Finally, A SAAB Story That Has a $3K Happy Ending-Sort of! 

It's a shame that GM destroyed Saab.

Some of the most comfortable seats I've ever enjoyed

Finally a Saab!!! I've had like 6 of em and I love them! Also the best acronym for these is Somethings Almost Always Broken.

Love to see the SAAB still taken care of and the owner enjoying it.

I bought a new 07 Saab 9-3 Aero wagon 6spd using European Delivery. It was my daily for 11 years and 177K miles. I'm still on the original clutch and a bunch of other equipment. I didn't have to fix the AC until 2020.

I loved Saabs from a very early time in my life, and after owning a ton of OG900's (turbos and SPGs) I finally owned a Monte Carlo Yellow 9-3 Viggen coupe back in 2004. It was a great car, and I wish that I still had it. They are truly great cars given the times in which they existed.

1986 Saab 900 Turbo. Best car I ever owned. I even named her "Gretchen". I dream about her sometimes. I should have never let her go. Mountains, plains, ice, rain, snow...the places she took me.

I own a 400+k km Saab 9-5 2.3t from 2001. Wich I bought for 750 euro's. Repair costs over 4 years. A 1000 euro's. Car is in mint condition now. Parts are very cheap here in The Netherlands and readily available. Just got the yearly APK wich is like an MOT. And it passed with flying colors again. These are indistructable if treated correctly.

Saab's slogan from this time period was "Born from Jets."

It's a SAAB! I love SAABs. I currently own three and they are the best cars I've ever driven. Thank you Car Wizard.

Saab used to be a niche but highly regarded brand here in the UK. Then GM bought them, so they ended up with all the issues that GM cars are reknown for, but at least you can still buy the GM parts unlike any Saab specific parts.. I hope this one keeps going when the Wizard works his magic.

I’ve had my -98 9-3 convertible for thirteen years. I’ve spent more on fixing and renovating it over the years than I did buying it. Worth every cent every time I drive it.

My first car was a 2002 Saab 9-5 Aero 5spd..man I miss that car. Most comfortable seats ever

The genesis of that engine starts with Triumph. The British company did some stupid things with the design, such as angled head bolts that cause head gasket failures. SAAB bought the design and fixed all the problems and turned these into real powerhouses when turbocharged. Great video!

Saab made good cars with comfortable and form fitting seats. Too bad that GM destroyed it! I'm glad Wizard fixed this daily drivern!

Saab actually *is* an airplane company. It originally already *was* an airplane company that decided after WW2 to "do with cars". But at some point the branch didn't develope as supposed and got sold. To GM. Which never understood Europe and European cars and finally ruined it. The 9-3 and 9-5 share many components with Opel / Vauxhall cars of that era. For some parts you might look into the Opel partsbin and find them at lower prices. Thanks for sharing !

Had a 93 myself years ago. Absolutely loved it. Gorgeous car, great daily driver. I love this example.

My dad had a 900 turbo when I was about 10 , coolest dad in any car park , god bless him 😊❤❤

I have three Saabs with over 200,000 miles all with their original engines, transmissions and turbos.

Before you replace the axle seal, check axle for freeplay. Known issue is the bushing in the diff wears out. They can be replaced in the car, but are a pain.

On the bright side, Bill's new Saab didn't affected his man area.... yet ! 🤣 Congratulations, this one is beautiful !

I love these cars. I’m a proud owner of three of them… 00’ 9-5 Aero wagon, 03 9-3 SE Convertible, and a 07’ 9-3 6speed. Having some mechanical aptitude and being able to source your parts out helps to ease some of the ownership pains. People always ask me “how can you afford to fix that thing”… easy, I fix it myself.

Im a Brit, but I did escape for 3 years on a project in the US (H1B Visa). I needed a car and wanted a manual transmission which I failed miserably to find. So jumped at an 02 SAAB 9-3 convertible in a gorgeous metallic blue, the only thing I didnt like was the autobox! That cost $8k in 2009 (had the purchase invoice at $42k in 2002). I loved that car and traveled all round the Mid West reliably, repair shops wouldnt touch it as it was "European" so had to fix things myself. The worst being replacing the waterpump (a GM part!) which involved removing the inlet manifold and turbo whilst in Chicago in February which was an experience. The display pixels failed, that was a repair kit off Ebay from the UK. I sold it for about $5k so am staggered that you could get more than that now.

