[d1giPhux]

Hey hows it going? I have been a honda fan for a while for their reliability and ease of maintanence. I was thinking about buying a SAAB 900SE 2.0 Turbo, and was wondering if this would be a huge risk to my pocket? Do these cars break down frequently? What should i look for when buying the car? What usually breaks first / What can be expected to break around 114k Miles? Im basically just worried im going to drop $4500 on this "new car" and then ender up paying a lot more to get everything in top notch condition. I looked at the car yesterday, and it seemed that everything ran fine. The control panel was VERY confusing, but thats just because im new to these cars as well. I just want to find some assurance that i wont be totally screwed after buying one, and want to see what people think i should look for when buying a used SAAB. Thanks alot, and i hope to hear from you all soon!

Details of car i may buy :

SAAB 900SE 2.0 Turbo
Leather Interior
Black Exterior

Guy wants $4900 for it, and it has 114k. He said he will "tune it up" and also include a new pair of tires and anything else the car needs.

Also looked at a SAAB 900SE 2.3L Turbo, not sure what the main difference between these 2 are. This one is $4630 and it has leather, blue exterior, and luxury options as well, but does have 165K.

Thanks alot guys!

 

[jerel]

Well, first off, I'm pretty new here too. I hope I can help you some though as I've learned a LOT about these cars in a very short amount of time. Firstly, the difference between the 2.3L SE and the 2.0L SE is TONS. The 2.3L is a 6 cylinder motor and the 2.0L is a 4 cylinder. I'm sure you can understand the large amount of difference there.

As for what to look for when buying a NG900 you should check out these links below. They should give you a good idea about the car and tell you what to check out when you test drive them. If they have service history or you can get this somehow, that's one of the best things. If service, i.e. oil changes and the rest of the regular maintenance, has been done on these cars, they SHOULD last you for a long long time providing you care for them as much as the previous owner(s) should have. The Saab's are not Honda's. Don't expect them to be. I think the difference in these cars are night and day. Honda does make a nice automobile, but Saab has been specializing in nice cars for a VERY long time. Here are the links I promised you.

Second hand buyers guide
Good NG900 site
Site where all these are linked

Browse the forum more too, there are a lot of great people here and they'll help you out as much as they can. Good luck with your car hunting!

Jerel

 

[d1giPhux]

Thanks man, ill check them out! Well, the thing about owning honda's is, im a broke college student, and i just wouldnt want to have to dump tons of money down the drain for nothing, just because my car decides to not work on me.. i need something that will work, and not have problems all the time. Ive found with honda, i can just buy them, do regular maintanence, and be done, no additional $ is usually required.

Thanks alot for the links, i will check them out and read up! Anyone have anymore suggestions? Reliability Issues? Thank you!

 

[NCviggen]

Ive found with honda, i can just buy them, do regular maintanence, and be done, no additional $ is usually required.

for the most part, i've found the same to be true with the 2 saabs i've owned. both my viggen (current) or my 1995 900S (sold last year at 176k, believe it's still going strong!) have served me well and have only ever needed the usual wear items like belts, fluids, batteries, plugs, tires, etc etc, and i don't think these things are any more expensive for saabs than they are for any others.
the 900 left me stranded only once, IIRC it was a broken idler pulley, and needed about $500 worth of AC work once, but other than that it was great.

IMHO, the only thing that tends to make upkeep expensive is the dealers charging rediculous amounts for labor etc. so if you can do most of the routine stuff yourself you can save a lot of $$. this site (and others) are awesome for helping out with all the DIY projects you can dream of

 

[d1giPhux]

Thats chill, i love DIY type work. How hard are SAABs to work on would you say as opposed to import cars?

 

[NCviggen]

i'm mechanically inclined, but by no means a mechanic... i like working on saabs and i think they're quite straightforward once you know the vehicle and its' systems. i've never had any experience working on anything other than saabs though! so i can't answer that part of your question.

where in the northeast are you? just curious.

 

[earthworm]

In many aspects the Saab is quite a bit easier to work on than a Honda. Ever change an alternator in an 88 Accord ? Or do any front end work ? The Saab is a breeze in comparison.. It seems to be engineered to be easier to work on - a trait of any good car...

But, a man must be trueful ; we have 2 different '97s, they cost about the same, but guess which one is "on the hook"...
Fun to drive seems to have its cost, it seems.....

 

[d1giPhux]

But, a man must be trueful ; we have 2 different '97s, they cost about the same, but guess which one is "on the hook"...
Fun to drive seems to have its cost, it seems.....

Not sure what you necessarily meant by that ? Could you explain?


