Thinking of another 9-5 Aero - but which one?

[RedLeicester]

Chaps, I'm thinking of another Aero to replace my current non-Saab work hack. Previously I've had a 2000 Saloon (so 230bhp pre-facelift) and a 2001 Estate (250bhp first facelift). I've also driven several of the curiously squidgy 2004 cars. All were manuals, but now I'm thinking of an Auto. Would definitely go for post-2001, but am wondering which year to roughly aim for? Would have to have lux-pack or be one of the anniversary models as I'm now used to every toy under the sun, but does anyone know how the 07+ Edna cars compare to the slightly earlier ones?

There's naff all money in it, so either would be an option. Personally I prefer the look both saloon and estate of the mid-noughties cars exterior, and most definitely prefer that same period interior rather than the later fiat/GM nastyness - though some of that would be alleviated by aiming for a car with the touchscreen nav.

Any thoughts? Is it worth a few pennies more for the extra 10hp and any sort of under-body suspension goodness, or shall I just go with a tried and trusted slightly older one?

[pmanson]

I've been looking at these as well (hopefully for a purchase next year).

I think the 2004 MY look better with the revised front bumper but spec's seem to vary widely.

[RedLeicester]

pmanson said:

I've been looking at these as well (hopefully for a purchase next year).

I think the 2004 MY look better with the revised front bumper but spec's seem to vary widely.

Yep likewise I like the newer bumper, but both the 2004s I have driven were soggy as hell and didn't handle as well as my 2001 which was a bit confusing. Heard via hearsay that the '04 ish cars had slightly modified suspension which was A Bad Thing, and subsequently rectified - no idea if that's accurate though.

[pmanson]

IIRC rear shocks are a weak point on 9-5s which would contribute to a soggy feeling.

Regarding Sat-Nav etc it appears that the Kenwood Double-Din units are a fairly easy swap. Depending on model you'll get iPod/USB comptability/Bluetooth etc for somewhere between £500-£1000.

Edited by pmanson on Thursday 9th September 12:47

[RedLeicester]

Aye I replaced the shocks on my 01 Aero at 130k, tis fairly common, but these were fresh out the box 04s, so should have been fine.

I'd personally go for the Saab nav unit, I'm not a fan of bolt-on "ICE" stuff.

[aeropilot]

RedLeicester said:

Aye I replaced the shocks on my 01 Aero at 130k, tis fairly common, but these were fresh out the box 04s, so should have been fine.

I'd personally go for the Saab nav unit, I'm not a fan of bolt-on "ICE" stuff.

If you want factory Nav, and the pre-Dame Edna look, then you need to look for a MY05 car rather than a MY04 one. The 05 got the slightly better Denso Nav system rather than the problematical Kenwood 2200 in the MY04 cars. You also get the advantage of a MP3 compatible single slot CD in the head unit as well as the boot mounted CD changer, whereas you only get the CD changer with the MY04 Kenwood system.
However, for some reason, there does appear to be less MY05 cars around with the Lux Pack fitted, as opposed to the MY04 cars....?

I'm not aware of any suspension differences between the MY01 through MY05 cars. The Dame Edna cars were changed slightly suspension wise.
The premature rear shock failure thing tends to be more with the pre-facelift cars rather than the 01-onwards versions, although, obviously, once the miles get racked up, over 100k all suspension units will be begining to be past their best anyway.

[T5GRF]

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