Looking for opinions from any Saab people.

jizzyboner

Hi guys

Looks like I'll be changing from my trusty old Accord soon, as i now need an automatic, but also fancy and change to something different.

Had a Saab 95 many years ago and had no trouble with it. Was thinking about one again as they seem to be reasonable buys.

Spotted this one at a dealers in Dublin. Auto Vector estate:

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/3593215

It's been for sale a long time. was up on carzone for at least 60 days until the dealer left there alltogether. Has since been on donedeal at least twice for about 27 days. Maybe it's not as nice in the flesh as it looks in photos.
Anyone here have any dealings with the dealer selling it? Has been for sale at €2,950 since day 1.

Second one I spotted just yesterday but it's a bit strange. Started at €1,850, the yesterday it went to €2,000 and today it's €2,300.

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/4557240

I never realised they got more valuable by the day , unless the guy selling has been getting some crap offers already.

Anyway, I know there are some Saab experts here so just wondering if they seem like ok buys? As I say I now need automatic (both here also have paddle shift on steering) and prefer estate but saloon would be good enough. Don't need diesel as I don't do the mileage usually so the 2 litre LPT would be grand.

I know it's probably not going to be as reliable as my old Accord, but who knows really.

Thanks a lot.

Pat

anthony4335

They should be quite reliable , engine wise if looked after, since the 04 has the improved PCV which eliminated the earlier sludge issue. The main issues they suffer are electrical gremlins, and climate control issues with are usually easy fix. Climate control error codes can be read easily ,http://blog.saab9-5.com/?p=26. Electrical issues not too many but the heated seats are a week point , auto leveling sensors on the xenon lights go faulty,(no xenons no issues and the estate does not appear to have them).
The estate will be easier to sell on as they are more popular.
Best of luck

Here is a Saab forum for you ,worth checking out.
http://www.saabcentral.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=19

Also make sure the Aux belt has been done on time, if it snaps it will leave you at the side of the road

jizzyboner

Thanks Anthony for that. It's what I was thinking myself. Just deciding if an estate is worth that much more to me.
Is the SID an easy fix? I see some places online selling a replacement ribbon cable for about €24. A bit of dismantling involved I'm sure. The black estate, in earlier photos, showed the SID completely faulty with most pixels gone.

Thanks again.

anthony4335 wrote: »

They should be quite reliable , engine wise if looked after, since the 04 has the improved PCV which eliminated the earlier sludge issue. The main issues they suffer are electrical gremlins, and climate control issues with are usually easy fix. Climate control error codes can be read easily ,http://blog.saab9-5.com/?p=26. Electrical issues not too many but the heated seats are a week point , auto leveling sensors on the xenon lights go faulty,(no xenons no issues and the estate does not appear to have them).
The estate will be easier to sell on as they are more popular.
Best of luck

Here is a Saab forum for you ,worth checking out.
http://www.saabcentral.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=19

Also make sure the Aux belt has been done on time, if it snaps it will leave you at the side of the road

dinneenp

I have a 2002 Saab 93 2 litre tubro pertol.
It's not cheap to tax (€710) or economical, about 30mpg but it's great to drive, the nicest interior I've seen in a long time and great acceleration.
I've had to replace the turbo, which was very expenisve.
But besides that it's a great car. like it so much that a newer Saab is in the shortlist for it's replacement (along with Volvo S40, Opel Insignia).

jizzyboner

I agree, but I guess road tax is what it is. €710 would be the cheapest option for me with the 2.0 litre. I couldn't even really justify the extra €258 a year for the 2.2 Tid plus there aren't very many with an auto box.

I was surprised how cheap the older 93 convertibles are these days. I saw a few for sale recently for under €2k (00 and 01).

How much was it to replace your turbo?

