I was rear ended a week ago Friday ... will see an insurance adjuster on Monday afternoon. Given that the Saab is 7 years old and has 230,000 miles (approximately 370,000 kms) on it, they may not want to fix it. Aktive Motors will be handling the estimate, so I know it won't be regular body shop pricing ... and they may even have some of the parts needed for replacement.

I love the 9-5 SC, but it may be time for a change. I did find an 04, identical to mine (even has a trailer hitch but no Nav system) in an auto ... 188,000 kms ... almost where I started with this one. I'm sure the asking price is in the range of what I would be offered if they write it off, so it may be a candidate. Also found an 02 Aero SC in Laser Red. Very unique and very clean!

But where I would really like to go is to a 9-7X.
Found a great deal on an 06 Linear ... includes 2 sets of wheels and winter tires!!! And a great price too! But still about 2x the 04 9-5 ... so time will tell.

Another option would be an 06/07 9-5 sedan. I've seen a few of them around, right in between the 04 9-5 and the 9-7X.

Bottom line is, it WILL be another Saab.

Btw, everyone was OK in the accident, including the woman who hit us ... her car, not so much. A 100% write off to be sure!

Sorry to hear that. Accidents are never fun and if you indeed lose your car than it sucks more. Are you thinking of parting out the wagon or just let them take it to a junkyard?

Scott, sorry to hear about the accident to such a good looking car. Thankfully no one got hurt though.

But the back of car looks pretty packed so that might rule out getting a sedan. Have you tried out the 9-7x's yet? I talked my wife into test driving a Aero version but we just didn't want to deal with the gas mileage and also the fact it really didn't seem to special to us.

Good luck with everything!

Parting it out is not really an option ... if the insurance company writes it off, you typically can't touch it.
I will be swapping the wheels/tires out though and reinstalling the OEM stereo (still have it around thanks to Wulf).
If they don't fix it, I'm going to try and get them to allow Aktive to purchase the car.

Yes, I have driven a 9-7X when they launched it. The 5.3i model. I'm not a big SUV guy (can't stand them really), but if they write me a big enough cheque, then I will see about getting one of the 4.2i Linear models. They were very well spec'd out in Canada.

I'll let you know the results after it has been looked at.

Sorry to hear about the possible end of the SportWagon.... I was just reading about a 9-5 in the Netherlands which has done 1 million kilometers so yours has a lot of life left, even at that kilometerage.

I have mine for close to 6 months now so I'll be ready for another one soon. Only 62K miles so just broken in. Keep in mind the 9-7X will be a lot thirstier than a 9-5.

9-7X Linears are woefully underpowered. I have an Aero (390 hp, 395 lb-ft tq) and love it, however beware that if you're interested in fuel economy, this won't be the one for you either: 17 mpg HIGHWAY. But if you like spanking other cars with a 4600 lb truck, you'll love it. A good compromise I suspect is the 5.3, but I can't tell you what the MPG is on that one. The only thing quicker than our 9-7 is my GTO -- and that's coming from tuning our two classic 900's and our 9-5.

Ours came with Nav, Sat radio, rear seat entertainment, three zone climate control, etc. There are a ton of aftermarket suspension and tuning kits if that's your thing if you look towards the Chevy Trailblazer SS forums (essentially the same thing mechanically).

Fun but, as Frank says, thirsty truck. Sorry to see the 9-5 bite it. Good luck with whatever you do.

While I don't have an answer yet from the insurance company, I am leaning towards an 04 9-5 Aero SportCombi in silver with a trailer hitch and "only" 188,000 kms.

Sound familiar? The only differences between mine and this:
05 vs. 04
370,000 kms vs 188,000 kms
Pioneer NAV vs. OEM (mine would go in)
5 speed manual vs. 5 speed auto
Rear spoiler vs none (TBD - could move mine over)

And of course, the 04 is actually better equipped with standard features like Aero rear brakes, etc.

The 04 is being sold uncertified and has a crack in one headlight (easily replaced from you know where) and the safety would be a non-issue as anything needed could easily be handled by Aktive Motors.

Just waiting for the insurance company to finish their assessment of:
The value of the repair
and the value of the car
Both of which they are having trouble putting together.

