RE: Saab 9-5 | Shed Buying Guide
Discussion
I've had my manual 9-5 Aero estate for nearly 7 years and still love it. Only the one moment where it failed to proceed with a broken fuel pump 30 minutes before leaving for the midnight ferry to Dunkirk, but Ian Allan Motors in Virginia Water came up trumps and helped me to get it running again in time for the ferry the following night. That's one of the reasons that I love Saabs - the enthusiasm for them can be felt all the way from owners to dealers.
I've done quite a bit of preventative maintenance on mine and more recently gave it a complete suspension overhaul with new rubber bushes all round and fitted Koni FSD dampers with Eibach springs - a brilliant combination for less than perfect road surfaces and imho suits the character of the car very nicely. I removed some of the negative camber in the rear and set front toe to 0 and it feels more responsive for it. Torque steer is negligible.
6k to 8k oil changes (based on driving conditions) with Millers CFS NT+ and their equivalent gearbox oil. I get 31.5mpg in mixed driving and 40mpg on the motorway. Even when towing a 1.5 tonne trailer it still sees >30mpg on long runs.
I've done quite a bit of preventative maintenance on mine and more recently gave it a complete suspension overhaul with new rubber bushes all round and fitted Koni FSD dampers with Eibach springs - a brilliant combination for less than perfect road surfaces and imho suits the character of the car very nicely. I removed some of the negative camber in the rear and set front toe to 0 and it feels more responsive for it. Torque steer is negligible.
6k to 8k oil changes (based on driving conditions) with Millers CFS NT+ and their equivalent gearbox oil. I get 31.5mpg in mixed driving and 40mpg on the motorway. Even when towing a 1.5 tonne trailer it still sees >30mpg on long runs.
Ah, the 9-5 Aero.
I've had two:
First was a 2004 facelifted 4-dr manual, so 250bhp, with heated front & rear seats etc. It was a mildly expensive way to do 18k in the time it was with me. Bought with heart and not head, ignoring obvious issues, so my own fault. Still, it had something about it in the way it would almost lope down the road, especially motorways. It was very, very easy to overtake in - 2nd / 3rd from 3000rpm was hilarious.
Sadly, when it developed gearbox & head issues, the country was in full recession, I'd been out of work a while and I just didn't have the funds or desire to keep pouring money into it, so sold it to my indie, who got it sorted and it ended up with someone on here.
Second was a 2007 Dame Edna auto estate. Not as many toys but a gentle uplift on power to 260bhp. I kept it for 4.5 years and did 84k+ or so in it, taking it from 108k to 192/3k. The heated seats were magnificently comfortable (in both) and would happily cook you through on winter mornings.
It needed a throttle body early in its time with me, dumped its power steering fluid all over a hotel car park in Birmingham (left it with a lad over the weekend, sourced a £90 part and got it back on the Monday for £100 labour) and, very much towards the end, a fuel pump at around 180k.
Other than tyres, brakes and servicing, it was a reasonable car to run. I switched pretty early on to 225 wide tyres from the 235s which improved economy and tyre wear.
Much, much happier on Tesco 99. Hilarious on kickdown, perfect on the motorway.
I tried selling it last year when I bought an E92 330i but, as it hadn't sold when it came to needing a kitchen, the BMW went and the Saab came back into use.
Good cars. I couldn't find another decent one to move onto when I finally decided to let it go in June this year.
They do just get under your skin.
I've had two:
First was a 2004 facelifted 4-dr manual, so 250bhp, with heated front & rear seats etc. It was a mildly expensive way to do 18k in the time it was with me. Bought with heart and not head, ignoring obvious issues, so my own fault. Still, it had something about it in the way it would almost lope down the road, especially motorways. It was very, very easy to overtake in - 2nd / 3rd from 3000rpm was hilarious.
Sadly, when it developed gearbox & head issues, the country was in full recession, I'd been out of work a while and I just didn't have the funds or desire to keep pouring money into it, so sold it to my indie, who got it sorted and it ended up with someone on here.
