Faults:

Took it for a service when bought it. Was told battery, turbo clip and exhaust are on their way out. Nothing urgent though, so replaced them gradually during the rest of the year.

On next service (2 month ago) I was told that suspension is on the way out, and head gasket may start leaking in the next couple of years. Not sure about the correctness of second assessment and am going to leave it for now, but will replace suspension in the next few months.

Pixels on display fading intermittently every now an d then.

General Comments:

I'm quite happy with this car. Running cost is quite high, especially if you go to main dealer. Even independent specialists are quite dear. But it's worth it, it's a quality car after all. The engine -even the entry level 154bhp version I have- I absolutely brilliant, really smooth, refined and powerful both in highway cruising and in town.

I suspect that reliability wouldn't be on par with japanese cars or a ford, but it's a SAAB :)

Faults:

Alarm fault, which was due to a faulty sensor.

Gearbox is starting to whine when cold. Oil changed, but this made no difference, so suspect pinion bearing wear (at 36000 miles???!!!)

The car has fairly low miles for it's age, so I expect there not to be too many problems (read on).

General Comments:

I bought this car for its supposed build quality and Saab reliability, but since owning it, I've come across a few niggles that you wouldn't expect from a car of this quality and cost (£35000 new with the extras).

Panel fit isn't great (no, it's not a crash repair; I had it fully checked before I bought it) and a couple of little flimsy interior parts look cheap and do not fit well. On removing the rear interior lamp to change the bulb, the holder broke due to flimsy clips.

I've also found forums on the net catering for SAAB enthusiasts, and have been left feeling a little numb at the prospect of having to pay out on a number of common faults associated with this brand, namely head gasket and clutch failure.

It can shimmy and shake when pushed round corners, but I knew the chassis wasn't that stiff when I'd done a little research before I bought the car.

That all said though, it's a mean looking car with the Viggen style body kit and bumpers, and picks up very well considering its weight. It gives a nice ride as long as you remember it is not a sports car, but more a grand tourer.

Faults:

Oil pump went at 114,000 miles.

Computer display has started to play up.

General Comments:

205bhp under your right foot makes this baby fly, there is not another car that I have found that can out accelerate this car - yet!!

Comfortable enough to be classed as an executive car, but punchy enough to be rated as a serious contender as a sports car - definitely the ultimate 'hot hatch' with all the toys that the guys love. Everything available at the touch of a steering column control stalk i.e. cruise control, stereo, 6 stack CD with the heated seats and A/C controls centimetres away on the dashboard, with the power to take on an M3 and an SLK200 and beat both.

Not for the faint hearted as you get serious amount of torque steer when accelerating heavily and the steering becomes light and wanders immensely, tend to use the power in 3rd,4th and 5th only to eliminate this problem as 1st and 2nd disappear in a blur when booting it anyway.

Spacious interior at the front although I would not recommend a strapping 6' get in the back as he/she may be somewhat cramped.

Unique ignition position in the centre console with the reverse gear lock attached to the ignition so that all 4 wheels are locked when parked, certainly eliminates somebody towing it away, whether legally or illegally.

Oil pump blew at 114,000 miles and took the engine with it, fortunately it was under warranty and the garage replaced it with an engine of 65,000 miles and to be honest there is no difference in power at all.

One downside is that it will 'eat' front tyres with all that power so expect a heavy tyre bill quite often.