got a line on a 2005 9 5 turbo,just wondering if I should run away or consider it..
never had a Saab before....
got a line on a 2005 9 5 turbo,just wondering if I should run away or consider it..
never had a Saab before....
They are good cars just a few things to look for. The oil will sludge if synthetic was not used or the interval between changes was too long. An easy way to check is to take a coat hanger straighten it out and put a small hook at the bottom. Pull out the dipstick, insert the hanger and scrape the bottom of the oil pan. If there is crap on the hanger walk away if not you should be good to go.
Is it an auto or stick? The auto is an Asin (sp) from what I have read as long as the fluid is changed you are good to go. You can get the fluid for it from a Toyota dealer.
There is a valve in the cooling system that is up against the firewall that goes bad. You can get them from Rockauto or there is a bypass hose set. Its a tight fit but not really too bad of a job ( I did it on my FILs 2003)
Another thing that comes up is the Direct Ignition Cassette (DIC). I am on my 2nd SAAB with a DIC with over 300K between the two and I have only had 1 fail on me. I think the trick is to use the plugs that SAAB recommends, keep them clean and gaped correctly. There is no knock sensor on the car, the ECU uses the spark plugs for that and I think if the plugs are not kept in good shape it overheats the coils and they die. The DIC is not cheap, you can get them for around $300, and if it goes the car will not run.
That is all I can think of at the moment. I have an 03 with a stick and I really like it. The suspension on the Aero is a nice DD setup, the turbo is fun and I get around 30 mpg on my commute, about 26 miles one way mixed.
Insurance is cheap, they don't get stolen very often it is a safe car and in my opinion still looks good. I think the 05s have the best looking front end.
Go drive it and tell us what you think and if you have any questions let is know.
What are they like in snow?
BoxheadTim wrote: What are they like in snow?
Brilliant. With snow tires, they are unstoppable. Easily the best car in the snow that I have ever driven to a point. That point is when the snow is too high that you are plowing, then the 4Runner was better. But at that point, you shouldn't be driving unless you are trying to get to work and have the letters MD after your name.
FYI, my experience was with a 2002 9-5 Linear.
mtn wrote:BoxheadTim wrote: What are they like in snow?Brilliant. With snow tires, they are unstoppable. Easily the best car in the snow that I have ever driven to a point. That point is when the snow is too high that you are plowing, then the 4Runner was better. But at that point, you shouldn't be driving unless you are trying to get to work and have the letters MD after your name. FYI, my experience was with a 2002 9-5 Linear.
Very true. In my mind these are like a B student, besides Mr. Clarkson liked the Aero he drove.
Here's a 3rd for Saab snow capabilities.
I drove an '02-ish 9-3 home on 3 seasons in an honest-to-jeebus blizzard with 6 unplowed inches on hilly backroads at 2am once after seeing my girlfriend off on a flight to South Africa. I hit the W for 'wuss' mode and the thing didn't miss a beat. Impressive.
I took a gamble on a $1200 '99 9-5 LPT with 218k on it earlier this year, and I don't regret it one bit (see my reader's ride page on the car).
Mine's a 5-speed, and it's been a great car. Excellent gas mileage, mine sees primarily city driving and returns 25MPG every tank, when I'm traveling long distance 30+ is easy. I looked under my valve cover gasket for sludge, found none, and have been religiously running Rotella T6 5W40 since I bought the car with 2k mile changes so I think I'm OK. But sludge is a real issue.
They don't handle too well out of the box (Aeros are better than LPTs like mine) but some Koni Yellows and Vogtland springs seem to be the hot ticket these days, and are not all that expensive. There are a lot of sway bar options too. Engine tuning, oh boy. T7Suite is like God's gift to Saab tuning and you can see big horsepower gains with a better tune and virtually no bolt ons. Mine has a BSR exhaust, Forge diverter valve, and the OE upgrade intake snorkel. It's pretty quick for its size, I really need to get the stuff together for an ECU tune though.
Incredibly comfy too. The interior will have some dead pixels in the display unit and some dead lights. It is a Saab after all 
You'll need to log in to post.
