Talk to me about 9-5 aero's

[forks]

Hi, I'm currently in the process of considering a car change, and after 7 years in an Integra Type R, I think its about time I got something a little more sensible.
After looking at various Audis/ BMW's I was looking on the net and have come to the conclusion that I'd get a lot more for my money by considering the above.
I've done a bit of research when I've had time, and they seem reliable enough, short of something I read about an oil sludge problem affecting cars around the 2002-2003 mark, but unless - read it wrongly, this has been sorted by a recall/ warranty at the time, plus a reccomendation that only fully synthetic oil is used.
Are there any other points I should take into consideration? My Integra has been faultlessly reliable, and although I know its a risk you take with any secondhand purchase, as much as possible I'd like to minimise the chance of seeing myself off, by at least having some sort of clue as to what. The main things to check for are.
Many thanks in advance.

[Craig W]

You get so much car for your money compared to the usual BMW's/Audi's.

The sludge problem is nothing to worry about really, most of them have had the problem sorted with a different breather set up, just make sure it has a full service history. If you do end up with one, get the oil changed every 6000 miles, and if you need to do the oil breather set up it is around £120 IIRC. Also, you can easily check to see if there is a problem by dropping the sump and having it cleaned/do it yourself.

However, they are expensive to fix if they go wrong. But all in all, they are brilliant.

[forks]

Thanks for the quick reply!
I've pretty much made up my mind with regard to one, as you echoed, you do get a lot for your money. I had figured that repairs would be a tad on the pricey side, and this is fine as long as it didn't happen on the drive home! Apart from personal preference, would a manual or auto be the better option? And, being that I'd be looking at the 2002- 2004 models, is there a specific trim level/ spec that I should be looking out for? I did see a 53 reg one, blue with tan leather which caught my eye, this had a FSH and 52k at £3750, which I thought was damn good value!

[Phil Dicky]

I've had two 2000 and 2002 the last one I ran up to over 160k so they stand high mileage. Check the spec of cars your looking at, as post 2003 cars had park sensors, elctric seats and Xenons as standard 2002 cars dont.
All in all top cars and I'm looking to get another myself.

Edited by Phil Dicky on Saturday 22 January 21:14

[aeropilot]

forks said:

And, being that I'd be looking at the 2002- 2004 models, is there a specific trim level/ spec that I should be looking out for? I did see a 53 reg one, blue with tan leather which caught my eye, this had a FSH and 52k at £3750, which I thought was damn good value!

I wrote this up for one of the Saab forums a few years back....should cover what you need to know regarding Aero Specs.


The original MY00-MY01 Aeros, were by default ‘poverty’ spec, in that most of the desirable toys were extra cost options, such as rear park sensors, electric memory front seats, heated seats, electric sunroof, ventilated front seats, AS2 or AS3 audio upgrade. Engine spec was nominally 230hp, but in reality was a bit more. The automatic versions had a 4-speed auto gearbox. Seats etc in an Aero were as per the SE version. Aero alloys were 17” 3 spoke style.

For MY02 from Sept 01 on as said there was something like 1200 improvements, including the new front end with new light units and the omission of the headlight wipers because of the new plastic lenses. The suspension was heavily revised with new stronger front hubs. The interior was also revised with new ‘sports’ style front seats with extra bolstering. Aero alloys were now the 17” 10 vane alloy version. Audio for MY02 for an Aero was now the AS2 as standard. From start of face lift MY02 in Sept 01 to about Mar/Apr 02 all the toys on an Aero were individual extra cost option again, such as sunroof, park assist, rain sensor wipers, electric memory front seats, wood dash, heated seats, xenons, AS3 audio upgrade, ventilated front seats etc etc.
So, an early first 6 months MY02 Aero can be seen in base poverty spec or with any combination of extras.
From Mar/Apr 02 the UK spec Aero got the free dealer upgrade as standard, which included the xenons, park assist, auto dim int mirror, heated front and rear seats, electric mem front seats.
Also, if you are looking at an auto, the MY02 cars had the conventional 5-speed auto gearbox.

For MY03 starting in Sept 02 thru to Aug 03, all the free options on the late 02 cars were carried over to the MY03 spec, but with AS3 audio upgrade, sunroof, rain sensor wipers, wood dash, vented front seats and the new electric fold auto dim door mirrors and factory Sat Nav all still individual extra cost options.
However, MY03 also saw the introduction of the Aero Lux Pack, which bundled together the AS3 upgrade, power fold mirrors and rain sensor wipers together in one option pack for a bargain £300 or so.
From MY03 the autogearbox become the Sentronic auto that had the manual shift flappy paddles mounted behind the steering wheel just below the 9 to 3 position.

Standard alloys for MY02 and 03 was the 10 vane 17".


For MY04 starting around Sept 03, the Aero was uniquely restyled with a new front apron, side skirts and rear apron, and the new 5 spoke EVO wheels became standard. The other big difference for MY04 was the new engine block/head and PCV system which hopefully has finally cured the dreaded sludge issue that the 9-5 has gained a reputation for, although the Aero were always less prone to this than the lpt's were.
However, GM penny pinching also meant a return to poverty spec Aero's as standard, similar to the early 02 cars, although, the park assist and xenons were now included in the standard Aero spec. Penny pinching also included removal of the cargo net B pillar pockets for MY04 and a few other minor items.
So, all the individual options listed above continued, plus some other items such as you could have a drivers only electric seat without memory, as well as the option of both front seats being electric with mem on drivers as before, oh and a carbon fibre dash became an option along with the traditional wood one. The Aero Lux Pack continued as before, but added the heated front and rear seats and elec.mem front seats to the pack, which was now £1450.
If looking at a MY04 car, if you want toys, then only look for a car that has the Aero Lux Pack fitted.

For MY05, not much changed between 04, the few changes being the better Denso Satnav system being available compared to the previous Kenwood system from year 03-04. Two other minor items changed for 05 was the deletion of the fuel filler flap internal release button on the door, and the removal of the winter mode button on the automatic gearbox.

Again, best look for a Lux Pack car as per MY04.

[Craig W]

I'm not sure which is the better box, just down to preference I would have manual, the power band is brilliant, have you driven one? You can get 330bhp+ pretty easily, can be absolute weapons with a bit of tinkering.

This guy is a member on one of the forums, he has his own little website, it should be good reading for you, I found it very helpfull.

http://johnossaab9-5.synthasite.com/

The best forum I found is http://www.uksaabs.co.uk/UKS/ very knowledgeable and friendly.

Chap above mentioned the spec.

[aeropilot]

Craig W said:

You can get 330bhp+ pretty easily

Yes....... and no.

You need forged pistons for power levels above about 315-320hp.

[Craig W]

^^ There you go, was waiting to be corrected, couldn't quite remember how far you can go with them.

[aeropilot]

Craig W said:

^^ There you go, was waiting to be corrected, couldn't quite remember how far you can go with them.

And it starts getting quite expensive if you want to get above about 285 ish, as you start to need expensive hardware such as new cobra pipe with matched turbo compressor intake, bigger intercooler etc.,etc.

[forks]

Absolutely fantastic, cheers guys, just the sort of info I was looking for, so thank you for taking the time to post all those details. I think my next step will be to follow the posted links, and then possibly join a forum. The Integra forum is good for info etc, but as I'm knocking on the door of 40, the general atmosphere in there was bordering on infantile, something I don't envisage on one for Saabs. Once again, many thanks.

[forks]

Oh, and as for looking for more power, I may go down that road, but its not something I'd be actively pursuing. I haven't as yet driven one, partly due to time constraints, and partly due to the fact I'd like to sell my current car first if possible. I'll shortly be on the hunt though, and will no doubt post back here with my impressions. I should have a budget of around 5k, which from what I've seen so far, should get me exactly what I'm looking for.
In particular, thanks for the Lux Pack info, none of the few cars I looked at mentioned this in the ads, and its definitely something I'd like in whatever I buy.

[forks]

Oh, and as for looking for more power, I may go down that road, but its not something I'd be actively pursuing. I haven't as yet driven one, partly due to time constraints, and partly due to the fact I'd like to sell my current car first if possible. I'll shortly be on the hunt though, and will no doubt post back here with my impressions. I should have a budget of around 5k, which from what I've seen so far, should get me exactly what I'm looking for.
In particular, thanks for the Lux Pack info, none of the few cars I looked at mentioned this in the ads, and its definitely something I'd like in whatever I buy.

[forks]

Whoops, double post...

[aeropilot]

forks said:

Oh, and as for looking for more power, I may go down that road, but its not something I'd be actively pursuing. I haven't as yet driven one, partly due to time constraints, and partly due to the fact I'd like to sell my current car first if possible. I'll shortly be on the hunt though, and will no doubt post back here with my impressions. I should have a budget of around 5k, which from what I've seen so far, should get me exactly what I'm looking for.
In particular, thanks for the Lux Pack info, none of the few cars I looked at mentioned this in the ads, and its definitely something I'd like in whatever I buy.

You will probably need to check the spec for the Lux Pack bits, as most non-Saab indie traders (or 3rd or 4th owners etc if buying private) will likely not know about the Lux Pack, which maybe why you're not seeing it mentioned..... although, probably less than 50% of cars were so equipped.

When you do drive one, just remember it's not an engine that needs to be revved like the Honda - it's all about torque.

[iain_thornton]

go for a manual
extra bursts of boost ftw

[chopper602]

After testing the latest 9-5 2.0 TiD yesterday, we found that the auto is also twice as much VED as the manual (£155 manual £300 auto), so that is also something to factor in.

[RedLeicester]

Phil Dicky said:

I've had two 2000 and 2002 the last one I ran up to over 160k so they stand high mileage. Check the spec of cars your looking at, as post 2003 cars had park sensors, elctric seats and Xenons as standard 2002 cars dont.
All in all top cars and I'm looking to get another myself.

Edited by Phil Dicky on Saturday 22 January 21:14

Amateur! My last 2002 Aero was on 204k when I finally sold it. Still on the original clutch too.