I'm thinking of buying a Saab as my next vehicle. Can anyone give me any advice on them? Good or bad?

Question

I have always wanted a Saab and I wanted to know how Saab owners felt about their Saabs. Do they like them or do they hate them. I'm thinking about buying the 9-3 sedan.

Answer 1

How many Saabs do you see on the road? not many where I live, go with the majority :)

Answer 2

I had an 86 Saab with 180k miles on it and loved it. I decided to try another Saab and got an 03 9-3 Vector. The car was a disaster from the day I purchased it (used). The electronic systems in these cars are horrendous. The radio lost its presets randomly. The dealership told me that was typical for a Saab (and on another occasion when I had to use one of their loaner 9-3's the same thing happened). Customer service still has a ticket open on this item from July that they cannot or will not get resolved.

Some days the interior lights worked, others they didn't. Could not duplicate consistently, so it was never looked at. I had to have the CD changer replaced 5 times. The car rattled and squeeked a lot for a "near luxury" car and a host of other problems occurred that I won't even go into, particularly with the electronics. At one point I was visiting the dealership every two weeks. The good thing is, it was all under warranty. I only owned the car 7 months before I traded it and I will never buy another Saab (or GM product, as you will) again.

Answer 3

I would say that SAABs newer models past '04 are better. THats really when GM began turning things around. You dont see many old saabs, simply because they didnt sell that many. In ratio of cars sold to cars still running SAAB is almost unmatched. Volvo is basically a Ford with boxy styling, it has all the cheap stuff the Taurus did. GMs platform is not that bad, as it helped the Saturn AUra win best car of '07, and is also used on the Malibu, G6 and 9-3. The Saturn Aura is a car you should consider, although its not as luxurious as a SAAB. The Aura will save you thousands, even when fully loaded. THe Aura is a rebadged Opel, and in the near future SAAB will be getting some Opels. Engine size does not mean a car is faster, or drives better. Volvos are bricks, so it takes a much more powerful engine to matck a sleek and aerodynamical SAAB, bricks also dont have good driving dynamics. A SAAB is a solid choice, and if you want any more info on any cars just email me.

Answer 4

I purchased A 1999 9-3 last March and I couldnt be happier. This is the first car I have owned I actually enjoy driving (first car I've owned that doesnt start shaking at 85+MPH or well past that).

Havent had any problems YET, although I bought it with the understanding that if something did go wrong it would cost a bit more than the average vehicle to fix. Luckily I have both a mechanic in the family as well as a friend who owns a european specialty garage.

At this point I can definitely see myself sticking with Saab for future purchases as well. They are a fun and unique car to own.

Check some of the SAAB forums like
http://saablink.net
http://saabcentral.com

etc to ask questions and get more information on the actual model and year you are interested in.

Answer 5

When I was about 19 years old (1982), I wanted a Saab turbo. As I got older, I had two new Benz's, Land Rover, BMW, Acura but owning a Saab always stuck in my mind.

My wife leased a new 2006 97X SUV. I can't want until this "try us for 27 months" lease is up.

When we first picked up the car, it was leaking oil. The dealer said it needed a part that wasn't in stock. Drive it around, you'll be ok was his response. I called my salesperson and asked him to take a part off another new car.

A few months later my wife was waiting with the kids at the bus stop and the key stayed in the locked position. She couldn't turn it to start the car. They towed the car to the dealer and found out the computer needed to be reflashed. While waiting for the car, they provided her with a loaner car, the 9 3. This car is the same size as a Audi A4 or BMW 3 series. What a hunk of junk. My knee was touching the steering wheel (and I'm only 5'8"!) and it was really cheap inside. I rented a Pontiac G6 last weekend in Florida and the Pontiac was 100% better than 9 3 both inside and out.

Just before we went away to our Christmas vacation, we needed to have the car towed again. The engine light came on, the car had no power. We called the dealer from Florida, they said it was "bad gas" and the problem was now resolved. We picked up the car and after 10 minutes, the engine light came on..

Stay away from Saab.. They are owned by GM and are in my opinion, a horrible product.

Answer 6

I own a 2005, Saab 95 Aero, and I absolutely love it. It is a fun car to drive, even the lowest model comes with a load of accessories. It is great for a tall person but can adjust well to females with smaller proportions. The drive is smooth and when you switch to the sports mode it drives like a dream. I will be trading it in next year and I will be buying the convertible, as the one I have now is only equipped with a sun roof. It gets great mileage and I have yet to have a single problem with it other than a couple of month ago my battery went dead and Saab replaced it immediately under warranty. I think that you will also appreciate the safety specs which makes it just as safe as the Volvo, which is awesome compared to some of the other models out there. Good luck and enjoy.