OK, so the 9-7X is out (sadly).

Going to get the keys for this car and take it over to Aktive Motors for a quick look. I'm still waiting on my car to be taken apart so the insurance guy can see the rest of the damage so he can write it off ... hoping to have that done sooner than later (the car has been sitting at Aktive for this since Tuesday evening - he's been down 2 guys this past week).

2004 Saab 9-5 LEATHER, SUNROOF, AERO

The body on this car is clean, clean, clean ... blows mine away. Sadly, the driver's seat didn't fair so well and will have to be swapped out.
I'll eventually be swapping out those wheels for my double 3-spokes, adding in the rear spoiler, and giving it a SERIOUS cleaning in the interior.
It will also need a major service done, but beyond that, should be good to go!

$4,900 sounds like a great price for the low number of kilometers. And it has the same limp rear wiper just like my 2004. Mine needed a serious interior cleaning as well, even though it only ad about 100K kilometers when I bought. Fortunately, interior materials of the <=2005 9-5 are of good quality so they usually clean up very nice.

It'll be quite a change to go from a manual to auto.

I will be getting it a stage 1 tune shortly after picking it up, so that will be good ... may even feel quicker than the manual as I find the autos feel really good.

It got a good bill of health from Aktive Motors and I have told the other shop I will take it ... after the insurance sorts out the 05. Now that the hatch is open, they will be looking at it Tuesday or Wednesday.

The 04 is actually better equipped than the 04 ... it has "real" Aero rear brakes, badged front door sills, adjustable lumbar support on the front passenger seat, and lights under the rear door and for the rear hatch. I think there are a couple of other "non-deletions", but I can't think of them off the top of my head.
I'll move over the rear spoiler and NAV system, but likely NOT before SOC12. Just having a Saab ready for the drive will be good enough to start.

Great that you found such a nice car. The price seems good, too. Funny, you, Wulf, and SaabKen all have (had) 9-5's. I've always thought of the 9-5's as the cars that "those rich people have" so I've "settled" for a 900 or 9-3. Of course, I shouldn't be talking because I have that new garage that will be used soon. It's completed but lacks the city's occupancy permit.

Scott, great looking replacement and the price is really good also. I think if you do pick it up you will be happy with it.

Good luck!

Nice replacement for your crashed wagon. My 2000 9-5 Aero Combi has lumbar support on both seats and the rear door and hatch lights too, but not a US model. 9-5s are good cars, besides the 77 Benz I owned this is the largest car I've ever owned. I would have gone for a 9-3 wagon if they had made one in the early 2000s.

Nice replacement car!

I went back and forth between the 07 9-3SC Aero and 07 9-5SC Aero. I liked the proportions of the 9-3 over the 9-5, but in retrospect, I would have been better off with the 9-5. I like the 9-3, but I wish the interior wasn't so cramped.

Good luck with your new ride and condolences on the loss of your old one!

Well, I've got the new car ... funny, when I get in the car, my left foot naturally reaches for the clutch so I can start the car.

I'd post pics, but quite frankly, you'd all think I was just posting ones of the old car!
I've got a little more work to do tomorrow, the NAV gets installed on Wednesday, then off to SOC12 early Thursday morning.

So far, so good!

Good to hear Scott, so did they total out your old car?

They did, yes. The car is now identical (except for transmission) to the old one ... rear spoiler went on this afternoon!

Damn - I was gonna ask to buy your spoiler

Glad you found a nice replacement - sucks when you lose a good one

OK, so I washed the car today and detailed the tires. It looks GOOD if I do say so.

When I am at SOC12, I plan to clay the car, do some paint touch ups, then wax it. Should look primo by then. I'll also do a full clean and treat on the leather with some really good stuff I picked up a couple of years back.

I also did the 666 headlight mod (again). And contrary to a write up on TSL, just jumpering 87 and 87a still gives you the ability to "flash to pass".

I also threw in a set of LED's for licence plate bulbs and under the front doors.












Also, while the body on this car is far from perfect, as you can see, I no longer have the old issues with the hood!

Looks VERY nice! I need a set of those Aero bumpers for our 03'