As some of you may know my wife is currently pregnant, carrying my first child. Within a month I will be a dad. That poses one problem for someone who owns two 3-door 900s, as it is a pain in the butt to put babies on the back seat of cars without rear doors.

So, with that in mind I have been starting to look at a replacement for one of my cars. I have decided to sell the NG900, and replace it with a larger people mover. I am not considering only SAAB, but I am considering almost exclusively wagons. Europe being the land of wagons there is plenty to choose from. Tomorrow I am going to take a look at a Volvo wagon, for example.

Today however I passed by Kellermann SAAB, a local SAAB dealer that I had visited previously. It's nice to know that Kellermann is surviving the SAAB saga and has become a seller of used SAABs and new Subarus now that SAAB makes no cars. They not only sell used SAABs but they restore them too. When I went there today they had a SAAB 90 that was a bit worn and tattered that had just arrived on a trailer from Sweden. They are planning on restoring the rare car and then selling it.

Well, at Kellermann today I test drove a 2000 9-5 Combi SE with automatic gear box. I have decided for a few reasons that my next car will be automatic. One, the most important, is my wife doesn't drive stick, and with the baby at home she needs to be able to drive to a hospital if the need ever arises. Two, since I had spinal surgery driving a manual car has not been the same, especially on cars with a cable clutch like the NG900. The C900 has a hydraulic clutch so it doesn't bother me.

The wagon had the 2,0 engine with Trionic 7, the car was black with tan leather, had dual zone air conditioner, seat heaters, headlight levelers, etc. Well appointed interior. The car has had two owners, one a former manager of the now defunct SAAB Zentrum Nürnberg dealership. Service records from new to today are present. The car has 167,000 km (103,000 miles).

The test drive gave me a good impression of the car. It feels more solid and heavier than the NG900 (it is) but not slower. Punch the gas and it goes as it should. I found it surprising that the car has no boost gauge on the dash as other turbo SAABs. The turbo is there under the hood, I saw it. I never knew some 9-5s didn't have a turbo boost gauge, the salesman told me the SE trim doesn't have it in Europe.

I had no complaints about the car but for one thing. The rear right suspension made a light clunking noise. Similar noise to the one I heard before on a OG9-3 with worn front strut bearings. I imagine worn bushings or loose shock absorber on the car. I asked the salesman and he didn't know what caused it but would ask a mechanic to check it. Anyone has an idea of what it could be?

Monday I go back to Kellermann to pick up some parts I ordered (the parts should have been in today but they were late and being delivered tomorrow). The salesman told me he would have an answer for the clunking sound on Monday, We'll see.

Anyway, although I like this wagon I am unsure whether I will get this one. The price they are asking for it is 5500 Euro ($7100). It is at the upper scale of the 9-5 prices for that age, but the car is cared for and has low miles. I have been looking at online ads for 9-5 Combi here in Germany and I see I can get the same year car with 9-5 trim with 200,000 km for less money... Also, I am in no real hurry to get the car, as even though we will have the baby next month, my wife and son don't come back to Germany until late September or early October, until then they will be in South Korea, where they are right now. So I have about two and a half months to get a four door. It might be a SAAB...

The spec on the estate (wagon) is similar to my old 9-5. Except my interior was charcoal leather. Yes the SE doesn't have the turbo gauge, as none of mine have had it. I've had a 2.0lpt 150bhp SE Saloon 95,000m, 3 owners, Full History, £800 (1998), 2.0lpt 192bhp SE Estate 154,000m 3 owners, Full History, This had a few marks on the body, interior and had a noise coming from the wheels above 50mph, never found the cause, £950 (1999), and the present one 2.3lpt 168bhp SE Saloon 100,500m, 1 owner, Full SAAB history, £500. Price was this low as the previous owner had moved to Switzerland and the car didn't meet regulations. (1998). The price does seem a bit much. I've never paid more than £950 for any of mine.

Does the sound have a metallic clicking noise?? If so it could be a spring that has a crack in it. I had similar on a Peugeot 406 and a Renault Laguna. I don't think that the noise would be a big job. The price does seem a bit high 5500 euros works out to be around £4545. I'd be looking at a 2002 onwards for that.
If you do look at others then be careful as some 9-5's that have leather don't have Heated front seats. It's not often you find a 9-5 with the 9 speaker Harnon Kardon system in.

Well, today I test drove a Volvo V70 2.4 Turbo and I really liked that wagon. Drives nicely, good seats, looks very pretty too. Private offering, asking 5600 Euro, it's a 2002 with 197000 km.

