MotorWeek | Retro Review '83 Saab 900S

You'll get whiplash going 0-60 in 12.2 seconds!

[@jmatt781]

Man, when I was a teen in the mid-90's, I picked one of these up for only a couple hundred dollars, basically because I just needed a car. Living in New England, I loved the handling and the heated seats during the cold months, I couldn't even tell you how many times I drove past a higher performance car that was stuck in the snow, while I was driving one of these, the balancing and traction was great! This thing, even though well over 10 years old at the time, gave me no problems whatsoever. It was rock solid, with just the typical 3 month maintenance. I was pretty saddened when this woman last minute pulled out in front of me at an intersection and totalled it, drove right into my way like I wasn't even there. Well, I liked it while I had it.

[@FiftyfourhundredWatt]

Cool! When I was 16 I got a 1978 Saab 99 Turbo as a gift from my Dad. I was in Michigan in the midwest and the Saab handled winters like a champ. I ended up selling the Saab when I bought my new Chevy S10 4x4. The Saab was great and filled with fond memories.

[@demarcos69]

Saab was a Beautiful Car to me, I always thought the style was way ahead of it's time.

[@paulhunter123]

i never understood how anyone could think this car was ugly its amazing in every angle

[@danmccarthy4700]

This basic design dated back to 1967 with the Saab 99... yet it still somehow managed to look fresh throughout the 80s. Maybe it was still too 'ahead of its time' for Ms. "it's ugly as sin".

[@markmath2883]

When stationed in Germany I bought a 1983 Saab turbo 4-door with amaranth color. Drove that car all over Europe and the U.S. putting 298,000 miles on it in 17 years. I gave the car away to a Catholic charity-my wife cried when they took it. That was her car, she loved it! Lost my wife two years later. Sure regret giving up the Saab.

[@Latsaaben]

I totally understand why some people think these cars are ugly, perfectly acceptable. Other thinks its a thing of beauty. All of this means this car is either a love or hate object, which adds to the Saab 900 uniqueness :) - Best regards a Saab 900 owner

[@miljororforsprakpartiet290]

It'd look a lot better if they just did something as simple as not putting the front indicators upside down.

[@ronaldderooij1774]

I liked the duck tail like rear end of the 99.

[@sbauroth]

I owned both an "84 900 4 dr and a '86 2dr hatch, Both were great cars. Living in NY they took me through the worst winters. I had my '86 with me in collage and when it came time to take the 6 hr ride home for holiday breaks there was never a shortage of people who wanted to ride home with me in the Saab. It was smooth, comfortable, and easily held everyone and their luggage. Good times in a great car that never let me down.

[@johngaudet6316]

Saabs are great in the winter. I use studded winter tires and its unstoppable. Its fun to go flying past pick ups and SUVS in the snow.

[@kaneshuppert636]

Back when 2750 lbs considered heavy. I miss that

[@TheBandit7613]

The Town Of Vail (Colorado) used these cars for cop cars. With good winter tires, they handled well in the snow.

[@kirbyswarp]

Such an awesome car. A legend.

[@CEOkiller]

kirbyswarp A true classic!

[@kirbyswarp]

Justin Jensen in Hidden Files I do too.

[@bjc_9975]

is it bad i like the 9000 much better? :///

[@kirbyswarp]

Badbitch99 Is it bad that I want an 86 9000 turbo really bad? I already have more Saabs than I could afford. One of which is a 9000:)

[@bjc_9975]

+kirbyswarp lol atm i am looking at an 03 9-3 linear with 140000 miles for 4100 is that good?

[@CEOkiller]

"ugly as sin"??? Bitch, please... it is a classic!

[@pbfloyd13]

The Edsel is a classic too, classic doesn't equal beautiful.

[@de-fault_de-fault]

I know it goes against conventional wisdom, but I really don't think the Edsel is any uglier than some of its contemporaries. Certainly not the best looking car of its time, but not the worst either. Even staying with Ford products, the Mercury Turnpike Cruiser is much worse.

[@pmvaldez1]

I love the older 900 cars but I do agree they're ugly LOL.

[@jameswalsh6131]

These cars were awesome. The design allowed so much interior space yet they were not "huge" outside. I always loved the different look of Saabs personally. To bad they are gone..sigh.

[@CardboardSliver]

The C900 is like a TARDIS.

[@LMacNeill]

Back before Saab had been ruined by GM. They were well-built, great-driving cars back in the day.