Also, yea ive done a little work on my accord that i had, i actually just sold it, because out of all the honda car's ive owned, i really did not like the accord at all.

Im located in NH actually.. does anyone know of good mechanics / reliable shops in this state?

 

[CleveSaab]

Saab made 3 engines in the 900 line.
There is no 2.3 turbo.

2.0l Turbo ( 900SE ) 185HP
2.3l Non turbo ( 900S ) 150HP
2.5l V6 also an NA. ( 900SE ) 170hp

The 2.3L is a 6 cylinder motor and the 2.0L is a 4 cylinder. I'm sure you can understand the large amount of difference there.

The V6 is a 2.5 litre, not 2.3., and it's not a turbo.
As you can see the V4 has more HP. More Cylinders does not always mean more power.

As to the original poster:
What years are these cars?
The botom line is that these cars demand regular service, as do most cars, but the Saabs are a bit more finicky about it. If you buy a Saab that has been neglected, it can be very difficult on your wallet.
A Saab that has been taken care of well should give you minimal problems. I had a bad exoerience with a 94 and its made me leery of them. If I was looking for a 900 now it would be in the 96-98 years.

 

[d1giPhux]

The SAAB i was looking at was a :

1997 SAAB SE Turbo 2.0

It has 114k Miles on it, i checked it out, seems in alright condition.. did notice a few things while driving it. Besides the battery dying on me, leaving me stranded, it kept making a "ding" sound when i was driving it before the battery died.

All the computer controlled electronics in the front also confused me, as i had no clue how to use them.

Brakes seemed pretty good, and the ride seemed good, but not really fast enough for turbo really? I didnt feel the turbo kick in too well, should i have?

 

[philosophicaldreamer]

Hey hows it going? I have been a honda fan for a while for their reliability and ease of maintanence. I was thinking about buying a SAAB 900SE 2.0 Turbo, and was wondering if this would be a huge risk to my pocket? Do these cars break down frequently? What should i look for when buying the car? What usually breaks first / What can be expected to break around 114k Miles? Im basically just worried im going to drop $4500 on this "new car" and then ender up paying a lot more to get everything in top notch condition.

Let me say this because I do believe that you should be aware of this issue. Most European cars, including Saabs, cost more money than Japanese cars in maintenance and repair. If you are expecting Honda's reliability out of your potential Saab, then you should disabuse yourself from this notion. Saabs are great and fun cars to drive, but they are not cheap to support unless you know how to do a lot of things. I am certain that you will enjoy your Saab, but like with anything else there is a price to pay for this enjoyment.

Ta-ta, janusz

 

[d1giPhux]

Yea i know euro cars are a little (alot) more than japanese cars, as my father has owned several mercedes benz. this being said, i would also expect alot more out of a car that costs more to buy and maintain, and i hope this is the case, since honda has been so good to me over the years.

 

[philosophicaldreamer]

Yea i know euro cars are a little (alot) more than japanese cars, as my father has owned several mercedes benz. this being said, i would also expect alot more out of a car that costs more to buy and maintain, and i hope this is the case, since honda has been so good to me over the years.

Since you are familiar with mercedes, you know what to expect. If you are expecting Honda's reliability, then you know very well that statistical odds are against you. I personally don't mind this, since I do enjoy the way European cars handle in comparison to other makes.

Good luck with find the car you like.
Ta-ta, janusz

 

[Tboy]

I was thinking about buying a SAAB 900SE 2.0 Turbo, and was wondering if this would be a huge risk to my pocket?

Let me just say that ANY used car is a huge risk. You never know for sure where the car has been, how it has been maintained, and what damage occured years ago that is lurking, waiting to rear it's head. Even for a Honda!

I guess the more you know about a car, its service history, and its drivers lessens that huge risk, but it is still there to some degree.

Good luck! I am very happy with my Saab!

Tboy

 

[MrAngry]

Don't know if this will help you out at all but I will chime in anyway - in March I was all set to go out and buy a new Honda Accord. At the same time a friend of ours was selling his 1997 900SE Turbo, 5-speed, 4-door with 72,+++ miles on it. Before this came up I never even considered looking at a Saab. Well, I drove the car and was REALLY impressed. Handled great, accellerated great and was extremely well built - no shakes or rattles anywhere.

So, instead of shelling out 29k for a new Accord, I paid $5750.00, then put on new brakes, new tires, new serpentine belt, idler/tensioner pullies and did and oil change totalling about a grand and haven't looked back - so for basically $6750 I now have a beautiful car, with full leather, heated seats, sun roof and all the bells and whistles. Honestly it was the best move I've made.

I think the key to these car is PREVENTATIVE maintience - do this and you will be one happy dude.

Cheers -