6speedken

Hi Adamant,
Always loved Saab but reliability worries me , how reliable is your 05 Saab and what is mileage ? average maintenance per year ? any major issues ? thanks

Adamant1971

2005 with 140k.

Rear shocks can wear out. Direct injection cassettes typically fail at 60-80k. The DI is $800, but can be had for less through several Internet part suppliers, many drivers carry a spare in the trunk.

Pre 2004 had some sludge issues as oil change interval was too long.

Like our p-cars previous maintenance is a big issue, neglected cars can have problems the biggest being turbo failures. Almost all of those are caused by ignoring oil change intervals or not using the required mobile 1 ow40 oil. If oil changes are not preformed, turbo's fail. Check for blue puff at start up, if it happens walk away. Turbo's run about 2k, $500 if you do,it yourself.

Oh and motor mounts can fail, all 4 can be had for just over $300 and are super easy to change. I just changed 3 of the four, about 30 min each.

2004 and 2005 cars where very reliable and had little GM influence, later cars were very reliable as well but had more influence from GM. One thing they did on the 2009 was to change the heated seats two a two position button, where my 05 has a three position thermostat controlled unit. Basically mine gives a much more gentle heating to your butt.

I have only had my 9-5 for a few months, I had to replace the rear shocks and motor mounts (knew that when I purchased it). And I just replaced the DI cassette since the PO put in the wrong type of spark plugs in it and they killed the DI.

I only paid 5k for my 9-5, and was prepared to fix a few items on it.

The car is a joy to drive, and it's got ***** to spare, super comfortable seats and one of the best factory radios I have heard.

And they are not prone to rusting.

Would I buy one again, absolutely. But I would buy it from Aktive.

There is lots more information over at SAABSCENE.COM I think that's the address.

Romanoaf

Saab over Audi Avant, I'm a little biased but I was seriously shopping for an S4 avant before I picked up my 964, the Saab is much more cost effective (barring dealer service), and very easy to get a little more power out of. 300 hp 330lbft torque can be comfortably had with a little bit of work.

Speedyellow993

300 hp out of a FWD?? Doesn't seem very fun. Don't get me wrong...I really like SAABs but good luck on a road trip when your car brakes down and you need a part. Audi...it's a snap to find parts.

Romanoaf

It's not a corners type of car, for highway driving you can use every bit of that power, and highway driving is what the car is for, you'll seldom find a more comfortable ride, not mushy, and not stiff, but just enough feel. You'd be surprised about how many parts are available from local aftermarket. My last 9-3 (2002 was more Saab than GM) high mileage, close to 300k and never left me stranded, even after ending up in ditches a couple times in the winter, still drove home.

Goldstar

Too bad Saab no longer exists. They were great cars back in the day, even very advanced for a while. I had a couple and always found their quirks to be part of the experience. Unfortunately since they no longer exist they will soon have absolutely no resale value and parts will not be available because the low volumes will make it uneconomical to produce replacement parts. I'm pretty sure current owners are saddled with them until their demise. There are way too many alternatives that make much more sense.

Imo000

Unless it's a 1.8T, they are a biiiiitch to work on. They crammed the larger engines in there.

I wish Saab and Audi wpuld sell diesel versions on this side of the ocean.

Adamant1971

The good is that the 9-5 was pretty much unchanged for over 10 years making parts easy to find. At this point they are a good bargain for someone like myself that just wants a comfortable winter car for 2-3 years max.

So far I have enjoyed working on my 9-5, I even changed the motor mounts and didn't even need to get under the car for 3 of the 4. Each took 30 mins to change out.

That will be a different story on my 928 this spring.

Imo000

I was refering to the Auto Union cars (AUDI)

If you don't plan on duing the oil pan gasket, you might be able to change the 928 motor mounts without dropping the cross memeber. Drop the sttering rack and lift the engine.