squonk
Part of things
Posts: 858
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It may be a bit new for this forum I guess but I'm sure some of you on here have experience of this wolf in sheep's clothing. I'm looking to buy in the next couple of months a 2004 - 2007 Saab 9-5 Aero Hot automatic estate up to about £3k. I know all about the oil sludge issues (hence 04 onward)and am aware that the auto is a second and a half slower to 60 (but its mid range acceleration is phenomenal!). I also realise that they fall into the higher VED bracket. So, what goes wrong? what needs to be looked at? NOT looking to modify it at all I'm afraid other than possibly a remap and a few other engine mods to get 300 bhp Over to you!!
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2004 Chevrolet Avalanche Z71 2005 Mercedes CLK320 Cabriolet 1996 Mercedes C180 Elegance Auto Saloon 1996 Rover 620Ti (Dead fuel pump) 1992 Toyota HiLux Surf 1987 Range Rover Vogue (Rusty) 1992 Range Rover Vogue SE (More Rusty) 2006 Chrysler Grand Voyager 2008 Corsa 1.4 Design
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VadGTI
Part of things
Posts: 75
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We have a US-spec '06 9-5 Aero SportCombi (aka Estate) automatic that we bought last year to replace a dead V70 2.4T. It's fast as hell, feels pretty solid (although it's pretty clear that, underneath the facelift, it's an older design) and has been pretty reliable (knock on wood). Here it is. Pardon the Washington plates, drove up there from California to buy it because it was a great deal. This thread I posted on the Car Lounge about the car/purchase had several Saab experts chime in and may be helpful (you'll have to sift through some curse word ): forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?7217523-EMERGENCY-REQUEST-EMERGENCY-REQUEST!-Is-there-anyone-near-the-Portland-Airport-Vancouver-area-Need-help-ASAP&highlight=sport+combi
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- 1988 BMW M3
- 2004 Volvo S60R
- 2013 VW Golf GTI
Gone but not forgotten: S13, AE86 4AGZE, DR30 Skyline RS Turbo, Miata x 2, Mk3 Golf GTI
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Jan 28, 2016 20:35:48 GMT
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DRIFTING is pushin a car against its intended design, then playing with the LAWS OF PHYSICS
My Cars Web Site 86motorsport.com/
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squonk
Part of things
Posts: 858
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Jan 28, 2016 21:12:21 GMT
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VadGTI: Your Saab is prety much exactly the spec that I'm hoping to buy but with one difference - the steering wheel will be on the other side!!!
The Big Yin: Thanks for the link, I have joined the forum!
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2004 Chevrolet Avalanche Z71 2005 Mercedes CLK320 Cabriolet 1996 Mercedes C180 Elegance Auto Saloon 1996 Rover 620Ti (Dead fuel pump) 1992 Toyota HiLux Surf 1987 Range Rover Vogue (Rusty) 1992 Range Rover Vogue SE (More Rusty) 2006 Chrysler Grand Voyager 2008 Corsa 1.4 Design
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Jan 28, 2016 23:40:00 GMT
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No prob mate. One thing to know is you can't sent massages for your first 10 posts or something like that.
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DRIFTING is pushin a car against its intended design, then playing with the LAWS OF PHYSICS
My Cars Web Site 86motorsport.com/
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ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,194
Club RR Member Number: 170
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IMO they are a great car. Maybe not the most thrilling for a modern but still a nice place to be. Bar the engine issues they are a good solid car
However, spare parts are tricky in some instances. Take a friend of mine with a 2007 9-3 1.8t Linear Cabrio. His Power steering pipe had a huge leak. Being a teacher he needed a reliable car. If it was a Ford, BMW or something like that (even an Alfa!) he would have had the car fixed in a week. Not so. The Power steering hose chap was on holiday for 2 weeks, which put that out of the question. The only hoses on eBay were for 2.0 HOTs which seemed to be different. In the end he found a specialist who was hard to get hold of (remember, he's a full time teacher) but this was almost 2 weeks from the original problem. He was lucky in that he had access to other cars (his parents) but like most of us he would rather not resort to that. It is part of the reason why he now wants to go new.
Apart from the car has been superb, but it is something to bear in mind if the car is your only daily.
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squonk
Part of things
Posts: 858
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but it is something to bear in mind if the car is your only daily. Possibly not too much of an issue - look at my siggy!!! Most are still road legal but only three are on the road at any one time.
