Faults:
Exhaust pipe Leak. cost: $100
SRS Airbag intermittent contact fault. cost: $400 (for parts only)
Timing chain rattle. cost: don't know, but expensive
Blower motor not working. cost: $20
Sprung an oil leak while not being driven. cost: don't know.
General Comments:
The car drives really well and is very comfortable especially over long distances.
Performance is good, especially for a heavy car with an automatic. However...
I have spent more in repairs in the one month I have owned this 90,000km car than in the entire two years I owned my Honda, which had 230,000km on the clock.
I didn't think about the timing chain rattle when I purchased the car, as it wasn't that loud and I assumed timing chains were generally not an issue, especially on a car with 90,000km. I soon discovered timing chain repairs are not simple and involve head removal. There are also a multitude of parts in the timing chain assembly, so diagnosis is likely to be expensive. Parts are also likely to be expensive. Getting any change out of $2000 would be surprising.
Resetting the airbag warning light after the dashboard needed to come out because someone had put a plug in the wrong socket ($300) lead to discovering the $400 faulty component.
Anything beyond simple general maintenance only appears to be solvable by mechanics trained in repairing SAABs.
Some people appear to have good runs from SAABs, but I would strongly recommend anyone considering a purchase of one of these cars, even low mileage examples, to have it checked out thoroughly by a specialist SAAB mechanic as parts prices are astronomical (e.g. $3700 for an air conditioning computer if it fails). Insure that all engine, electrical and safety (i.e airbags etc) are plugged into a diagnostic computer during this check, as some faults are not easily detected by visual inspection (e.g. airbag issues).
These cars are really nice until something goes wrong with them, and it appears to happen sooner than later.
1st Mar 2010, 16:15
My family has owned and driven SAABs for a good 10 years, and through several cars we've always had ridiculously spectacular fuel consumption - in fact, I'm fairly certain that was part of the selling point when the cars first appeared.
On my current '93 9000 CD I get a good 600kms from one tank, and I'm not exactly a frugal driver.
It's a shame yours chews through petrol so much - maybe it's worth getting that checked (although the amount of money it costs to even replace a windscreen wiper on a SAAB does speak volumes).