[@davidp8627]

Government Motors is truly the planet's parasite. It ruins every car company it touches then moves on to another host to exploit and kill off.

[@rollotwomassey]

If it was so great it wouldn’t have needed GM in 1990 to avoid bankruptcy.

[@andrewcolsen]

@David P It's General Motors. Get over what happened ten years ago you parasite.

[@skylinefever]

@@andrewcolsen Why should he forgive someone who took 50 billion USD and got away with it? Especially when GM was dying because of their own failures! Why the hell is it the taxpayers fault that GM put some of the worst gaskets ever built on their V6 engines? Why is it the taxpayer's fault that nobody liked the Aztek prototype, but GM decided to build them anyway?

[@MrJMS814]

GM saved Saab. Saab made some of its best cars under GM.

[@CardboardSliver]

One thing I miss about modern Motor Week: the catchy Disco theme.

[@rars0n]

I know the PBS channel on Roku has a lot of Motorweek episodes, but nothing nearly this old. Is there any place to watch full episodes of the 80's shows? I love these retro reviews, I cannot get enough.

[@sammyt3514]

One of my all time favourite cars; loved the way those looked.

[@johnhiram1207]

The first Saab I ever rode in was a 1965 2 cycle one. Amazing and fun car. Loved the 80s Saabs

[@edwardt9585]

I had an 86 900 sedan . I was broke and needed wheels , it had over 200k on it when I got it ( for 1200.00 ) . Thought it was a penalty box but grew to love it more every time I drove it . Had it for years and it never let me down . A move forced it's sale ( got 1800.00 for it ).

[@dhatchbernier]

I worked in a Saab dealership in the late 80s just so I could drive them all whenever I wanted. Nothing beat the SPG. What I wouldn’t give to own one now in Edwardian Grey...

[@DrClaw77]

I wish that when GM had owned SAAB, that they realized that they should have been a niche brand with low volume targets; as such insulated from "mainstreaming" like that god-awful 9-7X. The 900 (and later, the 9000) is what SAAB is all about. I would love to see a modern version of this vehicle again.

[@Ferraridude13]

GM has no sensibility for anything, they were the worst possible company who could have acquired Saab. They're basically a meat grinder for brands and businesses.

[@thomaswilliams1213]

a buddy of mine swears this is the most hideous car ever made, i kinda like them. Especially the turbo!!

[@marcscordato4385]

The 900 Turbo SPG is one of my all time favorite cars. Today such a unique unconventional car is simply not available. I miss Saab.

[@ScaryGhost1]

I always liked the 1992 Saab 900S Turbo a bit better for fit and finish reasons but this one still has that "classy" old look to it.

[@philliplyn2692]

Still love Saab if you have one it's a keeper lol this vintage over thirty plus years this show is still on the good old days when real cars were made 🙏🙏🙏🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲💪💪💪

[@briannumme9337]

I had an 87 900 variant...it was the greatest car I ever had!

[@944devster]

These early reviews can be kind of savage. I'm here for it though

[@kwamedavis7634]

what i love about saab is that they didnt care about style at this time . the design was perfection & these were very solid cars to drive in good & bad weather

[@drw8142]

Would love to see a retro review on an fc rx7 vert. You compared it to the mustang 5.0 vert, but a standalone review would be cool to see. That and a l98 vette review, saw the comparison between the z51 and base, but a normal review would be appreciated.

[@tomsaab]

Can you guys please post the 900 turbo review!

[@joshriver75]

"the trunk can hold 4 of me"....yeah, if you wanna drive with the hatch up!

[@landyachtfan79]

Once in a while, a car comes along that just does not seem to ever age. The older it gets, the more you want one. The Saab 900 is just such a car. As small & easy to drive/handle/maneuver as a Civic or Corolla, yet is built like a Sherman tank & has more versatility than some station wagons. Oh, & in John's stand-up introduction & at 1:58, I noticed a red Ford Ranger on the test track. Did MW test another one aside from the brown one that you already shared?!!!

[@kirbyswarp]

***** This, the 911 are the two that never age.

[@me3333]

***** While I was never a saab fanboy I can appreciate the car and see why it is a timeless design. The 70's and 80's were such a cool time for cars, sure they weren't fast, safe, reliable, ect but they were all different and manufactures tried new things. Cars today for the most part all seem to be cut from the same mold with some (few) exceptions.

