Should I want a Saab.....

[Mr E]

This



To this (2002 pre facelift Aero)



To a big fat Merc. Which is also (sadly) blue.

[Bluehawk]

Seeing as we are sharing... Here is my 03 95 HOT Aero

[dema]

Sharing is caring! The more the welcome!
That 02/03 in blue looks really nice!
The DE ( I now know what it stands for ) looks good but, but, on second thought, I wonder if it looks a bit too company car like..
I thought of a DE as the radio seems to be a straight swap to an aftermarket as I've read that the pre DE radios are not that great.
I think Alfas will still in my hart but, until I can afford a 159 TBI or a new Giulia I'll have to move on

[Mr E]

The stereo in my top spec aero was bloody dreadful and almost impossible to change.

[macp]

The stereo in my 2002 Aero was superb but in my 2006 DE it was pants.The stereo quality varies depending on what was fitted

Model years 98 - 2005

AS1 (popular) low end 4 speakers 80w

AS2 (premium) higher spec 7 speakers 150w

AS3 (prestige) 8/9 speakers 4 or 5dr 200w

Its similar again from 2006 on. The prestige kit is usually Harman Kardon.

Really good resource here http://www.mitt-eget.com/saab/faq_audio.shtml

[jmorgan]

^^^^^^^
I only use the cassette in mine for the iPod adapter and audio books. Looks like I might have a half decent stereo then, might try out a few tunes on the CD. Only had the car 8 years or so.......

[macp]

To add further something to look for when selecting a DE car.

Aero lux pack for the 2006 on DE included:

Driver's memory seat
Passenger electric seat
Heated rear seat
Rain sensing wipers
Harmon Kardon 9 speaker audio (8 in estate) with CD player in boot.
Memory door mirrors. Not sure about the fold and auto-dim.
Heated front seats were standard. Std car would have electric drivers seat and manual passenger seat, no memory..

I also think there was a comfort pack but not yet come across the details for that.

[Mr E]

macp said:

Really good resource here http://www.mitt-eget.com/saab/faq_audio.shtml

It is an excellent site for Saab Audio stuff.
We had an AS2, and it was dreadful. The Alfa was significantly better.
The Merc's is superb, but then it bloody should be for the money someone paid for it.

[BaronVonVaderham]

In the same boat situation-wise and have just picked up an e91 BMW 3 series msport touring. 3L of six cylinder goodness with 260 bhp.

It's practical and a pleasure to drive. Sounds lovely too.

[dema]

I did look at 3 series but e91 are out of budget and e46 are either overpriced or very high mileage.
Similar to an aero, 330i manual msport seems very thing on the ground

[BaronVonVaderham]

Are you sure they're out of budget? My e91 was <£9k and only 58k miles. Very very few manuals about though (mine is an auto).

[dema]

There are no e91 on the market now (with the spec I want) I did see an e46 with 61k at 4950 but was in the north of Scotland and I live in Bucks, a bit of a way to go

[macp]

dema said:

There are no e91 on the market now (with the spec I want) I did see an e46 with 61k at 4950 but was in the north of Scotland and I live in Bucks, a bit of a way to go

You have to travel to get what you want im afraid.My last two cars were from Bath and Northampton and my latest from just outside of Oxford and im in Cheshire.

[QBee]

If you fancy flapping your own arms and crossing your legs for 90 minutes each way, Sleazyjet can fly you from Luton to Inverness for £66 return.........

[dema]

Very true

[Nick67]

We've had our 2008 Edna 2.3 Aero Hot for 5 years, brilliant car all round.

Although it is large there is no issues in Town or down country lanes, however it is in it's element on the motorway where it munches up the miles. It's been on many a trip to Germany without any issues at the beginning of the year I did a 335 mile no stop trip to Newcastle, at the other end I got out 'fresh' as it is very comfortable, great seats and driving position.

When we bought it we could either have had a blue auto with no SatNav or this which is manual with SatNav. I'm glad I opted for this one as it is more economical, Road Tax is less and the engine just pulls in any gear. SatNav is OK, but cannot select destination above a very low speed which is frustrating. I found the radio very good, not sure how many speakers there are, but it gives a good sound. Due to FWD and power it can have a tendency to eat front tyres, but no worse than the 9-3 Cab it replaced albeit that was a 2.8 with Hirsch upgrade.

