@smal1393
A Saab 900 Turbo saved my life when I was hit broadside in the driver's door by a woman that ran a red light at 50mph. It took the fire department 45 minutes to cut me out of the car, but I was alive. Thank you to the Saab engineers!
@jhomrich89
This is a car that was designed by engineers not a design committee that's soul purpose is to cut costs and maximize profits. Sadly we probably will never see this level of engineering ever again.
@andrewkiwi1
I used to work on these saabs 20 years ago. They are strange but very well made and super reliable.
@sreginkc
I was working at the Wichita airport as a technician for Air Midwest in 1983. Air Midwest was the first American customer to buy Saab's SF340 Turboprop aircraft. I had purchased a VW Rabbit GTI from the VW/Volvo/Saab dealership in Wichita and stopped in for a warrantee service, when the salesman that sold me the car called me back to show me a surprise that our company didn't even know yet. I saw the 1994 900 Turbo sedan that Saab had sent over as a thank you gift to Air Midwest. I loved the ignition key in the console, the quality build and the hood design along with the very unique-at-the-time fuses that were under the hood and neatly labeled. I was used to looking for fuses under the dash with a flashlight Lol. The aircraft was well-designed from a maintenance standpoint as well. Great video and thanks for the memory flashback!
@kobbetop
If i’m not mistaken, all cabriolets came from the assembly plant in Finland. The 900 was the only car I knew growing up in Finland, and also the 99. They were very common back then and later I realized how quirky they were. We called them ’saabisms’. It was very safe car compared to others at the time. Volvos were even more safety-oriented. That door closing sound brings me back to the 80s, it was very solid, even the door handles were real metal.
@RobertCrickmore
An interesting story for everyone. I was a Saab salesman and manager in the early 90's in Manhattan Beach CA just south of LAX. The new Saab 9000's wheelbase was an exact match for the expansion strips in all of the SoCal freeways and you can feel a slight waviness when you drive anything but the standard 9000. Driving between 60-70 mph outside of the LA area caused this horrible front to back oscillation that was so bad it scared everybody to death, it literally felt like the steering was broken or something. Saab sent engineers to check it out and there was nothing they could do so the majority of those 9000's had to be shipped out and sold anywhere but in Southern California. Nothing wrong with the cars, it was just a weird wheelbase combined with a horizontal frequency thing in the freeway construction.
@alpine1600s
Classic Saab. Pre-GM.
@TheSaabClinicUK
I did my apprenticeship on Classic 900's are they are now called, and eventually went on to be a Saab Master Tech. They are super simple to work on, even if your a non-saab basic mechanic. Clutch can be changed in 40mins as its right there at the front. And the fuel system on the one you have there is just "Bosch LH", which about every car in the world had in the late 80's. In europe its getting hard to find good ones now as rust really takes hold if in wet countries. That one looks really nice. Paul @ The SAAB Clinic.
@chrisdigital
I worked on these for many many years. I also collected them before I had kids. This is a really awesome car. If you do all the preventative maintenance work and do upgraded suspension. Just a great car all around.
@saab99t8
6:12 That dipstick is actually for the transmission.... 9:12 Yes, the passenger seat is heated as well. But it's controlled by a thermostat in the seat, so no visible switch for it 10:30 Those "cupholders" are for stationary picnics only... 12:45 Note that the engine and transmission do not share any oil, as in some other cars. The lubrication systems are completely separate. Check #1 for the cruise control is always: Apply vacuum to the line going out of the vacuum pump. The throttle should move - if not, you know it's probably something mechanical. The cruise ECU expects to see ground through the wire going through the pedal switches. Any switch faulty will cause non functioning cruise. The ground goes via the brake lights, just to complicate things... Oh well. Thanks for a great video. Nice to see a mechanic who actually understands these cars.
@formatique_arschloch
Oh, my childhood in Finland, when most of the police cars were OG SAAB 900's.
@PSB-900
I drove Saab's for 35 years beginning in 1984 thru 2019. I owned a 1974 Saab Sonett III, a 1986 Saab C900, a 1999 Saab 9-5 Sport Combi, a 2009 Saab 9-3 Sport Combi and lastly a 2011 Saab 9-5 Turbo4 Premium Sedan. All of them were extremely reliable and never stranded me anywhere. The key was to do maintenance on time. I had a Saab specialty shop in my area do all the work. I retired from work in 2018, sold my last Saab to another enthusiast and moved on to a 2019 VW Arteon SEL Premium R-Line.
@julianlord2697
I had a 1985 Saab 900 Turbo 3 door. Incredible car, engineering like no other. The turbo seized and I swapped in a rebuilt one with a few spanners. THe wastegate was adjustable with a spanner. After that it was really fast.Cars were simpler.
@alpine1600s
Saab 900 Turbo are worth big bucks these days. It was before GM came into the equation and just made it harder for Saab to make unique cars.
@alexandermartincausey7333
I'm glad wizard included the part about having the transmission in reverse or it won't let you take out the key. As a veteran valet several years ago, I already knew this; but a coworker didn't. He parked a 9-3 convertible and disappeared for like 15 minutes. Finally, he quietly appears and signals for me. I cross the street to the parking garage and he's freaking out. "I had to leave the key inside! I can't get it out! I've tried everything!" Chuckling, I walked over to the car, sat inside, shifted to reverse and boom. Out came the key. Dude's mind spontaneously self destructed. Then we had a talk about Saabs and how he's unlikely to ever drive one again, and how society will likely never see such engineering and quality go into a production vehicle in our lifetimes. I want one, but I know parts are gonna be a problem. So I'll probably just have to stick to 200 and 700 series Volvos for my future classic Swedish car collection.
@billd66
I did a head swap on one of these back in the '90s, for a friend who had gotten the car as a hand-me-down from his parents, after it had blown a head gasket. Was an older model that had the "B" engine, which was based on a Triumph engine that was licensed to SAAB. Was actually a pretty easy job. These are great cars, the hatchback versions will swallow half a house if you put the rear seat down. But quirky design is EVERYWHERE on these cars, they give me the impression of being designed by a really brilliant engineer on their first day on the job.
@snbrown100
I'm a Saab addict, that is one beautiful car. I loved my 92 convertible, so much fun on a summer evening. Definitely needs a wind blocker, I used to drive mine into the winter with the top down once I got that. When running put it in 4th then reverse as I don't think there are syncros on reverse. That transmission is a weakness on these, they don't like being treated roughly or any higher horsepower than stock. Treated like this one looks to have been it should go for a long time.
@oldguy2082
I've had two Saabs in my lifetime; a 96 sedan with freewheeling feature and the Ford V4 (fun to drive, but slow) and a I think it was a 96 Sedan Saab with manual trans. You can always tell a true Saab owner (older models) because they can put the key in the ignition switch and start the car without looking down. I went to a function at a hotel once with valet parking for the event and left the key in the ignition (manual trans) engine running; they left the car in front area with the VIP cars because they couldn't figure out how to get the key out. (As you know, has be put in reverse to release the key , I guess they have never seen a Saab before)
@twanvorstenbosch
it's build and labeled like a fighter jet because saab builds airplanes/fighter jets Big Love from the Netherlands 🇳🇱❤
@CarWizard