Picking up a Saab 9-5 tomorrow...

[JagPJ]

Hi all,

I'm planning to join the Saab fraternity tomorrow with a Saab 9-5 from Just Saab in Farnborough, linky below.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2010...

Got a full service history and in really good nick, everything works and drives well. Smooth and good gear change with a bit of poke.

Never had a Saab before, though a few family members have. I've always liked their performance and comfort. Though I know this 2L won't set my hair on fire, but just need something cheap to get me comfortably back and forth to work without being a Mondeo!

Anything I should know?

Cheers

PJ

[Clarkey boy]

If it is the full blown turbo it will be prety nippy for a big car.

[JeS10]

You should know they're infamously unreliable cars and arguably the worst SAAB have ever made. I should know, having owned mine for 6 months. To set the scene, i bought it with 117K, 3 owners - 2 women, and 1 man all of whom kept it with FSH. THe last bought of which were done at a specialist, and arguably one of the top SAAB boffins we've got. The last owner was an enthusiast, really liked the car. What he didn't tell me was that the 9-5 would command roughly £1200 in way of repairs from buying 'til now. I have admittedly have a slightly more aged MY98 2.3 LPT, but just beware of the problems that are common across the range.

Please, make sure the D.I cartridge has been replaced. Also, that the SID display works, the A/C blows required temperature on both sides. There is also a terrible problem with the PCV system. Just do some research on that.

All i can say is good luck... they're actually very nice to drive besides the infamously ugly reliability record.

Edited by JeS10 on Wednesday 21st July 22:07

Also, check the function of the handbrake. They're generally very poor on 9-5s.

Edited by JeS10 on Wednesday 21st July 22:08

[K321]

go to the nearest saab indie garage and ask them to do a change of the sump, it will cost about 250quid. i am not technical minded, but i heard that if u buy a 9.5 first thing you ought to do is change the sump, as if you dont do that the engine can blow up
i test drove a 9.5 and my dad had one, they are reliable cars if taken care properly and if you do the above (sump)

Edited by K321 on Thursday 22 July 17:49

[rscott]

JeS10 said:

You should know they're infamously unreliable cars and arguably the worst SAAB have ever made. I should know, having owned mine for 6 months. To set the scene, i bought it with 117K, 3 owners - 2 women, and 1 man all of whom kept it with FSH. THe last bought of which were done at a specialist, and arguably one of the top SAAB boffins we've got. The last owner was an enthusiast, really liked the car. What he didn't tell me was that the 9-5 would command roughly £1200 in way of repairs from buying 'til now. I have admittedly have a slightly more aged MY98 2.3 LPT, but just beware of the problems that are common across the range.

Please, make sure the D.I cartridge has been replaced. Also, that the SID display works, the A/C blows required temperature on both sides. There is also a terrible problem with the PCV system. Just do some research on that.

All i can say is good luck... they're actually very nice to drive besides the infamously ugly reliability record.

Edited by JeS10 on Wednesday 21st July 22:07

Also, check the function of the handbrake. They're generally very poor on 9-5s.

Edited by JeS10 on Wednesday 21st July 22:08

Sounds like you've been incredibly unlucky - 9-5s aren't normally that bad (try a 9-3 with it's chocolate bulkhead :-) ). There are plenty of examples of 250k plus mileage 9-5s around.

PCV system is only an issue on the Trionic 7 engines ( MY2000 onward). There is an updated kit available from the dealers which fixes is. As long as it's only had fully synthetic oil and regular changes, there aren't usually problems. A sump drop would confirm.
SID problems - these are cheap to fix - around £50 with a specialist.

[aeropilot]

rscott said:

JeS10 said:

You should know they're infamously unreliable cars and arguably the worst SAAB have ever made. I should know, having owned mine for 6 months. To set the scene, i bought it with 117K, 3 owners - 2 women, and 1 man all of whom kept it with FSH. THe last bought of which were done at a specialist, and arguably one of the top SAAB boffins we've got. The last owner was an enthusiast, really liked the car. What he didn't tell me was that the 9-5 would command roughly £1200 in way of repairs from buying 'til now. I have admittedly have a slightly more aged MY98 2.3 LPT, but just beware of the problems that are common across the range.

Please, make sure the D.I cartridge has been replaced. Also, that the SID display works, the A/C blows required temperature on both sides. There is also a terrible problem with the PCV system. Just do some research on that.

All i can say is good luck... they're actually very nice to drive besides the infamously ugly reliability record.

Edited by JeS10 on Wednesday 21st July 22:07

Also, check the function of the handbrake. They're generally very poor on 9-5s.

Edited by JeS10 on Wednesday 21st July 22:08

PCV system is only an issue on the Trionic 7 engines ( MY2000 onward).

ALL 4 cyl petrol engined Saab 9-5's (from 1998 onwards) are Trionic 7


And yes the early PCV system, combined with iffy servicing issues on the lpt cars have produced a real reliabilty issue, but, as mentioned a sump drop and clean out, latest PCV kit install, and use of full syth oil will stop the problem on early cars.
From MY2004 onwards the whole engine and PCV system was re-designed and that did cure the problem on the later cars.

DI cassette's are not a reliability issue, they are a consumable ignition item in the same way a set of points and a coil were in the old days

Again, the pixel problem was corrcted on later cars, and the ACC issue is not uncommon in most other cars, not just Saab's.

Edited by aeropilot on Monday 26th July 13:29

[tog]

Don't believe all the reliability scaremongering. I bought an early 9-5 2.3lpt, on a 1998/R plate, when it was three years old at 80,000 miles. Ran it for a further three years until 200,000 on the clock and had no day-to-day reliability problems with it at all. Timing chains were done at about 150k IIRC and it had a recon gearbox at 190k. Great comfy car, with a useful turn of speed if pushed. I was a press agency photographer at the time and it spent it's time rushing all over southern england, usually driven quite hard.