Are saabs reliable?

[noyneknacnud@yahoo.com]

I am interested in buying a used Saab 9-5 Aero. However I get many mixed reviews on the car. Some people tell me Saabs are not reliable some tell me that they never had any problems. I also hear that road noise is substantial. Is this true. I have never had a ride in one. Is the car reliable? Is it a wise purchase? when Saabs break what is usually breaking on them? Someone or Everyone please answer. I need all the help I can get. :-??

[bigboab]

114,000 miles and counting on an 88 900. Double that is not usual. New PAS rack (small leak, could have left it) and a new radiator recently. New set of injectors at 80k and only regular servicing for the whole of its life. I'm sure other posters will have similar tales.

Regular servicing is the key to a long life Saab.

[Simon]

I drove a 9-5 Aero about a month ago and it was awesome. The ride was firm yet very comfortable and it went like stink! If I has the cash I would buy one :cheesy: :cheesy:

[lernst]

A local, very reputable mechanic told me that SAAB's are one of the most expensive vehicles to drive due to parts and service. My view is that these cars are a bit like Harley Davidsons, if someone is driving a SAAB it's because they WANT a SAAB, not because they are looking for a dependable car. If you spend some time on this forum you'll see a few reacurring problems with them. Although they do have quirks, you wont find many cars that can stay on the road as long as a SAAB (300k is not unusual). You may have been bitten by the SAAB bug already, if so you'd better just go buy one cause the urge may never go away. I held out 15 years, and finally got my first this summer...I'm in love...

[Slaabish]

I have a 88 900s, have had it over a year, no major problems and 228,000 miles on it. Had a 87 900s with no probs either, my mother has a 96 900, the only thing she has had to replace, was the headlight after a small fender bender. In my opinion, :D :D :D Saabs are very reliable. :D :D :D

[mr saabman]

Well my car is a 1999 2.0 lpt and has 146,000 miles on the clock and has had no problems so far :o it also gets driven very hard so if they were week in some way I'm sure it would have shown up by now :cheesy:

[Tony Thurston]

can't really answer your question about reliability as I have only had mine a month or so... but what I will say is that mine is a '98 9-5 with 100K on the clock and it drives like NEW!!!

I think the key here (and please, the more seasoned Saab drivers correct me if I'm wrong) would appear to be regular servicing, mine has been serviced about every 8K miles since new, hence the decent condition of the engine...

A friend of mine who has had Saabs all his life reckons they run forever with the right care.. he has NEVER had any major problems, and he's had a few...

All the best..

Tony

[murphwiz]

My '99 9-5 is siting very pretty with 103k on the clock, full history, and yes you are right, service it correctly and on time the saab will go on and on... seen plenty of 900/90000's with 200k plus on the clock, know of one with 350k on the clock...

[drav]

I've only had my 85 Aero for a couple of months, but with 215K on the clock, the engine is in supurb condition. Since owning the car I've noticed plenty of little signs that tell that Saabs are a very well engineered car - from the chunky door hinges to the layout and logistics of the engine. And, in my mind, any car that's well engineered will keep going forever, if it is given proper attention (attention doesn't mean money).

My Saab is no more unreliable than a Toyota or Ford from the same year, and it is a lot more desireable...

[duesenberg]

Best way to keep Your SAAB in motion is good maintenance. Use only full syntetic oil and other liquids as demanded and You will have very reliable car.
I have owned:
79' 99, problems were: some oil leaks, water pump. I changed some minor details.
87' 900, best car I've ever drive, Had to worry only about the oil change done according to maintenace schedule and add windshield washing liquid.
Previous car:
97' 9000cse, I have owned it only 8 months, mileage is >260000 km (>162000 miles), no problems during this time, (ok, ok, some blown bulbs etc.)

[Paco]

I can only back up the maintenance thing, I bought my first T16 with 140k on it and thought it had worn well. It had several owners and mixed history.
My "new" one is on 147k, Saab factory history from new (ouch!) and it's a different car! So tight!!
So go with full history and low owners, should last a long time!

[Karenc9]

SAABS are zeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee best....

[This is MaDness]

G'day all. I'm new here and this topic caught my eye.

I'm a uni student (therefore small budget) looking for an 'individual' first car. Would you recommend a mid-to-late eighties 900 as a first car for someone who is often financially challenged? I understand that parts are more expensive than average and that some mechanical work can be painful but, if the car was reliable, I would be keen to own one. Aside from reliablity issues, are there any other potentially expensive qualities that the 900 has? Do they guzzle petrol, have tyre wear problems or anything similar?

The other cars I'm investigating are the Mk1 Golf GTi and the classic Pug 504. How do you reckon the 900 stacks up against these vastly different rivals, or should I ditch them all and buy a bleeding beige Corolla or something?

[16VinOZ]

hey madness, i'm an australian uni student who has just bought a new saab 1990. I got a 1990 model relatively cheaply (about 4800) but had to spend a grand on new brakes and a new exhaust system. I find they are fairly heavy on fuel, (i've found about 7-8 litres/km), and a little sluggish on the acceleration (try not to get a 3spd auto), but apart fromt hat bloody awesome. Great handling, especially at high speeds-its got the same handling at 140 as my 86 falcon had at 90 if that makes sense. Also they are fun to be inside-comfy seats, great cockpit-like set-up, and most of all are not tinny pieces of japanese crap.

[Karenc9]

Yes, they can cost some money to fix, now and then, but you'll never get more car for so little money and you will love it just like a family member..they are awesome...the fixings are better than a car payment and you;ll learn after a while how to bypass spending alot on fixing them..they are awesome...do it...KAREN( fellow saab lover) I love my 1985 saab turbo 16v...........vrrrmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[svhunter]

I think the biggest problem with Saab's is the lack of (in my area) of a good mechanic!

