Since 2011 I’ve run Saab vs. Scepticism, a cliché I know, a creative who loves Saab, yes, yes, heard it all before. But the thing is, Saabs are and always will be simply stunning cars, Saabs become part of your family, a tradition that passes through generations and inspire you to take the road less traveled. They really are unique, yes I love Porsches, yes I love Alpina, but Saabs, always Saabs

I'd established something called the High Mile Club, a place to celebrate these mile honoured Saabs, so this is the rebirth of that club. The criteria used to be 100,000 Miles, but as our Saabs get older and continue to be driven and enjoyed, the new criteria of 125,000 Miles seems more realistic. If you'd like your Saab featured, feel free to join the club by filling in the form.

900 Classic 1993

Neighbourhood
Netherlands
Date of Entry
September 2023
Mileage
335,500km / 208,159 Miles

9-3 TTiD Aero 2008

Neighbourhood
Prague. Czech Republic
Date of Entry
September 2023
Mileage
350,500km / 217,479 Miles

9-5 Aero 2011

Neighbourhood
Akron, Ohio
Date of Entry
September 2023
Mileage
212,395 Miles / 341,816km

9-3 Aero 2004

Neighbourhood
United Kingdom
Date of Entry
June 2023
Mileage
167,000 Miles / 268,760km

9000 1996

Neighbourhood
Tonypandy, Wales
Date of Entry
April 2023
Mileage
223,806 Miles / 360,180km

I've always liked the idea of having a car that can do anything I ask of it. As much as I liked cars that looked like they belonged on a track, I have always wanted a quick, comfy cruiser. I guess that's the reason I like Saab's philosophy so much, it's a car that works best in the real world, no lap time records, no crazy 0-60 times, just pure driving enjoyment and harmony.

A Saab wasn't particularly my first choice as my first car. I wanted a Mercedes W210 E-class, but the ones on sale were not that good. My dad isn't a car enthusiast, but I wanted him to feel just a glimmer of what it's like to have fun while driving and this car perfectly fit the bill. Unfortunately, he stuck with his humble Ford Fusion hatchback, but he was kind enough to buy it for me as my first car.

As the months went on, having this car as my daily, I have started to understand it more and more and became in love with it. It became part of my identity. My friends send me pics of Saabs they spot on the street because they think about how much I love Saabs and particularely mine.

The car itself is an Italian market model, bought new in May of 2008 at Autoimport S.p.A's Saab dealership in Rome and spent some time in Milan after that. Then somehow it ended up in an Austrian car dealer's lot where it was bought from and brought to Romania in December of 2010. I still keep in touch with that owner, as he was very passionate about Saabs, an active forum user and had quite a portfolio of Saabs that he owned.

It was sold in 2016, then changed hands again in 2018 and I bought it in late August 2021. It's done many, many miles, which is pretty normal for a diesel Saab, but, at least for me, it is a very special car that holds a special place in my heart, even with its signs of age, scuffs and occurring problems. I guess you can never forget your first love.

9-5 Aero 2006

Neighbourhood
Felsőpakony, Hungary
Date of Entry
June 2023
Mileage
445,762km / 276,983 Miles

9-5 Hirsch Vector 2009

Neighbourhood
Rotterdam, Netherlands
Date of Entry
December 2022
Mileage
220,220km / 136,838 Miles

9-3X 2010

Neighbourhood
Skurup, Sweden
Date of Entry
November 2022
Mileage
320,000km / 198,839 Miles

9-5 Aero 2006

Neighbourhood
County Durham
Date of Entry
February 2023
Mileage
210,000 Miles / 337,962km

9-3 Aero 2003

Neighbourhood
Leicestershire, England
Date of Entry
January 2023
Mileage
201,000 Miles / 325,478km

9-3 2.0T 60th Anniversary 2007

Neighbourhood
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Date of Entry
October 2022
Mileage
142,000 Miles / 228,526km

9-3 TiD Anniversary 2002

Neighbourhood
Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Date of Entry
January 2023
Mileage
361,000km / 224,315 Miles

