1993 SAAB 9000 Aero 2.3 turbo

Summary:

Fast, fun, and furiously expensive

Faults:

Hmmmm... cha ching:

Turbo blew at 90,000km - $1200

Head gasket went at 98,000km - $1700

Radiator blew, trans fluid in water at 103,000 - $1300

Autobox dropped its guts at 106,000 - $3000

Sunroof gave up the ghost at 102000km.

Electric seat motors are slowly dying.

Cruise Control dead at 85,000.

Passenger heated seat dead at 90,000.

Heater hoses blew out at 100,000.

So that's pretty much the entire car then. Its in the shop now and I look forward to getting is back and trading it in on something I can sell on for a decent amount of cash.

The depreciation on these things is killer.

General Comments:

Well, where can one start... this has been the most expensive car to maintain I have ever owned. In fact, I could probably have bought a Porsche with the cash I've thrown down this money pit.

The interior is fantastic when my sunroof isn't leaking. The performance is brilliant on the open road, when the car is running.

In all honesty, I do actually quite like the car. The looks grew on me - and the performance when overtaking is magic. Its just a pity it was designed by a team of muppet's.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 30th November, 2006

14th Feb 2007, 14:38

Sounds like you bought one that was abused and not maintained properly, or perhaps a fluke bad example. I have owned three high mileage 9000 Turbos, the best being a 1987 Turbo with >210,000mi at purchase that had been beaten its whole life (it showed) and never let me down mechanically for over 50,000 miles, save a self-destructing brake caliper (corrosion) and a seized alternator ($15 fix with a used part). Sold it at 261,000mi for more than I purchased it for. The post-1993 models shared a large number of components with earlier models (owned and worked on a 1994 9000 with 250,000mi as well), and are generally noted for improved reliability.

Wish I could say the same for my immaculate one-owner 1986 Porsche 944 Turbo with 80,000mi that seems to require at least $300 a month in just parts to stay on the road.

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1993 SAAB 9000 CD 2.3L

Summary:

Surprisingly fast and very comfortable

Faults:

All of the following problems were present when I purchased the car:

- A wiper on one of the headlights was missing a blade. I am not sure if I will replace this.

- The A/C switch had fallen out, but held in with tape so it still works.

- The left rear door would not open from the inside (I can't believe I did not check this, I opened it from the outside, but not the inside). Considering that it is mainly me driving the car, I am not sure if I will fix this at the moment.

- Numerous scratches that are consistent with an eleven year old car.

General Comments:

I enjoy driving this car. Given that I drove a 1988 Hyundai Excel before owning this vehicle, anything would have impressed me, but the car accelerates at a similar speed to that of my Mum's Falcon, so I have been surprised by the power of the 2.3 litre, 4 cylinder engine.

The only worries that I have is the potential that this car has to self-destruct. The owner kept log books and all receipts, and have spent an absolute fortune on repairing problems. Parts appear to be rather expensive.

On top of this, there is the fuel consumption. So far, I have gone through around 30 litres of fuel. Being an 18 year old student, if it keeps at this rate, I will be broke very quickly.

If I had searched harder I may have come across a manual version of this car, but the average Australian driver is a lazy one, so not too many examples of these exist.

The Hyundai that I drove was also a base model from its year, and so it was a 4 speed manual, with no 'luxuries' like air conditioning and power steering. But this car has everything that I could ever wish for in a car (except the original owner chose not to install the CD player, so I've got to use the one that I had put in the Hyundai), and so I could have no complaints about the interior. The boot is big enough to fit anything I wish in there, even after I install my sub woofers.

This was not one of the cars I was aiming to purchase when I originally went looking at cars. However, I hope the decision to make the purchase will be justified.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 30th July, 2004

6th Aug 2005, 15:17

You mentioned that The left rear door would not open from the inside! Have you checked to see if the child lock is on?!

9th Aug 2005, 10:50

Yes I have checked the child lock. It doesn't appear to be the cause of the problem.

I still haven't got around to fixing it though. It's not used all that often so it doesn't particularly bother me.

14th Sep 2010, 22:53

Door won't open is an easy fix. Carefully remove teh door trim, check all door pull cables are fixed and that the inner door handle is attached to these. Also check the C/L solenoid. Cheaper to fix with used parts. Also watch the auto tranny. It's a good idea to have it flushed and refilled with Saab synthetic, same as per Viggen gearbox.

Have had an 9000 2.0 LPT for 5 yrs with very little gone wrong, only major hassles have been alternator went duff and have fixed it all myself with used bits. Headlamp wiper blades and jetwash generally a nightmare. Just remove wiper motors and rewire washer hoses with new silicon and zip ties + one way valves. The stuff down there will be brittle as hell and will inevitably fail. BTW I am not a mechanic and have learnt it all as and when, then decided to invest in a trolley jack and axle stands. Best money I ever spent.

I did all the suspension and bushes myself too, alongside servicing and coolant/thermostat. It was easy because the engine bay is massive for a four pot. Good luck.