Late gen1 9-5 buying advice

Late gen1 9-5 buying advice

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HaplessBoyLard

Original Poster:

1,550 posts

189 months

Tuesday 7th February 2023
quotequote all
I’m coming to the end of my lease on a Superb estate. Great car, but lease prices are insane compared to 2.5 years ago, so I’m not keen to get tied into another contract for now.

Used car prices are inflated too, but my search for a replacement has brought me to the 9-5. They look comfortable and spacious enough for doing my regular A road and DC commuting. I currently work away during the week 110 miles from home, returning on weekends. Next year I’d expect to back home full time and possibly doing a daily 80ish mile round trip.

I live very close to Hagstrom Saab in Norfolk, which I’m sure the enthusiasts amongst you will have heard of. They always seem to have a number of 9-5 diesel estates for sale and I’m considering something in the region of £3.5k to £5k for a well maintained 80-110k mile car from around 2009.

Are these cars still a good used buy? The prices seem on the high side, but I’d expect a car from a well known specialist to be a safer bet than any other place. Hagstrom provide 3 month warranty on their cars, which doesn’t count for a lot when I’d expect to own it for 4-5 years and cover 50-60k, but at least they’re willing to stand by their sales for a period of time.

Outside of the odd fault you’re going to get with a 14 year old car, are 9-5s known for any big issues? I’d probably want the auto, but would consider a manual if the auto box is known for being fragile.

Any big ticket scheduled maintenance items to look out for or budget for when buying?

The cars seem to have a fairly standard spec, which seems adequate, but are there any particular options to look for? I’d be pulling the standard head unit out and replacing it with a CarPlay enabled double din unit, but apart from that they seem to have most things I’d want.

Any info you could let a potential buyer would be much appreciated.

Cheers.