1996 SAAB 9000 CSE 2.3 turbo

Summary:

Comfort and power on demand

Faults:

Was bought with the following faults on the car:

Leaking exhaust, downpipe/turbo and exhaust manifold gasket. Changed the gasket and two broken exhaust studs in the cylinder head.

Changed a bulb in the instrument cluster, and some other bulbs in the interior that had died.

Changed a faulty cabin fan and the fan speed controller.

Changed thermostat due to check engine light.

Intermittently working central locking (not fixed yet).

I've also done a proper service to the car, including all oils, filter and serpentine belt, inclusive of both pulleys.

General Comments:

A very comfortable car on the highway, where it shows its best. Cruise control, low road noise, comfortable seats and 200 HP from the 4 cylinder turbo in perfect symbiosis.

Good fuel economy on the highway, although a little bit higher in the city, but that's pretty normal as it's a big car.

Also, here in Sweden, spare parts aren't that hard to find, due to many junkyards with plenty of parts from cars that have been crashed.

Can highly recommend the car, especially to the "long distance runner".

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 8th April, 2012

26th Jul 2012, 18:22

Now nearly reached 240000 km, and the car still runs as a train. No new problems, and the earlier problem with the central locking is now solved with a new ECU/relay.

7th Apr 2013, 14:26

With nearly 255000 km reached on the odometer, some people tried to steal it just last week. Hopefully it will be back on the road as soon as possible; I miss the torque when putting the pedal to the metal in third gear at 70 km/h.