BoostSciences

Hello folks,

I am currently in the market for a vehicle for the winter and wanted to see what the knowledgeable people of Rennlist had to say about the Saab 9-5
This is primarily for the wife, but we did test drive it and though it is front wheel drive, that thing can GO ! We test drove the 3.0 V6 Turbo motor and 2.3 I4 Turbo. The V6 seemed much smoother and refined all around. Just wanted to hear opinions good or bad if any. The wife made me promise that the car will not get modded, but how can I resist introducing it to the AccuBoost

Thanks folks.

Cliff

Corleone

Go for the 2,3 Aero! AccuBoost wont work but there are other things that does. My own 9-5 has 345 hp and do 402 at 13,79 - 169 km/h. 0-100 km/h at 5,91 sec. All with automatic gearbox. Great car!

CPTdooberhead

They are great cars, but dont hold their values well for some reason.

BoostSciences

How about reliability ?
I seemed to have found one with 47,000 miles. Are there any timing belt concerns at this mileage or anything else for that matter.

Thanks for the input so far.

Corleone

Great reliability and quality. Chain instead of belt. No problem, I have had SAAB before and drived hard for 200 K miles with high boost and minor problem.

slinky

Not sure about the 9-5, but we bought a new Saab 9-3 (Vector model) last fall. Did great this past winter in through several inches of snow. Does it really snow that much in NM?

alengyel

Yeah, snow in SF? As a kid, we got a snow day from school if there was an inch on the ground and even that hardly ever happend.....

BoostSciences

Yes folks, it really does snow in NM, we are at 7200 ft elevation and I snow board allot, which means frequent drives up the ice caked roads of the ski hill.
Glad to hear the good reviews so far. Anymore opinions are welcome.

p.s. Did test drive the Audi A4 V6 and Volvo V70 and the Saab 9-5 just felt better all around.

alengyel

Cliff, did you drive the T-5 V70? I just love that car, my old man has the 850 version with 250k on it and it still runs great. As a matter of fact, it makes the run to SF ski basin like a hundred times a year. If I make it down over Christmas, we need to go take some runs on Tequila Sunrise....

But the 9-5 does look more aggressive.

BoostSciences

alengyel:

For sure, I should be going up there almost every weekend when the season starts. I'm got my fingers crossed for some serious pow this year.

Let me know if you are in the area.

Cliff

alengyel

Will do, and Ill be picking up an MBC while I'm there too. Good luck on the car search.

BoostSciences

One last question: turns out the car I have in mind, spent its life as a rental car according for CARFAX. It was driven 10,000 miles per year on average. What do y'all think. Should I walk away or is this not a big deal. Is haveing a car with a rental life a good thing or a bad thing ???? Regular service from the rental company ?? or harsh driving by renters ????

This is the last question...I promise.

alengyel: If you make it up here, you can have an AccuBoost i.e. only if you are a snowboarder. I'm not down with the skiers.

jsonnen

I would never buy a rental car.....cause you know they have been abused, I'd walk away and find another one!

autounion1

I used to be a Saab salesman in Virginia. The 9-5 is surely the last of the best Saabs. As General Motors has more and more influence in the company, they are turning into junk. The 9-3 went through this and the 9-5 if due for replacement within 1 year. My recommendation would be hands down the 2.3l turbo. The V-6 believe it or not is a junk engine, which Saab NO LONGER makes. The four cylinder turbo in the Aero for example, makes a stout 108 hp per litre, while still maintaining close to 30 mpg. The cars are wonderful in the snow, and if at all possible try and get an example with about 30-40k on the odometer. When buying a used European car, Audi (which I currently sell) BMW, MERC, etc, it is always a good idea to have factory warranty left. Of all the Mid level luxery sedans out there, the 9-5 is definately the best bang for the buck...If you need any additional help, feel free to email me.... James

autounion1

One more thing of interest, the first major service for the 2.3l is 50k, and should be covered under factory warranty. The cost of this if you are not covered is 675dollars. But don't worry, no timing chain is to be replaced until 90k. Keep in mind, that when this first v-6 came out, they had MAJOR timing best replacements, requiring a new replacement every 30k, which SAAB is forced to pay for for the first 150thousand miles...granted these were only 1993-1996 models, but it just goes to show this V-6 engine is no gem.