[@SgtMcCullin]

+me3333 New cars are ugly as hell. They make me fucking mad. Cars were great in the 70s-90s beginning when they had boxy shapes and shit. And bumpers!

[@kirbyswarp]

SgtMcCullin The late 50's and early 60's were the golden age. But I agree with you. I just love the space age.

[@ronaldderooij1774]

+landyachtfan79 I owned two. They were not versitile or easy to drive/handle/maneuver as a Civic or Corolla (I had no power steering). The other things are on the spot in your comment. I remember a 1000 mile trip from Stockholm to Amsterdam in my 99 GL. I did that trip in several cars. But the Saab was the only one that did not make me tired (and it only had a 4 speed manual!). Biggest drawbacik for me was the huge cost of ownership. Every time a service was needed, you could predict that the bill would be very high. Also, after 150000 miles they really are worn and need complete body off restauration, engine and gearbox replacement. I find that unacceptable for such a premium brand.

[@SteelRhinoXpress]

they really bash its looks. i dont think it looks bad looking just dated for the time peroid.

[@metvelle]

didn't the delorean have a similar slow 0-60 time like 12-13 seconds as well?

[@robneville5728]

Always fun to watch at the car wash when the kid doing drive-off jumped in one of these, only to hunt around for the ignition switch/keys as another washed car is slowly approached from behind. (Ignition switch was mounted in the floor between the 2 front seats, supposedly to eliminate the rattle of keys banging against the steering column.)

[@dddtaaa]

Wasn't for rattling. It was to prevent your knee hitting the keychain in a crash.

[@eatonjask]

Wasn't for stopping your knee hitting the keys in a crash - it was so the key could lock the transmission when removed, to stop theft. Far better theft prevention than locking the steering column!

[@pontiachotshot]

My grandma hated these things when they came out LOL she always said....I would saab if i had to drive one of those !!! Now they are very sought after !

[@boggy7665]

I rode in one of these, about the same year and model, on a road trip to, appropriately, a cross-country skiing mini-vacation. Amazing amount of space for people and their gear. Great road car on dry pavement as well as the miles of snow-packed twisty roads we drove. Why on earth could she, did she, hate these?

[@tutubee507]

Its a beautiful car. Wish I own one.

[@hityoutwo]

Yes! A Saab

[@tyupton1719]

I don't know if you take requests but I'd love a first gen FB RX7.

[@JazzzRockFuzion]

'00 - '04 Subaru Outback 3.0 H6/L.L. Bean if you've got a review! Or the '05 - '09 Legacy 2.5 GT and/or 3.0R Limited!

[@averadin]

A 1990 - 1994 subaru legacy would be awesome!!

[@robertgary3561]

Faint praise indeed "if you only drive at night it looks great from all angles"

[@BANAANISUKLAA-uj2mn]

I LIKE IT. I WISHD ID HAD SOME DAY 900 SAAB

[@MrJMS814]

Sounds like im listening through a pillow

[@misamisatv]

When will the Renault Fuego video be uploaded.. :P

[@ronaldderooij1774]

I owned the cheapest 99GL and the 900S (with double carburettors). The 99GL was completely worn at 250.000 km. All of it. The 900S was hit by a truck after only three weeks of ownership and totalled. In that three weeks three different mechanics made six attempts to synchronize the carbs. No luck. Friends of mine owned two 900 turbos. They labeled it afterward as "the most unreliable car ever made". They got from SAAB under warranty three turbos and two engines before they bought another car. So, the 900 is a good car (it is, after all a stretched 99) but only with the cheapest single carburettor non-turbo engine.

[@samopollo]

+Ronald de Rooij My daily is a '92 Saab 900i 16 Valve and the engine is spotless. Some of the drive train is starting to show it's age, though. CV boots are all due a replacement.

[@ronaldderooij1774]

+Sam Phillis Good to hear. Maybe I was unlucky.

[@kevinasaurus]

Heated seats in '83 would have been quite the thing

[@benjaminsmith2287]

They had them in the 70s on Saabs and Volvos.

[@davidvalenzuela4529]

Here's a MotorWeek Retro Review of the Saab 900S from 1983.

[@l-ours]

SO FLAAAT !