Thanks

dinneenp wrote: »

I have a 2002 Saab 93 2 litre tubro pertol.
It's not cheap to tax (€710) or economical, about 30mpg but it's great to drive, the nicest interior I've seen in a long time and great acceleration.
I've had to replace the turbo, which was very expenisve.
But besides that it's a great car. like it so much that a newer Saab is in the shortlist for it's replacement (along with Volvo S40, Opel Insignia).

dinneenp

I think €1,500 or thereabouts.

anthony4335

Mine is a 07 so I don't have that issue, by all accounts the repair is easy as it is only the heat causing the ribon cable to lift from the PCB so you don't even need to buy a new one. (http://blog.saab9-5.com/?p=8). That would be the last thing to put me off a purchase. If it were not for my short attention span I wouldn't be looking to change, but currently have my heart set on a 2005 GS300. However this is depending on a good trade so if this doesn't happen I wont be too dissapointed.

jizzyboner

anthony4335 wrote: »

Mine is a 07 so I don't have that issue, by all accounts the repair is easy as it is only the heat causing the ribon cable to lift from the PCB so you don't even need to buy a new one. (http://blog.saab9-5.com/?p=8). That would be the last thing to put me off a purchase. If it were not for my short attention span I wouldn't be looking to change, but currently have my heart set on a 2005 GS300. However this is depending on a good trade so if this doesn't happen I wont be too dissapointed.

thanks for all the info. Good luck with the GS300. A nice motor alright.

jizzyboner

dinneenp wrote: »

I think €1,500 or thereabouts.

Wow that much?? Thought I had seen much cheaper or maybe that was in the UK as always

anthony4335

Turbos are getting cheaper to replace, and now you can get the reconditioned, for a few hundred euro. The earlier cars suffered from sludge staving the engine and turbo of oil causing them to go, the newer ones have had this corrected with an improved PCV. Still it is worth having your car serviced correctly on time with the correct oil. This goes for all cars but more so with cars with Turbos.

C.K Dexter Haven

The turbo lasted 108k miles on my old Saab. Think it was 1200 to replace with a main dealer. I had 3 years trouble free motoring after that though.
Great car with lots of power and very comfy. Enjoy OP.

Alfa Quadrifoglio

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/motors/2013/0227/1224330562396.html

Saab engines don't fare too well here, a failure in 1 in 40.

jizzyboner

Alfa Quadrifoglio wrote: »

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/motors/2013/0227/1224330562396.html

Saab engines don't fare too well here, a failure in 1 in 40.

Hopefully I will end up with one of the other 39 then

jizzyboner

anthony4335 wrote: »

Turbos are getting cheaper to replace, and now you can get the reconditioned, for a few hundred euro. The earlier cars suffered from sludge staving the engine and turbo of oil causing them to go, the newer ones have had this corrected with an improved PCV. Still it is worth having your car serviced correctly on time with the correct oil. This goes for all cars but more so with cars with Turbos.

Absolutely agree about servicing. The guy who services my car told me yesterday that there are a few makes that suffer from sludge problems if you don't use the correct oil or skip service intervals. As you say, more so with a turbo.

anthony4335

Saab don't seem to have done well on the surveys but if you start reading the forums and see the milage that owners are putting up on Saab's you would have to wonder. My single fav stupid saab feature is the night panel, followed by the airplane bong for the seat bell.
Proper service history when buying is a must but in Ireland that seems to be a bit of luxury. One thing I seem to not trust is the dealer stamp, history with the book full of stamps is something I am starting to mistrust . When I bought mine it had a full set of stamps, however I know for sure that the aux belt was not done, as mine is a 07 which came with a short belt bypassing the need for one of the pulleys, this was the case with saab for about 2 years then they went back to the long belt as there appeared to be an issue with short belt after a while under load. When I bought mine it still had the original belt at 127k km. so the first thing I did was replace it and the pulleys along with changing the transmission oil.
One thing I would love to see irish owners doing is to keep the receipts for the serivce listing all the parts you have replaced. Every garage gives you an invoice ,keep it ,put it into the book. It looks great when you go to sell it on.

