The trick to removing the alternator for me (on my 97 900se) was taking off the right front tire and prying it off after removing the 2
8mm bolts. I still had to come out from the bottom, there was no way it was gonna fit through the fender area. In retrospect, it could have been done in about an hour. It still may very well be the VR, but I'm prepared to pay the extra $100 to replace the whole enchilada to avoid dealing with this again.I'm still slightly concerned about the missing 3rd wire that I don't have running to my alternator. The diagram I have shows only 2, the tech at a Saab dealership says it should only have 2... so maybe I shouldn't worry so much about it.
Thanks to all who have given me the good advice I needed for this annoying project. ~GJ~