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2004 Chevrolet Avalanche Z71 2005 Mercedes CLK320 Cabriolet 1996 Mercedes C180 Elegance Auto Saloon 1996 Rover 620Ti (Dead fuel pump) 1992 Toyota HiLux Surf 1987 Range Rover Vogue (Rusty) 1992 Range Rover Vogue SE (More Rusty) 2006 Chrysler Grand Voyager 2008 Corsa 1.4 Design
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Chasr. Parts supply is not an issue. We have 3 major Saab specialists in the UK. As well as Saab AB. The only cars that are really a problem maybe is the newest 9-5.
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DRIFTING is pushin a car against its intended design, then playing with the LAWS OF PHYSICS
My Cars Web Site 86motorsport.com/
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ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,194
Club RR Member Number: 170
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Would they have saved my friend time however squonk? If you have the details I will pass them onto him. He tried one or two specialists during lunctime only to be greeted by a constantly ringing phone or them being engaged. I know now that was annoy me ; I only really have one usable car during the winter now and do not really have space for any more. I am biased but I do know he was fuming over it, and to be fair I would not have been far off; Even with my BL cars I could have them back on the road within a few days if it was a parts issue. His 9-3 is his sole car, bar his 'rents offers which of course cannot always be there. However, I will admit I am biased as said before. But Christ even I struggle to make calls to garage at my place of work outside of the lunctime hours and after, when of course everywhere is shut.
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Last Edit: Jan 29, 2016 0:53:47 GMT by ChasR
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DRIFTING is pushin a car against its intended design, then playing with the LAWS OF PHYSICS
My Cars Web Site 86motorsport.com/
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ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,194
Club RR Member Number: 170
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Jan 29, 2016 19:37:09 GMT
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I'll forward them onto him. I think he has used Parts for Saabs for service items ; that he does himself .
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eternaloptimist
Posted a lot
Too many projects, not enough time or space...
Posts: 2,578
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I swapped my broken 59 plate 9-5 diesel estate for an unbroken 52 plate Aero auto estate at the start of January. My fourth Saab. No problem with bits, loads being broken, and I'm about five miles from DCA Saab. (Specialists for the last 30 years or so). Mines an auto with flappy paddles on the wheel. A few fiddly bits not working right which I'll get to with help from UKSaabs forum. You won't regret it. Don't ignore an earlier car if there's evidence of a sump drop, regular oil changes since, and later spec breathers etc. Plenty of enthusiastic owners out there.
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XC70, VW split screen crew cab, Standard Ten
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jonk
Part of things
Posts: 154
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I have a 2004 last of previous model, which still falls into the old tax bracket at around £230. It also has a better standard of fit and finish than the facelifts I tested. So far I have dropped the sump, but it was clean anyway. The garage reckoned front and rear crankshaft seals could also be an issue, but I have left them as they are and keep an eye on oil and leaks. Same with head gasket.
Most annoying issue is that the battery in the alarm unit is old and won't hold charge, this means that there is a constant message on the dash and when locked on the bleeper the alarm goes off at random. Fine on the key though, and a fairly easy bodge fix- just took a while to work out what was happening.
I never thought I would buy an auto but did so based on condition. And I'm really pleased I did. It really suits the car. Most of the time I barely need to work the engine, but if you want to overtake it really shifts. I often find myself able to ease off the accelerator halfway through an overtake as it's doing it so effortlessly.
Go for it!
The bargain price offsets the poor economy, I keep telling myself.
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Jan 30, 2016 10:15:26 GMT
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i'd also suggest buy on spec, not age. a sump drop and PCV upgrade will mitigate against potential sludging on an older car
paul
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squonk
Part of things
Posts: 858
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Jan 30, 2016 11:59:52 GMT
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I have a 2004 last of previous model, which still falls into the old tax bracket at around £230. It also has a better standard of fit and finish than the facelifts I tested. So far I have dropped the sump, but it was clean anyway. The garage reckoned front and rear crankshaft seals could also be an issue, but I have left them as they are and keep an eye on oil and leaks. Same with head gasket. Most annoying issue is that the battery in the alarm unit is old and won't hold charge, this means that there is a constant message on the dash and when locked on the bleeper the alarm goes off at random. Fine on the key though, and a fairly easy bodge fix- just took a while to work out what was happening. I never thought I would buy an auto but did so based on condition. And I'm really pleased I did. It really suits the car. Most of the time I barely need to work the engine, but if you want to overtake it really shifts. I often find myself able to ease off the accelerator halfway through an overtake as it's doing it so effortlessly. Go for it! The bargain price offsets the poor economy, I keep telling myself. I actually prefer the look of the pre-facelift models and also think that the dash is nicer. What sort of real world economy figures do you get out of yours. Autotrader reckons on an average of 28mpg, is that realistic? eternaloptimist: I love that burgundy colour. There is one on ebay at the minute the same as that for £2k. Unfortunately its a manual though and I need an auto. paulmakin: I usually buy on condition over age/mileage. My concern with the Saab is that it is impossible to tell whether the engine is sludged up from a visual inspection. Do you know the visual differences between the PCV systems or what the upgrade looks like. It would probably indicate that the car has had the issue dealt with already. Thanks all, good stuff so far.