JAMM222

anthony4335 wrote: »

Saab don't seem to have done well on the surveys but if you start reading the forums and see the milage that owners are putting up on Saab's you would have to wonder. My single fav stupid saab feature is the night panel, followed by the airplane bong for the seat bell.
Proper service history when buying is a must but in Ireland that seems to be a bit of luxury. One thing I seem to not trust is the dealer stamp, history with the book full of stamps is something I am starting to mistrust . When I bought mine it had a full set of stamps, however I know for sure that the aux belt was not done, as mine is a 07 which came with a short belt bypassing the need for one of the pulleys, this was the case with saab for about 2 years then they went back to the long belt as there appeared to be an issue with short belt after a while under load. When I bought mine it still had the original belt at 127k km. so the first thing I did was replace it and the pulleys along with changing the transmission oil.
One thing I would love to see irish owners doing is to keep the receipts for the serivce listing all the parts you have replaced. Every garage gives you an invoice ,keep it ,put it into the book. It looks great when you go to sell it on.

+1 I have a 07 95 and haven't had one problem yet....
Had an mg before the Saab and it spent half its life in the garage

tu2j2

That black estate is basically the same car I have only a few years newer and automatic.

They look way better as an Estate in my opinion, my only regret when buying it was that I didn't hold out a bit longer and convince herself that we needed an Aero although ours has the Hirsch performance upgrade so there wouldn't be too much in it anyway.

Of course the engine in mine ate itself from the inside out and has since been replaced and I've dropped the sump to clean it out and its now being fed decent ish fully synthetic Mobil 1 changed every 6000miles max. Besides the engine we had the subframe bushes and throttle body changed under warranty from the garage and its been faultless for the last 9 months. The throttle body is a common enough thing, they basically gunk up and revert to a sort of limp mode where it won't idle properly but it'll still drive fine. Before I'd by one again I'd need to be convinced it had been serviced properly with the right oil and have the sump dropped straight away after I got it. I would buy one again though.

Other things I've noticed is that its absolutely brutal on petrol, like 25-27mpg but I think thats because of the engine upgrade and it also loves going through front tyres but thats also related to the engine

I think an auto box would suit the 9-5 very well even though I've never driven one.

anthony4335

"Other things I've noticed is that its absolutely brutal on petrol, like 25-27mpg but I think thats because of the engine upgrade and it also loves going through front tyres but thats also related to the engine "


They do like the juice alright, usually get 29MPG on mine and I am light footed and do a lot of long journeys. However I was doing a test on the fuel consumption on my typical journey on my last full tank. My work journey is about 50km each way of which 13km is motorway and instead of doing the 120km/h I just stayed at 100km/h (possibly annoying some others on the road) and I got 34mpg out my last tank. Not sure if I will continue this trend, but I was amazed by how many people I noticed doing the same speed on the motor way.

jizzyboner

Sounds good. What does the Hirsch upgrade consist of? I've seen it mentioned in the UK but never here.

Not too worried by fuel consumption really. My current Accord only does about 28 mpg.

Thanks

tu2j2 wrote: »

That black estate is basically the same car I have only a few years newer and automatic.

They look way better as an Estate in my opinion, my only regret when buying it was that I didn't hold out a bit longer and convince herself that we needed an Aero although ours has the Hirsch performance upgrade so there wouldn't be too much in it anyway.

Of course the engine in mine ate itself from the inside out and has since been replaced and I've dropped the sump to clean it out and its now being fed decent ish fully synthetic Mobil 1 changed every 6000miles max. Besides the engine we had the subframe bushes and throttle body changed under warranty from the garage and its been faultless for the last 9 months. The throttle body is a common enough thing, they basically gunk up and revert to a sort of limp mode where it won't idle properly but it'll still drive fine. Before I'd by one again I'd need to be convinced it had been serviced properly with the right oil and have the sump dropped straight away after I got it. I would buy one again though.

Other things I've noticed is that its absolutely brutal on petrol, like 25-27mpg but I think thats because of the engine upgrade and it also loves going through front tyres but thats also related to the engine

I think an auto box would suit the 9-5 very well even though I've never driven one.

peter barrins

This post has been deleted.

jizzyboner

peter barrins wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Thanks Peter
Completely agree about the Accord reliability, but still fancy a change. Plus I now need to get an automatic. I was just looking around as I had a Saab 95 many years ago and had no problems with it. Hadn't considered a Volvo but will have a look.
Just noticed a 95 Aero automatic on Donedeal. Few Aeros about but the auto is quite rare in this model in Ireland.