Having said all this, it is time for a change as my son is 17 in May so we need a car that he can learn to drive in and then use once he has passed his test. So we are now looking into what would be a suitable replacement and sell our trusted 'Edna'

[Bluehawk]

Nick67 said:

We've had our 2008 Edna 2.3 Aero Hot for 5 years, brilliant car all round.

Although it is large there is no issues in Town or down country lanes, however it is in it's element on the motorway where it munches up the miles. It's been on many a trip to Germany without any issues at the beginning of the year I did a 335 mile no stop trip to Newcastle, at the other end I got out 'fresh' as it is very comfortable, great seats and driving position.

When we bought it we could either have had a blue auto with no SatNav or this which is manual with SatNav. I'm glad I opted for this one as it is more economical, Road Tax is less and the engine just pulls in any gear. SatNav is OK, but cannot select destination above a very low speed which is frustrating. I found the radio very good, not sure how many speakers there are, but it gives a good sound. Due to FWD and power it can have a tendency to eat front tyres, but no worse than the 9-3 Cab it replaced albeit that was a 2.8 with Hirsch upgrade.

Having said all this, it is time for a change as my son is 17 in May so we need a car that he can learn to drive in and then use once he has passed his test. So we are now looking into what would be a suitable replacement and sell our trusted 'Edna'

I'm sure there is a PH rule against this...But at the time you wish to part ways with this
If you accidentally got in contact with me I would be very interested

[Saabaholic]

RedLeicester said:

QBee said:

I have had both the 9-3 and the 9-5, and think the 9-5 is a far better car. To me the 9-3 felt cramped, especially in the back. Don't be tempted to buy a 9-3 1.9 diesel auto. Hateful car, cannot pull briskly out of junctions because you cannot rev up and slip the clutch, like in a manual, so it has no power until the turbo kicks in.

This. I have had both and currently have a 9-3 as firstly I no longer need the space and secondly I needed to scratch the TX itch. So I now have the fastest Saab they ever made, and the bonus of 4WD which is handy out in the sticks. The boot is still good but reasonably sized adults are a smidge cramped in the back, and child seats would be a pain. Thankfully my anklebiters are more thigh-gnawers now so all that nonsense is behind me. Whilst the TX is a complete monster it's abundantly clear that the build quality isn't to the same level as the hewn-from-granite of the 9-5s. The only bit I'd challenge are the seats - the 9-5 seats are ace, the Premium leather sports seats in the TX and Carlsson are even better and I say that coming after two 9-5 Aeros where I didn't think they could get better.

Oh and performance isn't really an issue on the TX

FYI, the fastest car ever made by Saab (Stock from the showroom) is not the TX. I'm afraid that crown still resides with the 9000 CS Carlsson.

The later 9000 Aero although more refined, was never as quick as the CS Carlsson.

[RedLeicester]

Saabaholic said:

FYI, the fastest car ever made by Saab (Stock from the showroom) is not the TX. I'm afraid that crown still resides with the 9000 CS Carlsson.

The later 9000 Aero although more refined, was never as quick as the CS Carlsson.

Interesting, thanks for that. I started off with a body-kitted 9k Aero and it's not a patch on the TX. Figures for that state 60 in 6.7 or thereabouts, so about 1.3 seconds slower than the TX. Given the CS had the same power as the later Aeros, how on earth was it so much quicker than everything else?

[Ikobo]

macp said:

Hi Alex
All very arguable regarding the last proper Saab as some would say the 9000 or perhaps the 900 classic were the last proper Saabs.I have owned two 9-5 Aeros in fact just bought another but thats for another time . The first was a 2002 auto saloon and the 2nd was a Dame Edna 2006 car.I personally feel the pre DE cars particularly the late ones are better looking and better built than the DE cars.I believe its because there is more GM in the Dame Edna cars. Having said this they are still a nice place to sit and still have decent enough build quality. Either get a late Aero with all the toys or a manual Dame Edna to avoid the silly VED rates unless you can find an auto 55 plate DE which has a lot lower duty.

Cant really comment on the very last of the line cars not heard of the issues you mentioned but entirely possible. Below is a pic of the 9-5 sportwagon as they made a handful before shutting down and I thought they looked stunning.Such a shame.

Edited by macp on Monday 29th February 18:36

Edited by macp on Tuesday 1st March 10:16

I had no idea this even existed, love it. I've owned a 2007 Saab 93 Aero Anniversary estate for years, and have never known what, if anything, could ever replace it until now. Were any of these ever brought to the UK?

Edited by Ikobo on Tuesday 15th March 17:49