I've owned an early '80's 900, a '91 9000, a '94 9000 Aero and I'm driving an '02 9-5 Aero now.

      

So how does this "crappy GM Saab" compare with the 9000?  Blows it away, in my opinion.  Most of you are probably die-hard Saab fans who disdain the later models, but I gotta tell ya, the 9-5 rocks.  I'd stay away from the early ones, but this '02 is a fine car.  It's much tighter than the 9000, the ride is more comfortable and I haven't had a speck of trouble from it (in the first five months, anyway).  It corners flatter than the 9000 and it feels a lot faster (the '02 Aero has 25 more HP than the 9000 Aero).  In spite of all my preaching against automatics, this one is an automatic.  But the Aisin automatic that's in the 9-5 (5-speed in '02 and later) is infinitely more reliable than the 9000 automatic.  There are those who say the automatic is quicker off the line than the 5-speed, but that's nonsense.  Granted, you have to either slip the clutch or burn the tires or both to get a manual Saab to move its ass off the line, but if you do that you'll blister any automatic - this thing is a DOG coming out of the hole!  It's scary.  Once it gets a couple of car lengths, though, it's really fast.  When you kick it down on the highway, it's scary fast.