Second was a 2007 Dame Edna auto estate. Not as many toys but a gentle uplift on power to 260bhp. I kept it for 4.5 years and did 84k+ or so in it, taking it from 108k to 192/3k. The heated seats were magnificently comfortable (in both) and would happily cook you through on winter mornings.
It needed a throttle body early in its time with me, dumped its power steering fluid all over a hotel car park in Birmingham (left it with a lad over the weekend, sourced a £90 part and got it back on the Monday for £100 labour) and, very much towards the end, a fuel pump at around 180k.
Other than tyres, brakes and servicing, it was a reasonable car to run. I switched pretty early on to 225 wide tyres from the 235s which improved economy and tyre wear.
Much, much happier on Tesco 99. Hilarious on kickdown, perfect on the motorway.
I tried selling it last year when I bought an E92 330i but, as it hadn't sold when it came to needing a kitchen, the BMW went and the Saab came back into use.
Good cars. I couldn't find another decent one to move onto when I finally decided to let it go in June this year.
They do just get under your skin.
There's still such a lot of love for these cars - it's a travesty that General Motors and Spyker and whoever couldn't get their act together to keep the brand alive.
The estate version oif the 2010-introduced model looked brilliant, but they only made about 20 or 30 of them. I'd have another one happily if they were still made. Having had Volvo estates, BMW 5-series estates, Audi A6 estates, the Saab was still my favourite. As someone else said, they get under your skin.
The estate version oif the 2010-introduced model looked brilliant, but they only made about 20 or 30 of them. I'd have another one happily if they were still made. Having had Volvo estates, BMW 5-series estates, Audi A6 estates, the Saab was still my favourite. As someone else said, they get under your skin.
A few things I forgot to mention in my post above...
Specification - it varied wildly over the years. You bought a 2002 Aero, and everything was optional. In 2003 Saab threw literally every extra on there. In 2004 it was back to being 'basic' again. Although basic was decent enough! The 2005 models got a black dash-top and a higher-resolution SID display that don't fail. The reference to the ribbon cables in the article applies to the 1997-to-2004 models only - although the climate controls remained troublesome until the introduction of the Edna in late 2005.
Reliability - DI cassette of course - the AA used to carry spares back in the day. Crank Position Sensor makes it's defectiveness known by poor hot starting. Throttle body electronics could also give up, although this was allegedly just some cracked soldering. Saab would charge you £600 for a new one back in the day, although they got much cheaper with the number of failures in the mid-2000's. Bootlid wiring could fray - the same as any other car - leading to eclectic rear lighting. And the headlights & that orange relay... another weak point. Suspension top mounts were also prone to failure, but rebuilding them is easy enough. And sludge - the earlier LPT cars allegedly had semi-synthetic oil specified for them, which was substandard for this engine. So it used to congeal, block the oil pick-up & cause catastrophic engine failure. Not all of them of course, and any survivor is probably a good one.
The Biopower model was not a success in the UK. I remember Saab trying to make it Congestion Charge exempt, like LPG cars, as it could run on sustainable fuel (E85 Ethanol). Red Ken disagreed, and that was that. E85 was hard to come by anyhow, so there aren't many of that model about.
The Edna was officially launched in September 2005, but you see a lot of the previous gen models on 55 plates. They were late registrations that sat in showroom, forecourts, or Saab UK's car park. Saab sold a truckload of the 1.9TiD, which were of course all the Edna variant. Not the best engine in the world, but those cars tend to be the most unloved/abused in my experience. The opposite of the Aero in that sense.
I had the 2005-model 2.2TiD, which was a very old tech GM engine with (drumroll please) 120bhp. I did loads of miles in it, and it was a pleasant place to be - especially with the ventilated Aero leather interior I retrofitted. It also ran Aero suspension, bought from fellow PHer Aeropilot (of course) in 2007. I also tried out a Steinbauer tuning box that brought the power up to a respectable 145bhp. That engine developed a sticky EGR valve, so it came off, got cleaned & more importantly was copper greased before reassembling - no more sticky valve. That was the only fault.
