1996 Saab 900S Convertible
Written: Jun 28 '05
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Pros: reliable automatic top, awesome color scheme, fun ride, tons of leg room
Cons: Car alarm is touchy, no turbo, atrocious on speed bumps
The Bottom Line: Great daily driver and summer convertible fun for people who can afford the parts price tag. Saabs are a great bang for your buck, affordable luxury.
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| saabsnob31's Full Review: 1996 Saab 900 |
I just bought my second Saab, a 1996 900S Convertible after previously owning the devil incarnate (mechanically) itself in a 1999 9-3. I owned my first saab all through college after selling my Wrangler Sahara and after having it for 3 years had absolutely fallen in love with the car despite the fact that the new 9-3s had a laundry list of awful, mechanical and electrical garbage that was happening to them (never buy the first year of a newly designed car). The following happened: Sunroof motor stopped working, windows didn't reliably go up and down,Spark plugs filled with gas and car died in very cold weather regularly, lights CONSTANTLY went out, high beams went out, power steering went out, my engine's belt disintegrated, brake hoses sprung leaks..... repeatedly...., rotors all went at once. All of these parts are HORRIBLY expensive and the mechanics for Saabs are jerks.. period.....50 bucks for an oil change, took a hammer to the inside of one of my rims and told me I needed an entirely new set (when it was a new car and they were the only people who worked on it). BTW - all this happened on the car with less than 75,000 miles.
So why in my right mind would I purchase another Saab?
I'd never buy another 9-3, you couldn't pay me to take one but... I have many friends and some family members who have owned 900s and loved them and wanting an affordable convertible (Saabs depreciate in value incredibly quickly off the lot. I also like the idea of owning a unique, quirky car that not many people have, that is fun to drive, and isn't just another boring Civic or midlife crisis black BMW. I decided to go for it again because I really did feel like I lost a rather rude, spoiled child when I sold my 9-3 to go into the Peace Corps and really missed it. I did love the quirkiness of my 9-3, the power of the turbo, the leg room in the car, the cargo space with the seats folded down, and just the feeling of driving a quick little car that I could take on a 6-8 hour trip home from college and get out of not feeling like I just spent the time on a horse. Despite the mechanical problems the car also handled phenominally in the snow, got excellent gas mileage, etc. etc.
The 900 thus far has been absolutely wonderful and reliable, none of the mechanical or electrical problems of the 9-3 although it does not have a turbo so it is a little pokey in 1st and 2nd gear unless you drive up the RPMs a little bit. The leather is as confortable as it gets and for a convertible there is actually a back seat. The power top takes maybe 30 seconds to go down, it is smooth, and as an added bonus has a glass back window and a super thick top which means the car with the top up is QUIET and rides much like a hard top. Even with the top down the ride is smooth, the car is still fluid and quiet and it is just fun to drive with the top off because the car really turns heads. I even found a saab with a blue top and light blue exterior and it is absolutely beautiful. The car unfortunately only has a tape player in the front but many had the option of a 6CD changer in the trunk and I was lucky enough to get this. The car also has a cell phone reciever built into the dash which I was thrilled about as well. The car right now has well over 100,000 miles on it and still drives like a new car, the clutch is good and is original and everything else is running solidly.
In summary, instead of getting into it in a story here is my experience of pros and cons after owning saabs for 4 years:
The GOOD:
1.)can be purchased at a VERY fair price with more extras than most cars for the value. This includes heated seats, a basic in dash computer (tells you gas mileage, miles til empty, etc.) CD, leather comes on the S model and not only the SE, tape player, etc.
2.)It wasn't a huge effort to find a car I liked with a manual transmission and it is much more fun to drive.
3.)Convertible top is fast, reliable, and quiet
4.)The car has a good back seat and TONS of leg room in the front
5.)The car is incredibly safe in crashes and wonderful in the snow (trust me, I lived in VT for 4 years and upstate NY for the rest of my life)
6.)It is a fun touring car for people who love to drive
7.) Cargo space is great and even without the seats folded down the trunk is large (on the hard top models)
8.)Head turner without the price tag
9.)The ignition is between the seats which means you can play tricks on your friends if they ask to drive the car :)
10.) Much more reliable then my 9-3, the 2.3 4 Cylinder engine holds its own well also, is suprisingly speedy for the size.
The BAD (and the ugly)
1.)This is a car where labor and parts cost a whole hell of a lot. Be ready to pay for maintenance
2.)Car alarm is ultra sensitive in the 900, not so much with my 9-3
3.)with no turbo the car is pokey at slow speeds
4.)there was a recall on 1996 900s because there were no directions included in the manual on how to focus your headlights once you had replaced the unit and they are remotely difficult to readjust and like to point in random directions.
5.)The paint code for the car is really hard to find if you need to order new paint. I still haven't found it.
6.)You can't install an in-dash CD player without incurring huge expenses because the person installing needs to re-wire the car b/c of the anti-theft radio. Clarion CD changer for the trunk stock through saab is really over priced. Price for labor to install a CD player was quoted to me at about $200 on top of the system itself.
7.)If you disconnect the radio from the battery you need the code to get it started again, cross your fingers the former owner held onto it (thankfully mine did).
8.) Trunk is pretty tiny on the convertibles and the back seats don't fold like the 5 door. Not easy to transport anything.
9.)Rides like a truck over speed bumps
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 4,000.00
Condition: Used
Model Year: 1996
Model and Options: Saab 900s Convertible
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Epinions.com ID:
saabsnob31
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Reviews written: 1
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