Saab 9-5 Aero | PH Private Area
Hirsch upgrades from new, lots recently spent, a manual gearbox - talk about ticking all the boxes...
The news this week of the final Saab prototypes being sold off was a sad reminder of what might have been for the other Swedish car manufacturer. It seems strange that they hadn’t already left Trollhattan, given Saab’s receivership was so long ago. But with NEVS (National Electric Vehicle Sweden, created from the remains) not working out either, there really is no coming back. It’s been an ignominious end for a much-loved car brand. What a set of museum exhibits those final few cars could be…
Anyway, you probably don’t need us to tell you that, 15 years after the last new ones were sold in the UK, Saabs still remain much loved by a dedicated subset of enthusiasts. Quite a few of us lot, basically. Of course, the original 99s and 900s are the true connoisseurs’ classics, but there’s undoubtedly fondness for the GM era as well. Swift, sturdy and supremely comfortable (to say nothing of their affordability), they’ve been very popular secondhand Swedes for a long time.
A manual 9-5 Aero has been the Shed of the Week jackpot for time immemorial. And actually, while they’re maybe not as plentiful as they once were, it’s still possible to pick up a serviceable Saab with 260hp, three pedals and six gears for the price of a fancy holiday. Naturally, the concern will always remain about getting bits for old Saabs, but we’ve made it this far; the enthusiasm for and knowledge of these cars is such that they can clearly be kept running.
Then there’s this one. It appears like any other low-mileage 9-5 of the era, albeit a very nicely presented one given how notoriously tricky black is to keep clean - and the fact it's almost 20 years old. But look a little closer and there are some giveaways that not all is as it seems: the wheels are not standard Aero rums, the exhausts look chunkier than standard, and there’s an extra badge on the boot…
Yep, this is a 9-5 Aero that’s benefitted from Hirsch modifications, the company well known in Saab circles for their performance upgrades. Interestingly, too, this one was Hirsch’d from new, so has lived its whole life with 300hp. Which would imply this was purchased back in 2007 by a committed Saab fan; as would dry storing it for the first nine years of its life. It surely would have been someone’s pride and joy back then, an impression that remains to this day. Because check out what’s been replaced over the past 10 months: new clutch, new discs and pads, new springs, polybushes for the front subframe, new drop links… the list goes on. The total isn’t much less than half what’s now being asked for the car. And it’s all useful stuff that’ll make the car drive better, not just cosmetic sprucing to look good in an ad.
So now it sits on 54,000 miles, with an advisory-free MOT until the end of the year, with lots of recent maintenance items sorted - and an asking price of £8,850. We all know that doesn’t buy much these days - certainly it won’t get you a 300hp manual 5 Series - and good Saabs are surely going to remain in demand for a while yet. There really isn’t anything like them, which is why they were so admired in the first place. The perfect thing for a drive home from Fife, too…
Before I had a SAAB I never really noticed them, then I bought a 9-3 Sportwagon V6 which I kept for about 3 years, and now I see them everywhere.
They look even better to my eyes now compared to modern cars.....
This gen was always only 5-speed iirc.
Can’t help but always get misty eyed over Saabs
I had 3 for over 300k miles back in the day, although to my knowledge, I’m not MDT’s father
First imported a 9-3 Aero when it was over 30% cheaper to do that.
Then as the family grew, turned it in for a silver 9-5 Aero.
Finally gave into the need for the estate, a Dame Edna “Limited Edition” (essentially aero spec). Also not a fan of those Dame Edna’s, but I only saw the awful glasses when washing it
Never any major issues, although it was always wise to carry a spare DI cassette (which did let me down once).
Absolutely loved the “night” button. Plenty of rapid motorway miles munched up, & I can neither confirm nor deny that I had to cover 100 miles to LHR in one hour, in days before the proliferation of speed cameras. No siree, that wasn’t me just making a flight
So sad when it fell apart around 2014: saw myself moving up to the new model they brought out at the end, but given my miles I needed a vehicle that wouldn’t become an expensive heavy paperweight if the electronics etc failed, so I moved south to Gothenburg with a high-spec Volvo XC60. Even went there for a day trip after winning a Volvo competition years ago!
Still driving it, over 100k miles later, although finally considering whether to chop it in for something newer. Maybe another XC60….but sadly, not a Saab.
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