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We bought a new SAAB 99 in 1975 instead of a Volvo because in comparison, the Volvo drove like a truck. We loved the SAAB until I noticed the front brake pads were worn out at 8,000 miles. The SAAB dealer wanted $60 (in 1975!) for a new set of pads. I said no and bought a set for $8 at a jobber. Things were fine until the transmission shift mechanism broke at about 15,000 miles. The broken pin took 3 weeks to arrive. Shortly after this I noticed the paint bubbling under the rear view mirrors. I pulled the mirrors, and to my dismay the paint had all rusted away. This was on a two year old car that supposedly had the best rust protection in the industry! It was now close to 20,000 miles on the car and the clutch was starting to misbehave, the transmission was leaking, and the water pump was making a funny noice. I decided to pull the plug and sell it quick. On the first day someone was coming to look at it the slave cylinder packed it in. Luckily I managed to repair it before they showed up. A lemon? I don't think so. A friend bought a 99EMS about the same time and kept it for a number of years. Cost him a fortune and it was totally rusted out when he sold it.
In 1979 we bought a 242GT. It handled better than the SAAB, and was totally reliable. Sold it a couple of weeks ago, still running great.
Would I buy another SAAB? Very unlikely. Buy another Volvo, well we still have a 2000 V70 and a 1988 780, so yes :o)
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