Used 1994 Saab 9000 Hatchback Consumer Reviews
Gone but not forgotten
My 94 9000 CSE Turbo just gave up the ghost (i.e. transmission) at 136K but was still a great car which means it's just time to get another Saab. I've had several in the past, starting with an '84 900. They have treated me well for the most part, and I take into account the maintenance required. I do have a good specialized Saab mechanic which makes a huge difference. This one was bought with a little over 100K (only $5400!) and performed very well for a well-used machine. After 3 years and 30,000 miles, took it to the desert and had one of the most fun rides to date - fast and smooth with great handling on those long lone stretches. Replacing the tranny costs $$ so it's time to try the 9-5!
High Mileage Commuter
Purchased with 110,000 miles on it - put an additional 52,000 miles in the past two years. Excellent car for the interstate commute I do 4 days a week. Shortcoming is in the AC - it doesn't cool off the car very well - then again it is a very large interior. Outstanding service from my local dealer. Expect to run it until it hits 250,000, like my last SAAB.
It's a SAAB
This car is reliable as far as the engine and tranny are concerned (5spd). I like a lot of the features of the car and the famous saab safety. However, parts are expensive for saab's - brakes for rear 400$, Heater fan failed, clutch seems high, bought w/ 118k, tranny was replaced at 80k. Handles well and feels heavy and solid when driving. Ride is somewhat harsh, but performance is good/secure/controlable.
Lots of car for the money
9000's are among the best deals out there right now. You can get a last-year of production (1998) or anything from the 90's and the car you get for the money paid makes it a superb deal. It's hard to understand the relatively low prices, as these Saabs are easily the equivalent of similarly aged BMWs or Audis, and even the base model (CS) has more features than the average German cars of the 90's. It is true that finding a servicing mechanic can be a challenge, and replacement parts are definitely not cheap, but there's nothing unexpected in that. Overall, I highly recommend any 90's Saab 9000 if you're looking for a (still) suberbly safe car.
money pit
I purcahsed this car only 3 months ago and can't get rid of it quick enough. When it runs it's fine, but when I'm driving down the highway and the alarm is blairing, the heat doesn't work after I invested $800, and the freekin power antenna decides to go down, it's enough to want to drive it into the wall. Maybe when it was new it was a good car, but now it's a money pit!