Pat

peter barrins

This post has been deleted.

The Pontiac

I'm agree. Volvo S60/S80 or the beemer as mentioned above.

jizzyboner

peter barrins wrote: »

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Funnily enough I always had a lot of trouble with any BMW or Audi I had in the past. Just bad luck maybe and that was the time my Saab 95 never gave me a days trouble while I had it.

I do like the e39 5 series & prefer it to the e60 generally. Spotted this earlier on donedeal. Looks nice but seems very cheap. Too cheap maybe.

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/4651349

peter barrins

This post has been deleted.

galwaytt

anthony4335 wrote: »

"Other things I've noticed is that its absolutely brutal on petrol, like 25-27mpg .

My brother is getting that from his 3.0t (LPT) - which is a V6. I consider that good, tbh. He's on Saab #4 iirc, and he's why I'm now on Saab #2.

C.K Dexter Haven

Combined driving you'll get 30mpg in a Saab.

jizzyboner

galwaytt wrote: »

My brother is getting that from his 3.0t (LPT) - which is a V6. I consider that good, tbh. He's on Saab #4 iirc, and he's why I'm now on Saab #2.

Never realised the 3.0t petrol was a LPT. Always thought it was an animal of a thing in the Griffen model. You must both love them if he's on number 4 and you're on number 2.

Was it the V6 that was being converted to run on LPG? How did that work out?

peter barrins

This post has been deleted.

anthony4335

There is no real turely reliable car maker these days. Some are better than others but out of all the cars I have owned only one didn't need anything other than a service and that was a 2002 IS200. The next best was a 2005 subaru legacy with the only issue was the window switch broke.
The sludge issue was an issue with cars doing mainly short journeys and not been serviced correctly (every 6k miles with an engine flush). Something to do with the cat cooking the oil. and I resently read a post here about a toyota with the same problem.
The main issues with saab are to do with small thing such as blend doors on the acc and other electrical issues.

As for the auto box on a saab, mine is an auto. Its a nice drive, only issue is the lack of a gearbox dip stick, you are not ment to change the fluid yourself and most garages do not carry the gauge. But with information from saabcentral you can make a home made one. I bought one myself better to get it right.

peter barrins

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monkeybutter

jizzyboner wrote: »

Hi guys

Looks like I'll be changing from my trusty old Accord soon, as i now need an automatic, but also fancy and change to something different.

Had a Saab 95 many years ago and had no trouble with it. Was thinking about one again as they seem to be reasonable buys.

Spotted this one at a dealers in Dublin. Auto Vector estate:

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/3593215

It's been for sale a long time. was up on carzone for at least 60 days until the dealer left there alltogether. Has since been on donedeal at least twice for about 27 days. Maybe it's not as nice in the flesh as it looks in photos.
Anyone here have any dealings with the dealer selling it? Has been for sale at €2,950 since day 1.

Second one I spotted just yesterday but it's a bit strange. Started at €1,850, the yesterday it went to €2,000 and today it's €2,300.

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/4557240

I never realised they got more valuable by the day , unless the guy selling has been getting some crap offers already.

Anyway, I know there are some Saab experts here so just wondering if they seem like ok buys? As I say I now need automatic (both here also have paddle shift on steering) and prefer estate but saloon would be good enough. Don't need diesel as I don't do the mileage usually so the 2 litre LPT would be grand.

I know it's probably not going to be as reliable as my old Accord, but who knows really.

Thanks a lot.

Pat

Let me save you some leg work, I just bought a car. Was looking to spend 1000-2000.

Those 95's looked tempting, cheap, safe, comfortable for long drives. Fuel consumption isn't that big an issue as I do about 5000 miles a year

I looked at about 10 95s in dublin, 2001 to 2004 and not one of them was a good un and none had close to 140 thow miles on them either.

