Anybody had a Saab?

Can anyone tell me about them! Had any problems! Etc.

Dog and Lemon guide has some interesting tips on Saab.
Avoid like the plague. Seriously.

Dog and Lemon. LMAO. you would get more useful information reading tea leaves. Please don't support that idiot by buying his bound toilet paper.

How about posting the model/year/engine/price bracket you are looking at OP, the thing with Saab is they made more than one car.

I've found them not too bad. Nothing exciting about them to drive, but relatively reliable for the most part.

They are very quirky and not particularly reliable. the early ones are favourites with classic car owners, while the 900 was an 80's icon especially in Turbo Convertible form. The 9000 was a joint venture with Fiat (Croma), Lancia (Thema) and Alfa Romeo (164). Of those the Italian cars were best with the Ferrari-engined Thema 8.32 probably piping the 164 with the gorgeous Alfa V6 in my view. The 9-3 and 9-5 models were a vast improvement in build quality but as Saab was owned by GM then, the cars were based on mediocre Vauxhall/Opel platforms which gave them less than sporty handling.
Saabs are often characterised by their torque-steer and electrical problems. Ergonomics are not a strong point either.
Avoid.

got a1998 95 se.It goes really well and is so comfy on road and corners good to.Havn,t had any problems with it apart from rubber suspension bushes but then i live up gravel roads and they wear out on any thing.Tows trailers all the time as well and cant fault it even after 300,000 kays,still goes like new.

From an ownership / reliability perspective, I've had a 900S Convertible which was beyond horrid in every respect- it turned into financial ruin before my eyes, even at low km (60,000km). Worst was the shocking build quality, the eventual buyer from me complained he could see daylight around the door apertures as he drove! Worst scuttle shake I've experienced, plus the electrics were like a wharfie's work schedule- some days you do, some days.

People who describe them as "quirky" use this phrase in place of "unpredictably unreliable".

From a trader's perspective, they are a poisoned chalice to own.

Bear in mind, Saab has been bankrupt and out of production for several years now, the company is effectively no more and even the issue of spare parts down the track may become a significant issue. (Remembering the months after MG-Rover went kaput in 2005, the stalled production line was robbed of half-completed cars for their spare (installed but incomplete) parts.)

From a financial perspective, Saabs are all but virtually unsaleable, suffering massive depreciation to the point where if you really, really want one, they're extraordinarily good buying- IF you understand the (a) potential reliability issues, (b) the potential spare parts shortage / cost, and (c) the lack of agents now to service them. However, the flip side to this is finding a buyer for your Saab can be a difficult process- most of the trade won't touch them, their "wholesale" value (at auction, etc) is at the "virtually worthless" point, and the common joke amongst dealers is that the only buyers for a Saab now, are those who already have one. This may not seem like an issue, most would think "fine- who needs to trade it in- I'll sell it myself"- but the reality is that there are most likely far more sellers out there of Saabs than there ever will be buyers now, you can do everything you can to sell it, but if there are NO buyers for it. you have to resort to trading it in, or auction. Hence my point about auction value.

Like Geelys and Rovers, they are truly an orphan car now.

If you really want one, don't be put off by all this, but just use it to make a sensible, considered decision about what you are buying, and why. If it is just because you've seen one you quite like, but don;t know anything about them, then you are probably better off steering clear and shopping for something a little more mainstream.

Hope this helps, I'm not trying to flame Saab, but there are realities to face when it comes to buying one today if you're not a dyed-in-the-wool cloth-cap Saab enthusiast.

you need to wear a pilots cap and drive real fast in a Saab

a venerial diesease is probably easier to get rid of.

slammo

Taking the bus is better than owning a Saab. And if you own a Saab, you will still need to know your local bus timetable.

We own a Saab 9-5 2.0t. Bought it at 140km for $3k, three years ago and it has never given any grief. Full leather, all electrics you can think of. It has been a LOT of car for the money and I'm actually reluctant to upgrade as I can't imagine finding a better car for under $8k.

The masochist in me and the desire to own something a lttle bit different means that I could be tempted - if I was in the market for a car.Good post westwyn #8.

Hmmm so 3 actual owners and they all said good car the rest are all just guessing or have read the d&g guide and have probably had nothing to do with a saab btw they make great trucks

Still want a 900 turbo Aero.

I had a a 95 1998 2.3t non aero absolutely loved it quick car and a very chunky solid feel about them. failed it's coil pack - $1300 the Mitsy dealer who dragged me off the road (AA contractor) didn't want to touch it so towed it to Wgtn. Also drivers mirror broke ended up getting one from a wrecker in Melbourne for about $400 this was back in 2006 so alot different now.

Actually, 4, I had mine for 18 months, 17 of which were a misery, one of which was half-decent as I rented it out to a movie studio for use as a prop, ironically the week after I got it back, I found the one and only buyer for it. I've had several others as trade-ins, both bedevilled by issues, electrical and on one, ABS module problems.

I'm sure there ARE good Saabs out there, like every car, good and bad, it's just that proportionately, as a potential owner, you are far more likely to encounter issues.

Talking of value, today at auction you could have owned a 2002 9-5 2.0T travelled 157,000km, in white, for $3,000- and I suspect if you'd waved $2000 under the auctioneer's nose, he'd have bitten your hand off.

Saab haven't made a truck since 1995- Scania was spun off in the great Saab reshuffle when GM had control (Saab and Scania merged in 1969) and are now majority owned by Volkswagen (70%) and MAN (17%).

I have to say, I rarely agree with the D&G- ever- but whether by skill, or complete dumb luck, he got it right with these.