I love that you'd mentioned how this car reminds you of the 80s and 90s.... its design actually dates back to the 1960s with the 99/90... even then it was so ahead of its time that it did not seem at all out of date almost 30 years later. I'd love to hear your take on an even earlier Saab like the 95 or 96.
My family has owned both Saab and Volvo since the 50's and had every car until the 940 and 9-3. Really wish they had kept at least one of the older models like the 93 or the amazon. I became a Saab guy however and have a 3 and a 5 door Saab 900i from 87 and 88
It's the solidity of the controls, matched by the over-engineered build quality and the amount of thought that went into the design. That's why it speaks to you.
What a communicative enthusiasm ! i a m a 900 classic driver un France for more than 20 years with the same loved 900 T8 1989's and your review is really pertinent. And i love your final comparaison with the teacher climate. Thanks !
I had a 1988! Moved into a house and couldn't get the title for it. That 900s was the best demo car -- a rolling brick that could drive through other cars. Towards the end it had no windows, no lights, but the heated seats still worked. Then the City of East Cleveland accused me of being a nuisance and confiscated it. Great vid as usual!
I was just thinking yesterday that I haven't seen a pre-GM Saab in years. Great cars with great engineering, just too complicated and quirky for their own good. When you look at some of the engineering decisions it's impressive how much thought went into these cars. The key will lock the shifter in reverse. The windshield is curved for better visibility. The controls that you're going to look and and touch the most like the radio and headlight switch are higher up to be closer to the line of sight and the steering wheel. Later Saabs had a button that would turn off all interior lights except for the speedometer and any gauge that needed immediate attention to reduce light in your eyes while driving at night. Every car needs that feature. I would love to have a classic Saab. There's a mechanic in my nearby city in an old dealership building with a couple displayed in the showroom. If Saab had survived they probably would have ended up like Polestar. Quirky EVs with maybe a moderately spicy ICE car to round out the lineup.
I owned a 2004 Saab 9-3 Convertible for 13 years and just sold it this month. SAAB's are great cars with plenty of parts still available. Just getting harder to find mechanics that will work on them. Great review! Would love to see more SAAB reviews. Also check out auto autopsy. He is a great youtuber with lots of SAAB videos. He is currently restoring one that looks just like this one.
Great review! Love the enthusiasm. 😊 I own a 1990 900 T16 Aero. It has the big rear spoiler, also known as the bird bath. 😅 It was my daily driver back in 2007. It's been sitting in my father in laws garage since 2008. Currently it's getting a new inner roof. The old one started to sag. I'm hoping to restore the entire car.
Great video! I’ve been researching the Saab 900 turbos recently, and found this video helpful. Also, loved your “final thoughts” bit! It cracked me up, but also totally understood the analogy, and really kinda sold me on this vehicle.
I'm glad you got to drive one of these! I was hoping to offer you a drive in my '83 if I can ever get it back on the road. Mine was also an English professor's car, and I bought it from the original owner's son-in-law. Some more notes on the SAAB 900 engine: - It's mounted backwards in the engine bay compared to traditional RWD cars, unlike most other FWD cars that have it sideways. The belts are at the firewall and the clutch is right up by the radiator. I've heard this makes changing the clutch a relative breeze, but I can tell you from personal experience that it makes changing the alternator a right pain in the nads. (Luckily I don't have A/C like this one does. The alternator is buried directly under the A/C compressor!) - The transmission is directly beneath the engine; the oil pan is integrated into the top of the transmission housing, but the engine oil is not shared with the transmission. - The engine (like most of the rest of the car) is an evolution of that of the previous SAAB 99, and originally came from a design licensed from Triumph. By this point SAAB had done a lot of their own development on the engine including the now-common turbocharger-- just about the only weird SAAB feature that actually caught on. These cars are often misunderstood; a certain other reviewer on UA-cam drove one and wasted half the review ragging on the appearance mods of the reviewed example. I'm glad you gave it a fair shake despite the overall weirdness throughout... There's nothing quite like it!
1992 was nearing the end of this car's run. It was really more of an 80s car. I had two of them. They were great cars. And if you folded down the rear seat, there was a huge amount of cargo space.
@@kimani34 Saab, should never have focused on the american market like they did. they likely would still be around if they stayed a smaller european car company
GM prolonged the life of Saab. They had no money. And then GM also ran out of money, but so did ford and Chrysler, so it’s not really their fault they had to dump it.
My '91 900 2.1i has the same color! 😄 Love platinum silver on a 900. I do like driving it, its a great car. (Mine has no ac, no power windows or mirrors tough. But it does have a sunroof.) Currently have a few Saabs. 1974 Saab 96 1991 Saab 900 2.1i 1994 Saab 9000 2.3t 1994 Saab 900ng Convertible 2.3i 2004 Saab 9-5 Estate 2.3t
As an owner of four SAAB 900’s (non GM), I can safely say that if SAAB were to reform and produce the original SAAB 900, they would sell all of them that could be made. No electrics, all turbocharged, and all still stunningly unique. Who wouldn’t want an original SAAB 900 Turbo newly produced today?? Especially the convertibles? Only classic cars make comebacks!
