SAAB 9-5

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Anyone have any ownership, service or other experience?

Long story short is my Parents were in a very bad wreck; cutoff on highway, hit a tree...BMW 328 did a nice job protecting them, all things considered.

I will probably give them my SAAB '09 9-3x.

I am either going to replace it w/ another 9-3x or a new generation 9-5awd. I like SAAB's, plus there are some great deals available for obvious reasons.

I am very familiar w/ the 9-3 series but there are very few of the new 9-5's on the road & i am looking for some experience here and the SAAB forums. Thanks.

w
 
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That's the brand new one which shares essentially nothing with the previous generation (I have an '03). Your best bet is to check out Saabnet or some of the other Saab enthusiast sites. No Saabs are selling in much numbers right now so finding owners on a general interest site like this will be tough. By all accounts it's a fine car, biggest concern right now is the viability of the brand.

jeff
 
As a contrarian, I would take a chance: solid engineering and the deals are unbelievable. If the person can afford the risk-reward ratio, of course. Aside, can become a collectible.
 
This is a snippet from a gentleman who made over a million miles on a Saab, Peter Gilbert:
------------------------------
This car is undoubtedly the safest tin the world for safety. I believe the headlights are from a Buick La Crosse.There is no question that if Saab goes belly up, a lot of repair and
maintenance issues will become an increasing nightmare. Some options:

The entire power train is GM Standard Issue, except the 2011 2.0L
engine computer which Saab reprogrammed for their own uses. The big
problems will come with body sheet metal and interior trim parts.
These will be virtually unavailable, due to the minuscule number of
cars produced. (my son's 9-5, which he purchased at the beginning of
September, has a serial number of less than 2000.).

However, if the company can get past its current impasse and begin
producing cars again, and if Dang Pa can step in a serve as a sponge,
absorbing production to keep the cash flow positive, the current
"distress pricing" of 9-5s will be looked upon as a tremendous
opportunity. Note, however, that there may be a substantial price
adjustment in the '12 model year cars, based on the aggressive MSRP
structure of the 9-4X.
------------------------------
pasted with his permission.
 
So, how much is the V6 XWD version going for in real life? The sticker is somewhere around $50K. Performance doesn't seem all that great out of that 300 HP engine, probably due to significant weight. No manual option on the V6 either, unless I missed it. Other than that, it's a good looking car.

One thing that would worry me would be build quality. As we all know, Saab has been experiencing significant cash flow issues which translated into inability to pay their suppliers as well as their employees on time. Guess what that does to employee morale? And if they don't get paid, they're not going to do a good job putting these cars together and inspecting them either... it's a shame, really.
 
Thanks for the posts. I am also a contrarian and wiling to roll the dice a bit on this. My car tastes lead to rather thick skin and high tolerance....or self abuse.

I do share the concerns about parts and service availability, but the local dealer claims they will support them even if SAAB goes totally belly up (like i expected any other answer
whistle.gif
). I am inclined to go for the 9-5 if i can a good enough deal. Otherwise 9-3x.

Now i am doing some research to see what kind of deals folks are actually getting. I am cautiously optimistic given all of the SAAB's at the local dealer were pushed to the distant, back corner of the lot in back of a few rows of the big Caddy SUV's....and the message i took away was "we'll work with you...."

thanks again....w
 
Originally Posted By: OldCowboy
Given the fact that Saab is close to bankruptcy, I'd be hesitant about buying a new Saab.


I am a Saab fan and I totally agree with the above statement. Things are pretty crazy at Saab right now. I would wait a couple of months. Financing is suppose to go through in the coming months.
 
I spent some time at the dealer yesterday and I am probably going to get a another 9-3x or 9-3x Combi. The current programs are offering ~8k off the 9-3x's and ~10k off the 9-5's, w/ stickers being ~37-40k and ~49-56K respectively. The program discounts are starting points and I'd expect to land with another $2-3k off those, at least for the 9-3's. Despite the cash-back program and whatever negotiations produce, I cannot justify the cost of the 9-5, it is still too expensive for my everyday car which is a commuter and family hauler.