I also posted a Wanted ad on the German SAAB community saab-cars.de and got an answer. Some guy who lives a little over an hour away has a 2000 9-5 Combi Aero for sale, fully loaded, his since new, has 200,000 km and he is asking 4000 Euro. Much better offer than the first one I saw. Maybe tomorrow I'll go by his home and check out the wagon, I am still awaiting an answer from him. He says the engine, transmission and wearable were overhauled in 2010, I have no idea what was the extent of the overhaul, maybe I'll find out soon.

EDIT: The owner of the above wagon just replied, and good, he speaks English! Here is the ad for the wagon: http://suchen.mobile.de/fahrzeuge/de...s47-2_c01_4201 He is actually the second owner, I misinterpreted his initial email in German. The first owner was a Swiss banker, so it's a Swiss market SAAB. This car looks near perfect...

Also of interest, another Swedish hot rod, is a Volvo V70 R AWD, 270 hp out of the factory. I might see this one on Monday.

That 9-5 looks AMAZING, the engine bay, you could eat your dinner off it. 136,000m it looks as though it's just come out of the factory. AMAZING. Looks odd as the Headlight Wipers are missing. A real nice looker. Now the V70 R. Now that's a beast. Not sure I could choose at this point.

The early 9-5 Linear/Base 9-5 in the US didn't have any turbo gauges either.

The one from the private seller sounds like a much better deal and looks very clean. And it is an Aero. Interesting to see it has a black dash so that must have been standard equipment in the early Aeros.

2002+ models had a lot of changes and improvements. If you want to extend your search area, there are many used Saabs in the Netherlands. And most Dutch speak English very well. http://kopen.marktplaats.nl/

This 2003 Vector automatic / nav with 169K kilometers for Euro 6K: http://auto.marktplaats.nl/saab/5656...at-vector.html

Yep, it's a much better deal. At 4000 Euro the price is very good, I hope tomorrow when I see it all is well and functional.

Frank, thanks for the link. I am definitely searching that site too. The Netherlands are a bit far, however, over 5 hour drive from here. But I'll cast my net far. On the Dutch site I see a few different colors too, here in Germany they all seem to be black!

On saab-cars.de I received offers for two other 9-5 Combis, both black!

The owner of this 9-5 Combi here says he is interested in a possible swap. The car runs on ethanol, has 295 hp and carbon interior, and "special seats" that came on only 50 cars. He calls it a "Troll" version. From Switzerland, but I never heard of a Troll version. More pics of this car can be seen here.

Well, I just came back from seeing that 9-5 Combi, and saying the car is excellent is an understatement. While there are minor flaws (which 12 year old car with 136,000 miles doesn't?), it is as good as it gets. The car is fully loaded with seat cooling and 9 speaker sound system. I drove it for a good 30 minutes and the engine is super strong, the transmission buttery soft, shifts fast on sport mode, etc. The car comes from Switzerland, the first owner was a banker at UBI. Apparently in Switzerland when you buy a car all the services for the length of first ownership are included in the price, so no one skips services. Not the case in Germany where people will skip services and do it at home. This car lived in Switzerland until 2008, was sold to Hirsch Performance, then it was bought by a SAAB dealer and former SAAB race driver in Germany. It was his wife's personal vehicle. Then it was sold in 2010 to the current owner. When the SAAB dealer owned it he went over the whole engine and transmission, there is a laundry list of parts replaced at 170,000+ km, basically a new engine and transmission, plus all new rubber on the doors and sunroof. The summer tires are brand new, less than 1000 km (saw receipt), winter tires are about half life. Both sets mounted on SAAB rims, both Michelin. The car has had oil changes every 10,000 km with synthetic.

At the condition it is and at 4000 Euro this car is one hell of a deal. I was looking to buy another car after selling the NG900, but I might buy this before selling the 900. I have the money in the savings account, but touching the savings account is akin to sacrilege to my wife, so I really gotta sweet talk her. She knows we need a bigger car with the baby coming but she hates talking about buying new cars.

After selling the NG900 that money would go into the savings. The owner is selling it because they already have two kids, which fit in the 9-5 well, but his wife is now pregnant and he ordered a Mercedes Benz Viano van. Next month the Benz arrives at dealer, and if he can't sell the 9-5 before then he will trade it in. The dealer offered him 4000 for the car and so that's why he is asking that amount. He says he would rather sell it to a SAAB enthusiast than to put it on a dealer's lot. I totally understand that.

