1994 SAAB 9000 CS 2.3 4 cylinder from North America

Summary:

A great car for any use

Faults:

I had to replace the clutch, including the master cylinder, so it ran a good 1400 USD.

Oil is leaking into the combustion chamber when the car is turned off, a little blue smoke comes out of the exhaust when you start the car. Could be a valve or piston ring problem.

Self Stereo replacement is annoying compared to other cars, but the stock stereo itself isn't too bad for stock.

General Comments:

It has the power when it needs to go.

If I added a turbo I'd have more power then a 94 BMW 325i (another car I've driven, not owned)

Surpasses acceleration at higher speeds (55 to 85, etc) compared to 99 Saab 9-5 Turbo.

I would love if the car was rear wheel drive and turbo-charged.

Very comfy, nice cruising car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 25th November, 2006

1994 SAAB 9000 CSE 2.0 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

The great big swede

Faults:

Anti-roll bar link snapped.

Near side rear brake caliper seized.

Offside front flexi brake hose worn through.

Exhaust middle section snapped at rear join.

Air-con not working.

Electrical fault on headlamp wash/wipe.

Noisy thrust release bearing.

Cruise control not working.

General Comments:

I got this car relatively cheap, because the person who owned it never looked after it, as you can see from the long list of faults. However the 9000 is definitely worth the time and money to restore.

Even though the ride seems restless, and the 2.0 Ecopower engine seems somewhat gutless as you get higher up the gear box, there is just something about this car that makes you fall in love with it.

Maybe it's the excellent driving position, or the fantastic levels of equipment, or maybe it's just the fact that the Saab 9000 is a very solid and well built car, capable of phenomenal mileage.

It may have issues of ride, handling and running costs, but the Saab 9000 is such a good car, it just doesn't matter.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 7th March, 2005

31st May 2010, 09:07

I have a 1994 Saab 9000 CSE and it's a 2.3, NOT A 2.0, so what's up with that?

4th Dec 2010, 09:47

In Europe you could still get the 2.0L engine. The 2.3L was the standard engine in the USA.

1994 SAAB 9000 CSE 2 litre turbo from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Sven Goran Erikkson 9000CSE Turbo

Faults:

Nothing gone wrong so far

But need to replace general working parts only in due course.

General Comments:

I was after a Large Prestige Car that was also a Hatchback..& there are very few around. I drew up a shortlist & as my last car a Renault Laguna had given me nothing, but grief, I had to make a quick decision as I had no wheels.

What a fantastic decision it was to buy the SAAB 9000 CSE. I cannot praise the Swede's enough for making the Sven Goran Erikkson of Car's...Modest, Great Ability, Professional, Not exactly Good Looking, always Smartly presented & reliably honest approach.. welldone!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 9th May, 2004

1994 SAAB 9000 cse 2 Litre (non turbo) from UK and Ireland

Summary:

A slow very expensive heap

Faults:

Gearbox failed (differential) £570 for a reconditioned box.

Rear crankshaft oil seal failed and destroyed clutch Gearbox out again! Very Expensive!!

Air conditioning radiator failed, left it not working as not essential.

Various oil leaks.

Water pump failed, d.i.y repair still £78 for a genuine Saab pump.

The last straw!! Clutch master cylinder failed, did not inquire on price of repair, disposed of car!!

General Comments:

Please read and understand this review, never believe anyone that says Saab's are very reliable cars, because in my experience, they are not. Even minor repairs are very expensive if the work is carried out by Saab.

My car was not an abused hack it had plenty of Saab history and appeared to be in good condition, but after the first failure I should have realized that the cost of keeping an older Saab running is like throwing money down the drain. I hung on to the fallacy that the car would repay me with at least 50000 miles of motoring, How wrong I was!!

It was comfortable and it had a large boot, they are the only positive things I can say.

Running costs are astronomical.

In the end I had to throw it away, it was so bad.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 4th November, 2003

25th Nov 2003, 16:51

I have a 1990 Saab 9000 with 204,000 miles. First off, I would tend to disagree with your labeling Saab as unreliable. You experience is based upon just that, one experience. Don't call the rest of us Saab owners dishonest, my car is reliable and I'm not telling a tall tale in any respect. I have had to replace my clutch slave cylinder, which at the same time I did my clutch along with some seals. It sounds like you simply got a car that hadnt been taken care of. Trust me, I've seen saabs in awesome cosmetic shape that had not been taken care of at all and that had tons of mechanical problems as a result (as any other car would). My 9000s is a non-turbo and gets to 60 in 9 seconds, that's not too shabby for a 2.0L car with no turbo. It also competes with the 5-series of these years in handling. Anyways, I just want your possibly emotional comments to have a very negative impact, I and many others tend to think that what you say is untrue of most saabs.

11th May 2004, 18:45

Perhaps you are being a little harsh, but I can't say I entirely disagree with you... I have a 9000 with very low mileage (about 50k miles when I bought it), and it has had problems galore. Parts are hard to find and expensive, servicing is spotty, and it seems like something is always breaking on my car. Right now, I'm wondering what's going to break next!

Are Saabs reliable? Well, they're built of fairly high quality components, but the engineering seems to be well... odd... The electrical systems are the most failure-prone, as according to various consumer organizations. Mechanically, these cars are pretty decent (except for the transmissions), which puts their overall reliability somewhat above a North American car, but far below that of the Japanese.

If you want a Saab, for the love of God, make sure everything on it works perfectly! Otherwise, you'll be spending a lot of time and money getting it fixed.