Date: Fri, 10 Oct 2003 21:34:29 GMT From: "someguy" <someguynopsamwhere.se> Subject: Re: Looking at my first Saab purchase - feedback???
"C Sats" <CSantelmannopsamgraNOSPAMonline.com> skrev i meddelandet news:vod1djh56bsi08nopsam.supernews.com... > Hello, > > I'm looking at purchasing my first Saab and I would like to know what I'm > getting myself into. > > The used car dealership that has the machines has several year 2000 9-5's > with either the 4 cylinder or 6 cylinder engine. All of their cars are > lease returns with about 32-35K miles on them. Price seems to sit in around > $17,800 - $18,200 depending on engine. I read in the Consumer Reports Used > Car Buying guide that the 2000 model year is one of their "QR Best Buys" - > to me that was a good sign? > > Is this a good price range? I've looked at the local Saab dealership and a > similar car (miles/model) is running about 1500 more. That being said - I > don't recall if the unit at the dealership is a "certified" unit or not. > > Are these cars reliable? I'm getting rid of my 93 Infiniti G20 that in the > last year it's maintenance costs exceeded it's value. Are the turbo's on > the engines problematic? What type of regular maintenance (besides changing > oil) do I need to perform (and at what interval) to maintain this vehicle? > > Sorry for the general questions, but since we are debating whether we should > go with a Saab or an older BMW (with more miles) - I would appreciate any > information you can give me. > Make sure that the dealer ha fixed some of the design mistakes of the 9-5. Examples: The LCD display loses lines or pixels due to an incorectly designed clamp connector. You may fix it yourself, http://www.users.waitrose.com/~randmwilliams/index.html but it is better if dealer already has corrected the defect. Another problem occurs if you change between aluminium and steel wheels (e.g. between summer tires on alu rims and winter tyres on steel rims). Here Saab has recommended to change to a new bolt with built-in washer to reduce the problem of bolts being damaged. The rear suspension dampers are weak and wear out rather quickly on the wagon model. Saab claim to have changed the dampers from MY2000 but there are still problems with the new dampers. My own experience is a rather bad quality of other parts: burned front light wiper motor, rear window wiper motor becoming really noisy, windscreen wiper timer adjustment stuck at maximum time, car need to be towed to a garage because of a poorly tightened nipple /(the only Saab I have owned that stopped on the road!), steering arm/spindle joint worn out after 70000 km compared to at least 150000 km for 99/900/9000 models I have owned, automatic gear box not shifting smoothly, etc. The 9-5 is a really nice car to drive but the quality seems to have deteriorated compared to older models. My recommendation is to look for a 9000 from some of the later model years. The 9-5 design seems to be not mature enough to ensure an ownership free from problems. -- someguy
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