Faults:

When I bought the car, I immediately took it for an MOT, which I'm happy to report it sailed through, which really surprised me as I only paid £550.00.

However the following year (2010), the problems started, first the MOT:

Windscreen cracked on passenger side, plus a few stone chips.

Front disks and pads needed to be replaced (DONE at £249.00).

Rear brake pads need to be replaced at some point.

NSR & OSR brake hose ferrules slightly corroded.

NSR & OSR anti roll bar bushes need replacing.

NSR & OSR shock absorbers slightly corroded.

Jet washers poor output.

I got the MOT though.

A couple of months had passed, and then other things happened:-

Hazard warning lights stopped working completely, replaced the relay at £5.00 (breakers), and now it works as it should.

Main water hose split on the way down to Cornwall, check engine light came up so pulled in, only to find the whole engine covered in water and gunk from the system, replaced the hose at £10.00 (breakers), and have got to redo the antifreeze before winter sets in.

Cruise control stopped working, and still isn't working. Changed the indicator stalk, which hasn't worked, so possibly the master vacuum regulator, which is under the dashboard? Replaced the servo at £10.00 (breakers) under the bulk head already.

Gearbox oil coolant breather pipe split on the way to Hertfordshire, causing loads of smoke as the gearbox oil went onto the exhaust manifold. Replaced this at a cost of £15.00 (Saab Breakers)

Hazard warning switch disappeared into the dash; known issue with these cars as they are only plastic, and the outer keeps snapping. Bought a new one at £2.50 (breakers); this one has cracked now, probably all the breaking down I've done.

Main beam doesn't work at all, changed relays and bulbs still not working, anyone got any ideas?

Last week the car started to misfire when hot, got it recovered again and took it to my local garage. They couldn't find anything wrong, but said to replace the coil pack as this could have been the issue, but they weren't too sure, they quoted me £250.00! I spoke to a Saab only breakers in Cambridgeshire, and they had one at £50.00. I went down there, picked it up and fitted it, and now my boy runs like a new (ish) car.

What else is going to go wrong I ask myself?

General Comments:

For his age he drives like a dream (when things don't go wrong that is).

Interior is clean, only the armrest is torn, but the rest of the interior is excellent.

Externally (NS) the car has a few blown areas of rust; not right through, only surface rust.

On the NSR, he has had a fight with another car, so he has some damage (dent - not caused by me, but the previous owner).

The top of windscreen had a lovely water feature, as the joints from the rubbers to the metal roof have rusted up quite bad; need to get a new windscreen, but the company have said that if the rust is severe, then they will not fit a new windscreen, so at this moment in time it has black gaffer tape on it and the water feature has stopped. Will have to see what happens at the next MOT, which is due in Feb 2011.. Not looking forward to that day.

Alloy wheels - the enamel had blown, so sanded these down and sprayed them black, looks a lot better than it did.

Faults:

Clutch worn out at 129000 miles, a common problem with 9000s and quite expensive to repair (best part of £1,000)

Turbo pipes perished, easy and cheap to replace.

General Comments:

Power and performance are comparable to the latest uber-hatches - VXR, Focus ST, R32 - but this car is more luxurious and a bit larger. Very practical, comfortable, reliable, and safe.

Grip is pretty good from the wide tyres, but there's plenty of torque steer to separate the men from the boys.

I love it, especially on the motorway where nothing comes close to the in-gear acceleration. And all for £1500.

Faults:

Blown head gasket.

Dodgy electrics meant car wouldn't start.

Warning light malfunction.

Problems with climate control.

General Comments:

Already expensive bills become increasingly more expensive the more miles you put on the car...

Faults:

This is the 3rd version I've owned and to date I've had an ignition pack fail (got me home though), discs wear out (then who's hasn't?) and clutch master cylinder fail. Total miles covered 350k in several years.

General Comments:

Built to last and built to help you survive.