----

One other guy who has the 9-5 with the carbon interior, this one in Switzerland now, wrote back saying the car has the Maptun Ethanol ECU, good for almost 300 hp in pure ethanol, but it runs on any mix of ethanol/gas. He says the only problem with his car is the driver's heated seat doesn't work. He is willing to consider my NG900 plus some cash as trade as he is looking for a SAAB Coupe. That car is a bit far away, however, a good 4.5 hours on German and Swiss Autobahns. He runs the car on winter tires all year, so only one set of tires. The car has less than 200,000 km.

Carbon interior:


It has Hirsch seats and wheels:




Front is clean (those wheels are sold):


Blacked out rear:


I really like the black interior on this one, more than the beige on the previous.

We've been talking about expanding horizons here lately on SW, and as a proper automotive enthusiast I have been doing some of that too. In my search for a family vehicle I have been looking outside the box for what's out there.

What I have found is that finding a car in better shape than that 9-5 Aero Combi for that price will be next to impossible. That car is too good. Thanks however to SAAB's usual depreciation the car is very affordable. That could be bad when selling it later, so I have to think of that too. Do I want to won three SAABs?

I have been looking at the usual Euro wagons: BMW, Audi, Benz, Volvo, etc.

BMWs here in Germany are everywhere, the choice is huge, and with that there is a lot of crap and a lot of good ones. The hard thing is separating the wheat from the chaff. I don't have the time to be driving up and down everywhere looking at a gazillion cars. There are those wagons that obviously look beat up, with rust and dents, for cheap. Then there are wagons in seemingly good condition with enough miles to go to the moon and back. There are the hot rod 540is with the big V8, those are tempting but they could come with the huge bill for repairing the cooling system. The deal breaker with bimmers is the rear wheel drive. Yep, ultimate driving machine and all, I am looking for a family wagon, one that my wife can use to drive my son to the hospital alone in the winter if need be. My wife being Korean, and stereotypes being what they are, ain't the best driver out there. To be fair, she got her license at 29 years old. I want front or all wheel drive. The BMWs with all wheel drive are few and far between and usually pricier too.

Audi. Well, repair bills, that's all I should say. I always lusted after an allroad, but I think lust will be it. I have heard lots of stories of Audi repairs and the bills that comes with them. I guess some people will the the same about SAABs, but to each his own.

Benz. Same as Audi. I would spring for a W124 wagon with airbags, but those are either cheap rusties, road warriors with a million miles, or overpriced garage queens. Also rear wheel drive. 4-Matics are very expensive to repair. Nix that.

Volvo: I like Volvo, always did. Never owned one, drove a few. Funny thing is, I read reviwes of SAABs and Volvos and reviewers always say SAAB has a plasticy interior while Volvo seemingly doesn't. Who are they kidding? Every Volvo I sit in feels like the isnide of a Lego car, plastic everywhere! Yards and yards of it. I don't get the same feeling from SAABs. I just don't get excited about Volvo interiors. Would I own one? Maybe. I like them. Just not as exciting as a SAAB.

Then there are VWs (don't like their wagons), Skoda (Czech VW...) and a few others. While I appreciated French cars for their wackiness (not to be confused with quirkiness), I just can't see myself owning one. My mom had a Renault Sandero in Brazil and I hated that car.

Then there are the really out of the box, non wagons things I would consider buying. Maybe crazy, but somethign like this Range Rover: Gebrauchtwagen: Land Rover, Range Rover, Vogue EFi Automatik, Benzin,. Extremely low mileage (kilometrage?), and a classic vehicle. But who am I kidding about the reliabilty of these things? I am in no way an expert on these and don't know which are the good years. And who knows, maybe the car has such low mileage because it sat unused for ten years because it wouldn't start... lol

Now this: Gebrauchtwagen: Mitsubishi, Pajero Sport, 3.0 v6, Benzin,. Mitsubishi Pajero. One of the very few Mitsu vehciles I'd own. I have an uncle for worked for the UN's World Food Program for almost thirty years, just recently retired. He lived in all the third world trouble spots around the world and he swears by Pajeros and Land Cruisers. He said he knew he would be in trouble when he arrived at a UN mission and their motor pool was filled with Land Rovers...

Now, about this one: Gebrauchtwagen: Mazda, Demio, 1.5i Exclusive Automatik Klima gepflegter Zustand, Benzin,. Good, honest Japanese people mover. Supposedly fun to drive, but look at the interior, all plastic too! I'd be surprised if the engine isn't made of plastic too. This car would be very cheap to operate (one can assume, but when you assume...), but most likely not much fun to drive. And forget about going on the Autobahn and having fun on the left lane!