I bought a 2007 SAAB 9 3 from a Copart back east. After I received the vehicle the title was changed to "Salvage". The original owner hit her front bumper three times in her own garage! So far, a perfect convertible! 83,000 miles and runs like new. My 2006 9 5 from Hawaii has 48,000 miles and is waiting for new oil cooler lines.

Saaaaab! As a '99 9-3 cv owner myself, I couldn't hit this video fast enough. In my case, I'm very happy w/my daily driver bought in '02 in CA, now here in MA, but still rust-free. Sure, it requires attention, but there are parts available and plenty specialist mechanics, also a strong community. Personally, I like the simplicity of these cars, and the quirks make perfect sense to me now. Mine is also a 5spd MT w/similar mileage, but the b204 is tuned (~240hp?) to be quick enough. No idea what it's worth, but I don't care. Thanks, Wizard, for showing off this one. Once sorted, it will be a great car. Yay for Bill!🙂

I drove a 2000 9-3 for a long time, but was never brave enough to stick a drink in that front cupholder. Always figured I would spill it on the radio somehow. Impressed to see that both exterior badges are intact on this one (the paint flaked off mine) and the info display doesn't have any dead rows! I had to repair that ribbon cable twice since some of the contacts would flake out from the temp changes over winter. Really fun and interesting car for its time though. I miss it.

Bill knows whats good, perfect choice! Owning just 1 saab is not possible.. gotta own more than 1! 96 would be another great choice

Finally!!!! Saab deserves your help 😃

I had a 1977 99ems... Amazing car. In snow it was incredible never stuck. I am a mechanic so I worked on Volvo and Saabs. When it got old to use we drove it around our Motocross track jumped it could not kill that car.. Amazingly strong . Reverse mechanism key switch jamming up and water pump shaft snapped and sadly junked it. I always wanted another one.

My first car was a 1986 Saab 9000 Turbo with a 5 speed manual. It would consistently 33 mpg in normal driving and it could do 130 mph. From 1986 till now there has been little to no improvements in economy ICEs.

I’m so happy you finally got another Saab in the shop! My first car was a Saab as a matter of fact! It was a 1996 900 S, unfortunately it was an automatic but it was definitely one of my favorite cars. One thing I will say about the reverse lockouts on the Saab is that it should also be noted that you shouldn’t try to force the key out of the ignition when it stops, assuming you don’t have the car in reverse because that will damage the ignition lock cylinder, and if you do it too many times, you will have to replace it and that can get very expensive, and based on the current estimate and what you guys have found this far I don’t suppose that Bill is going to want to deal with something like that. Seen it happen many times before on Saabs that are equipped with a manual transmission. Also, another fun fact is that you can view the mileage without turning on the key all you have to do is press the odometer reset button on the gauge cluster. You can also turn on the radio when the car is off on Saabs, and the same is true for Mercedes-Benz as well.

SAAB make fighter jets and numerous engineers working on car design used to work in the aviation wing. I loved my 95... that had a damped folding cup holder but the mechanism was even better

My granddad lived in New Hampshire, and he always drove a Saab!

My parents had a Saab 900 turbo. I wish I got that car.

Saab was a neat company that made neat cars. I remember Saab ads on TV with the tagline "Only one aircraft manufacturer also builds cars." One of the local regional airlines (Pacific Coastal) has a fleet of Saab 340 turboprops. Nice planes.

that classic Saab hatchback profile is timeless, from the 99EMS i had in the 80s to the 9-3 Viggen i just drove to work today. Its the right size too, not too big like most modern cars. This Saab was definitely worth fixing; cant find anything else new today as cool and quirky.

Check the engine for black sludge. To do that, you’ll have to take the oil pan off, clean oil pan and sif, AND put a modified crank case ventilation (aka ‘MOD6’) in. A bit of history: Saab already made airplanes in the ‘30s and decided to make cars as well. The first Saab looked like the hull of an airplane ;-)

