Date: 19 Jun 2004 23:22:33 GMT From: Dave Hinz <DaveHinznospamcop.net> Subject: Re: Howcome the 1998 Saab 9-5 wasn't available in the US?
On 19 Jun 2004 16:12:00 -0700, The Diesel <hollywood_onealnospamo.com> wrote: > I'm in the market for a used car and my budget is $12,700 and my dad > will also let me trade in a beatup old 1994 Lincoln Town Car with > 250,000 miles on it. > If the 1998 Saab 9-5 was available in the US, it would probably be the > car I'd get. > The 1998 Saab 9-5 did EXCELLENT in the European Crash Tests, but I > think that the Saab 9-5 was redesigned in 1999 Nope, same body. They just didn't sell 'em in the US that year. The '99 (and current) 9-5's have the same crash characteristics as the '98. > and the 1999-2001 Saab > 9-5s only did about average in crash tests. Crash tests will vary from year to year, as you're seeing. It's not all that exact of a science. Even more impressive than Saab's crash test results are the injury statistics in the real world; it takes into effect not only how the car performs in an arbitrary lab test, but how it does in the real world - including crash _avoidance_ which the superb handling helps with a lot. > Here are the crash test results for the 1998 European Saab 9-5 > http://www.euroncap.com/content/safety_ratings/details.php?id1=4&id2=51 > Here are the crash test results for the 1999-2001 American Saab 9-5. > http://www.hwysafety.org/vehicle_ratings/ce/html/98021.htm Different labs, different testing methodologies. > The 2002-2004 Saab 9-5s also do excellent in crash tests but even the > cheapest 2002 Saab 9-5 is several thousand dollars out of my budget. A good price point to look for is at the 3-year lease tradein. The car will only be 3 years old, you'll know it's been taken care of well, and you have a known service history for it (the dealer can give you this; if they won't, buy from a different dealer). > Since the 1998 Saab 9-5 is out of the question(which is unfortunate as > it did better than the 1999/2000 Volvo S80 in the European Front > Offset Crash Test and Saabs are generally more reliable than Volvos > too), I'm leaning towards a 2001 Volvo S80. Well, drive 'em both & see what you like. But, since the '99 is the same car as the '98, I wouldn't worry too much about different test results from different labs. > Also in the front offset of the 2000 volvo S80, the dummy' head > bounced off the front airbag, and then the back of the dummy's head > hit the b pillar although nobody really knows if this happens in the > 2001-2004 Volvo S80. Look at the real world figures; lab tests are by nature arbitrary and artificial. HLDI (Highway Loss Data Institute) would be one term to google for. Dave Hinz