I also remembered installing a Jamsaab gearchange in my Aero. Holy Gods of gearchanging, this was a revelation. A rifle bolt gearchange action was the result, replacing the Fiat Strada-esque act of stirring porridge that the standard (worn) gearchange had. I removed the reverse lock at the same time - no steering lock on these, just the reverse gear lock.
I also had a Forge dump valve. It was a bit pointless on this recirculating system (all air going to the engine is metered, so dump valves / blow-off valves etc do not work & will throw an error code).
Retrofits are handy enough - the aforementioned ventilated seats were straightforward. Heated seat loom was present, you just needed the seat part. OEM parking sensors were easy too, as the system is mostly prewired. Cruise control was broadly standard, but if you didn't have it, you changed the stalk, maybe added a pedal switch (again, the wiring was there) and you were set. No coding.
On that subject though, a TechII unit was a prerequisite for proper code reading / interrogation. However a basic OBD2 reader got you out of trouble with the engine easily enough. Other systems, like auto gearboxes, airbags etc needed the proper kit. There may well be a GM emulator by now, I'm a little out of touch.
UKSaabs remains the best UK forum for owners in my opinion, they're a very supportive bunch.
On road tax, pre-March 2006 are all below £315 (if that's the current ceiling?). Post March 2006, and the Auto Aero's are pricey to tax. Manuals are £315.
The seats, I have to agree! Although I now have the Comfort seats in my 5 series, which are the most comfortable seats ever.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And you can wrap the chrome in black easily enough.
Specification - it varied wildly over the years. You bought a 2002 Aero, and everything was optional. In 2003 Saab threw literally every extra on there. In 2004 it was back to being 'basic' again. Although basic was decent enough! The 2005 models got a black dash-top and a higher-resolution SID display that don't fail. The reference to the ribbon cables in the article applies to the 1997-to-2004 models only - although the climate controls remained troublesome until the introduction of the Edna in late 2005.
Reliability - DI cassette of course - the AA used to carry spares back in the day. Crank Position Sensor makes it's defectiveness known by poor hot starting. Throttle body electronics could also give up, although this was allegedly just some cracked soldering. Saab would charge you £600 for a new one back in the day, although they got much cheaper with the number of failures in the mid-2000's. Bootlid wiring could fray - the same as any other car - leading to eclectic rear lighting. And the headlights & that orange relay... another weak point. Suspension top mounts were also prone to failure, but rebuilding them is easy enough. And sludge - the earlier LPT cars allegedly had semi-synthetic oil specified for them, which was substandard for this engine. So it used to congeal, block the oil pick-up & cause catastrophic engine failure. Not all of them of course, and any survivor is probably a good one.
The Biopower model was not a success in the UK. I remember Saab trying to make it Congestion Charge exempt, like LPG cars, as it could run on sustainable fuel (E85 Ethanol). Red Ken disagreed, and that was that. E85 was hard to come by anyhow, so there aren't many of that model about.
The Edna was officially launched in September 2005, but you see a lot of the previous gen models on 55 plates. They were late registrations that sat in showroom, forecourts, or Saab UK's car park. Saab sold a truckload of the 1.9TiD, which were of course all the Edna variant. Not the best engine in the world, but those cars tend to be the most unloved/abused in my experience. The opposite of the Aero in that sense.
I had the 2005-model 2.2TiD, which was a very old tech GM engine with (drumroll please) 120bhp. I did loads of miles in it, and it was a pleasant place to be - especially with the ventilated Aero leather interior I retrofitted. It also ran Aero suspension, bought from fellow PHer Aeropilot (of course) in 2007. I also tried out a Steinbauer tuning box that brought the power up to a respectable 145bhp. That engine developed a sticky EGR valve, so it came off, got cleaned & more importantly was copper greased before reassembling - no more sticky valve. That was the only fault.