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2004 Chevrolet Avalanche Z71 2005 Mercedes CLK320 Cabriolet 1996 Mercedes C180 Elegance Auto Saloon 1996 Rover 620Ti (Dead fuel pump) 1992 Toyota HiLux Surf 1987 Range Rover Vogue (Rusty) 1992 Range Rover Vogue SE (More Rusty) 2006 Chrysler Grand Voyager 2008 Corsa 1.4 Design
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eternaloptimist
Posted a lot
Too many projects, not enough time or space...
Posts: 2,578
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Jan 30, 2016 14:31:06 GMT
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Merlot. It suits them really well IMHO. The first owner went nuts with the options list. Ventilated seats for hot weather, as well as the usual heated, and factory sat nav. Not so useful; don't think new discs are available.
Too early to tell for me on fuel economy, but it's looking like 27mpg in less than ideal driving ( short journeys )
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XC70, VW split screen crew cab, Standard Ten
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Jan 30, 2016 15:18:11 GMT
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I own the exact model your after Saab 9-5 aero 2.3t auto Noob tune st3 albert 3" downpipe 3.5 bar fpr thats all it needs for 300 bhp and 440 nmf Very nice car and a nice place to be. Mine also runs on LPG so iam seeing real value at 45pl Apart from fitting some new bushes and a regular service ive not spent any money on the car. Super quick even in the auto form and youve got the sport button as well. Loads of room nice comfy seats . Everyone should own one at some point they reall are great cars to drive. Chris
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The louder you Scream the faster we go
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jonk
Part of things
Posts: 154
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Jan 30, 2016 17:00:14 GMT
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I get 32-34 on a long run at decent motorway speeds, and 25-29 on short journeys of 10-20 mins during the week, depending on how cold it is. Mine is espresso black I think, a hood looking estate I reckon.
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squonk
Part of things
Posts: 858
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Jan 30, 2016 18:02:28 GMT
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Killbill: Spot on perfect, I'm jealous!. LPG would be a bonus too. Presumably thats a sequential system that talks to the cars own ECU? Does the tank take up any load space or is it in place of the spare wheel?
jonk: Thats pretty much what I was hoping. Wife acceptable then as the Merc I'm currently using does about the same.
Apparently I'm not allowed to have one until at least three of the other cars have gone. So, goodbye Jeep, goodbye 92 Range Rover and goodbye Merc C180 estate (all three are spares/repairs cars now and I haven't got the time to sort them out anyway).
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2004 Chevrolet Avalanche Z71 2005 Mercedes CLK320 Cabriolet 1996 Mercedes C180 Elegance Auto Saloon 1996 Rover 620Ti (Dead fuel pump) 1992 Toyota HiLux Surf 1987 Range Rover Vogue (Rusty) 1992 Range Rover Vogue SE (More Rusty) 2006 Chrysler Grand Voyager 2008 Corsa 1.4 Design
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Jan 30, 2016 18:55:06 GMT
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i don't have a pic to hand but if you google "Saab PCV upgrade" the first hit will be the images which show the #6 upgrade.
not an absolute "tell" but the upgrade introduces check valves which are absent on the original so have a look at the breather hoses and see if you have them. check the condition of the hoses whilst you're there - if they're crusty and crumbling then you may already have debris in your oil-strainer
my current 9-5 is a '53 plate but presumably an 04 spec as the updated kit is already on there and no record of it having been retro-fitted
my mpg is currently showing 32 and change on a mixed diet of heavy commute but also a long motorway run last weekend. That's a St3 saloon (also espresso which i hated at first but quite like now)and i do occasionally kick it's head in
paul
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