This group is really dead, isn't it?

That is the thing that Saab 900 classic owners never will own up to: Is the 900 Classic a poor man's Porsche Carrera? Yes/No?

Good question. I've never owned or driven a Porsche of any sort so I can't compare. What I do know is that compared to a Mazda 121 'pregnant rice-bubble' car, my C900's s**te all over them for enjoyment and comfort.

Craig.

johannes gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

God, no.

If it was, I'd sell mine immediately...

I read an opinion recently from a guy who has owned both Classic 900s and Porsche Carreras from that era. He says that while the Porsche was superb, the ride was no more exciting than a Classic 900 turbo. That, and 900s are so many more things. Personally, I abhor the newer shapes of the Carrera ... I just think they're horrible. From the late 1980s, oh yes ... very nice 8) I still prefer my Classic 900 any day!

Almost anything is nicer to drive than one of those pieces of Japanese excrement. Did you know that the styling of those things (according to the designers) was supposed to have been inspired by the shape a Japanese woman's arse?

Ah - A Kemo-Sabe! 8-) Perhaps that's why the 9-2X is such an ugly car.

Craig.

Strange how the new 93 is uglier than previous model. Those black stripes on the rear lights, looks like black insulation tape. That garish front looks like a DIY pimp job.

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Hello,

This is to whom it may concern.

The person/persons which said that Saab is a poor/bad car, I would like to respond and say that said person/persons do not have any knowledge of vehicle at all. This said than am have been enployed by the Saab Factory for 40 years+ (at present retired) and do have full knowledge, as well as access to all inside information in regards to said vehicles (good as bad information).

Have at present 6 ea. Saab's in my possession (95/96/V4/99/900), and have gone through more then a dozen or more of said vehicles, all driven more then

500.000 km, and have so far never had to open, or do anything in regards to the engine or gearbox (Name any US vehicle which can do that !!). The important matter is that the Saab, as any other vehicles needes to be serviced, without regular maintenance any vehichel will fail, follow the factory service scedule, and you will have a realible vehicle which will last you as long as you which.

Best regards from a Saab Scania long time employee, and development engineer.

On the contrary, my 1993 9000 CSE has really quality feel. Engine still smooth and quiet. Perhaps Saab did it too well to make money on the car. Still many

9000 on the road, shows how well it last.

I would call my Saab a fun car but I wouldn't refer to it as a good car. A good car doesn't start blowing out $300 a pop hydraulic hoses on the top after 6 years. I've had a number of repairs on the car and all cost triple what they would cost on another car if that part were to even break on another car. I still love the car though I would think twice about buying another one.

The 9000 is a superb car. It has the build and ride quality of even Jaguar. The Vauxhall Carlton (the top end model) of the day was pretty good, too, but you don't see many of them around nowadays. You do see a lot of K, L & M reg (that's 1993/4) model year 9000s around and that is testament to how well they last with or without a regular service schedule.

The Classic 900 is a wonderful car and very modern in many respects, despite being a design that is getting on quite a bit now. It is starting to show its age now we're at the end of "the noughties". I did like the 2002 on 9-3 and 9-5 cars ... I liked how they were the same family, before the 9-5 got that awful front-end :( I think when my Classic 900 gets too hard to keep as a daily driver, I'll get a

9000 Anni/Aero on LPG or a 9-5 Aero. The new new 9-3s (the 2008 on model) is worse than the previous design ... good for the second hand market, though :)

/What/? The Jags I've know ride well. The 9000 I own rides like a cart (done it on two sets of tyres and a changes of shocks, too, so it's neither of those). The ride is shocking (literally, in some cases). It handles like a superemarkey trolley as well, but it does make a nice cruiser on a smooth, straight (or gently curved) road. Can be punted along quickly, but asking it to do that is a bit like asking a dog to walk on its hind legs.

The engine (150LPT), OTOH, is a cracker, and the transmission not half bad (4-speed auto). Those bits are good. Shame about the chassis.