The 9-3x Combi is interesting, sort of a crossover 9-3 awd w/ a raised ground clearance and a wagon body. That said, we already have a Jeep in the family and i like having a fully enclosed and lockable trunk so I will probably wind up w/ another sedan. I do plan to stop by the Volvo and VW dealers to see what they have to offer, but I'm sure the deals are not anywhere near what you can get on a SAAB at this point.

w
 
Hopefully an Asian tsunami of buyers will lift this boat. I am eying a 9-5 myself right now. Will go to the dealer on Sunday, the wife wants a new car.
 
well, Wife and i just drove a Volvo S60 T6 AWD. Nice, size is between the 9-3 and 9-5. handling and ride is a bit less crisp than the 9-3's but the acceleration is much better...not that that is really necessary for a grocery-getter. 5 year/50k warranty and 3 year maint (only excluding tires per the dealer-....need to see the fine print on that). Has all sorts of nanny features; blind spot radar, auto braking under certain conditions, etc. sticker is a bit steep @ 42k and i d/n see much leeway, certainly noweher near what SAAB will offer, but i'll push.

Anyone have any thoughts/experience w/ the S60 or modern Volvo's? Folks I know are happy w/ them.

decisions, decisions....
 
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Thanks for all the feedback on this and my Volvo thread.

We went for a new SAAB 9-3x. After all I just could not overlook the deals currently available on SAAB's. Basically, the loaded AWD car w/ all options & packages except the 6 CD changer for ~$28k vs. sticker of ~$38k, and they agreed to include the accessory fog lights. As much as I liked the Volvo S60 T6 AWD (and the Audi Quattro & BMW I also cross shopped), I could not justify ~$12k more for a daily driver/kid hauler. The SAAB is as safe as the Volvo and has more of a sporty feel, which I prefer.

newsaabcrop.jpg
 
thanks.

i am not that worried about the warranty, but there is certainly some risk. there is a reason why these deals are there, rational or not. the 9-3 was popular enough for there to be a good parts supply even if SAAB was completely liquidated soon and many of the parts are common w/ other cars; Ecotec based engine, Haldex AWD, etc. who knows how a full liquidation would play out, but owners may be just another group of unsecured creditors.

i expect..maybe, and hope SAAB stays alive. i can't see the Swedes letting that many jobs and an iconic company vanish and i just hate seeing a distinctive car brand end. i could be wrong. one of the concerns i had about the 9-5 was parts availability going forward as the fleet is so small at this point.

w
 
Hello, I must echo all which has been said. We have 3 9-5s in the family. A '99, '02 and the '05 Aero. All have the 4 cylinder engine. We're not fretting part availability. What's troubling to me is that while Saab did say they were planning to revive the "economy" end of their line once they were in the clear; there's a big chance they wouldn't want to. It would be good to see non-turbo, non-super and non-"Hey, I'm a viable Benz, Audi, BMW competitor" car. A fellow in the industry told me the profit for these companies lies in the premium models. So a company which got its reputation from building modest, durable vehicles now has to rely on the sale of super cars-at least for the near future. You could argue that come 1998, when Saab went all turbo, they turned their back on many of their customers. They stopped being Saab. Don't get me wrong, I love the 9-3 line, the honest 9-5s and the idea of Trollhattan living on. But in an industry where $12,000 is coming off the sticker price of vehicles it's hard to know where to place my enthusiasm. Did you cry when the makers of $100 designer blue jeans went under? Kira
 
As a former SAAB owner/saabcentral moderator/SCNA person...ice car. But I, too, would be scared to buy a new SAAB right now! Re the new 9-5, it's got so much similarity to the Buick LaCrosse that I would really be hesitant to pay any premium...especially since the LaCrosse is such a nice car.

$28k for a new 9-3 is awesome. I wish I had room in my garage for another car. I'd buy another NG90 to tinker with...maybe...
 
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