"4 SALE - CHEEP" The internet seems to suggest his car was inspired by the Mk II Golf. In some frames, it looks a lot like a Polski Fiat 126p (especially from the back).
SAAB was the first serieproduce car whit safetybelts and Coupéfilter side impact protections moose safe, thats why this form of windscreen high adjust safetybelts etc
Love Saabs. Miss my 2012 Saab 9-3 sometimes, although it rode like a truck, very brittle. I thought the last, very brief, Saab 9-5 was an absolutely beautiful car. Shame they went out.
Would love a 91+, I think they have a more responsive turbo plus that great handling. Is there any modern car that handles as well and is as much fun to drive??
My nephew had one back in the early 90's. At the time I owned a 1990 Dodge Omni. The Omni had more comfortable seats, better driving position, handled better, rode better, was faster and cost HALF as much!
The decline of the Swedish auto industry is a real Saab story.
Someone had to do it😂 well executed👏🏻
volvos are still cool
@@oliverhayesthecreator4988they are days away from bankruptcy in the U.S.
@@oliverhayesthecreator4988 The Chinese own Volvo.
@@oliverhayesthecreator4988 Volvos most definitely are! Sad the 2.5 i5 is gone, but still legendary
I love that you'd mentioned how this car reminds you of the 80s and 90s.... its design actually dates back to the 1960s with the 99/90... even then it was so ahead of its time that it did not seem at all out of date almost 30 years later. I'd love to hear your take on an even earlier Saab like the 95 or 96.
My family has owned both Saab and Volvo since the 50's and had every car until the 940 and 9-3. Really wish they had kept at least one of the older models like the 93 or the amazon. I became a Saab guy however and have a 3 and a 5 door Saab 900i from 87 and 88
My favorite car of all time! I had 6 Saabs over the years! (Real Saabs, not the GM stuff) 😊 Thanks for reviewing!
Also my absolute favorite. Can't wait to own one
Excellent, thank you. I have this exact car but with turbo. Smooth daily driver with 400k under its belt. Masterpiece.
It's the solidity of the controls, matched by the over-engineered build quality and the amount of thought that went into the design. That's why it speaks to you.
What a communicative enthusiasm ! i a m a 900 classic driver un France for more than 20 years with the same loved 900 T8 1989's and your review is really pertinent. And i love your final comparaison with the teacher climate. Thanks !
I had a 1988! Moved into a house and couldn't get the title for it. That 900s was the best demo car -- a rolling brick that could drive through other cars. Towards the end it had no windows, no lights, but the heated seats still worked. Then the City of East Cleveland accused me of being a nuisance and confiscated it.
Great vid as usual!
I was just thinking yesterday that I haven't seen a pre-GM Saab in years. Great cars with great engineering, just too complicated and quirky for their own good. When you look at some of the engineering decisions it's impressive how much thought went into these cars. The key will lock the shifter in reverse. The windshield is curved for better visibility. The controls that you're going to look and and touch the most like the radio and headlight switch are higher up to be closer to the line of sight and the steering wheel. Later Saabs had a button that would turn off all interior lights except for the speedometer and any gauge that needed immediate attention to reduce light in your eyes while driving at night. Every car needs that feature.
I would love to have a classic Saab. There's a mechanic in my nearby city in an old dealership building with a couple displayed in the showroom. If Saab had survived they probably would have ended up like Polestar. Quirky EVs with maybe a moderately spicy ICE car to round out the lineup.
I owned a 2004 Saab 9-3 Convertible for 13 years and just sold it this month. SAAB's are great cars with plenty of parts still available. Just getting harder to find mechanics that will work on them. Great review! Would love to see more SAAB reviews. Also check out auto autopsy. He is a great youtuber with lots of SAAB videos. He is currently restoring one that looks just like this one.
My bought a 900 S new back in 1992. It looked like this one but had wonderful leather seats.
It´s my childhood.. Love SAAB´s.
Hah, I loved the college professor analogy. Very clever.
Your Professor office hours analogy was spot on!!
Great review! Love the enthusiasm. 😊 I own a 1990 900 T16 Aero. It has the big rear spoiler, also known as the bird bath. 😅 It was my daily driver back in 2007. It's been sitting in my father in laws garage since 2008. Currently it's getting a new inner roof. The old one started to sag. I'm hoping to restore the entire car.
Great video! I’ve been researching the Saab 900 turbos recently, and found this video helpful. Also, loved your “final thoughts” bit! It cracked me up, but also totally understood the analogy, and really kinda sold me on this vehicle.
I'm glad you got to drive one of these! I was hoping to offer you a drive in my '83 if I can ever get it back on the road. Mine was also an English professor's car, and I bought it from the original owner's son-in-law.
