Is Saab still in business, and is it wise to purchase a used (2000) Saab ?


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.


Let’s just say that you could make better choices than a used Saab of that vintage.


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” ?


Would the price ($ 1,800) make it a better choice ? I can only afford a car of that vintage.


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.


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.


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.


Thanks for the reply. You are more encouraging than most respondents.


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).


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.


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.


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.



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.


BTW, is it a turbo-4 or the 6-cyl?


I have read an I tend too agree that SAAB’s headed south when GM inspired V-6’s were introduced.


Sort of. No.