Swedish affair
Discussion
Having spent a long time researching and idly considering something more interesting than my leased SUV, I missed out on this car in the Summer of 2021 when it was advertised on Pistonheads. Kicking myself, I kept my eyes peeled for another, and coincidentally in December the same year it reappeared on eBay and I snapped it up.
A previous owner went through it thoroughly with all service items addressed, plus poly bushed subframe and suspension arms, aftermarket intercooler, 3" downpipe, sports cat and a stage 1 remap. The 'phase 1' 3-spokes are a bit of fun - original spec would have been same size and offset 5 spoke wheels - though I've since acquired other wheels to keep it fresh, and allow an easy swap from summer to winter tyres.
I think I picked it up at a watershed moment. It was either going to be used, abused, neglected and run into the ground - Zero brand value, high road tax, poor fuel economy, Vectra in a suit etc - Or given a mid-life refresh and cared for.
I had the other car to use for 6 months before the lease ran out, and spent a fair amount of that time preparing it for daily service. Cleaning, sealing and protecting the underside, suspension and subframes. Arch liners out, sill covers off, surface corrosion removed and then a series of bilt hamber products applied - from rust converter to underbody wax.
Then it was onto the engine. It quickly transpired that it wasn't getting up to temperature. The dial guage indicated it was, but isn't a true indicator (it sits at normal in temp range 83-115°C to avoid worrying the owner!). Fortunately the remap enabled 'Open SID' (Saab Information Display), which provides a scroll-through digital read-out on sensor readings available to the ECU - this showed it took ages to warm up and the temperature plummeted when cruising at speed. New thermostat resolved that. Next issue, it lost most of its oomph when warm. Searching the forums for clues I found comments from several previous owners of the same car that they'd struggled with the same issue....... Took a while to sort, but in order: Spark plugs, ignition cassette, fuel filter; fuel rail; pressure regulator; injectors; engine earths. Yeehah! Traction light in 1st, 2nd, 3rd....
It is a really solid machine. Doors shut with a thud, comfy seats, high geared, tons of mid-range push, and handles surprisingly well. Being an Aero it has lowered and uprated suspension and thicker anti-roll bars. It's no sports car, but coming out of leased SUV, thanks to the mass being closer to the ground, it is a fairly sweet thing to hustle along.
It's one of those IYKYK cars. What has surprised me - secretly disappointed?
- is no-one knows! Still, it's mega value, brings a smile every day on my commute, has room for the family, dog and camping gear. I can't see me ever parting with it.
Enjoy this forum, classifieds and the Annual Service which I've just picked up my early ticket for '26.
Cheers!
A previous owner went through it thoroughly with all service items addressed, plus poly bushed subframe and suspension arms, aftermarket intercooler, 3" downpipe, sports cat and a stage 1 remap. The 'phase 1' 3-spokes are a bit of fun - original spec would have been same size and offset 5 spoke wheels - though I've since acquired other wheels to keep it fresh, and allow an easy swap from summer to winter tyres.
I think I picked it up at a watershed moment. It was either going to be used, abused, neglected and run into the ground - Zero brand value, high road tax, poor fuel economy, Vectra in a suit etc - Or given a mid-life refresh and cared for.
I had the other car to use for 6 months before the lease ran out, and spent a fair amount of that time preparing it for daily service. Cleaning, sealing and protecting the underside, suspension and subframes. Arch liners out, sill covers off, surface corrosion removed and then a series of bilt hamber products applied - from rust converter to underbody wax.
Then it was onto the engine. It quickly transpired that it wasn't getting up to temperature. The dial guage indicated it was, but isn't a true indicator (it sits at normal in temp range 83-115°C to avoid worrying the owner!). Fortunately the remap enabled 'Open SID' (Saab Information Display), which provides a scroll-through digital read-out on sensor readings available to the ECU - this showed it took ages to warm up and the temperature plummeted when cruising at speed. New thermostat resolved that. Next issue, it lost most of its oomph when warm. Searching the forums for clues I found comments from several previous owners of the same car that they'd struggled with the same issue....... Took a while to sort, but in order: Spark plugs, ignition cassette, fuel filter; fuel rail; pressure regulator; injectors; engine earths. Yeehah! Traction light in 1st, 2nd, 3rd....
It is a really solid machine. Doors shut with a thud, comfy seats, high geared, tons of mid-range push, and handles surprisingly well. Being an Aero it has lowered and uprated suspension and thicker anti-roll bars. It's no sports car, but coming out of leased SUV, thanks to the mass being closer to the ground, it is a fairly sweet thing to hustle along.
It's one of those IYKYK cars. What has surprised me - secretly disappointed?
- is no-one knows! Still, it's mega value, brings a smile every day on my commute, has room for the family, dog and camping gear. I can't see me ever parting with it.Enjoy this forum, classifieds and the Annual Service which I've just picked up my early ticket for '26.
Cheers!
Edited by Piston1976 on Sunday 1st March 10:51
Edited by Piston1976 on Sunday 1st March 10:53
Paul S4 said:
Always liked these ...apparently those engines can be tuned to produce amazing power,
more pics of your project ..!
All of the power variants use the same engine, so a simple and cheap remap can turn a 150bhp car into a 200bhp car. I believe the turbos may be different but that doesn't affect the ability to remap.more pics of your project ..!
I had a 1.8t and loved it.
Paul S4 said:
Always liked these ...apparently those engines can be tuned to produce amazing power,
more pics of your project ..!
Thanks. Extra pics on there now. The 9-5 predecessor - 9000 - used B234 which has stronger block and rods and can handle 400hp unopened! 300hp is the limit on B235 (block adapted to speed warm up and improve efficiency, thinner rods for weight or cost maybe). People have done a hybrid of the 2 which I might consider if this ever goes pop.more pics of your project ..!
98elise said:
Paul S4 said:
Always liked these ...apparently those engines can be tuned to produce amazing power,
more pics of your project ..!
All of the power variants use the same engine, so a simple and cheap remap can turn a 150bhp car into a 200bhp car. I believe the turbos may be different but that doesn't affect the ability to remap.more pics of your project ..!
I had a 1.8t and loved it.
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