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At one point, I owned two 9-5's (99 SE and 01 Wagon). We traded the last one, my wife's wagon, in on a CPO'd 07 X3 (which she loves--very solid car).
In March of 08, I traded my 99 sedan in on a CPO A6 3.2Q. My 99 was quite the problem child, needing a ridiculous amount of major repairs during my tenure as owner. See this thread:
http://saabnet.com/tsn/bb/9-5/index.html?bID=172094
I was seduced by the A6's flashy gadgets, AWD, and rock solid handling on the freeway. I owned it for 2.5 years, and not once did the CEL come on (which from what I understand is pretty rare for an Audi).
I liked it all right, but . . . I didn't love it. For lack of a better word, it lacked a soul. The A6 comes with this BS servotronic steering system which completely removes road feel. The A6 gearbox is notoriously clunky, and oftentimes gets confused at low speed situations (especially when you are slowing for red lights that suddenly turn green). It also suffers from an accelerator issue that causes a delay sometimes when you start from a stop.
It drives much bigger than it actually is, and is extremely clumbsy when you try to throw it around a bit. The front end dives aggressively upon braking. And, what I think is the biggest sin, the weatherstripping is poorly designed at the base of the windows--there's a recessed area along the entire window that catches snow and ice, and it makes it impossible to raise and lower the windows in chicago for three months out of the year (it snows in germany, right?).
Anyhow, I tried to love it, but it just didn't work out. I missed my Saab dearly, problems and all. Nothing drove like it. With the redesigned A6 coming out next year and Saab pricing still depressed, this seemed to be a good time to make a trade.
Although I didn't opt for the 9-5, I ended up getting a very sharp 08 9-3 2.0T Convertible. Black/Parchment/Black. I was in love from the moment my butt hit the seat. I got those old happy saab vibes back. I can feel the road when I'm driving. The key is in the center console. The glovebox is refrigerated. I have my nightpanel back. And my turbo boost gauge. Bliss.
Although I'll be around the corner in the 9-3 forum, I can't tell you how happy I am to be back on saabnet. I missed the pragmatic advice. Although the folks are nice, the Audi forums are dominated by tuners and modders.
Looking forward to years of happy and (hopefully) trouble-free driving.
--Scott
posted by 12.233.8...
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