It's put together well, though, and the seats (while not that wonderful) are better than many. Makes a not-a-bad-old-shed (at least it's not /built/ like a Jaguar). Reminds me vaguely of the Ford Sierra I had at one point - the 9000 doesn't have the ride nor the handling, though the engine is much better, but in the end they're both but sheds. Good enough, but not something to get fond of (nor to care overmuch about if a bit gets scratched or dented).

The proper 900 was a nice car, though I always preferred the 90 (a beautifully balanced car, and so well put together). A 90 with the 150LPT and automatic would have been - /nice/.

I keep nearly buying 95s (V4s, generally, I'm not quite daft enough to want a 2-stroke as a daily car) but have resisted it to date.

You are quite right, Saab used to have good quality. I had very few problems with my first seven Saabs, especially the 9000 is a wonderful vehicle that just runs smoothly forever. But with the 9^5 the quality seems to be gone with the wind. It is definitely the worst car I have ever had, needs repairs (in addition to the regular service!) for more than USD1200 per year. Even the service staff at my dealer recommends to take good care of the old 9000 because it will definitely last longer than the 9^5 which is three years younger.

[...]

And how many Ford Sierras do you see on the roads today: Absolutely none! Then Consider that Ford Sierras were standard company car issue at the time. I have once been passenger in a Ford Sierra Taxi, a miserable experience.

Three today - though admittedly none of them were Y-plate, like my old one was (I still see it, occasionally).

Probably reflects how beetled out it was, then. The one I had - Y-plate,

2L Ghia, 185K miles when I bought it (and one of the first 50 production, apparently) rode well, handled well (for its weight). Rubbish engine, mind. All the electric bells & whistles worked, too, and continued to do for all the time I owned it. Amazing. It did begin to rust eventually, but obviously that was sortable as it's still around. The 9000 (P-reg, 105K miles when bought), by contrast, rides downright disgracefully, is a brute to handle on a twisty road - but has a superb engine and gearbox. It's left me stranded at the roadside two times more than the F*rd ever did (2 vs. 0), though only one of those was really down to the car (as opposed to the immobiliser). As a shed it's quite tolerable - to me it's best described as a well-put-together indifferent car, albeit with an excellent engine. I'll probably run it until it starts breaking, then bin it (unless I see something interesting first....). Like the F*rd, it's not a classic, will never be one - but makes an acceptable mobile shed (with the virtue of being cheap).

OTOH I'd give much more fulsome praise to the 99 or 90 (and probably the original 900, though I've not spent much time with those). The 90, particularly, was a nice car. You just don't see many for sale.

My 1993 9000 CSE LPT , 147k takes me to work every day, a round trip of 70 miles. The ride is firm, but the car fells well under control, so I don't mind. Possibly, I have got used to the character of the car; there is only so much you can do with FWD.

One day the DI packed up, I rented a 07 Fiat Grande Punto while ordering a new DI over the internet. Although the Fiat is a smaller car, it has grown a little and I was interested to see whether it was acepptable, given the advantage of 14 years of progress in car design. But I was thoroughly dissapointed. The Punto required constant steering input and had a higher noise level, particularly road noise. The quality of the fascia was low rent plasic compared to the old Saab, but I suspect that is the same for many modern cars. I was glad to return to my old Saab.

I got a one year old Opel Astra last year when my 9000 was in for its annual service. The first feeling was that the seats felt like church-benches, sitting there for more than half an hour was a real pain. Entering the highway with the Astra you wondered where the hearing protection was located. It was a real relief getting the 9000 back again.

That must depend on where you are in the world. I see a few. Not many, but a few.

That is probably more down to the minicab experience than the Sierra experience. When it was launched, the Sierra went to the top of the class in many respects. The blend of handling and ride being one.

It's a different class. I do like the 9000 but if I had to punt something across country, it wouldn't be my first choice of these two. If on the other hand I had to rumble up and down the motorway, I'd take whatever had cruise...

The new front and rear lights did instantly shock and horrify me, but with time, I'm getting used to them.

When the 9-3 Sports Saloon came out and was advertised on the television, I'd frequently go, "swiiinng!" to Charlie as I thought it looked a lovely, clean shape. Now I finally have one. :)

As it happens, I caught the Saab bug *before* with the original 9-3 model and "progressed" to the later machine.