Went for an s60 instead, way superior car, more power, same mpg, same tax, way better interior, the seats are worth it alone, looks better on the outside and from the looks of it more reliable. I got one with no obvious issues, no oil starvation, no gunking no leaks, no rattles, no cold start issues, no turbo issues.

The engine on the 95 looked weak, even on the 2004. They went bust for a reason.

peter barrins

This post has been deleted.

Mr Benevolent

peter barrins wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

And the engines are tweakable with just a spare ECU and a laptop, just like the Saabs. Cheap too.

MuppetCheck

Confab wrote: »

And the engines are tweakable with just a spare ECU and a laptop, just like the Saabs. Cheap too.

I'm assuming this is off the shelf software?

Personally I'd rather have a pro do something like that. No two engines are the same.

jizzyboner

Thanks for that. Maybe you even saw some of the ones I was looking at. Had never thought of the Volvo S60 to be honest. Will have to look again on donedeal and carzone. Hope a few of them will be autos anyway.

From what I read it seems that Saab went bust after being shafted by GM, who seemed to veto some of the buyers especially anyone from China. I guess who knows really.

monkeybutter wrote: »

Let me save you some leg work, I just bought a car. Was looking to spend 1000-2000.

Those 95's looked tempting, cheap, safe, comfortable for long drives. Fuel consumption isn't that big an issue as I do about 5000 miles a year

I looked at about 10 95s in dublin, 2001 to 2004 and not one of them was a good un and none had close to 140 thow miles on them either.

Went for an s60 instead, way superior car, more power, same mpg, same tax, way better interior, the seats are worth it alone, looks better on the outside and from the looks of it more reliable. I got one with no obvious issues, no oil starvation, no gunking no leaks, no rattles, no cold start issues, no turbo issues.

The engine on the 95 looked weak, even on the 2004. They went bust for a reason.

Mr Benevolent

MuppetCheck wrote: »

I'm assuming this is off the shelf software?

It's quite safe if you're cautious and can solder fairly well.

MuppetCheck

Confab wrote: »

It's quite safe if you're cautious and can solder fairly well.

Ah wing and a prayer job so.

Mr Benevolent

MuppetCheck wrote: »

Ah wing and a prayer job so.

Well, if you can't solder, don't attempt it, that's all. I can solder well, so I'd be up for it.

Back on topic, the S60s are looking more attractive. Even if my girlfriend did burst out laughing when I mentioned one as a possibility a few nights ago...

monkeybutter

jizzyboner wrote: »

Thanks for that. Maybe you even saw some of the ones I was looking at. Had never thought of the Volvo S60 to be honest. Will have to look again on donedeal and carzone. Hope a few of them will be autos anyway.

From what I read it seems that Saab went bust after being shafted by GM, who seemed to veto some of the buyers especially anyone from China. I guess who knows really.

The auto thing is a double edged sword, it really cuts down your choice so you could be waiting, but when you find a good un, especially in an un popular car, you should get it cheaper as no one wants them, they are really hard to shift

monkeybutter

Confab wrote: »

Well, if you can't solder, don't attempt it, that's all. I can solder well, so I'd be up for it.

Back on topic, the S60s are looking more attractive. Even if my girlfriend did burst out laughing when I mentioned one as a possibility a few nights ago...

sheesh, you find a woman who knows the difference between one car and the next, other than colour and then you find out she has no taste in cars

BUMMMER

MuppetCheck

Confab wrote: »

Well, if you can't solder, don't attempt it, that's all. I can solder well, so I'd be up for it.

What's involved in it?

jizzyboner

monkeybutter wrote: »

The auto thing is a double edged sword, it really cuts down your choice so you could be waiting, but when you find a good un, especially in an un popular car, you should get it cheaper as no one wants them, they are really hard to shift

Yeah I know it. I have seen a few autos around though. Funny that one for sale in Carland in Dublin (04, estate, auto) has been up for over 90 days between carzone and donedeal and hasn't dropped by a cent since day 1.

Looking online at a few Volvo S60s. They are nice but there's something about the back of them I can't get to grips with. It's like they stuck a shelf on or something. Just me maybe.