1993 SAAB 9000 CD 2.3L from Australia and New Zealand
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
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.
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?!