I also remembered installing a Jamsaab gearchange in my Aero. Holy Gods of gearchanging, this was a revelation. A rifle bolt gearchange action was the result, replacing the Fiat Strada-esque act of stirring porridge that the standard (worn) gearchange had. I removed the reverse lock at the same time - no steering lock on these, just the reverse gear lock.
I also had a Forge dump valve. It was a bit pointless on this recirculating system (all air going to the engine is metered, so dump valves / blow-off valves etc do not work & will throw an error code).
Retrofits are handy enough - the aforementioned ventilated seats were straightforward. Heated seat loom was present, you just needed the seat part. OEM parking sensors were easy too, as the system is mostly prewired. Cruise control was broadly standard, but if you didn't have it, you changed the stalk, maybe added a pedal switch (again, the wiring was there) and you were set. No coding.
On that subject though, a TechII unit was a prerequisite for proper code reading / interrogation. However a basic OBD2 reader got you out of trouble with the engine easily enough. Other systems, like auto gearboxes, airbags etc needed the proper kit. There may well be a GM emulator by now, I'm a little out of touch.
UKSaabs remains the best UK forum for owners in my opinion, they're a very supportive bunch.
gigglebug said:
Also called Saabnoob maybe and in the Nottingham area of UK?
That's him, Long Eaton. The guy is a genius!Reciprocating mass said:
I’ve had a problem with finding a decent outer cv joint that lasts longer than 5 thousand miles, it’s on it’s 3rd and last one...
Took me 2 lots of wheel bearings before I got one that lasted longer than 2000 miles and all the bits have come from saab specialists... maybe I should replace the 18 inch wheels with 17’s perhaps that’s the problem
I have never heard of CV or bearing issues on these cars. I think I'd put a known-good secondhand unit in there (hub & driveshaft) rather than hemorrhaging more money on supposedly OEM parts. Doubting the 18in wheels have much to do with it.Took me 2 lots of wheel bearings before I got one that lasted longer than 2000 miles and all the bits have come from saab specialists... maybe I should replace the 18 inch wheels with 17’s perhaps that’s the problem
Prohibiting said:
Servicing wise, I changed the fully sync oil every 6-months and had to buy a new DIC pack. Make sure you get a genuine one. Other than that, nothing went wrong. Mine was a rare spec as it had an electric sunroof, manual gearbox and a Harmen Karden soundsystem, plus of course all the Aero options that came as standard....
the tax was expensive.
Oil-wise, I couldn't agree more. On the DI Cassette, I put a secondhand £50 unit in the boot. When mine failed, it took 5 mins to change on the roadside, and I was good to go for another 30,000 miles. The crankshaft position sensor is another thing prone to failure, usually when hot starting. Easy job to change (not on the roadside mind, but good preventative maintenance). the tax was expensive.
On road tax, pre-March 2006 are all below £315 (if that's the current ceiling?). Post March 2006, and the Auto Aero's are pricey to tax. Manuals are £315.
apc321 said:
First thing you do when you buy one is get it serviced. Especially change all the little hoses (about 5 in total) on the top of the engine to do with the turbo.
Great seats...
Good looking car (with exception of later model types from after about 2005).
Buy a roll of Samco vacuum hose, and replace the hoses one-by-one. They go brittle over time, especially with those huge underbonnet temperatures.Great seats...
Good looking car (with exception of later model types from after about 2005).
The seats, I have to agree! Although I now have the Comfort seats in my 5 series, which are the most comfortable seats ever.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And you can wrap the chrome in black easily enough.
bigtomski said:
Looking good there Tom 
Hairymonster said:
The estate version of the 2010-introduced model looked brilliant, but they only made about 20 or 30 of them. I'd have another one happily if they were still made. Having had Volvo estates, BMW 5-series estates, Audi A6 estates, the Saab was still my favourite.