Saab design was an absolute delight. The interior design is more than "simple", it belies an incredibly well thought out design ethos. Some examples: 4:40 The two small buttons to left underneath the clock (to the left of the CLR button). These two buttons are clock time up / down. Push and the time setting advances forwards or backwards, hold the button and and it advances quickly. I've never seen a clock that was easier and more intuitive to reset. In most cars, it seems like you have to navigate multiple layers of buttons and software that it's nearly impossible to figure it out. 5:00 The button above the dashboard cup holder labeled "Night Panel" is for driving at night, especially in dark environments. That button disables all the gauges and lights on the dashboard to minimize light distraction, so you can focus on the road; this is inspired from jet cockpits. Even cooler: the night panel button doesn't just shut off the dash lights, it disables the gauges... the the gauge dials actually flop down to zero! So cool. The only gauge that stays illuminated in Night mode is the speedometer which only illuminates to half way on the dial (maybe 60 mph or 80 mph I can't recall). If you drive faster than that, the rest of the gauge range will light up to accommodate your speed. If you make an adjustment to a button or dial, say on the radio, that cluster will illuminate to accommodate you too. Sick! 6:25 Those are slots to hold change (quarters, nickels, dimes) in front of the cup holder. I'm surprised that Mrs. Wizard didn't mention the seats: so well designed and sporty/comfy that Saab enthusiasts have been known to mount them on a swivel base to use as a desk chair (google Turning an Old Saab Seat into a Desk Chair)! 5:45 Putting the key on the floor was both a safety feature for the driver (so the lock mechanism is out of the driver's way in case of an accident) and also a security feature (locks the gearbox instead of the steering column like most cars) to prevent theft. 7:40 Note the sweet integrated design, and tactile feel for the cup holder, as well as the smooth calibration of the tension spring. Still functions perfectly. Many small, thoughtful touches like these in Saabs. A couple other notes in general on Saab innovation (not this specific car): Saab introduced seat belts as standard equipment in 1958. First automaker to do so. In Sweden, Saabs were known as the safest cars, not their domestic rival. Saab made their bones on the 4 cylinder turbo to optimize fuel efficiency, power, low end torque, and driver fun. Fast forward to today, and the rest of the industry now is following suit. The gear ratios and turbo make this thing a blast to drive: Saab ads at the time had insane comparisons to super cars for how fast this car can accelerate from 50 to 80 etc. All in all, Saabs were so well designed they are a delight. We are all much worse off that Saab is no longer a part of the auto industry. :(

I'd never be caught dead without a SAAB in my garage, best all around car on the planet! Sporty, luxurious, efficient, stylish, reliable, they have everything

The night panel button on the head unit has a neat feature. At night, you can turn off all the dash lights except the speedometer. Kinda cool, even though I did not like the feature on my Saab. Sadly, my daughter totaled that one.

Im a swedish saab lover!!! Best cars ever, whatever you say!!

Really nice to see a saab. My son has driven a 9-3 2001 for five years. It is what i would call is a $500 car and his first. The only thing besides tires and service in five years and 40 000 miles is a lower control arm same as this one. Those repairs are totally worth it. It looks like a really nice car rust free with a good engine. We still se them a lot here in Sweden. .

I am always a sucker for a SAAB story. Why? I own a snow silver metallic 2010 9-3 Aero. With still only about 47,000 miles. Never seen snow or salt. Every option except factory GPS. Even the fancy limited edition and now rarely seen wheels. All not so unusual fourteen years ago. But a very unique and near-perfect survivor now. And yes, the SAAB story is a tear-jerker. They never should have gone away. But they did. PS Those last years of 9-3 and 9-5 colors.....all computed to mimic colors on the Swedish landscape. Moss, trees, glaciers, fresh snow.....and night sky.

I thought that Saab’s were well engineered until I had to remove a dead heater blower motor from a vintage Saab. I removed the center dash speaker, unbolted the motor and found that the speaker opening was about 1/4 inch too small to remove the blower motor. The 30 minute fix became hours of difficult labor. Unique car. The 900 Turbo in the 80’s took the company to new heights and was a Saab Black Series was featured on Seinfeld.

A friend had one with a hirsch tuned engine and nice wheels. It was such a sweet car. Went like jet. Confortable, reliable and fast.

The ONStar badge on the dash would seem to indicate this was a product of the GM control period at Saab. They weren't bad, just not that appealing to the U.S. market. My high school math teacher drove the 2-stroke 3 cylinder one to school each day. The "big chainsaw" was smoky and you mixed the gas and oil. Unscrew the gas filler cap and invert it and that's how much oil you add to a tank of fuel. Front wheel drive and a four speed on the column. Very unusual for the late sixties in a small new england town.

I LOVE SAAB ❤

I drove a 9-5 once when I worked for a detail shop a long time ago. I loved it. That car was so smooth and quick, it left a lasting impression. One of my favorite cars I've ever driven.

