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1999-2009 [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
Mrs. PT (Ma Taket??? LOL) just bought an '02 9-5 sedan. Sludge was my biggest concern, and the best insurance against that is getting a car that has had oil changes every 5,000 or less. The next best insurance is an extended warranty. My indy said if you're buying a used 9-5, if you can, get it with an extended warranty. We paid an Ebay price for an '02 Linear auto with 59k from a non-Saab used dealer in MA. They had at least a dozen '02 and '03 9-5's in stock when we were there. We picked up the car on Saturday, and Sunday morning the windows would not go down, and the wipers wouldn't work. Turns out to be a relatively small problem of a bad fuse. I'm guessing a Saab dealer would not have let the car out without having checked stuff like that, but this was about 2/3 of what the car would have been at a Saab dealer, so I can live with that. Indy checked the car over Monday, and gave it a clean bill of health. He said reliability got much better from '01 on. Since the '02 benefits from the facelift, I figured it was as well to go the extra couple of grand and get an '02. Things he told me to watch for were:
1. Sludge/oil changes
2. Weird electrical issues - the 9-5 has something called a DICE unit, which can go on the blink without warning, and cause all sorts of electrical/power equipment weirdness. It's a few hundred $$$.
3. DI like in 9000.
4. Throttle body is not unheard of, but not that common. It's not that expensive either - $250 from EEuro.
5. Exhaust - lasts longer than the 9000, but is pricey as a dealer item. I think genuinesaab sells a performance version for about $500, which is cheaper and probably better.
6. Turbo - see oil changes. This problem is not near as common in the US because we generally change oil more frequently than in Europe. If you're getting a car that has had 5,000 oil changes, turbo shouldn't be a problem. Unless the changes were at Jiffy Lube, and some HS kid jumped in a revved it to 5,000 as soon as he started it back up after the change. Then, you will need a turbo.
7. Occasionally ABS control module can act up, seemingly if the engine was washed and somebody power hosed the module without covering it.
I like the 9-5 a lot, and while I prefer a 9000 for me, I think a 9-5 (more refined, better interior materials & better put together interior) will be preferable to most people. A lot of these cars have been sold/leased, so there are plenty to choose from, to the point that you can be picky down to color/interior combo you want.
The extended warranty we got reads very well (ask me what they are like when we use it!), and wasn't that expensive, at $1500 for 4/48,000.
If you're planning to buy under 50k, you could go main dealer/CPO route and get a SAAB 100k warranty. My experience with SAAB and warranties has been very positive, but that will probably vary depending on what dealer you're using. Of course, I know you're almost as cheap as I am, so you may not want to pay CPO prices! I presume this car is to replace your wife's Explorah; the two vehicles are night and day. What you save on gas should pay for the extra maintenance.
posted by 141.154.20...
, Wed, 7 Dec 2005 17:39:06
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