9-3 1.9TiD 2005

Neighbourhood
Freiburg, Germany
Date of Entry
January 2023
Mileage
335,000km / 208,159 Miles

900 Turbo 1990

Neighbourhood
Shoreham by Sea, England
Date of Entry
October 2022
Mileage
397,298 Miles / 639,389km

This is a rather special High Mile Club entry, as this exceptional Saab 900 Turbo S belongs to a great friend of mine in the Netherlands. Ward has been following Saabvs since the very beginning, and over the years, we’ve become rather close. We’ve discovered we have many things in common, not least of course, our shared love of Saab. I’m proud to share his Saab Story…

As you know, I absolutely love Saab. My mother Liliane drives Saab as long as I can remember, as she bought her first Saab 900 when I was born. To have a safe and convenient car, with a lot of style. So I really grew up with Saab, and I am so happy with and thankful for that. What they call great parenting in my opinion ;) It started a great and deep love for this very special brand. I had my first (unofficiall) driving lesson by my mom on an empty parking lot in a beautiful Saab 9000 CSE. And when I had my drivers license, my first km's of driving was in that same 9000, followed by the Saab 9-5 Aero which my mother luckily still has. That car remains an enormous joy to drive.

First car, first Saab When I bought my first car, it had to be a Saab of course. I always admired the Saab 9-3 Aero convertible from the Sport Sedan generation, so I set myself that goal. Together with my Saab specialist and friend Ben Goossens, I started searching for one, eventually finding that gorgeous Nocturne Blue 9-3 Aero convertible from 2005 which I still have and will always keep. Another very special Saab model for me is of course the iconic Saab 900. As a second car next to my convertible (there the Saab and car craziness really started) I got a nice Scarab Green 900S. It showed it's experience of a lot of km's and wasn't in mint condition, but it surely was a great car that really confirmed to me that a 900 is a very special car. I then got the opportunity to buy a lovely black Jaguar XJ X308 from one of my best friends Vic (also petrolhead), which is now owned by my stepfather René. Two very nice black Volvo V70's followed.

The 900 And then the 900 itch really came back, as I genuinely missed having one. It may sound crazy (well we all are a bit crazy around here on Saab grounds I guess), but I really feel the 900 suits me, my personality, the things I want to express, the style I love and want to show I love, a part of me and my character. You know, that feeling "that's my car". I truly have that feeling with my convertible, and I have that same feeling with the 900. So that's I when I set out on another Saab search together with my Saab specialist and friend Ben. We visited one for sale a couple of hundred km's away.

My friend's many years of Saab experience quite quickly brought him to the conclusion and advice that this example wasn't the one to get, at least not if I didn't want to make a big project out of it. That was specialist knowledge and friendly advice I'm still thankful for today. Parallel to this, I posted a 'search call' on the website of the Saab Club from the Netherlands, with my search criteria: Saab 900 (lpt or fpt), black with Aero side skirts, leather interior and AC as a very nice extra. When I woke up the day after we went to look at the mentioned 900, I got an e-mail from a fellow Saab nut Marius who read my call on the website and advised me to get in touch with Haaima Automobielen, a Saab garage specialised in the iconic 900 where he also found his beloved 900 with almost exactly the same spec I was looking for, with a big part of its recent service history carried out at Haaima.

Originally a 900S from Italy, imported to the Netherlands and in 2015 it got an engine and gearbox (primary 7) from a turbo S installed by Haaima. So I got in touch with Haaima, and they responded with the very positive message that they just got a 900 back in which completely complied to my search criteria.

I was so happy with this message, got the green lights from Ben, Martijn and Emile (my Saab friends at Goossens) who knew Haaima as a reliable colleague, asked Haaima to reserve the car for the week and that same week I went over to them together with my girlfriend Laura. Wow, the car looked stunning right when we arrived, it was a lovely day with a great test drive and very helpful and kind Saab professionals, and that same day we bought this magnificent 900 and drove back home with the convertible and the 900.