Now, on the "humor me" category: Gebrauchtwagen: Smart, ForFour, smart forfour Pulse *Automatik*Alu*Euro 4*, Benzin,. Yep, a Smart ForFour, one of my wife's favorite. Since she didn't know the difference between a brake and a gas pedal until just a few years back, I tend to ignore her automotive opinons. She can cook better than any women, but god bless her when she's driving... If I got this thing she would be happy as she likes this cute thing.

If the goal was to keep her automotively happy (is automotively a word?), I would get soemthing like this: Gebrauchtwagen: Mercedes-Benz, A 140, Automatik / Klimaanalge !!!, Benzin,. Tiny Benz, yeard of plastic, but nonetheless a Benz. The drivers of these things here in Germany do however have a napoloen complex, as they are always driving too fast, imagining themselves behind the wheel of a V8 AMG... on a tipsy tall hatchback. No thanks!

Now, here is one that I could do easily: Gebrauchtwagen: Mercedes-Benz, C 280, Sport.Navi.Klima.Automatik.Leder.Sitzheizung.D4., Benzin,. A sedan, not my favorite car body style (so bland and why have that big ass end without the cargo room of a wagon?), but it has low miles, leather interior (like Americans believe all Benz should) good looking rims, has some decent power. Not one of the old bank vault Benz, one of the first bean counter Benz, but still a relatoively solid contender. Yes, rear wheel drive (...), but a good car.

This? Gebrauchtwagen: Ford, Taurus, Raumwunder Automatik 1 BESITZ KLIMA, Benzin, Who the hell bought this in Germany? Is it US spec, brought in by a US service member? Ad doesn't mention.

How about an old Volvo with a little over 30,000 kilometers? Gebrauchtwagen: Volvo, 340, DL Automatik Black Silver Edition, Benzin, This thing looks nice! But I don't think my wife wants to have two Swedish cars from 87. None of them with an air bag. Nice but no thanks (very interesting otherwise!)

Now this! Gebrauchtwagen: Mercedes-Benz, 200, W123 "original 73.000km,H-Kennz.,1.Hand", Benzin, I had the eaxct same car, same color, not same engine, but witha bit more aftermarket rust... I have been lusting after one of these for years. If I buy this and my wife doesn't like it... put her on the next Korean Air flight to Seoul! Just kidding, this would be an excellent second car, but not for my wife to drive every day. On an aside note, that old benz apparently has some paperwork mistake that says the car is from 1929! Quite odd.

Well, if you mad eit this far, thank you. I am currently on 24 hour staff duty manning one of Uncle Sam's desks in an empty building in Germany. Writing this has helped me kill at least 45 minutes of a looooong night.

Now that I am done, I have to have some caffeine to keep me awake.

Now, Range Rover, old Volvo or old Benz....?

The Volvo 340 is actually more Dutch than it is Swedish. It was from around the time when Volvo took over DAF and these were developed by DAF and made in the Netherlands. Some of the engines were sourced from Renault, I believe. They never lived up to the quality of other Volvo's.

I can't remember how much you're paying for gas at the base so I am not sure if gas mileage is important. If not, I would be very tempted to get the W123. I always wanted these as well (was actually looking for one when I sold my 9-4X). However, it is an old car with limited safety features and driving experience from a different time. But that can also be a good thing.

I like the Range Rovers but would be scared to own one.

But in the end, that 9-5 may be the best choice for safety, cargo capacity and versatility, more modern and safer.

Dear god, I just re-read that thing and it is painful how many mistakes I made. I usually proof read stuff when I post it, and I'll edit a few times until it is right, but damn, that is too much! I thought about editing it, but I'll leave it as is as testament to what sleep deprivation will do to you. I am now still awake but have had two coffees, caffeine is helping me type better!

Back to cars...

Yes, that's one of the DAF Volvos, completely forgot about it. Are the 480s also Dutch made? I like the 480s, it's one of the cars I would like to bring back to the US, make it a turbo model. Those are as rare as hens teeth in the US (non existent), but pretty cheap here in Europe. Just gotta have good luck finding a decent one.

Me too, would be scared of owning a Range Rover, although I love the looks of it. If I was rich I would buy one, pay some electrical guru to re-do the whole electrical system and drop a small block Chevy engine in the bay.

Originally Posted by rpiereck

Yes, that's one of the DAF Volvos, completely forgot about it. Are the 480s also Dutch made? I like the 480s, it's one of the cars I would like to bring back to the US, make it a turbo model. Those are as rare as hens teeth in the US (non existent), but pretty cheap here in Europe. Just gotta have good luck finding a decent one.

