My search for a new bike and family car has widened and I'm considering the SAAB 9-5. Anyone got or had one who can give an opinion or tell me what to look out for in a second hand one?
Cheers
Rio
got an aero, awesome bike moving car, can easily fit 3 people and 3 bike inside the car, leaving the back wheels on. aero isn't great on fuel, but 33 on a run, and pretty quick for an estate. there are some issues with clogged oil takeups in the sump, so check that the PCV upgrade has been done, best to look for a car with full service history and regular (<12k) oil changes. saabscene is a great forum for advice and tips
Cheers Tiboy, I'm looking at the TDCi or the 2.0T so hopefully a bit less thirsty if not quite as much fun, I'll check out the forum.
just had a look at the figures, the 2.0t wont give many (1) more mpg, but i guess there's less temptation to floor it!
True, the 1.9 TiD looks best from economy point of view and only 0.5sec slower to 60 than the 2.0T.
yep, agree, the 1.9 only came out more recently though I think, the older diesels are a 2.2 which isn't so great I don't think, well worth reading saabscene for some of the issues. Great cars overall though, and lots of toys!
Had the 2.2 diesel, it was a can of worms.
The 2.2 diesel is an old Isuzu engine. The 1.9 diesel is the Fiat unit as used by Alfa and in some Vauxhalls I believe. In the Fiat I drove it was a nice, modern engine.
I've had three Saabs, including a 95 estate. The 2.0t is a low pressure turbo engine (and the one I had with an auto box). If I were buying again I'd look for the 2.3t which is more powerful and IIRC more economical. As indicated above, check the oil has been changed every 6k miles on the petrol engines; there is an oil sludge issue, details of which are all over the internet.
For me, the whole point of Saabs is the petrol turbo engine, and if I wasn't doing too many miles, it would be the one I'd get.
Mine was a little fragile, with a few electronics issues. I did like it a lot though. Excellent wagon, understated and quick enough.
Paul
Had 2, the first was a 98 2.0 SAAB 9-5 SE LPT currently got the 06 1.9 diesel estate, very good economy and safety NCAP 5 but not as well built as the latter.
As far as advice, I would buy privatley with FSH and get the car for the best money you can as they depreciate like nothing else.
Things to check on the old models include the sump issue, make sure they have had Mobil 1 from day one or have had the sump dropped and cleaned. The reverse gear is also prone to breaking as I found out from experience and is expensive to fix.
I have a brand new Haynes manual for the petrol if you decide to buy and some THULE roof bars.
I have the 9-3 sport 1.9Tid and it is a lovely car, I tried the 9-5 but too big for what I need.
The 1.9 is a nice engine even tho it is a Fiat. I got mine chipped and is now 185bhp and is very nice on motorways plus good on fuel.
Alex