# Saab **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** saab, 9-5\ **Created:** [August 12, 2010, 10:05pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/saab/53434 "2010-08-12T22:05:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![1cylinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/6a8cbe/32.png) [@1cylinder](https://community.cartalk.com/u/1cylinder)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 10:05pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/saab/53434/1 "2010-08-12T22:05:24Z")
Is Saab still in business, and is it wise to purchase a used (2000) Saab ? ---
**Author:** ![shadowfax](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/shadowfax/32/13026_2.png) [@shadowfax](https://community.cartalk.com/u/shadowfax)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 10:12pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/saab/53434/2 "2010-08-12T22:12:20Z")
Yes. They were recently bought by Spyker, which is a Dutch supercar maker. Most of the major parts in Saabs are still made by GM. I personally wouldn’t buy a Saab of that era. GM homogenized them so much, so they weren’t the quirky, cool car they used to be, and for me anyway, the only reason to buy a relatively unreliable car is because it’s quirky, cool, or fast. ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 10:17pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/saab/53434/3 "2010-08-12T22:17:00Z")
Let’s just say that you could make better choices than a used Saab of that vintage. ---
**Author:** ![1cylinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/6a8cbe/32.png) [@1cylinder](https://community.cartalk.com/u/1cylinder)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 10:28pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/saab/53434/4 "2010-08-12T22:28:52Z")
The car is owned and driven by a mechanic. It has 120000 miles. It’s in very good shape. Why is it a “relatively unreliable car” ? ---
**Author:** ![1cylinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/6a8cbe/32.png) [@1cylinder](https://community.cartalk.com/u/1cylinder)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 10:32pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/saab/53434/5 "2010-08-12T22:32:20Z")
Would the price ($ 1,800) make it a better choice ? I can only afford a car of that vintage. ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 10:44pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/saab/53434/6 "2010-08-12T22:44:16Z")
Just be sure to budget at least $500 a year for repairs–over and above the cost of routine maintenance. A car with 120k on the odometer will have unexpected repair issues, and Saab parts can be costly. ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 10:45pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/saab/53434/7 "2010-08-12T22:45:06Z")
Saab 9-5s have a consistent history of needing repairs, and those repairs are expensive (it’s Saab’s top car). They were worse to much worse than average on Consumer Reports. ---
**Author:** ![jtsanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 10:46pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/saab/53434/8 "2010-08-12T22:46:31Z")
Reliability in a 10 year old car is mostly a function of how well it was maintained. If the previous owner can show that it was maintained well, you could have a good deal. And it is unlikely you will keep it another 10 years, so there should be parts for it. ---
**Author:** ![1cylinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/6a8cbe/32.png) [@1cylinder](https://community.cartalk.com/u/1cylinder)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 10:52pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/saab/53434/9 "2010-08-12T22:52:03Z")
Thanks for the reply. You are more encouraging than most respondents. ---
**Author:** ![1cylinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/6a8cbe/32.png) [@1cylinder](https://community.cartalk.com/u/1cylinder)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 10:54pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/saab/53434/10 "2010-08-12T22:54:10Z")
What about the 9-3 ? Is it equally problematic ? He has one of those too- his wife’s car ( he is honest. I know his wife does drive the car). ---
**Author:** ![steveng](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@steveng](https://community.cartalk.com/u/steveng)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 11:32pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/saab/53434/11 "2010-08-12T23:32:47Z")
I had a couple of Saabs 1980 900 was ok. I bought new in 1999 a 9-3 and what a pile of junk!!! At less than 10k miles the turbo needed to be replaced and the head gasket blew. It was under warranty and when the warranty expired I traded it in. It also had the worst air conditioner of any car I had. ---
**Author:** ![ok4450](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ok4450](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ok4450)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 11:51pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/saab/53434/12 "2010-08-12T23:51:21Z")
Any 10 year old car is a coin flip. It’s not the badge on the car as much as it is how it was driven and maintained. Take it for what it’s worth, but as an ex-SAAB tech and current SAAB owner I think the cars are fine. Most of the people who came through the service department doors were happy with theirs. ---
**Author:** ![andrew\_j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/91b2a8/32.png) [@andrew\_j](https://community.cartalk.com/u/andrew_j)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2010, 2:59am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/saab/53434/13 "2010-08-13T02:59:00Z")
If you only have $1800 to spend I would avoid a turbo charged vehicle. Find a regular four cylinder with manual transmission and cross your fingers. ---
**Author:** ![geeaea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@geeaea](https://community.cartalk.com/u/geeaea)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2010, 6:01am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/saab/53434/14 "2010-08-13T06:01:07Z")
The car is owned and driven by a mechanic. It has 120000 miles. It’s in very good shape. Why is it a “relatively unreliable car” ? Unless he was a Saab enthusiast who happened to be a mechanic, I’d hardly call that a good qualification. Most wrenches I know are too beat working for high dollars to do their own car for nothing. The most extreme case of this was a transmission shop. The owner had so much work that he drove a Class B RV to work and back. He couldn’t manage to make the cost:benefit break to interrupt the flow of outside $$$. YES, this was TRUE as strange as it sounds. ---
**Author:** ![jtsanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2010, 4:08pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/saab/53434/15 "2010-08-13T16:08:47Z")
BTW, is it a turbo-4 or the 6-cyl? ---
**Author:** ![oldschool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e19adc/32.png) [@oldschool](https://community.cartalk.com/u/oldschool)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2010, 4:45pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/saab/53434/16 "2010-08-13T16:45:54Z")
I have read an I tend too agree that SAAB’s headed south when GM inspired V-6’s were introduced. ---
**Author:** ![mleich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71c47a/32.png) [@mleich](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mleich)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2010, 4:48pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/saab/53434/17 "2010-08-13T16:48:59Z")
Sort of. No.