I recall the receivers sold them at auction, and someone managed to get one road-registered. Maybe not a challenge in the UK with SVA, but on continental Europe, near impossible. There's a unicorn for sure.Edited by BFleming on Wednesday 9th October 08:48
Ah. I remember sitting in Trollhättan close to Christmas 2003 cadding the rear lamp/bumper for the 9-5 Estate '05 facelift.
One hurdle was they wanted to fit the same reg-plate holder to both saloon and the estate (to cut costs of course) which was tricky cos the two cars didn't share the rear top curvature. But we did it eventually.
Also there was a new sill skirt to go with the new front/rear bumpers, with a completely different/roundish section than the production one - which was the old one, another very late cost cut. I thought this was really stupid, to me it destroyed the overall impression. However customers didn't seem to notice - you don't miss what you don't know existed I suppose.
The day before christmas eve Michael Mauer went around to the few of us working late saying Merry Xmas. I tried a quick "Guten Weinachten" which got him stop short, raising his finger and saying (with a wry smile) : "Nein! Frohe Weinachten!"
Quite nice fellow, who of course went on to Porsche where he still is. He had his office completely filled with 1:18 cars - never seen so many in one place, never mind an office!
One hurdle was they wanted to fit the same reg-plate holder to both saloon and the estate (to cut costs of course) which was tricky cos the two cars didn't share the rear top curvature. But we did it eventually.
Also there was a new sill skirt to go with the new front/rear bumpers, with a completely different/roundish section than the production one - which was the old one, another very late cost cut. I thought this was really stupid, to me it destroyed the overall impression. However customers didn't seem to notice - you don't miss what you don't know existed I suppose.
The day before christmas eve Michael Mauer went around to the few of us working late saying Merry Xmas. I tried a quick "Guten Weinachten" which got him stop short, raising his finger and saying (with a wry smile) : "Nein! Frohe Weinachten!"
Quite nice fellow, who of course went on to Porsche where he still is. He had his office completely filled with 1:18 cars - never seen so many in one place, never mind an office!
Edited by Pereldh on Wednesday 9th October 09:14
otolith said:
BFleming said:
And the headlights & that orange relay... another weak point.
Oh, yeah, mine did that too. Forgot about that. And the brake servo went, causing idling problems.I absolutely love my 9-5 Aero (2004), makes me laugh every time I drive it! Great amounts of torque, pulls so nicely in every gear, comfiest car I've ever sat in!
Bear in mind I'm only 22 so I haven't experienced every car, but for the £1450 I paid for it, I can't believe what a bargain it is! I'm even managing to get 28 mpg, which is pretty decent considering I drive like an utter t
t most of the time.
Only downside of the car is cornering. It doesn't really corner at all. But in a straight line, I'm far ahead of any of my friends more modern soulless boxes.
If you're looking for a long distance cruiser, look no further.
Bear in mind I'm only 22 so I haven't experienced every car, but for the £1450 I paid for it, I can't believe what a bargain it is! I'm even managing to get 28 mpg, which is pretty decent considering I drive like an utter t
t most of the time. Only downside of the car is cornering. It doesn't really corner at all. But in a straight line, I'm far ahead of any of my friends more modern soulless boxes.
If you're looking for a long distance cruiser, look no further.
chazza114 said:
I absolutely love my 9-5 Aero (2004) ... Only downside of the car is cornering. It doesn't really corner at all.
Polybush the front subframe and the anti-roll bar (both at the same time is easier) and it'll corner a lot better than it ever did from the factory. Doing the subframe in particular is a gigantic difference over standard.I miss my 1999 95 Griffin!
I have never had such a great all rounder with every luxury option .
Mine also survived an incident that involved me taking avoiding action after taking my eye off the ball and I opted to tackle one of those raised roundabouts rather than hit a car that had decided not to pull on to the roundabout .
( yes I was going too fast)
The car did get airborne and in landing it damaged three of the factory alloys but very little else!
She was tough!!
I have never had such a great all rounder with every luxury option .