[@paulhunter123]

nothing like the smile a saab 900 gives you when you go up a hill with no problem, after seeing a bmw driver at the bottom getting the shovel out the boot

[@mantriccaravan8228]

After owning a 92 VW Golf 5spd and moving over to a 84 SAAB 900 16v 5 spd it was night and day for many a reason. The build quality, heaviness, safety was leagues above VW not to mention it was a hell of a beast on snow laden turf something the Golf was incapable of handling unless you had snow tires. The 8v 900 was a dog so slow a Chevette could out run me HOWEVER it was still one of the safest cars air bag or not on the road, reliable and had loads of room to put furniture (it was a hatch version). Miss these cars alot!!

[@benjaminepstein5856]

@5:31 "I'mma close the trunk on you"

[@bradfordjhart]

this was my first car in 1999, I beat the piss out of that car, and it was a blast to drive. it heald up pretty well, but I did finally kill the engine. My family went on to buy 4 more Saabs, each one worse than the last for reliability, like they say... Saab now, cry later.

[@hurricanerae]

My first car bought in 1999 for $800 was an '84 900s Sedan 5-speed. I loved that weird looking car and even though I was relatively poor at a rich suburban high school where most kids had newer cars, allot of my classmates loved my car because it was so unique. Transmission finally went out in college. I was probably pretty rough on it. But the engine was always sound and always started up.

[@fringestream990]

Great in the winter but hard to find parts.

[@scdevon]

Almost impossible. Even good used parts are getting rare. Thanks, GM!

[@hottew_twat3963]

thats why people were forced to get rid of them that and finding people that know how to work on them

[@upeedinalamb5297]

Plenty of room for lambs to lay down in the hatch. This is a great thing.

[@yogibearstie]

I bought a used '83 or '84 four door with trunk instead of the hatch and it was a disaster to own. Constantly blowing fuses, failing to start, and just not so comical events like trying to fish out the broken plastic tab from the roof that had the sunroof stuck between open and closed when my knees went though the seat bottom, which turned out to be held up by burlap between springs. It was slow and felt like it was ready to take flight at over 80 mph. However, I thought it was gorgeous inside and out, just utter garbage mechanically. Of course I bought it used, so perhaps a previous owner was very rough on it.

[@DesertSessions93]

when was this? That por car sounds like it had seen better days.

[@xxrs2009]

5:25 Did they make a cornering light out of the original parkinglight segment?

[@CardboardSliver]

It lights up one of the front reverse lights.

[@xxrs2009]

@@CardboardSliver lol

[@BigXSmoke1]

neat car my school teacher had one

[@Doobie1975]

I've thought the zero to sixty run times was adequate by early 80's standards, definitely sluggish by today's standards.

[@emeyer6963]

Another Saab story!

[@MANGORAHKA-uh4tt]

I WISHD ID HAD CAR LIKE THAT AND 2 RED ONES

[@olskoolnewpaint]

1:59 Cars had H.I.Ds even back in '83 :P

[@Monacomaverick]

I have always admired these cars, especially the turbo car that preceeded the 900 model line. Saab and Volvo were great manufacturers until they were swallowed up by corporate America and left for dead. The same thing happened to Chrysler, only in reverse. I'd rather see Saab endure over Chrysler any day of the week.

[@stvynix3687]

Jerry Seinfeld would like that car!

[@miguelcastaneda7236]

had a 94 turbo..took it up top speed...caught air..not a good feeling

[@glennvernes8305]

I had an "87. Nice car but it broke down every week.

[@FantomLightning]

:D

[@yellowhammer3]

this car was truly ugly back in the day, but now that it's older it somehow looks better. Maybe bc it is something we will never see again?

[@miljororforsprakpartiet290]

1:40 - 99 Turbo did 0-100 km/h, which is more than 0-60 mph, in 9 dead, not 11. 900 likely even faster.

[@pilskadden]

US models probably had less power due to emission regulations and fuel with lower octane rating.

[@miljororforsprakpartiet290]

@@pilskadden Hm, yes, good point. Think I've heard something about lower compression too.

[@MrHeem94]

"You'll get whiplash going 0-60 in 12.2 seconds!" Its better than 17.2 seconds!

[@aliceisinchains1]

They must have expected a lot of tall drivers...

[@AIRDRAC]

Scandinavia has a lot of tall people :)

[@hollocast]

#teamwasaabi

[@ronaldcolman6211]

+Chrisco_96 Dentist jet.

[@oes13]

aerodynamic styling.. lmao

[@dqwaszx]

I honestly have never seen another automotive magazine or show make a stink about missing oil pressure and voltmeter gauges. LOL

[@hausmeisterengineering5952]

0-60 in 12.2....still faster than my 2008 legacy outback automatic

[@supa7turtle588]

this isnt even the fast model

[@wattius3432]

They are heavy cars which impacts performance but that makes them awesome in snow, very warm too.

