Saab.

Danye

Hey,

Not really into cars or keep up to date with what goes on in the motor world so I thought I would drop in for some advice.

I'm looking to change my car. Money is a bit tight so I'm looking around for the best deal. I have noticed some decent looking Saab's knocking around (05, 06) in good nick and the mileage ain't huge.

I see that saab themselves seem to be in trouble to the extent that there on the verge of collapsing. Would it be a wise idea to be a saab so? How hard would it be to find parts in the future if needed etc.

Maybe a silly question but just wondering.

Any help and / or advice greatly appreciated. Thanks

WestWing

I would only worry if i was buying a new Saab, as there would be some uncertaintly regarding the warranty.

As for a used Saab, don't worry about the availability of parts. The new owners of the Saab brand will still produce parts under licence as will numerous third party manufacturers.

For Forks Sake

Danye wrote: »

How hard would it be to find parts in the future if needed etc.

Vast majority of parts shared with the Opel Vectra (I'm assuming it's a 9-3 you're looking at?) so shouldn't be too much of an issue

VolvoMan

For Forks Sake wrote: »

Vast majority of parts shared with the Opel Vectra (I'm assuming it's a 9-3 you're looking at?) so shouldn't be too much of an issue

The current generation 9-3 isn't as similar to the Vectra C as some people might think.

Danye

Thanks for the replies guys.

So over all a used saab wouldn't be the worse car I could buy??

Mostly 9-3's but the more I'm looking the more I'm noticing a few nice 9-5s floating around.

Also they seem to be 1.8. I currently drive a 1.4, how much difference would there be in the cost of petrol running the car?

Thanks guys

colm_mcm

The 1.8t is actually a 2.0 engine

The 1.8 non turbo isn't exactly quick and because the gearing is quite short to compensate for the lack of power - it revs quite high at even dual carriageway speeds.

The 93 or 95 can be expensive for parts and can give electronic problems. Id buy one no problem, but don't expect It to be no hassle motoring. We had to replace wishbones at 40k along with timing belt

Funfair

Most 9-3's are 2 liter despite 1.8 wrote on the boot.. BMW is similar with people thinking 318 stands for 1.8 engines and a 316 is a 1.6 when in fact both are 2ltr..

colm_mcm

Fiat have a "DIESEL" limited edition 500

It only comes in petrol.....

JustLen

Funfair wrote: »

people thinking 318 stands for 1.8 engines and a 316 is a 1.6 when in fact both are 2ltr..

Danye

colm_mcm wrote: »

The 1.8t is actually a 2.0 engine

The 1.8 non turbo isn't exactly quick and because the gearing is quite short to compensate for the lack of power - it revs quite high at even dual carriageway speeds.

The 93 or 95 can be expensive for parts and can give electronic problems. Id buy one no problem, but don't expect It to be no hassle motoring. We had to replace wishbones at 40k along with timing belt

Ok, so overall if I'm looking for a nice comfortable reliable car, which won't give me too many problems and which wont hurt me too much in the pocket to run (i.e petrol) there are better options?

unkel

I wouldn't worry about parts. Selling car specific parts is a lucrative business (very high margins), so someone will step into the market if Saab themselves should disappear. Same happened with Rover.

Eoin

Good question. I think the SAAB 9-5 is a particularly comfortable car, so I don't know what would compete with it in that area (until you get into the larger executive cars, which won't be the easiest on petrol, if that's a concern for you).

My mum has a Merc C180 and it's comfy and has not had any problems. Don't know what her fuel economy is like.

I don't know if a Toyota Camry would suit? Again, not that easy on the juice, but pretty comfortable, if a little uninspiring.

colm_mcm

The volvo s40 would be close comfort wise but pricey.

Dilbert75

Like any car, a lot of how efficient it will be depends on how you use it: long / short journies, back roads / motorways, heavy right foot / gentle right foot. I'd guess that a 2.0 Saab 9-5 would get somewhere around 35mpg on long runs, late 20's on shorter trips. I noticed the same proliferation of them around lately and was very tempted recently by a 06 Estate with 67k for €6k (but luckily it sold). I'd love one though and would consider going down in the years to get one if it'd been well looked-after.

Danye

Dilbert75 wrote: »

Like any car, a lot of how efficient it will be depends on how you use it: long / short journies, back roads / motorways, heavy right foot / gentle right foot. I'd guess that a 2.0 Saab 9-5 would get somewhere around 35mpg on long runs, late 20's on shorter trips. I noticed the same proliferation of them around lately and was very tempted recently by a 06 Estate with 67k for €6k (but luckily it sold). I'd love one though and would consider going down in the years to get one if it'd been well looked-after.

Well my trip to and from work all week would 250 km. Then just casual driving to and from the gym up to the girlfriends and just going for drives (I love driving around, find it very therapeutic ) Then I suppose I would need to consider the increase in tax and insurance?

Hmmm...

Dilbert75

I've not owned one but it has been said that you'll never sit in more comfortable seats than the Saab 9-5, so going for a gentle cruise would be very relaxing.

250km/week is not huge. 35mpg is only, what, 4 gallons a week? You could get a eurobox doing 45mpg and you'd only save €7 a week on petrol. But you'd lose out on comfort and class. Tax between a 1.6 and a 2.0 is only an extra €4 a week. Insurance depends on your circumstances. But its not as huge as you might think.

V Eight

Because of all the trouble SAAB is in probably never a better time to buy one. You'll get a lot of car for your money as long as you get one with a good service history and from a reliable source! Can’t' envisage parts being a problem for a number of years.......

colm_mcm

Current model laguna has to be in the running. Not as flakey as the previous generation and certainly no riskier than a saab. Not as desirable but 1.5 diesel and 1.6 petrol may suit.

Funfair

colm_mcm wrote: »

Current model laguna has to be in the running. Not as flakey as the previous generation and certainly no riskier than a saab. Not as desirable but 1.5 diesel and 1.6 petrol may suit.

But a laguna is a Renault which are know to give you trouble