought at auction in 1990. The car sat for 2 yrs before getting started on it. They the thieves had completely stripped the interior out of it. They also removed all computer brains. After three months of rounding up all the parts and a nice leather interior out of an 87 the big moment came. I turned the key and the darn thing started right up on the first crank. This car had 40k on it when I got it. It sat for at least 4yrs without being looked at. Today I am still driving it. It has 120k on it now and does need some repairs. The point I am getting at is these cars where made to run. It is not as fast as my 911T but I have enjoyed fixing it and using it as a daily driver. I don't know a whole lot about the 9000 series but if they are made anything like the 900's it should give you a good 300k. That's my story and I am sticking to it.

Both my daily driver cars are Saabs. My Wifes is an 84 900s that I got in college. It has 215k miles on it and still runs great. My wife refuses to give it up. Even though I have offered to buy her a new car. My car is an 93 900 turbo Convertible. This car is great, but not nearly as solid as my 84 900. Maybe its because it gets run much harder. I think Saab makes a great car and you would not go wrong.
oh but I love my toy 911

Scott
81 911 SC Targa
84 900
93 900 Turbo

I guess I will jump in on this thread for a purely selfish reason. My father-in-law is the original owner of a Saab Turbo, first year. He and his wife bought it to their specifications, and he has all the records. It is in a garage all the time now, and really need a Saab lover to love it as it deserves.

So it is for sale. It has the nice factory alloys, the louvered rear window, is gray, has some sort of side striping, and is in near-perfect condition at around 50K on the odometer. Plus it was the first year of the Turbo, which I think was '76 or '77??

Please contact me off-list if you have any interest.

Thanks for listening and sorry to SPAM you!
Jw

I'v owned Two Dozen SAAB's. REAL SAAB's have TWO CYCLE motors. If you buy a new one why not save so money and by a GM car cause that what they are.Rebadged Vauxhall's, THAT's BS. Dick Grossman Founder of what is now the SAAB Club must be turning over in his grave he hated GM cars. Steve

One more thing THe Dealer Tried to sell me a key Blank for $12.00 and that was Twenty years ago. The dealers are next to useless Need a good SAAB parts supplier try JJ and B SAAB in Orange, Calif. They know there stuff and have prices.Steve Current SAAB's 72 Sonnet with 906cc Monte Carlo motor, 66 96 with 850cc Monte Carlo motor.

Excuse me. Where is the thread for the peugeot 505 other car owners?

I have an 88 spg. 132,000 miles. I have modified the APC myself. I have group 6 intercooler and turbo pipes; K&N filter; Magnecore wires, ngk 7 plugs; Bosch cap and rotor; RRFPR; new fuel filter; fuel pump and pre-pump; new idle speed actuator; silicone vacuum lines and Bosch turbo bypass valve off a 930. Stock this car has about 165hp. Now about 190. These cars are a little quarkie. But if you maintain them they will run forever. This car hauls ass for a 4 banger. Good luck