[@BennysBenz]

aircraft division hehe

[@benjaminsmith2287]

Curses to GM for killing this brand. Yes, it would be owned by another company but to me that doesn't matter. Now there is only Volvo left and they're not as quirky. Maybe Polestar will be. Still, this is a big loss. Very, interesting car and car company.

[@cettejuste4398]

they no longer make them

[@formatique_arschloch]

Saab engines were bullet proof.

[@anibalbabilonia1867]

Gm screwed up saab! It lead to their demised. It use to be a great Premium car.

[@JS-yj7ow]

Ugly as sin??? Me thinks they’re gorgeous wheels, of course I’m partial. I’ve got my ‘92 vert nestled snugly in my garage.

[@jeffmorse645]

GM screwed Saab over so badly. Its a shame the make is dead.

[@dionmoore879]

Looks? a big part of the charm. Sadly everything looks the same theses days.

[@orbits2]

thank God these front lawn for sale things are out of here

[@carbonemtree]

E30

[@rars0n]

I cringe every time I see mechanical fuel injection. Because I own a Mk2 Jetta GLI. I hate mechanical fuel injection.

[@herrgolf]

+Adam Baldwin Own an '80s Honda with a computer controlled carb and you might appreciate it just a little bit more.

[@dmcnamara9859]

+Adam Baldwin Bypass the CIS injection fuel flow valve, Bosch CIS will operate with no electrics...once the fuel pressure regulator warms-up from the block heat(along with cold start valve which creates a vacuum bypass at idle)......it will stay at desired idle. CIS is actually very reliable/durable.........with regular fuel-filter changes........and the vacuum hoses(fuel injector to manifold seals) and electrical connections are kept spotless . I took over a orphan 1987 Peugeot 505 wagon with 2.0 and CIS............no problems whatsoever after nearly 400,000 miles on the clock....but then again I keep the engine compartment spotless.

[@rgallen6782]

D McNamara CIS will fail only if you leave it standing for many years. I bought a 1978 Volvo 244DL that was standing for 12 years and had to change all the Bosch CIS components (fuel distributor, injectors, pressure regulator, and air intake plate/diafraghm, as well as both fuel pumps) in order to start the engine again, and even so, had to renew some vacuum hoses to let the engine idle at lower RPMs. Other than that, CIS works perfectly well in a daily driving car like mine.

[@carzakone333]

What about Volvo? '87 760 Turbo will beat this

[@viktorjjakobsson9710]

carzakone333 It would not. +driving a 760 is like maneuvering yacht on land.

[@carzakone333]

Viktor Jakobsson try look up the 80s Macau Grand prix, and you will know why, if you don't know the racing history between Saab and Volvo, then keep your mouth shut

[@viktorjjakobsson9710]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macau_Grand_Prix Thats all I found. Could you please post some links? I genuinly cannot find anything related to Saab and Volvo and Macau Grand Prix. P.S no need to be a internet tough guy ;-)

[@carzakone333]

Viktor Jakobsson ETCC '84-'85

[@viktorjjakobsson9710]

carzakone333 Why couldnt you just hade Linked a site ringt away? It feels like you are making half of this up as we go...

[@quiksilvermanblue]

Shame these are so unreliable, I love the look of them.

[@leftpastsaturn67]

Unreliable? None of the ones I've owned could ever be called 'unreliable'... how many did you own to qualify this remark I wonder?

[@Daehawk]

hahah "Its ugly as sin"

[@hyperlogos]

These cars just keep getting uglier. Park/e-brake is on the front wheels, what a PITA. The brakes are especially weird and take up a ridiculous amount of space

[@SgtMcCullin]

+Martin Espinoza In 88 park/e-brake was changed so it was affecting real wheels. And so what? E-brake on front wheels is actually safer. That's why it was there in the beginning.

[@boggy7665]

Didn't these have dual DIAGONAL brake circuits? Unlike most cars, which (mandated by US federal law starting ~1967 or so), had dual master cylinders, but split front/rear.

[@dodgeguyz]

Saab had some of the ugliest cars on the road!!!!

[@jasonlatham3238]

These old retro clips show how terrible the 1980's cars were. These are Chevette speeds.

[@JesseWright68]

900's are turds.