Some more notes on the SAAB 900 engine:
- It's mounted backwards in the engine bay compared to traditional RWD cars, unlike most other FWD cars that have it sideways. The belts are at the firewall and the clutch is right up by the radiator. I've heard this makes changing the clutch a relative breeze, but I can tell you from personal experience that it makes changing the alternator a right pain in the nads. (Luckily I don't have A/C like this one does. The alternator is buried directly under the A/C compressor!)
- The transmission is directly beneath the engine; the oil pan is integrated into the top of the transmission housing, but the engine oil is not shared with the transmission.
- The engine (like most of the rest of the car) is an evolution of that of the previous SAAB 99, and originally came from a design licensed from Triumph. By this point SAAB had done a lot of their own development on the engine including the now-common turbocharger-- just about the only weird SAAB feature that actually caught on.
These cars are often misunderstood; a certain other reviewer on UA-cam drove one and wasted half the review ragging on the appearance mods of the reviewed example. I'm glad you gave it a fair shake despite the overall weirdness throughout... There's nothing quite like it!
I love the final analogy!
I really miss my 1993 900s, such a great car. Hope to get ahold of another 900 one of these days.
1992 was nearing the end of this car's run. It was really more of an 80s car. I had two of them. They were great cars. And if you folded down the rear seat, there was a huge amount of cargo space.
GM owned Saab from 1990-2010 and the ran Saab to the ground and killed it when they went bankrupt in 2009
Saab ran Saab into the ground. G.M. just happened to be the last owner when it died.
@@kimani34 Saab, should never have focused on the american market like they did. they likely would still be around if they stayed a smaller european car company
GM prolonged the life of Saab. They had no money. And then GM also ran out of money, but so did ford and Chrysler, so it’s not really their fault they had to dump it.
My '91 900 2.1i has the same color! 😄 Love platinum silver on a 900. I do like driving it, its a great car.
(Mine has no ac, no power windows or mirrors tough. But it does have a sunroof.)
Currently have a few Saabs.
1974 Saab 96
1991 Saab 900 2.1i
1994 Saab 9000 2.3t
1994 Saab 900ng Convertible 2.3i
2004 Saab 9-5 Estate 2.3t
I also have a 1992 saab 900i 16v in same colour!! I have the super inca rims though! Car has such a character!
SAAB has to make a return dude!! Great video
As an owner of four SAAB 900’s (non GM), I can safely say that if SAAB were to reform and produce the original SAAB 900, they would sell all of them that could be made. No electrics, all turbocharged, and all still stunningly unique. Who wouldn’t want an original SAAB 900 Turbo newly produced today?? Especially the convertibles? Only classic cars make comebacks!
Oh hey! You drove Robert Langdon's car!
I had this exact car with the exact colour. Good car but the manual transmission in the city was a little tiring.
SAAB 900 seats were the car seats I have ever sat in.
Oh how I miss turbo Saabs.
Interesting tidbit- This is the car Bill Watterson had in mind when drawing the family car in Calvin and Hobbes
"4 SALE - CHEEP"
The internet seems to suggest his car was inspired by the Mk II Golf. In some frames, it looks a lot like a Polski Fiat 126p (especially from the back).
I have 4 saab's 3 88 and a 90 love them
Nice analysis.
SAAB was the first serieproduce car whit safetybelts
and
Coupéfilter
side impact protections
moose safe, thats why this form of windscreen
high adjust safetybelts
etc
Volvo invented the safety belt and was the first car to use it.
Try 9-5 seats. They are epic.
Love Saabs. Miss my 2012 Saab 9-3 sometimes, although it rode like a truck, very brittle. I thought the last, very brief, Saab 9-5 was an absolutely beautiful car. Shame they went out.
Seeing any Saab, let alone a 92', still on the road is insane. Most of these things hit the junkyard a few years after they rolled off the lot
The exhaust is strangeling the top power in the 2,1. With the exhaust from turbo it feels like it gains 25hp.
Would love a 91+, I think they have a more responsive turbo plus that great handling. Is there any modern car that handles as well and is as much fun to drive??
Wait till you get to drive the APC turbo...
You should come drive my saab 93 from 2001!!
English professor´s car 😊😊😊 and German architect!!!
Well I hope you love my 1990 900 turbo vert as much when you get up here to drive it....and my other two Saabs we talked about in email
Saab ❤ Great video!
When did GM intervene with Saab?
I think your next project should be an old Saab
So cool
I thought this was a rwd car all these years
How is the gas mileage on it ?
SAAB FTW
I had a Saab 900 S.
Fun to drive but not fast by any means.
Cool 🥰
My nephew had one back in the early 90's. At the time I owned a 1990 Dodge Omni. The Omni had more comfortable seats, better driving position, handled better, rode better, was faster and cost HALF as much!
ah man saab :*(
Но хечбек бензин четири врати ок 2024😊
I totally forgot about this brand
Saab are sadly missed, GM wrecked the genre
I knew people that owned saabs. They sat broken down needing expensive repairs they could not afford.
Saab ran Saab into the ground. G.M. just happened to be the last owner when it died.
The Saab 900 is the greatest vehicle ever created. I love mine