1999-2002 Saab 9-3 and 9-5 (Photo: Saab)

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Owners love Saabs for their practical hatches, good gas mileage and fun-to-drive quotient. Plenty of drivers rack up lots of miles, many of them happy to be driving something different.

But being different comes at a price: Saab's turbo fours are notorious for seizing up, especially those made between 1999 and 2002. With the hot catalytic converter positioned under the oil pan, it would cook the oil and produce engine-clogging sludge. Best advice? Use full-synthetic oil and have the pan cleaned periodically.

Other problems afflicting older models include leaky head gaskets, failed turbos and direct-ignition cassettes, broken A/C, recalcitrant convertible power tops and windows. Here's a news flash: European cars are dear to fix.