Saab 9-5 reliability
Discussion
How reliable is the Saab 9-5 1.9 (150bhp) diesel estate?
www.reliabilityindex.co.uk/
rates it as 113 (i.e. 112 is average)
I always thought that Saabs were pretty reliable, but by this it would seem that they are not infallable.
My other possibility is a Mazda 6 2.0 (143) diesel estate which has reliability of 76.
Is that index a good guide?
www.reliabilityindex.co.uk/
rates it as 113 (i.e. 112 is average)
I always thought that Saabs were pretty reliable, but by this it would seem that they are not infallable.
My other possibility is a Mazda 6 2.0 (143) diesel estate which has reliability of 76.
Is that index a good guide?
I've run five Saabs over the years, and never had any major problem with any of them.
My last two were 9-5 Aeros, so the 2.3HOT engine - sold the first at 120k, 2001 230bhp car, still on the original exhaust, second clutch. The second, a 2002 250bhp car is now owned by a friend, something north of 180k and still on the original clutch. It had new shocks for £600 at 130k, and a new exhaust back box for £180 @ 165k. Other than that, nothing more than routine servicing. Fabulous cars.
All the people I know who have had problems were with the early 2.2TiD and the 3.0V6 TiD, barring one who had issues with a 2.0t, but then he lacked for any mechanical sympathy whatsoever, so he'd have destroyed a Sherman tank.
My last two were 9-5 Aeros, so the 2.3HOT engine - sold the first at 120k, 2001 230bhp car, still on the original exhaust, second clutch. The second, a 2002 250bhp car is now owned by a friend, something north of 180k and still on the original clutch. It had new shocks for £600 at 130k, and a new exhaust back box for £180 @ 165k. Other than that, nothing more than routine servicing. Fabulous cars.
All the people I know who have had problems were with the early 2.2TiD and the 3.0V6 TiD, barring one who had issues with a 2.0t, but then he lacked for any mechanical sympathy whatsoever, so he'd have destroyed a Sherman tank.
Bluebarge said:
Hmmm. The petrols are not without their problems - oil sludging, turbos blowing, cps, throttle bodies, timing chains. Check out Honest John's review for a broad overview. I'd only buy a higher mileage one with a warranty or a sizeable "repair fund" in reserve.
Honest John 
wouldnt know a decent car if it ran him over.Servicing is/was key to any engine. The sludge problem is due to the use of non synthetic oils which is well documented and easy to avoid. Saab engines are very tuneable and last forever if well maintained. Although I can only speak for petrol engines. As for the other things like turbo's etc I have never heard of any recurrring problemswith these.
My previous SAAB was 100% reliable , but an absolute nightmare to live with.
So many creaks & rattles I gave up trying to fix them. I'd recommend one if you have bad hearing or like playing loud music!!. But even that may be a problem. Recent SAAB sound systems have been way over designed & integrated into the car. Fibre optics & all sorts of muppetry, which make it near impossible to upgrade!
So many creaks & rattles I gave up trying to fix them. I'd recommend one if you have bad hearing or like playing loud music!!. But even that may be a problem. Recent SAAB sound systems have been way over designed & integrated into the car. Fibre optics & all sorts of muppetry, which make it near impossible to upgrade!
siwil1 said:
Bluebarge said:
Hmmm. The petrols are not without their problems - oil sludging, turbos blowing, cps, throttle bodies, timing chains. Check out Honest John's review for a broad overview. I'd only buy a higher mileage one with a warranty or a sizeable "repair fund" in reserve.
Honest John wouldnt know a decent car if it ran him over.Servicing is/was key to any engine. The sludge problem is due to the use of non synthetic oils which is well documented and easy to avoid. Saab engines are very tuneable and last forever if well maintained. Although I can only speak for petrol engines. As for the other things like turbo's etc I have never heard of any recurrring problemswith these.
As for the problems I mentioned, my 9-5 suffered from 3 of them - turbo blown, cps and throttle body + a failed DI Cassette which I forgot to mention is a common issue also (although may be fixed under a "goodwill" warranty) - all within the space of 9 months, at a combined cost of approx £1400, and all before the car had hit 90k. The car had FSH and used synthetic oil. These are common problems with Saab 9-5s and whether they "recur" on the same car is a bit irrelevant - these components have a history of failure which you should take into account in deciding whether to buy a 9-5 petrol.
Agreed that turbo, cps and DI cassette are common problems, but my (first) turbo lasted 189k miles, my first cps lasted 144k miles and my DI cassette was replaced at 78k miles under warranty. The DI cassettes for certain chassis nos are being replaced FOC by Saab as they acknowledge that their is a fault. Turbos and cps's seem to fail at variable mileages, but these days aren't expensive, my turbo was £250 + fitting (done by myself and a neighbour) and cps's are about £60 (15 minute job to fix).
Whilst I accept that Bluebarge has these issues and Honest John has highlighted common issues, these cars are capable of completing stellar mileages without costing an arm and a leg, and my car has been far cheaper pro-rata to run than my previous car (Audi A8).
davidy
Whilst I accept that Bluebarge has these issues and Honest John has highlighted common issues, these cars are capable of completing stellar mileages without costing an arm and a leg, and my car has been far cheaper pro-rata to run than my previous car (Audi A8).
davidy
Cobblers... he repairs shoes aswell interesting !
The last time I looked at honest john it was a small slot in the torygraph and it spewed out a load of tripe (imo). It looks like its moved on to become a website and as its on the internet every thing it says it must be true!
The point I was trying to make is all manufacturers/engines have issues, Saab are definately no worse than say BMW-vanos Mazda-rotary tips Rover k series-head gasket Audi-turbo's on diesals etc etc.
Again I had a k series engined Elise it was driven hard for 20k miles did I lunch the head gasket ...no but if I was to believe all I read the gasket was made from cheese and I was lucky to get off the forecourt.
You seem to have had a bad experience with a Saab although you havent listed any details about your cars in your profile so we dont know age etc. I and Davidy and plenty of others on here and Saabscene have had excellent service for many miles from Saabs which offer fantastic value for money motoring and I anticipate many more to come based on Davidy's experience.
The last time I looked at honest john it was a small slot in the torygraph and it spewed out a load of tripe (imo). It looks like its moved on to become a website and as its on the internet every thing it says it must be true!
The point I was trying to make is all manufacturers/engines have issues, Saab are definately no worse than say BMW-vanos Mazda-rotary tips Rover k series-head gasket Audi-turbo's on diesals etc etc.
Again I had a k series engined Elise it was driven hard for 20k miles did I lunch the head gasket ...no but if I was to believe all I read the gasket was made from cheese and I was lucky to get off the forecourt.
You seem to have had a bad experience with a Saab although you havent listed any details about your cars in your profile so we dont know age etc. I and Davidy and plenty of others on here and Saabscene have had excellent service for many miles from Saabs which offer fantastic value for money motoring and I anticipate many more to come based on Davidy's experience.
hora said:
siwil1 said:
The last time I looked at honest john it was a small slot in the torygraph and it spewed out a load of tripe (imo). It looks like its moved on to become a website and as its on the internet every thing it says it must be true!
This weekend? I was abit annoyed. Punters question in the Telegraph - 'me and missus have two aging Jap cars. Looking for a convertible with Jap-reliability for our retirement'.Answer from HJ - 'the nearest you are looking at is a Lexus and thats £35,000'!
Not even an inkling or even a guess at what I would have recommended FFS.
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