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Saab 9-5 Wagon

1081 messages,  Last post on Jun 02, 2012 at 7:17 PM

You are in the Saab 9-5 Forum.

What is this discussion about? Saab 9-5, Wagon

Messages Page 88 of 109

#870 of 1081 Saab Lease by slehrman

Dec 10, 2003 (3:50 pm)

I went to the local Saab dealer who has a certified 2001 SE V6 Wagon, 45K miles for sale. The certification adds 2 years and 50K miles to the warranty. By the time I do the math, the certified car will cost the same amount as what I would pay to buy out my leased car. I drove the certified car. Three things I did not like: road noise (the pavement was wet), clunking sound when I pulled away from a stop, and alignment pulls slightly to the left. Either car is going to need new brakes and tires soon, so that is a toss-up. The dealer put in a new computer information display (CID), battery, and electronic fuel injection system. The car has been serviced every 10K miles (I serviced mine every 5K). It also has a new catalytic converter at 40K and front wheel bearing at 35K. Other than the CID, these are a lot more things than I have had to do to my vehicle.
 
I am not sure which way I may go. One one hand, the certified vehicle extends the warranty thru 11/2006 or 95K miles. On the other hand, I know what my vehicle is like.

#871 of 1081 Someone's Lemon by blockislandguy

Dec 10, 2003 (8:04 pm)

Slehrman, a new fuel injection system??? This car sounds like someone's lemon. It may have even been a buy-back. Have you considered running your OWN full detail (the ones the dealers give you are just summaries) carfax?

#873 of 1081 RE: slerman by dski

Dec 13, 2003 (9:22 am)

I don't know if the Certified car your looking at was someone's lemon or not but I do have a comment or two about this particular car:
 
The "Clunking" sound you referred to is coming from the Fuel Tank. It's a problem that many owners experience in the 9-5. For some reason the design had this issue with a half to 3/4 full tank. Not all 9-5 owners had this. Saab had a fix that meant putting in baffles which reduced fuel capacity by a couple of gallons. We did NOT have this problem with any of our two previous 9-5's. If I had noticed it in a car I was interested in, I probably would have passed on it. Some Owners reporting this have been very annoyed.
 
If the dealer could not correct the pulling problem, I'd be concerned about the quality of their "Certification work" and future service work. I would expect a certified car to be Free of these issues.
 
Good Luck
Drew

#874 of 1081 Buyout by darandall

Dec 13, 2003 (12:28 pm)

The buyout for my '99 9-5 base model was $21,000. Chase was willing to come down $1000, which was probably the expense of taking the car back and getiting it to auction. I leased another one, this time from Saab Financial - much lower purchase at lease end. At 50,000 miles you may get tagged for the excessive wear in addition to the .20 per mile. Do the math and see how much the penalty would be - then figure out the purchase price. remember to subtract the mileage penalty from the agreed upon price. Also remember that you are buying a 50,000 mile vehicle, and not a trouble free new one! Donn

#875 of 1081 slehrman by explorerx4

Dec 13, 2003 (4:14 pm)

the tire pressures could have had an effect on what you felt during your test drive.
uneven tire pressure can result in pullng to the side. too high can make a lot of noise.
check the tread on the tires as compared to new ones. you want as much as possible.
at least the converter was replaced after to 'fuel injection'. their problems are probably related. in our wagon, you can actually hear the gas slosh around, 'feel it' too. i don't drive it on a regular basis, and don't experience it all the time, but if it happens between 3/4 and 1/2 a tank, that may be why. the clunk might also be related to the wheel bearing replacement.
i would think even certified cars are negotiable.
you should still get the cert car checked out before you buy.

#876 of 1081 Saab Lease by slehrman

Dec 14, 2003 (6:06 pm)

Thanks for all the great advice regarding the 2001 SE V6 Wagon. I am leaning toward buying my current vehicle since I know the repair history and it is in good shape. I would probably keep it another 4-5 years. What do people think about buying the Saab/GM extended warranty? The cost is $1700 for 3yrs/36,000 miles or $1950 for 3yrs/45,000 miles. How have Saab's held up once they get past 50K miles?

#877 of 1081 Anyone made any Perf. mods on there 9-5 Saabs by buddhabman

Dec 22, 2003 (11:47 am)

Curious to know if anyone has made any mods on there 9-5 Saabs. I am interested in stiffer shocks and steel braided brake lines. Has anyone used Abbott Racing, Hirsch or Nordic parts?

#878 of 1081 2003 9-5 Wagon hi speed vibration by garyundi

Jan 15, 2004 (1:04 pm)

My car has excessive vibration at 70 MPH. Dealer has rebalanced tires twice. No improvement. anyone with similar problem or advice appreciated.

#879 of 1081 RE: 2003 9-5 Wagon hi speed vibration by dparadis

Jan 19, 2004 (5:19 pm)

I've had the same problem on two Volvos. They can be damning to resolve.
 
I suggest looking next at the "roundness' of your tires. You could have hit a pothole and bended the wheel or your tire might have unusual tread wear. (Technically, you could balance a square or any other irregular form to perfection...).
 
You can see an irregular wheel with the help of a mechanics that has a lift you can use. A slow spin (around 10 MPH) will show any irregularity in the spin.
 
Good luck!

Messages Page 88 of 109

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