4:19 this model is limited to 140mph, but the viggen model is limited to 155. They share the same instrument cluster, so the speedometer needs to cover the higher range Also the reverse lock is anti-theft. The steering wheel doesn't lock because the key isn't on the steerimg column, so instead they made the entire transmission lock

You put it in revers to lock the gearbox and release the key. It's for theft protection.

Worked on Saabs and Volvos for 25years. Owned many of them. I was told that Saab stands for “Something Almost Always Broken.”

3:31 That Saab H engine is a redesign of the Saab B engine, which in turn was based on the Triumph Slant-4 engine.

I loved my Saab..I’m looking for a manual convertible

It’s too bad GM destroyed SAAB. I used to do dealer trades for a Saturn/SAAB dealer in the 90’s. They were fun cars. The 9000 Turbo really ripped.

The fact Mrs. Wizard opens the cup holder correctly is a great sight. Thank you!

What a beauty!

Worth every cent that Bill wants to put into it. The value of the car is what someone is prepared to pay for it, not what dealers say. SAAB are Swedish Military Aircraft Engineers.

I’ve driven Saabs for 40 years. Currently, a 9-3 Viggen and 1991 Saab 900 SPG. Love them!

I had a 2006 Saab 9-3 which ran very well for 195,000 miles. Then avoiding a tree falling on me, I went off road, damaged the sub frame, cracked the bumper, and gashed the oil pan. I stopped the car immediately and had it towed, saving the engine and everything else. For $4000 I could have fixed the car, but instead I sold it for $500 to my Saab mechanic. He fixed it up, costing him $4000 in parts, and resold that car for $4500 making no money on it at all. But he is still servicing that car today, now with 260,000 on the original powertrain as I took care of it and apparently the next owner is at least doing a decent job maintaining the rebuilt car. They can and do last a long time with the Toyota (Aisin) transmission and GM engine.

Saab started as a maker of airplanes and their early cars were painted with the same paint used for airplanes… not sure if they used some airplane parts as well…

Love Saabs. I’ve had 6. They are worth spending money on. Probably going to pick up another one again.

If you understand Saab’s history, that license plate is FREAKING AWESOME!! 😂

Never been this early to a wizard vid

So relieved that Wizard said the repairs are worth it on this little Saab. They are such fun cars when taken care of. Project Farm just dropped a video where he fixed an $800 Honda with 1k in parts. Add in the cost of his labor, and he was probably in for 3-4k total. But, compared to the cost if used cars now, Project Farm came out way ahead.

I do love my 9³ Aero with the F40. Glad to see a C9³ on here!

FAQ: in addition to the ignition key only being removable when the shifter is in reverse, there’s a trick to changing the clutch. To replace the clutch, the transmission must be placed in 4th gear or else the transmission won’t separate from the engine block.

My mum just totalled her 2001 93 SE Turbo, 87,000 miles from new, broke my heart. Wife and I still have our 04 95 aero, which I bought for $800 5 years ago. 80,000 miles later it’s never missed a beat. At a cross roads though, clunks and bangs and rust to deal with, needs all new rubber! Totally uneconomical to repair but it’s part of the family.

I love my saab 96! Mechanics would probably pay to work on it, everything is easy and out in the open. Not like the newer ones

The cup holder is designed to destroy the stack with every bump in the road. That's a beautiful car! Someone really did take care of her. Worth every penny!

I love that the acting in these videos are the same caliber as an 80s movie you would watch in middle school

Something’s Almost Always Broken! Loves Saabs. Have owned 5, still have 2. Very happy to see this on the channel!

my dad had an orange '99 with a stick. 7 year old me thought it was soo cool i spent the night in it in the garage the first night he brought it home - under-rated cars for sure. Also, CW - SAAB makes some of the best military aircraft in the world and has done so for years (Drakken, Grippen - check em out!)

When you ran down the sides saying ding ding ding, you reminded me of our brand new 1971 Lincoln Continental. When they redesign the car for 1970, it had beautiful styling and they decided to run the rub strip down one of the contours. Unfortunately, that's not where all the doors hit the car....!

Hi Wizard , I have a 1999 9-3 which I’ve owned 6 years + . The 3 engine motor mounts can be moved from underneath by supporting the engine whilst work in progress . The RH side ( passenger side in USA , I’m messaging from uk ) can be accessed by removing wheel then arch protector trim piece , again supporting the engine . You may have to lower it ever so slightly to access the Allen key fixing .

