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We are seriously considering buying a 9-5 Aero, and have the following questions.
Tires: From the archives, the recommendation on this board seems to be that the stock tires are worthless in the snow. I live in urban Chicago but wouldn't use the car for daily communting. I can recall driving in slush and fresh heavy snow maybe a dozen times in the past five years. How necessary are snow tires when when they will see slush and heavy snow very infrequently?
Also, does anyone have experience with all season high performance tires like the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S or Sumitomo HTR+? Would these types of tires obviate the need for separate snow tires?
Leather: The tan interior is my preference. However, on the used 9-5's, the tan leather seems to show increased wear when compared to the black leather, particularly on the drivers seat bottoms. The older 9-5's tend to have a "gathered" design which tends to show cracks and wear more than the smoother design on the 02's. I was wondering how the leather in the newer Saabs was holding up, and if the black interior will hold up better over time than the tan one. I am methodical about applying leather treatment like Connally Hide Food to my cars to keep the seats in great condition, and it would be dissapointing if the leather fell apart like it did on some of the older cars on the lot.
Shocks: I number of 9-5 wagons I have seen have look unblanced front to rear like they are driving around with bags of concrete in the trunk. The sedans don't seem to have this problem. Saab sells a set of self-levelig shock absorbers to correct this problem. Does anyone have these installed? How do they effect the ride and handling, particularly on an Aero.
Longetivy: We tend to keep cars for a longer time than most people (6 to 10 years). I was wondering how well Saabs held up over that time period. I am not so much concerned with mechanical parts like shocks that can be replaced, but with trim pieces, paint, body structure etc. I am used to cars like BMW's that, when properly maintained, can look like new after many years of use. Do Saabs become rattle-traps and fall apart like some American cars?
Incentives: Being new to the world of Saab, I am unfamiliar with thier incentive packages. Currently, they have $3,200 cash back on the sedan, and $2,500 on the Aero. On the Linear these incentives are approximately doubled. Do Saab incentives typically run so high or are these one-time only, end of year sales? What sort of incentive do you expect the 03's will have, if any? (The 03's will have some equipment I find desireable like Nav and sentronic transmission). We qualify for the GM Supplier Discount if that helps.
Thanks for your help.
posted by 24.148.2...
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