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Saab 9-5 Sedan

2237 messages,  Last post on Jul 17, 2012 at 6:08 PM

You are in the Saab 9-5 Forum.

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

Messages Page 148 of 225

#1465 of 2237 New Saab owner by scraig

Jun 15, 2003 (12:12 pm)

I just purchased my first Saab. My previous cars have been Hondas, Nissans, and most recently a Subaru. All have been good cars. The Nissans had a few ignition module problems in the 80's. When I bought my 2003 9-5 linear I was looking for used AWD safe European cars (Audi,MB,Audi,Volvo). All were nice cars but CR says they have dependability problems. On a whim I stopped by the Saab dealership, but then realized no AWD cars. Apparently, they do well in the snow because of FWD in addition to TC and SC. Then I tried to find a 1-2 year old car, hard to find. I started looking at 2003's and they seemed to give you alot of car for the money. I negotiated a price 5.1K below MSRP. Later found out that factory to dealer money was available and some people were getting 6-7K off of MSRP. Called another dealer across state and they told me upfront about the factory to dealer cash. I sort of feel like a chump. In this day and age invoice and MSRP don't mean anything until you thoroughly search for all incentives and that can take some work. I am hoping that reliability problems are in the past. Opted out of extended warrantee which would have cost me 2.1K. Also didn't get simoniz for exterior paint which would have cost$499. After I found out that I could have gotten a better deal I tried to approach the dealer about getting the extended warrantee at dealer cost which they claimed was $1800 and so would sale for $2000 instead of $2100. I didn't believe them so I still don't have a warrantee. Since my car is new I have four years to think about it. I have loved driving the car so far.

#1466 of 2237 scraig by explorerx4

Jun 15, 2003 (7:11 pm)

we have a 2 year old 9-5.
look at it this way, if you have a good car the warranty isn't a big deal, you are covered for 50k. you can shop around for a gm warranty in the mean time, from what i understand.
legitimate issues we have had, are rear seat heaternot working, and sid losing columns a couple of times, headlight bulbs burning out(drive in and they are replaced).
another issue(resolved) that maybe was just a moneymaker.
regrding winter driving, the tc works, but it's not like a 4wd system. snow tires will definetly help, so buy a tire\wheel package, if you are going to keep the car. it probably cheaper in the long run, and will keep your wheels looking good.
if you post what state you live in, maybe you can get some feedback on the dealer.
from what i understand, another resource is saabnet.com

#1467 of 2237 Ignition Cassette by idrivesaab

Jun 18, 2003 (11:21 am)

My Saab 2000 9-5(61K) died on the highway. Took it to repair place. They had to replace ignition cassette. since then engine light has been on. They think it is oxygen sensor from starting.
 
Has anybody had similar problems? Is this the start of a downhill trend?
 
Thanks.

#1468 of 2237 DI (Direct ignition) cassette's by petersjf

Jun 18, 2003 (1:37 pm)

The ignition cassette is a weak point of the 9-5 design and failure is common. It's almost a wear and tear item and 50-60k miles is when it seems to go. Some people keep a spare DI cassette in the trunk along with the fairly basic instructions on how to install it! It's about a $300 part from the online vendors.
 
More info at saabnet - search for di cassette
 
While no one is happy with their DI failures, it doesn't necessarily represent a trend towards failure of a bunch of other parts.
 
Other common problems on the 9-5's are faulty turbo's producing a light smoke at start up, and faulty LED's in the information display.

#1469 of 2237 Best way to sell my 2002 Aero in Montreal/Canada by jracine

Jun 18, 2003 (5:15 pm)

Greetings,
 
I was just wandering if you would have suggestions as to what is the best way to find a buyer for my prisitine 2002 Aero Steel grey w Touring? I only have 13,000 Km on it!
 
Going to work abroad this fall...
 
Any help would be appreciated!
 
jrlaser-registration.com

#1470 of 2237 Aero for Sale in Montreal by blockislandguy

Jun 18, 2003 (7:48 pm)

Wouldn't the best way to sell an Aero now in Montreal be to throw an ad with an email address (but omit location and phone number) in the Sunday Boston Globe? Offer to email some photos once contacted. If you got the price down to around 24K USD or lower (see article in current issue of Forbes on significant drop in luxury resale values, especially Saab and BMW) that AERO would be on its way down I 91 by mid week with a BC or BU type behind the wheel.
 
Incidentally, there are several high end used dealers in the Boston metro market who bring in trailer loads of both brand new and slightly used luxury cars and SUVs from dealers in Canada. Seems that our stronger economy is a better market.

#1471 of 2237 RE. Block by dski

Jun 20, 2003 (12:56 pm)

It's not the economy.. it's the exchange rate difference. Bringing in cars from Canada is an attractive exhange right now.
 
In fact, some new car dealers in Canada are advertising to the U.S. To add to the incentive with new cars, the pricing strategy in Canada is more aggressive from manufacturers. They sell identical cars there for much less. It's a controversy going on that some officials and dealers are fighting.

#1472 of 2237 Went with the Saab by amyshubby

Jun 20, 2003 (12:56 pm)

I decided on the 2000 Saab 9-5 SE instead of the 2001 Accord or Maxima. I am picking it up tomorrow.
 
Thanks for the advice given. After test driving all three cars, I decided the Saab was much nicer and more fun to drive then the other two.
 
The other big factor was the extended warranty. It's going to be covered by Saab until September 2006, which alleviated some of the reliability fears I had.
 
Thanks again. I'm really excited about getting the car tomorrow.

#1473 of 2237 My new 2003 Saab 9-5 Review (one month old) by kaparrett

Jun 21, 2003 (10:23 pm)

Have had my 2003 9-5 Linear for approximately one month now. After having had a '98 Audi A4 and '01 Volvo S60, this is - by far - the most fun and "best" car I have had (I say best, because long term quality of the car will have to be proven).
 
Had been looking at the 3.0 Arc, but decided on the Linear with the 5M transmission. Was, in my opinion, much more fun to drive. With the Premium and Touring packages, there wasn't much difference between the Arc and the Linear, excepting the 15 hp, ventilated seats and heated rear seats. Unlike a lot of people here it seems, I had a good dealership experience and got the full factory to dealer cash.
 
I like the Saab for the size, the trim level, and little things like the a/c glovebox and the tilt down side mirror while in reverse. Ditto for the rear parking assist and the cool bi-xenon lights. Granted, these options are available on other cars, but not at the price for which I was able to get the Saab. Also, it's nice to finally have a car that's both fun to drive and where the rear seat passengers aren't completely cramped. The Homelink and autodimming mirrors are great ... after two cars with these features, I would not get one in the future w/out them.
 
The stereo is quite good - although it would have been nice to have a multiple CD changer as standard. The seats are comfortable and again the room in the rear is excellent. I haven't used the OnStar system except to make a couple of calls, but I'm glad that I have it if ever needed.
 
Ride quality is good and I haven't had any annoying creaks or rattles (something I did have in my Volvo). Although the interior is a bit dated, it's not offensively so, and I like the unique body stying that's very different than many cars in this arena (5 series, A6). I'm glad that I have the manual tranny as it makes the car a lot of fun to navigate around town and on the highway. Pickup is good thanks to the turbo.
 
Suggestions would be one touch close operation of the sunroof, and the ability to control the windows/sunroof while outside the car. A electric tilt/telescope of the steering wheel would be nice, but not really necessary for me as I'm the only one who drives the car.
 
Will definately look at Saab in the future if their large car is anything like the current 9-5. For those who care about such things, I'm a 32 year old male, living in Denver, Colorado.

#1474 of 2237 Saab or Infiniti? by timmerc517

Jun 23, 2003 (12:01 pm)

We're looking to replace our 1997 Subaru Outback Limited Wagon with a car within the $30-$36K range... local Infiniti dealers are offering the FX35 for about $36K while we can pick up a 9-5 Arc for about $32K... I know these two are VERY different cars, and we were originally going to just go with the Infiniti, but we have had a long string of Japanese cars and wouldn't mind something new. However, the reliability of the Saab is questionable apparently, and that is not a strong selling point for a family of 4 with 3 drivers... we also own a 2001 Acura TL and love it very dearly, however we're looking for a car with more "character." The Saab, I know, has unmistakable charm, but the Infiniti is "out there" also. Any suggestions? Go for yet ANOTHER Japanese car for reliability or go for the Saab for an equal amount of charm with maybe a few more problems down the road?

Messages Page 148 of 225

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