I have personally had 5 SAAB's and had the pleasure of driving 4 others at different times. In all cases I have really appreciated the comfort of the seating (In my opinion the best standard car seats I have ever found). Solidly and heavily built they seem to use a thicker gauge of metal compared to the rest of the mass market offerings from Ford, Fiat PSA,GM, and heh Japanese pretenders.
Performance wise they were usually in teh top three of their respective classes and years, though BMW's & Mercs were usually rated a little better.
I have towed trailers and caravans with 4 different models and all have been more than adequate for the task. 1973 Saab 99 Combi Coupe, 1986 9000i, 1989 9000SE, 2001 9-3 2.2Diesel SE.
My last SAAB, was the 2001 model 93. 2.2 diesel Turbo. And whilst I did not use this for a caravan I did tow a large TA box trailer with it loaded to about 1200kg. Plenty of low down torque and despite being front wheeled drive it managed very well in putting the power down. Having said that it was only 115BHP. But despite it giving away several BHP to its competition it always managed surprisingly well.
II only got rid of it in 2013, becasue of other problems, It used a GM derived chassis and diesel engine used in the Vectra's, and Signums and it suffered two common problems with theGM cars. Firstly the steering box detached from the front bulhhead, and the engine suffered what appeared to be fuel starvation after it had stood overnight and it was difficult to start. Once running it was fine. The Same engine was used in the 9-5 model, and I saw similar reports.
Later models used a Fiat derived 1.9L engine with 150BHP which seemed to be overall more reliable.
I have liked Saab's, and I would have gone for another if the company had not been driven into the ground by GM who forced them to ditch many of the 'quirks' which made a Saab a Saab. And also when I needed to change the company had just be closed for good. Personally I think the motoring world is a poorer place for not having a manufacture that dared to be different.
Whatever Saab you look at it will be second hand. It will probably need some unique spares which are becoming increasingly scarce. A full service history is a must, and whilst many Saabs notch up impressive mileages, look for the lowest possible. Those that use the Vectra chassis, make sure the steering box mount has been moded
My dilemma was I needed a reliable car, Saabs were now out of the picture so it was a case of looking for something else that came close. I tried a Ford - big mistake. I considered a Volvo's Another make with a good Swedish history, but recently they had been under Ford's wing and they had suffered in some ways like Saab under GM. I ended up with VW Passat - Oh for a Saab!
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