9-3 or 9-5 Aero?

[bakerstreet]

I owned an 05 9-3 1.9TTID Vector for two years and now have a 05 9-5 Aero Estate. I sold the 9-3 at 170k and its still going strong at 199k. The 9-5 has done 202k!

The interior on the 9-3 is much better and more modern that the 9-5s. The seats are superb in both. As someone else said, the stereos are pants. The one in 9-3 was a bit better than the one in my 9-5. Not much you can replace either due to the daft fibre connectivity.

I ran my 9-3 for over 40k and I'd like to say it was reliable, but it wasn't really. New intercooler, glow plugs, wiper linkage, thermostat, EGR and a few other bits. The alternator is a common issue with 9-3s of that era.

Excellent cruiser though and hugely practical for a saloon. Back seats folded flat using a convenient handle in the boot and you could get 3m lengths of timer in it

Only had the 9-5 for a month so its too early to tell regarding reliability. So far all I have replaced is two rear tyres and a fuse for the 12v

[otolith]

The stereo in our 9-5 is pretty good, but there were options;

http://www.saabscene.com/forum/threads/84460-AS2-v...

[steve S owner]

I ran a 9-5 aero and around town it did about 23 mpg. My current 9-3 aero 2 litre does late 20s around town helped by a Saabnoob remap. On a run the 9-5 would do low 30s whereas the 9-3 will do over 40mpg. Both cars are manuals. Sadly job change means I'm now selling the 9-3 but for a 250bhp car (remapped remember) its great on fuel.