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Date: Mon, 22 Mar 1999 22:49:50 -0500
From: David Nedde <davennopsamtwall.mv.com>
Subject: Saab 9-5 purchase


I bought a Saab 9-5 this weekend, and thought others might be interested in the thought process behind the decision. I has previously owned Honda Civics, and an Accord, but wanted to get into something a little more luxurious, and still sporty, but without spending much over $30,000. I am also 6'5" tall, and needed a car that I could fit in. I looked at the Audi A4 and A6, BMW 323i, and Saab 9-3 and 9-5. Other featured I wanted was power seats. After using heated seats, I was sold on this feature. I also wanted split rear seats with the ski pass-through. The Audi A6 was eliminated, because it only came in an automatic, and I didn't like the way it shifted. The shifting felt too "soft" and I wanted a sportier feel. The triptonic manual shifting of the automatic didn't really work for me either. The Audi A4 was a good car and in the right price range. I liked the interior trim and design. I didn't feel as though I really needed the quattro, although I also felt I would have to get it to preserve any resale value in the car since they are apparently all sold with quattro. A disadvantage of the A4 was that there was not much room in the rear seats. I like the one-touch-up-window feature, which the Saab did not have. The outside look of the car was good, although a little generic. The BMW new 3-series have increased head room so that I fit comfortably without banging my head. I test drove the 323i to keep the price down and because engine power is not critical - plus, the 323 seemed plenty powerful enought to me anywat. I liked the way it drove and handled, but the rear seats didn't have enough room. The driver's seat had enough room, but it wasn't roomy. I liked the one-touch up windows. Things that annoyed me about the BMW was that you had to pay extra for metallic paint and their emphasis on how buying this car will give you a big status boost. Also, there are so many BMW's around - I didn't just want to be another one in the crowd. I test drove a Saab 9-3, although I don't remember much, because the salesman suggested I try a 9-5 (4 cylender), which I did and test drove several times, wiping out my impressions of the 9-3. I liked the roominess of the 9-5, and the design and layout of the controls. I tries an automatic on the dealer's suggestion, and really liked the feel of it - it shift felt similar to a manual. I had to think a while about which car to get. They were all priced similarly - within a few thousand dollars of each other, all had similar features, all drove and handled really well, and all had a good layout of controls inside. I finally decided on the Saab 9-5 for the following reasons: - roomier interior - basically the 9-5 is competing against the Audi A6 and BMW 5 series, even thought it is much cheaper. - I got the impression that the Saab had more storage space in the trunk - more computer features than the BMW - Separate climate control unlike the Audi - BMW is rear wheel drive - not too great in N.H. winters - a little nicer interior than BMW and Audi - has both CD and tape player - Like the turbo feel of the Saab - Front and rear reading lights - Rear heated seats I ended up getting the 9-5 SE with heated and ventilated seats with memory and automatic transmission. I wasn't planning on getting the ventilated and memory seats (or the SE for that matter, with the better stereo and wheels), but I ended up getting the car for below invoice from the sales manager John Giasullo at Patrick Motors in Auburn, MA, and couldn't pass it up. My first impressions after driving a few days is that it is a little less sporty than I was expecting, but I still don't regret the purchase. I really like the car and my son likes the headlight washers, and the extra compartment in the rear seat armrest. Well, that is enough rambling for now. I hope this information can help someone else make their decision. I only hope I am not plagued with maintenance problems, although, in reading the newsgroups, these seem to have been cleared up in the past few years. Dave

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