In the meantime, I here and there upgraded the car with things that for me make it even more that ultimate 900. Refreshing the front seats, new clutch, new tappets, new steering wheel, a Continental radio (gift by Laura) and the gorgeous Aero 16 inch wheels which I got powder coated in anthracite and I just recently had the chance to get the polished rims on them which for me really makes it complete. A set of Original Sport Springs by Saabits are waiting to be fitted, which I want to get done together with Bilstein B6 shocks.

Things to upgrade and maintain the car with, cherishing it for many more years to come and at the same time enjoy it on a daily basis. Next to my convertible, the 900 is here to stay.

900i 1986

Neighbourhood
Denver, Colorado USA
Date of Entry
June 2022
Mileage
306,000 Miles / 492,459 km

9-3 TTiD 2008

Neighbourhood
England
Date of Entry
June 2022
Mileage
149,000 Miles / 239,792 km

9000 1997

Neighbourhood
Eastbourne, England
Date of Entry
June 2022
Mileage
355,000 Miles / 571,317 km

“The SAAB US headquarters used to be right around the corner from me in Royal Oak, and I made a habit of driving by and knew I had to have one. After searching for months, I finally found my dream 2.8 V6 Aero wagon in Indianapolis, a 08 Titan Grey Metallic, with 110,000 miles. The following week my wife and I drove 4 hours South to collect it. I love this car, it's given me zero problems thus far and has now covered nearly 127,000 miles. My sons seem to have caught the SAAB obsession too, I plan to keep it for their enjoyment when they reach driving age. My next acquisition is a 99 or 900 Turbo, but that's still a few years away”

9-3 2.0t Vector

Neighbourhood
Netherlands
Date of Entry
September 2019
Mileage
612,000 Km / 380,279 Miles

“I had my first Saab (green 99) in the 70’s. It was a company car and I liked it very much. Later I had other jobs but no Saab anymore. One day, sometime late 90’s, my wife needed a new car and I saw this red Saab 900i convertible for sale (second hand). I told my wife, we went immediately to see our local Saab dealer and bought it on the spot. The car is a 1990 model.

My wife drove it daily until she died a few years ago. I decided not to sell it ( I have a second car), I still drive it daily leaving my other car in the car park. It is really fun to drive this Saab, especially in warm weather with the roof open. Even my children come and use it in sunny weather. It now has 261,564 km.”

All the best with your efforts to keep Saab up, from Belgium.

Tony Beyens

900S 1997

Neighbourhood
United Kingdom
Date of Entry
April 2014
Mileage
333,000 Miles

9-5 2.3i SE

Neighbourhood
Saratoga Springs, New York, United States
Date of Entry
February 2013
Mileage
240,982 Miles

9-3 Arc Convertible 2004

Neighbourhood
New Jersey, United States
Date of Entry
January 2014
Mileage
100,000 Miles

9-5 SportCombi 2003

Neighbourhood
Syracuse, New York, United States
Date of Entry
January 2013
Mileage
126,950 Miles

9-3 2001 (aka Sid)

Neighbourhood
United Kingdom
Date of Entry
April 2013
Mileage
154,524 Miles

9-5 Saloon 2003

Neighbourhood
Oregon, United States
Date of Entry
December 2012
Mileage
220,000 Miles

9-5 Aero 2001

Neighbourhood
Ottawa Canada
Date of Entry
March 2013
Mileage
214,658 Km / 133,382 Miles

9-5 2.2 TiD 2002

Neighbourhood
United Kingdom APL SAAB
Date of Entry
July 2012
Mileage
120,051 Miles

“I owned the silver-grey Saab 9-3 that is already on the list with 294492 kilometers. I sold the car at 382544 kilometers in December 2013 to make room for my dream car, a Saab 9-3 2.0T Aero Convertible, Hirsch stage 2 in Ice-blue.

I bought it from the first owner in December 2013 at 175000 kilometers. It is really a fantastic car which touched 300.000km in December 2016. Every day I smile from ear to ear”

Remco de Haan

9-5 2.2 TiD 2002

Neighbourhood
United Kingdom APL SAAB
Date of Entry
July 2012
Mileage
120,051 Miles

9-5 2.2 TiD 2002

Neighbourhood
Québec. Canada
Date of Entry
July 2012
Mileage
241,587 Km / 150,115 Miles