The Night Panel feature is cool too!

I grew up with Saabs. Step father had a 900 turbo 16, my mother had an 86 900s 16. Both were very comfortable and extremely fun to drive.

In the late 80’s my sister drove a 900 and my brother in law drove a 9000………they were both such awesome and fast cars for the time…………then comes GM and they’re made into instant crap….

It's great that parts are still available.

Maintenance cost goes by MSRP of the car when new, not the price you paid for it used. Some people fail to realize this.

You buy a Saab you deserve everything you get!

When I was young, i asked a neightbor about the "night-panel"button... Such a simple solution, to a comfortable nightride. 😃 Only the speedometer was light up, when all things worked as it should. -And it did for many years...

My parents had a '99 900SE and they were just off a 93 like this one, slightly different but basically the same car. It was sooo cool! And then they got a 95 Aero SW. The feature I always loved was the night panel. It was the best feature if you drove at night on the highway. Perfect specially is you were in an unlit highway, your eyes would get used to the dark quite quickly

my grandparents had saabs 900,93,95 throughout my childhood, friends and family and my mum had one too. UK, we always said they were just a rebadged vectra, but theres something about them that is comforting.

9-3 Viggen was an awesome car. 20 psi of boost from factory. Loads of low end torque and turbo shove is crazy. Amazing highway car. Very comfortable and practical 5 door. 😅

I really like Bill’s car collection - it’s quirky and fun. Kudos to Bill for a well curated odd ball bunch of near great cars.

Ive had a few Saabs and they have all been great my wifes current 9-3 b207L has been an absolute tank. We bought it for 900 bucks and shes gotten like 80k miles out of it so far and it still runs great.

I have been a happy Saab owner since 1985. Runs in the family since 1960. Nice video.

I had the 1997 900 with that body style....Loved it, so much fun. I now have a 1993 900 convertible. LOVE IT.

I worked for Saab in the 99 years, loved those things, they started going down hill when the 900 came out. The reason they chose reverse for the gear selection was due to research where they found that the first gear selected on start-up was REVERSE. 🙂

Key removal/insertion & starting is a unique SAAB quirk. Same as the 1973 SAAB 99 is drove for while (the key lock was in the centre between the front seats too). Quite quirky, but not as quirky as a Citroen. Can’t wait to see the Car Wizard encounter a Citroen 2CV, aka The Tin Snail.

I freaking love the cup holder in every SAAB. They all have a different transformer cup holder. Was hurry to look at every new Saab in car show when i was younger too look for their Cup holder. + They are soo much comfy.

SAAB is "Svenska Aeroplan AB", or Swedish Airplane Corporation.

I had this exact year and model in red back in the day. Enjoyed it on a three year lease.

Try replacing that antenna with an aftermarket unit, the top is a nightmare to emulate plus that injector cartridge, always fails. Having said that I love the V6 (rare in the UK) and the 9-5. The last of which were Buick Regal bodies with SAAB innards.

FINALLY a SAAB!! 😁Love your videos!

The Mercedes compressor has that kind of cup holder! Careful condensation off of drinks can go into the radio and fry the electrical! it happened in my aunts Mercedes compressor with the same cupholder condensation off of soda, followed the cupholder right into the radio shorted out the electrical system

Keep the Saabs coming wizard 😉

I have that same engine in my 2004 95 wagon. Most of these are re-programmed to produce more power and that's the case with mine. Stage1 in my 2.0t is 225 hp and 250 lb.-ft. instead of stock 150hp. Important thing is to have receipt that shows quality program being used. Cheap ones can cause a lot of problems.

Thank you to Car Wizard and Bill for keeping it on the road! I have a 1992 900 Turbo convertible and 1999 OG9-3

My dad was a SAAB guy, and only owned a Mercedes and a WV in between the 11 Saab's he owned. Do the fact that he (and I) was a Sweden explain anything? Saab 92 (1952) Saab 93 (1957) Saab 93 (1959) VW 1500 Variant (1961) Saab 93 (2:nd car 1967) Saab 95 (1967) Saab 99 (1971) Mercedes 200 (1977) Saab 900 (1981) (because I crashed his Mercedes) Saab 900 50 years anniversary (1987) Saab 9000 (1990) Saab 9000 (2001) Saab 9-5 (2011)