Mine also survived an incident that involved me taking avoiding action after taking my eye off the ball and I opted to tackle one of those raised roundabouts rather than hit a car that had decided not to pull on to the roundabout .
( yes I was going too fast)
The car did get airborne and in landing it damaged three of the factory alloys but very little else!
She was tough!!
BFleming said:
Polybush the front subframe and the anti-roll bar (both at the same time is easier) and it'll corner a lot better than it ever did from the factory. Doing the subframe in particular is a gigantic difference over standard.
That's the plan eventually, probably get it done in the new year! Currently in the process of installing all the Stage 3+ bits, because I'm a bit of an idiot. I know I should sort out the handling before adding more power, but I'm not too concerned.
BFleming said:
chazza114 said:
I absolutely love my 9-5 Aero (2004) ... Only downside of the car is cornering. It doesn't really corner at all.
Polybush the front subframe and the anti-roll bar (both at the same time is easier) and it'll corner a lot better than it ever did from the factory. Doing the subframe in particular is a gigantic difference over standard.I vaguely remember a fabricator bod who made beautiful stainless downpipes for Saabs even though bikes were his main passion. I definitely would have invested in one those if I'd have kept it (along with another trip to Saabnoob of course)
chazza114 said:
Currently in the process of installing all the Stage 3+ bits, because I'm a bit of an idiot. I know I should sort out the handling before adding more power, but I'm not too concerned.
That's the way - straight line power first, cornering second!I found a box of front springs (may be OEM Aero springs) & Hirsch dampers in the garage at the weekend, free for collection if anyone wants them. One of the dampers doesn't rebound, but there's resistance there all the same.
Had one for 10 months, would never recommend anyone else buy one ever.
2007 9-5 1.9 vector Sport Wagon
in no particular order of severity or annoyance and I've probably forgotten loads
Bad points:
Rust, arches, suspension, all over the shop.
Handbrake that weekly re adjusted itself despite new parts being fitted and would not even consider holding the car in place
Auto box that shat itself each drive with no reasoning & went into limp mode, no SAAB 'Specialists' were interested in looking at it.
MPG, never saw higher than 35 even when driving like a grandma
Headlight level adjuster replaced twice
window switches would stop working randomly despite being taken apart and cleaned
parts, have a cracked rear lens? Good fking luck finding one, and when you do good luck finding one that isn't stupidly expensive
Remove front bumper fully to replace headlight bulbs
random cheap GM interior parts that snap crackle, pop and generally don't work
Fancy a better headunit ? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA NO.
Random EMLs that appear and vanish.
Other SAAB owners insisting on flashing their headlights at you.
Good points:
I no longer have it.
2007 9-5 1.9 vector Sport Wagon
in no particular order of severity or annoyance and I've probably forgotten loads
Bad points:
Rust, arches, suspension, all over the shop.
Handbrake that weekly re adjusted itself despite new parts being fitted and would not even consider holding the car in place
Auto box that shat itself each drive with no reasoning & went into limp mode, no SAAB 'Specialists' were interested in looking at it.
MPG, never saw higher than 35 even when driving like a grandma
Headlight level adjuster replaced twice
window switches would stop working randomly despite being taken apart and cleaned
parts, have a cracked rear lens? Good f
king luck finding one, and when you do good luck finding one that isn't stupidly expensiveRemove front bumper fully to replace headlight bulbs
random cheap GM interior parts that snap crackle, pop and generally don't work
Fancy a better headunit ? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA NO.
Random EMLs that appear and vanish.
Other SAAB owners insisting on flashing their headlights at you.
Good points:
I no longer have it.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Having just explained to my partner todays bright idea which is to buy the car above and all the various things I would do to it she has nothing better to add than just give me her 'what the fk are you on about now' look.
Having just explained to my partner todays bright idea which is to buy the car above and all the various things I would do to it she has nothing better to add than just give me her 'what the f
k are you on about now' look. Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff