saab 9-5

cantdecide

a relative of mine is thinking about buying a Saab 9-5 estate with 115k miles. it's 2.3T hot. or something like that. it automatic as well. is this a risky proposition? it is a good price and i believe they are a fine car in general.:)

unkel

cantdecide wrote:

is this a risky proposition?

Depends. The 9-5 is based on the Opel Vectra, so it's not a Saab as Saabs used to be. It still has a lot to offer - think space, luxury, safety, toys, power, value for money

The "HOT" model has more power than Saab engineers famously quoted as the maximum power a front wheel driven car can deal with

Is it the pre-face lift model? In that case it has only 4 gears which won't help petrol consumption

What year and price?

cantdecide

unkel.
it's a '99 with 133k on the clock. it appears to be well minded. €6,500. electric blue.

said relative does very little mileage. i don't know if the turbo has been replaced.

do you reckon it would be impossible to sell or worthless if it got up to 150k by the time it was time to move it on?

it looks fantastic.

unkel

cantdecide wrote:

it's a '99 with 133k on the clock. it appears to be well minded. €6,500

Tempting, very tempting

If I was buying that car I wouldn't really expect much money back for it in the future

Cosmo K

Well...errh...actually, the 9-5 is not based on an Opel Vectra, thats the 9-3. The 9-5 is based on the old Saab 9000, which uses the same platform as an Alfa 164, Lancia Thema and the old Fiat Croma.

JHMEG

Cosmo K wrote:

Well...errh...actually, the 9-5 is not based on an Opel Vectra, thats the 9-3. The 9-5 is based on the old Saab 9000, which uses the same platform as an Alfa 164, Lancia Thema and the old Fiat Croma.

The 9-5 and 9-3 are both based on the Vectra. Loosely tho, they're not an exact rip.

smcgiff

JHMEG wrote:

The 9-5 and 9-3 are both based on the Vectra. Loosely tho, they're not an exact rip.

Next thing ye'll be telling me an Audi A3 and a VW golf are really only Skoda Octavias!

unkel

Cosmo K wrote:

Well...errh...actually, the 9-5 is not based on an Opel Vectra

Well...errh...actually, it is

Both 9-3 and 9-5 (and several other cars including the Opel Calibra and the last Saab 900) are based on the GM2900 platform, which is the same as the 1989 Vectra

peasant

The auto boxes in Saabs are not the most sturdy ones. Especially in combination with the full blown turbo of the "hot" or "Aero" version, because these yokes have MASSIVE torque.

On the other hand that's what makes them so fun to drive.

Get a mechanic to have a good look at it before commiting.


Resale value of ony old Saab (except for the 900 "classic") is zilch, slightly better for estates though.

But, having said all that ...for that price I'd be tempted myself (if only I could justify running a 2.3 liter)

Cosmo K

which is the same as the 1989 Vectra

OMG...the 80's are back;)

SouperComputer

I was recently looking for a 99-00 9-5 or 9-3 for my wife (Ended up with a New Beetle in the end, but I digress)

They are a really nice car, contrary to what is above I have found the auto box to be VERY tough. One of the cars I tested had 155K on the clock and drove great. Search boards for a recent thread on testing autoboxes if you need some pointers. The turbos are generally very reliable, even in the high pressure engines. Regualr oil changes are crucial though.........

The main issue, espcially with the 2.3's is sludge. Saab reccomended semi synth oil changes at 10K, however in real life you need to be doing changes at 6K with fully synth. The sludge leads to oil starvation and ultimatley engine failure. There is a recall programme (at least in the US there is!) but you can only avail of it if you change the oil accoring to Saab's reccomendations and have ALL receipts for it. Its you call, but if you even suspect the oil hasnt been changed regularly, walk away. Regardless of that, personally I would drop the sump after purchasing the car and examine\clean it as well as the oil strainer.

IMO any of these cars you are looking at should have documented oil changes at regular intervals. Inspect the oil on the dipstick and of course under the filler cap for its general condition.

Things to look out for:

1. Sludge
2. Condition of PCV pipes (related to sludge)
3. Head gaskets
4. Electrics and internal LCD displays
5. Rear shock leakage
6. General turbo stuff, heavy smoke form exhaust, loud whirring noises when spooling etc.


More 9-5 info can be found here, have a search for PCV while you are there:

http://www.saabcentral.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=19

galwaytt

well, my brother loves his his Saab's, and bought a 100K+ mile 9-5 turbo last year, full leather, climate, automatic............for relative peanuts. I had it for 2 weeks, it was very, very impressive - couldn't fault it, really.

Car was/is, a bargain - better value than my 01 E200K, though......and it isn't possible for it to lose as much in value, either........

If it's sound, yes they like their oil changes, but not any more likely to let you down than anything else out there........

old boy

timing chains are a pain

SouperComputer

old boy wrote:

timing chains are a pain

Pain as in?

galwaytt

..pain as in hard to do............good job they only have to be done at a fraction of the timing belts of other cars..........I guess........

unkel

old boy wrote:

timing chains are a pain

Timing chains are a blessing. No regular and expensive belt changes every 50k kilometers (or whatever), no nasty and expensive engine damage out of the blue. You can hear when the chain is finally on the way out. After what, 200k or 300k kilometers?

Why do you reckon they're a pain?

bazz26

unkel wrote:

Timing chains are a blessing. No regular and expensive belt changes every 50k kilometers (or whatever), no nasty and expensive engine damage out of the blue. You can hear when the chain is finally on the way out. After what, 200k or 300k kilometers?

Why do you reckon they're a pain?

Maybe if your job involves selling and fitting timing belts?

SouperComputer

Chains are generally more durable. A close eye on the tensioners is always a good idea as are (again) regular oil changes.

A chain is no harder to change than a belt generally, in my experince. Some chains are bitche$ to change and some belts are.