Answer 7

Okay if you can stand one more opinion, here goes. As co-owner of the largest independent SAAB shop in the western united states I offer this. Every opinion I have read here has merit for the most part. As with any line, SAAB has its problems, ask a Beamer 530 owner how he feels about his 80K boat anchor. Anyway, a lot of your purchase choice has got to be based on where you live. Sadly, too many shops will not work on a SAAB thinking it's just TOO foreign. Truth is, any tech worth his salt knows that a car is a car is a car and if their any good they can work on any car. That said, I can tell you that the newest SAAB I own is a '99 9-3 convert my wife drives. Save a '00 to '02 9-5 Aero there is not another newer year of SAAB I would personally own. Under no circumstances buy any of the V-6 models, you will not be happy. Check first to see if there is a good shop in your area that will repair and service your purchase. Have ANY car you are thinking of buying first checked out by your tech. There is a lot of pretty junk with clean CARFAX reports out there and you can get really screwed. CARFAX is a joke, do not rely on its info as gold, it's not. Feel free to email me if you find something and want to know something about a model. Hope this helps you get want you want. Al

Answer 8

Oh man. I searched (carless) for at least a year and a half trying to find the perfect car with the perfect value. I was about to abandon all hope when I found an amazing deal for an '01 Saab 9-3 with 80,000 miles. I regret nothing. The turbo engine runs like a dream, the fuel economy is great, and the cloth interior rocks (the heated seats did it for me). Not to mention the smoothness of the ride.

Disregard complaints from those with Saabs of the early nineties and late eighties; the 2000 9-3 model introduced a modern, brand new engine and chassis. I believe somewhere around 1100 changes were made to the vehicle.

Anyhow, go test drive one. You'll find out why most people who do end up buying.

Answer 9

Saab's are great cars for the at home "tinkerer". As many have said already on here...I would stay away from the Saab's that GM has anything to do with. GM started having heavy influence with Saab's starting around model year 2000, so anything older than that was still primarily a Saab. I would stay away from 2000 and above, unless you want a chevy malibu with a Saab emblem on it.

Older Saab's also known as C900's were made from early 80's until 1993. Newer body style's or NG900's were made from 94 until 98. The older Saab's have been known to go for 300k+, but require an owner who is obsessed over their Saab. If you don't mind turning a wrench, and have the time for a few weekend projects a year, then the C900 is a great car. (You can change a clutch out in about 3 hours...without even pulling the engine) They have a few more squeaks and rattles the the NG 900's...but are great in inclement weather (thanks to the transverse mounted motor) and I think look pretty cool compared to all the ho-hum cars on the road today.

The NG 900's are a little more refined than the C900's. You'll have a more numb driving experience, but performance, reliability, and safety are still there. They're still easy to work on, and parts are usually readily available on the Internet...or if your lucky...you'll find a good import auto parts store in your town.

Things to look for while shopping. If buying a C900, look for one that's privately owned...I would stay away from dealers..the interiors on the C900's are the weakest part of the design, you'll rarely find one without a cracked dash. They're prone to rust, so I'd look for a southern car. If the prior owner has good service records, and knows his way around the car..it's probably been taken good care of....I would stay away from the auto tranny's...they're junk..and were an afterthought for the US market (no-overdrive). Turbo's are great...but require a bit more maintenance...the non-turbo's are still pretty zippy...and there is a lot less to go wrong.

On the NG 900's....pretty much the same requirements as looking for an older Saab....you're a little more safe choosing an auto tranny withe the newer Saab's...they finally put in overdrive...but...I still prefer the manuals. I would stick with the 4cyl. and stay away from the V-6's.

I hope this helps with your decision.....as you can tell...I'm a Saab nut. If you end up purchasing one, and your a car-enthusiast, then I doubt you will be disappointed. There is a lot of on line support forums for Saabs...ie...Saabcentral.com, Saabcars.com, and many others.

However...I will say this...if your not mechanically inclined...and dont' know much about cars...I would stay away from a Saab. The at-home mechanic can usually easily fix a problem with these cars with only spending money on parts...since Saab mechanic shops are hard to find, they can command a higher fee for labor. For example, I replaced a clutch a couple of months ago for around $225 in parts. If I had taken it to a mechanic, I would easily be looking at around $1100+...and that's one example out of many....so...somethng to keep in mind when considering a Saab.

Good Luck

Answer 10

I had a 1985 Saab 900S from 1997 to 2003 and it ran great! Usual problems for older vehichle, exhaust manifold and brakes. It ran solid for the entire time I had it.

I bought a 1995 Saab 900S in 2003 and my experience has been mixed. Once again, exhaust and brakes needed work. And about a year ago my transmission in reverse stopped working. Creative parking is the solution to a costly repair. Engine runs great and the gas milage on this one as well as the older one is fantastic...over 34 MPG on the highway. I really like my Saab as it is fun to drive and still looks good. I'm hoping to get a 9-3 myself in about a year. Good Luck.

Answer 11

Saab 9-3 is good choice, but i think that 9-5 is the best model of Saabs'.
9-5 is more comfortable than 9-3, but it's prise is accordingly bigger.