The 480 was also made in the factory in Born, Netherlands. Quite a unique design that was never imported in the US. That factory (NedCar) switched to manufacturing Mitsubishi cars but latest reports I read is that it is going to be closed. I think it one point, some suggested SpykerSaab should build Saabs in that factory.

I'm a little late to the party, but if it were me, I'd really go for either of those 9-5 Aero combis, the first one looks super clean and the second one, well, the Hirsch stuff kinda speaks to me

Today I test drove a BMW 525 Touring. The guy is asking 3500 Euro, but it doesn't compare at all to the 9-5 Aero. It has light hail damage, some odd small electrical faults, no working a/c, and didn't feel as fast as a 525 should. Also it had a LPG conversion, and the LPG tank took the spare wheel bay. So no spare wheel. No thanks.

That Hirsch 9-5 in Switzerland while very attractive is too expensive for my tastes. Sure it has some unique Hirsch bits and according to the owner is one of 50 made. But it's almost six hours away from here. I won't commit to buy a car that far away without seeing it first. The super clean 9-5 for 4000 Euro is local to me. I'll go with that one.

Good choice, you can really make it your own.

If the cars you are looking at not U.S. spec, can you bring them back to the U.S.? I think that 25 year old cars can be brought into the U.S. and 15 year old cars to Canada, but newer cars need potentially expensive modifications. Of course, you could sell the car to another serviceman.

No, I can't bring them, unless they get modified as you mention. How much the modifications would cost would depend on how much needs to change on the car. I think all SAAB windshields in Europe are US DOT compliant, I know my '87 900 has a DOT label on it. Would also need headlights, possibly bumper, tires (must be DOT compliant), and whatever else. Depends on car by car. That is one reason I am apprehensive of buying an expensive car here, and I am setting my budget at no more than 5000 Euro.

It is just a haunch, however, I have no way of knowing this, but I would guess that the differences between a Euro SAAB and a US SAAB are rather small. SAAB having always been heavily safety oriented probably puts all the best features on both market cars, and just tailors minor tweaks to suit each market. So even though the US is more stringent on side impacts and the EU is more stringent on rollover crash (amirite?), I am sure the Euro SAABs have the same side impact door beams as the USDM ones. SAAB has never been a manufacturer to cut corners and skimp on safety feature (one of the things that brought them down, I guess), so I imagine they would offer the same safety feature on both sides of the pond.

Of course I am just guessing. The only way to know would be to look at the SAAB part numbers for an Euro SAAB versus a US SAAB and compare them. If that is the case, bringing an Euro SAAB would be a matter of putting US headlights, tires, and maybe a US market cat converter.

And yes, the age to bring a foreign car to the US, no questions asked, is 25 years old. At that age all a car needs to go to the US is US DOT tires, because the shipping company here checks them and won't even accept you car for shipping with Euro-only tires. Oh, the car will also have to pass the emissions for that model year on whichever state you are registering it.

I just brought her home. What a car, very solid on the highway. I took her to 225 km/h on the Autobahn and barely felt it. I noticed some light brake judder when slowing down from triple digit speeds on a hurry. Hadn't noticed that before because during first test drive I only too it to 95 mph. The car still brakes straight. Comfortable, great stereo, and I think better on gas at 100 mph than my NG900.

Sweet! I think you'll be very happy with this car. Welcome to the Aero wagon club!

The wagon is home now, it's mine, its being driven I got a lot of comments on it at work, now I have been permanently baptized "the SAAB guy".

To commemorate the 9-5 being home I took it out to get a bath and shine.

At home after work, a bit dirty.


After a nice bath and shine, she's looking good






Artsy fartsy


The office


Here are the winter tires on 16" BBS SAAB rims


And one of our officers at work just bought this. It's a USDM 9-3 Aero, with special order Hirsch rims. The car was a factory delivery when new, he bought it from a MAjor who just left Germany and had the car since new. I told him I'd give him my rims plus 100 Euro for his rims but he declined. I was checking out his engine and there is no extra room available in that engine bay with the V6 turbo! I could not imagine having to work on that engine. Any small job probably takes two hours to do because you probably have to move half the engine out of the way!

Nice! The advantage is the engine setup is pretty much the same as your '96 900 so it'll be pretty easy to work on.

I have never been a huge fan of those Hirsch rims, they always look a bit like cheap aftermarket rims. But perhaps that's just me. I definitely like those 3-spoke aero rims much better. Welcome to the world of first gen 9-5!