Should I buy 1996 Saab 900 SE?
Leigh B. Stoller
I am thinking of buying a '96 Saab 900 SE turbo. I really like the way car
feels on the road, but I am worried about how well its going to hold up.
Saab has a pretty bad reputation, but are the new models (after 1994) holding
up better?
Opinions from late model Saab 900 owners would be greatly appreciated. Would
you buy it if you could do it all over again?
Thanks
Leigh
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Leigh B. Stoller University of Utah, Computer Science Dept.
sto...@morgan.cs.utah.edu 3190 MEB, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112
Voice: (801) 585-3733 FAX: (801) 585-3743
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Roger B. Fillingim
Leigh B. Stoller wrote:
>
> I am thinking of buying a '96 Saab 900 SE turbo. I really like the way car
> feels on the road, but I am worried about how well its going to hold up.
> Saab has a pretty bad reputation, but are the new models (after 1994) holding
> up better?
>
> Opinions from late model Saab 900 owners would be greatly appreciated.
I'm not a Saab owner, and in fact I've never driven a Saab, but I'll give
you my opinion FWIW. In this price range, I would buy the Audi A4
Quattro or the Volvo 850 Turbo over the Saab. I suspect they would both
be more reliable (by history) and each gives you more car for the money
than the Saab. Also, I think both do better in crash tests than the
Saab. I've heard wonderful things about how the A4 handles and feels.
It may be worth a look.
Good Luck,
Roger
Roger B. Fillingim
Roger B. Fillingim
Kersten Kloss
In article <31A118...@cs.utah.edu>, sto...@cs.utah.edu says...
>
>I am thinking of buying a '96 Saab 900 SE turbo. I really like the way car
>feels on the road, but I am worried about how well its going to hold up.
>Saab has a pretty bad reputation, but are the new models (after 1994) holding
>up better?
>
>you buy it if you could do it all over again?
I have a '94 900S turbo coupe.
Love it!
RECOMMENDED
Kersten
Juan Carlos Ortiz
>I am thinking of buying a '96 Saab 900 SE turbo. I really like the way car
>feels on the road, but I am worried about how well its going to hold up.
Bad reputation? Compared to what?
In general, a Honda/Toyota/etc. may be more dependable
than other cars, but the handling and "fun-to-drive" factor
is simply not there.
The upkeep of a Saab is no different from that of a BMW
for instance.
I have owned a Buick, Honda, Mitsubishi, BMW, Volvo and
currently a Saab (1993 Conv). My next car is probably going
to be a 9000 Aero....
Bentley
Leigh B. Stoller (sto...@cs.utah.edu) wrote:
: I am thinking of buying a '96 Saab 900 SE turbo. I really like the way car
: feels on the road, but I am worried about how well its going to hold up.
: up better?
From what I've read, heard, seen, deduced, etc., the latest 900 model was
released too early. First-year glitches aside, the car was a disaster.
Since then, Saab has improved the car dramatically (which isn't saying
much, it was either improve the car dramatically or go under!). Note
that the previous 900 series was average or so in CR reliability, and the
9000 is actually recommended by CR.
I own an 87 900S that has its problems, but it was abused by the previous
owners (one of the reasons I got it so cheap). The body is still very
solid, typical of european marques.
: Opinions from late model Saab 900 owners would be greatly appreciated. Would
: you buy it if you could do it all over again?
Yes. I leased a 96 900S 5-door in December, and 7800 miles later the car
still impresses. Problems? A mud flap was torn off, the cd changer jammed
(and still skips too much), one headlight wiper tends to stick halfway,
and the driver's side windshield wiper blade needs replacement already.
Not a bad showing, knock on wood.
But one should note that my criteria for cars was severely limiting: I
wanted enormous cargo space, coupled with room for 4, upper half
accelleration and gas mileage, and upper 25% handling. Plus all the luxury
goodies, and a good lease deal. That left the Passat GLX wagon, the
Saab, and the Volvo 850 wagon. Any of the three would have fit the bill
nicely, but the VW has only a 2-year warranty and the Volvo was more
expensive. Thus the Saab.
If I had it to do all over again I'd go for the V6 or the turbo. While the
S is quick, it's not quite up there with the big boys...
Leasing protects one from the traditionally poor showing in resale value
from which Saabs suffer. I won't buy this particular car at the end or the
lease, as it was heavily subvented and thus the residual is too high. But
I will certainly consider another Saab in 29 months...
Bentley
Peter Phaal
Leigh B. Stoller wrote:
>
> I am thinking of buying a '96 Saab 900 SE turbo. I really like the way car
> feels on the road, but I am worried about how well its going to hold up.
> Saab has a pretty bad reputation, but are the new models (after 1994) holding
> up better?
>
I had a few very minor things that needed fixing (dash bulb out and
blocked sunroof drain), but the dealer was great and they were quickly
fixed. I chose the Saab because I wanted something that was exciting to
drive but not too big (I need to park on the street in the city). I
also needed a car with large cargo capacity, that was safe, had four
doors and reasonable space in the back seat (I recently became a parent).
The Saab perfectly fits all my needs, I don't know of any other four
door hatchback sports sedans. Besides being practical, its also just
plain fun to drive.
Peter
Tigress
In article <31AC71...@compuserve.com>,
Peter Phaal <73671...@compuserve.com> wrote:
>> Opinions from late model Saab 900 owners would be greatly appreciated.
>> I have a '96 Saab 900 SE turbo and love it. So far it has been reliable.
>I had a few very minor things that needed fixing (dash bulb out and
>blocked sunroof drain), but the dealer was great and they were quickly
>fixed. I chose the Saab because I wanted something that was exciting to
>drive but not too big (I need to park on the street in the city). I
>also needed a car with large cargo capacity, that was safe, had four
>doors and reasonable space in the back seat (I recently became a parent).
>The Saab perfectly fits all my needs, I don't know of any other four
>door hatchback sports sedans. Besides being practical, its also just
>plain fun to drive.
Having had a Saab a long time ago, I would agree with this. Mine was only
a two door (four door models from my car's year were rare, and then
discontinued til 95, but they were really neat looking if you ask me),
but it was still big enough to fit five people, and it had a hatchback
in back that gave lots of room (I have decided I really like big
hatchback designs). The turbo made it really fun to drive, and for its
size, it handled really well. Seemed to me to be a perfect car for
practicality and fun (and also got decent gas mileage). It had its minor
annoyances (it was 11-12 years old when I had it) but it was a pretty
dependable car. I guess that doesn't help so much with the newer Saabs as
they have changed (but I guess they kept the good stuff cause that guy
just pinpointed the stuff that was good about the car).
Based on my experiences, I would recomend one (though parts for the turbo
version aren't exactly cheap).
Tigress
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