Saab's are well built cars, a little different but well built, but with that comes with the curse of not having as many people who can work on them!

If that is not the case in your area leave your computer now and go buy it!


:P You will love it!!

[PaulG]

MrsG and I have owned 4 900's and 2 9000's. Having owned one, you will never settle for an ordinary car again! Even in the UK's damp climate they seem to last about 20 years before serious rust sets in, but this can be fixed. Huge mileage is not an issue - drive them fast and hard to 300,000 or more, but always respect the vehicle and always follow the service schedule to the letter. Forget main dealers once the car is out of warranty - a good Saab specialist will save you thousands. I have never met anyone who regretted owning a Saab. Yet to own a 9-5, but as far as I can see they are very much in the same mould.

[This is MaDness]

Thanks very much for your opinions everyone. :D

I think they've helped affirm my path to SAAB-dom.

Cheers!

[amor]

:evil: no, I think they are not, indeed . I've bought 3 saabs in my life. The first one, no problem. the second one, bought used by an official saab seller, after declared 130.000 Km had the engine broken down (water and oil toghether!!!!!? and I had to change it at my expenses!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Persevering I,ve bought in 1999 a bran new saab 9.5 SW 2000t. It was the way to mantain confidence in a brand that I loved and to evaluate my used car (other brand sellers disevaluated it).
I've made all the porgrammed controls by my official buyer but yesterday, after ONLY 85.000 KM the engine made an intense and white smoke. This morning I've phoned to the Saab Mecanic and he told me it could be a big problem.
I'm very sad :cry: today because in my experience the 66% of my saabs are unreliable and quantity is becoming quality So I ought to change opinion on the saab brand. A saab 95 SW costs a lot of money, is a top level car and mus be durable. A four years life and 85.000 for a periodically tested and mantained engine is not too much, comparing to the price.
So the fable of granitical swedish tecnology and saab0's reliability is a marketing creation, which aim is to create a mith disconnected from the reality.
As soon as I can I'll change brand. I do not think not to have problems, but money is money, if a thing costs money it must be durable, and changing brand is the only way to revolt and to affirm my rights of consumer.

[Glib]

Was that apple in the tree reliable, no it fell on someones head.You can be wealthy working on Saabs.and you can be wealthy cleaning septic tanks,I've seen both. I'm not starting an arguement wich is better but repar cost for Chevy is expencive theese days to. It all depends on the level of service you receive.Bad service will cost you a whole lot of money. Good service you will still spend some money, but you will enjoy your car more. No service and you will spend all the money.
92 9000 287,000 miles
84 900 243,000 miles

[90t16Saero]

Im on my second Saab, the first one was a 1990 T16 900 and when coming to change that for a new car I test drove all sorts, from Alfa Romeos to Lexus and can honestly say that only when I drove the 9-5 did I decide that it was to be my next car. The build quality is so good that I was actually annoyed with it when I came to fit a new stereo and amp etc.. Really well screwed together are saabs. I've never had a major problem with my 900, and i thrashed the crap out of it. For the money, you cant get better. Put it this way, all the cars I looked at, and most cars today are really expensive if they go horribly wrong, my best advice is to know where the cars been and what its had done to it. Full service history is a must. My 1990 car had it and I traded it in with all the history intact.The 9-5 has all its history aswell. They are actually cheap to service I think, especially if you use an independent dealer, but saying that, the main dealer isnt that bad either. Most expensive service is the 66,000 miler at £400, but they do change all the belts etc... The normal service is between £100 and £200.

Go get one!

[WhoMe]

Hi,
I have a tale of woe, which does look out of place in this company.

We bought a 1998 9-5 2.0 LPT for my wife from a local non franchised dealer with a bad rep - I should have known better. I suspect the car was in a Non Franchised dealership because no franchised dealer wanted it. (suspect gearbox and timing chain)

Don't get me wrong I love the car, and it is much better value than my hugely depreciating japanese turbo toy car. I love the comfort and the sense of time warping on long journeys.

The Franchised dealer who has done the repairs been absolutely fab. I will buy another SAAB but only cos the efforts of this guy. He seems genuinely embarrassed by our visits.

I've found that, - it is not quite so bad, - IF when something breaks, you KNOW you will able to get it fixed.

Also considering the amount of work, the bill was not as bad as it could have been - I am down ~ £1000 on what we should have paid from the franchised Dealer (for a car with a real warranty).

To date we have had a gearbox replaced cos the car would not go into reverse. A timing chain replaced cos it was rattly. Two Air conditioning compressors cos bits of bearing killed the first replacement one. A DI Cassette cos the car misfired for a few weeks and then refused to start in the car park of B&Q. Also we have had to track down a second hand ECC display when my repair attempt finally killed the original. We also have suspect Throttle valve body which has been reset from limp home mode - but might decide to fail again at any time and stop the car idling when cold.

Oh and I am waiting to get a Thermostat replaced cos the car is slow to warm up.

So great car but warranty a nice option.

- Who Me

p.s. If you are installing a mobile phone Car Kit - get the little cable from the dealer it makes the job so easy.

p.p.s. I might have killed the DI cassette - replacing the Spark plugs on a SAAB is a skilled job. Read all about it on the 9-5 FAQ. I did afterwards.

[deniss]

recently, CleveSaab (moderator in the 9-3 forum) pointed me to a link

http://www.nex.net.au/users/leeming/saabsafety.html

which exposes how amazing Saabs really are when it comes to safety. if you have time, read it :) i like some of saab quirks, and this sure is one car company that goes an extra mile to assure our safety and safery of others.

yep, i think i got bitten by a saab bug too... :roll: