Saab 99

Advantages: Great drive and enjoyable to own. Everyone must drive a Saab a least once.
Disadvantages: Thirsty, parts expensive if bought from a dealer.

...I owned a Saab 900 2.0i for 1 year, comfortable and great looking, a bit thirstly but cheap enough for a 30 something. Bit of a head turner in light green and lovily engine noices. Having a saab is quite an experience for cruising on motorways and eating up those A roads with ease. The GM cross took a while for me to accept but grew on me as a big fan of the old 900s and 99s. But the new 9-3s are ace and had me drippling in Lemington Spa dealers. There is nothing quite like a Saab hard to define and classless, but still great and hope GM doesn't drop it like BMW and Rover. Not common but that's a plus. The 900 is the most reliable car I have ever owned and build quality is amazing those swedish build quality can match the germans.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: Sex on wheels!!
Disadvantages: Needs regular use and maintenance, not the speed machine of big brother turbos

...The Saab 900s convertible comes in two main guises, the first was based around the original Saab 900 Turbo shape best known for its black rubber spoiler around the back and the newer 900 shape which looks like a 9-3 while Saab tell us that the 9-3 a totally new car! Well what do you get for your money? In the 900s the engine is the lowest output rating and cannot easily be tuned for more power, no you can’t fit a turbo and off you go! The 900 2.3 engine lends itself more to tuning and that can be made to give one of the milder turbo’s a clean pair of heels! The beauty of the basic 900 is just that; it looks the part but doesn’t have lots of expensive turbo’s to service and repair. Now I know Saab brought the turbo to the market with the original 99 combie but that was a wolf in Swedish cloths. One minute you were driving away from... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Comfortable, supposedly reliable, cheap 2nd hand
Disadvantages: Unreliable, boring to drive, expensive to fix

...Bought a 1998 Saab 9-5 with 90k miles and FSSH, expecting a few years of cheap motoring. The car has good specification inc. leather, climate control, electric windows, heated seat etc. Very good on motorways, comfotable seats and plenty of space. Until the failures it was a safe and comfortable car to own. The bad news is that despite maintaining a full service record, within 5k the Turbo blew which was £1200 to repair at Saab and 2 year later the big end bearing has gone (apparently quite a common failure). This is much more expensive as the engine needs replacing. The SID panel on the centre console is also unreliable and prone to failure, this is a common failing with Saabs. As such I am extremely unsatisfied with the Saab 9-5 and will never consider purchasing a Saab again.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful