Saab 9-5 Aero Estate alternatives

[otolith]

The old bus is getting towards the point where it's maybe not worth spending much more on it. Paintwork is crazing and flaking in places, I'm getting intermittent headlight adjuster warnings, and there is a noise which is probably a wheelbearing starting to grumble but could be the diff. Which is a shame, because I like it, and spent a few quid on it in the summer. I've not entirely decided not to keep it, but the most cost effective thing to do is to pick up another one and transfer the good bits onto it - the refurbed alloys and good tyres, the new direct ignition cassette, maybe the recently replaced brake discs and pads. Unfortunately, good ones, especially manuals, seem rare. I would consider the later automatic - I would generally prefer an auto, it's just that the Saab one is relatively slow and thirsty - but even those are likely to mean travelling a long way.

So, in the spirit of open-mindedness, I've been sniffing around the classifieds. Trouble is, there isn't much decent with the space and performance for the money. Upping the budget to 5-6k brings a few more interesting options - you can get a BMW 535D for that, which should hit the mark, but I fear they might be a mechanically risky option at that end of the market. Audi A6 estates might be worth a stab. Volvo? Merc? It's not really important that it's a great driver's car, I've got a couple of sports cars for that, but it does need to be practical, comfortable and capacious and to have something like the Saab's overtaking abilities. Reasonable economy on a run would be useful but not a huge deal. The Saab does high 20's round town and high 30's on a run and that's fine. Don't care which end is driven. Four wheel drive would be a nice-to-have but not essential.

Thoughts?

[Norse_mann]

I have recently had the same dilemma as my trusty old 9-5 estate just had one too many problems for me to justify hanging onto it.

I eventually plumped for a VW Passat Estate. The other main contender was a Volvo V70 but I couldn't find one near me that didn't have cream leather.

[RB Will]

Plenty of nice Subaru Legacy in in your price range, comfortable, 240bhp, 25-32mpg.

[Sid123]

I recommend the E320 CDi Estate, with the option of 7 seats. You should get an '05 car or so for the money.
I've had my '04 one for 9 years and it still drives like new after 125k miles.........

[otolith]

Norse_mann said:

I have recently had the same dilemma as my trusty old 9-5 estate just had one too many problems for me to justify hanging onto it.

I eventually plumped for a VW Passat Estate. The other main contender was a Volvo V70 but I couldn't find one near me that didn't have cream leather.

Hadn't considered Passats. I think of them as 3-series sized, but I guess everything has got bigger now. I guess finding one that isn't a 2.0TDI could be a pain.

[otolith]

RB Will said:

Plenty of nice Subaru Legacy in in your price range, comfortable, 240bhp, 25-32mpg.

Used to have a non-sporting Impreza estate. I was quite fond of it, and it was handy for muddy tracks, but it did seem pretty thirsty for the performance on offer. Legacy sounds OK with those numbers, though.

[otolith]

Sid123 said:

I recommend the E320 CDi Estate, with the option of 7 seats. You should get an '05 car or so for the money.
I've had my '04 one for 9 years and it still drives like new after 125k miles.........

That's something on my radar. What's the performance like? 1900kg feels like a lot to drag with 220bhp?

[addsvrs]

I went from a manual Aero (53) to an auto Aero (56) and hated it. The box was truly awful and the MPG was far worse than the previous one. So like you i looked at alternatives (similar cost / spec etc) and ended up with a 530i (01). Big mileage on it but full history but always something that needed doing. Thought about going back to 9-5's as i really liked my first and value for money is outstanding. Bit of budget creep give me 3 choices

1. 2010 Aero Anniversary, manual for £4k
2. 2005 E61 525i, auto for 6k
3. 2009 Mondeo 2.2 Titanium X Sport, manual for £7k

Gave up on BMW's as ones in my budget were generally high mileage auto's. Drove the Mondeo and to be honest completely outclassed the Saab in every department.

So glad i picked the Ford over the Saab (although i still have a Aero,9-5,manual search set up on A/T / Ebay)

[boyse7en]

addsvrs said:

Drove the Mondeo and to be honest completely outclassed the Saab in every department.

But it was 75% more expensive to buy! You'd expect it to be better really

[moustache]

Interesting thread OP, as I drive a manual 9-5 Aero estate and often peruse the classifieds wondering what i'd replace it with.

Personally, i'd opt to keep the Saab and spend a few quid on it, surely cheaper than spending 4k on a new one?

But, if I was in your position and wanted to replace it, one of the top options would be a Volvo V70, and probably the T5. I've not ever driven one, but have always lusted after them. I have to drive an estate, and don't want/don't like diesels per se. It fits the criteria of space, pace and comfort whilst being less run of the mill.

I also really like the E39 touring, so if I could find a decent 540i touring, i'd snap it up. Not sure about running costs though, i'd imagine it'd be expensive.

When I bought my Saab I also considered the Legacy spec B as it was fast and practical. In the end, I could buy the Saab cheaper than the Volvo and the Legacy, and actually, cost was a big factor, not to mention the fact that the Saab is cheap to run.

[Sid123]

otolith said:

Sid123 said:

I recommend the E320 CDi Estate, with the option of 7 seats. You should get an '05 car or so for the money.
I've had my '04 one for 9 years and it still drives like new after 125k miles.........

That's something on my radar. What's the performance like? 1900kg feels like a lot to drag with 220bhp?

It has I think 204 bhp and 380 or so torque so it never feels slow.
A road/dual carriageway and motorway punch is very impressive.
80 mph is about 45mpg and in town it's 30.
I have very few complaints which is why it's the longest I have ever had a car for.......

[otolith]

moustache said:

Personally, i'd opt to keep the Saab and spend a few quid on it, surely cheaper than spending 4k on a new one?

That remains an option - but it's got 166k on the clock now, it's shabby and generally feeling a bit tired. I could easily spend more than it would be worth sorting it out, and while it hasn't let me down yet, I don't particularly want to rely on it.

[otolith]

Sid123 said:

otolith said:

Sid123 said:

I recommend the E320 CDi Estate, with the option of 7 seats. You should get an '05 car or so for the money.
I've had my '04 one for 9 years and it still drives like new after 125k miles.........

That's something on my radar. What's the performance like? 1900kg feels like a lot to drag with 220bhp?

It has I think 204 bhp and 380 or so torque so it never feels slow.
A road/dual carriageway and motorway punch is very impressive.
80 mph is about 45mpg and in town it's 30.
I have very few complaints which is why it's the longest I have ever had a car for.......

Ah, yes, I was looking at the E350

[moustache]

otolith said:

That remains an option - but it's got 166k on the clock now, it's shabby and generally feeling a bit tired. I could easily spend more than it would be worth sorting it out, and while it hasn't let me down yet, I don't particularly want to rely on it.

A good point, they're not worth much even in really good nick so I can see it feels silly spending a lot. I always wonder how long mine will stay problem free. Doesn't take long before they become pointless to spend a lot on, which is such a shame as they're just cracking value for money. Mine has scabby rear arches (common problem at the bottom of the arch) and i'm toying with whether to spend money on it or just run it as a cheap car and not bother. Thing is, not sure what i'd replace it with for the same money I paid (£1500) except another Aero!

[loudlashadjuster]

I had a similar budget with which to buy a big, fast estate the other week and while I wanted an 550i they are the proverbial rocking horse poo so I settled on a 535d. Also looked at S4, XC90, 300C 5.7 hemi, RX400h (really wanted a GS450h but they don't do an estate version), a few 2.0t/2.5t Mondeo/S-Max/Galaxys, and a Toureg V10 Stayed away from the Mercedes options as I'm not overly convinced by the earlier W210s.

I gravitated towards the BMW and ended up looking at a few. Most were a bit shabby, ended up paying top-end money for a one owner 2005 example which is in lovely condition. Figured the extra few hundred £ were well worth it, at this age condition and provenance are far more important than odometer readings or registration year.

1,500 miles so far, great mile-muncher. Even though it's one of the early 268hp cars it really moves (albeit in a weird, flat-yet-surge-y manner), it's got plenty of space and with a decent specification it's a very pleasant place to spend time.

[otolith]

I had a look at a Merc the other day - bit of an unloved example, but interesting all the same. The load bay is massive, though there is less headroom for the dog to stand up than in the Saab. Quite interested in these now, and I believe the rust issues are sorted in the cars I'm looking at.

I do quite like the idea of a 535d, but I am a bit nervous of the likelihood of one at this end of the market dropping a huge bill. Also, I think I would be losing some practically and ride comfort and gaining a better driver's car - but that's not really a high priority for the intended use of the thing.

[Mr E]

I replaced our aero with an E-class. It's significantly nicer. It was significantly more expensive, so it really should be nicer.

[loudlashadjuster]

otolith said:

Also, I think I would be losing some practically and ride comfort and gaining a better driver's car

I know what you mean, most you'll see are M Sports on 18s but mine is an SE on 17s and has normal tyres so no run-flats - no bone-shaking ride for me.

The BMW may or may not be quite as cavernous as the Merc (or a Volve etc.) but the main reason I needed a temporary big estate was to do a house clearance and in that task it has performed admirably, swallowing loads at a time for trips to the tip etc.

As for the big bills, well I've tried to mitigate that by buying on condition/history but you're right, no car in this market segment at this age is immune from having a scary mechanical wobble.

[Roger Irrelevant]

otolith said:

RB Will said:

Plenty of nice Subaru Legacy in in your price range, comfortable, 240bhp, 25-32mpg.

Used to have a non-sporting Impreza estate. I was quite fond of it, and it was handy for muddy tracks, but it did seem pretty thirsty for the performance on offer. Legacy sounds OK with those numbers, though.

I'd agree with that - I've got an Outback 3.0 and while 25-ish mpg (never seen 30), seems ok for a fairly heavy 3.0 auto petrol estate with permanent 4WD, I do sometimes think it should be a bit quicker for the 240hp its got. However I don't really care as it's so smooth, comfortable and brilliant off road.

[Krikkit]

Roger Irrelevant said:

otolith said:

RB Will said:

Plenty of nice Subaru Legacy in in your price range, comfortable, 240bhp, 25-32mpg.

Used to have a non-sporting Impreza estate. I was quite fond of it, and it was handy for muddy tracks, but it did seem pretty thirsty for the performance on offer. Legacy sounds OK with those numbers, though.

I'd agree with that - I've got an Outback 3.0 and while 25-ish mpg (never seen 30), seems ok for a fairly heavy 3.0 auto petrol estate with permanent 4WD, I do sometimes think it should be a bit quicker for the 240hp its got. However I don't really care as it's so smooth, comfortable and brilliant off road.

Used to have the 2.5 and got nearly 35mpg average out of it, it was in no way a hoon-mobile with 170hp, but a very competent cruiser.