Faults:

Clutch went at 110,000 miles.

Power steering pump went at 140,000 miles.

Worn driver's seat.

Clutch cable broke at 150,000mi.

General Comments:

Owned since 75,000 miles, and have had very little problems with the car overall.

It does need some extra love and attention now and again, but any decent DIY mechanic can do it themselves.

It handles great. It has some torque steer which is hard to avoid with front wheel drive. Excellent handling in the snow. You'll be passing BMWs and Mercedes through the pass.

Overall, doing your own repairs is the key to keeping costs down with this car. If not, find a good independent mechanic who knows these cars.

Faults:

97k; Direct ignition cassette.

99k; A/C condenser.

101k; Trip computer - repeated false malfunctions, like an Alzheimer's patient, turbo needed replacement.

115k; Starter - unavailable in U.S. Had to be shipped from Sweden.

120k; Motor mounts weakened from rust.

140k; Convertible top sensor and motors dead.

145k; Cracked head gasket.

General Comments:

I bought this new, as a handed down 9000 I'd had was indestructible. Initially it was a complete pleasure to own. Great seats and stereo, weak heater for a Swede. Driving it felt more like flying.

Nearing 90k, minor niggles that I didn't mention started - then major ones. In all fairness, it held up an average amount of miles. I have a very light, pampering touch with cars though. Two VWs I've had and an 80's Peugeot lasted virtually trouble free for nearly 300k. Those three cars combined probably cost less than this beauty.

All told, great for an average duration. Not for those who keep cars till they die.

Faults:

Funky electrics -

Vert top does whatever it wants sometimes. Up means down - or it will just stop working sometimes. Yeah, water also finds its way into the top beams, and out the seams, so when you pull out the driveway after a rainy night, you get pissed on.

Saab Information Display drives me crazy - blown pixels, always low washer fluid message (uses gallon per wash).

Headlight wipers don't work, and are pointless anyways.

Leaks small amount of trans fluid.

Ignition switch went bad.

Plastic things breaking - seat handles, cup holder, SID buttons fall off, ashtray opens itself.

General Comments:

4 cyl engine seems very reliable and strong.

Quick enough, sport mode with downshift button is a plus too.

Acceleration is decent, I like the grunty exhaust note, sounds grumpy. Gas pedal feels heavier to push than most cars.

Pretty quick through corners until the tire's limits are reached, then you just start plowing forward. Good ABS too ha.

Interior leather didn't handle the sun too well, and seats don't feel very snug, soft or supportive.

Back seat is Hell.

Telescoping wheel is good, but Saab forgot the tilt?

Convertible could have used some more structural support, car twists and shakes over rough roads or expansion joints. Feels like the front end is just going to shake off and leave you behind.

Cup holder is dumb.

So is the headlight switch, as they are ALWAYS ON anyway. The only thing it can do is turn on JUST the orange parking lights - but only while in P.

Fold down seats are handy.

Overall a good car mechanically, but could have cut some things out and made the materials better.

From what I read Saab did make the cabin nicer in the new ones, but forgot to make sure the junkers would run past 50,000 miles. Is GM finally gonna figure out how to compete with the Germans and Asians?

Faults:

Let me list what did NOT go wrong... engine and transmission.

Disposable message centre units, faulty radioS, noisy/leaky exhaust, temperamental electricals, noisy suspension, most switches went out on me... total CRAP!

This car was the worst lemon I have ever owned. I upgraded to a Honda Civic after this... what a relief. To me reliability is most important. After 3 years of ownership the service manager recognized my voice on the phone. In the first year alone the total value of the warranty repairs was $20K!!! I paid $18K for the darned thing.

It rarely started when it was really cold (wasn't this thing made in Sweden!!!) so I had to boost it repeatedly with my 18 year old Oldsmobile... how embarrassing. It idled like a lawnmower from day 1.

I drove to the dealer more than once with 1 or more window down because it would not go back up.

General Comments:

DO NOT BUY A SAAB! The service manager admitted that my experience was not far off from the norm... NONE of the mechanics at this dealer (largest in the area) drive Saabs!!! It speaks volumes about these cars.

The ONLY positive marks are stellar braking, impressive handling and remarkable versatility.

I had read bad reviews about this car when I bought it, but mine had the extended warranty (thank God! I would have gone bankrupt keeping it on the road!!). At the time I thought "it could not be THAT bad!"... guess what, it CAN and it IS!

Stay away... you've been warned. In case you still buy one... "I told you so"...