Which Saab model should I buy? / Bringing the old car back to life

[Dave T]

What we have here is a 2000 Saab 9-5 Aero, 183K miles, 5-speed manual, tinted windows, newer tires, enthusiast maintained.

tires (Champiros, don't ask)...recent fuel pump insert, fuel pump relay, crank position sensor, front brakes; newer SID unit, no missing pixels.

The Not So Good: it does need tie rod ends (two brand new in the box supplied with the car), and a subsequent alignment, but those can easily be done by the same garage at the same time. A tiny spot of surface rust on the very bottom rear of the right-hand passenger door. It leaks oil, gently, from any number of places (typical of a car that has only been fed full synthetic its whole life), but nothing serious. The wood wheel and trailer hitch do NOT go with the car, sorry, must be put to use elsewhere.

It ain't perfect, but it is solid and dependable, and we have loved it well. But with nine Saabs in the yard, the fleet must be thinned, and so this ride's time has indeed come.

Opinions? 2000 Saab 9-5 Aero sedan 5sp

Washington state just got 7 digit license plates. They started with AAA. I don't like the AFU series, like FU! After 7 years, you have to get a new plate. I was going to get mine in September and might have gotten AMM or AM-something, based on my estimates.

[Burnsside42]

Has the trunk decor panel. Wrong wheels. Solid $2000 car maybe. Not $3g

[Dave T]

Seems to be that Saabs selling at a moderate price get sold right away in the Seattle area. Last week, I did not have a chance to look in person so most of the Saabs that I read about were sold. This one is a possibility. I talked with the seller today.

Sporty green1998 Saab 900 SE with a 2.0 Turbo 4 cyl. 140k miles. Tan Leather, Auto trans, Sunroof, power windows and door locks. Drives great and boost comes on STRONG!
Has some small scuffs on the fenders but nothing bad. Call ....

I can see the right fender has some bubbling, possibly rust underneath. It is asking $1700.

[Dave T]

Looked at a 1999 9-3 today. Valve cover gasket leaking. That can be fixed. Wish it was in better shape. Seeing another one tomorrow that looks like it is in worse shape.

[Burnsside42]

1999 9-3's are neat cause it has the older T5 engine and all the cosmetic upgrades of the 9-3. Best of both worlds - but they sometimes carry funny quirks as a "1st year" car.

[Dave T]

1999 9-3's are neat cause it has the older T5 engine and all the cosmetic upgrades of the 9-3. Best of both worlds - but they sometimes carry funny quirks as a "1st year" car.

I have decided to buy a 1999 9-3. It may be very quirky being one of the first 1500 9-3's. As such, it has the 185 HP engine, not the HOT. Undecided whether that car will be a temporary car or an eventual weekend car for many years.

How does one know the DIC is failing? Check engine light and no power?

[Burnsside42]

CEL and at times they miss under boost or a load. The aftermarket ones for the T5 cars seems like they are working. I think DORMAN makes a good aftermarket one. Not 100% sure. I have one for sale in the classifieds I'd sell it to you for less than I have it listed for. The spark plugs are cheap too for these cars - but are a 20-30,000 mile plug.

[Dave T]

I just got my fifth Saab and the only time that I've had two at once. It's an early 1999 model 9-3 5 door with an automatic! I have not had a Saab automatic since my first Saab. More details later. The car needs a little work.

[nordwulf]

Good news, looking forward to more details and pictures.

[Dave T]

Good news, looking forward to more details and pictures.

There's one picture in the blog section. More to come later. Tomorrow, I am having some work done on it and this weekend, I will do some routine maintenance on it. Although black is not my favorite color, this original 9-3 body style is possibly the best ever made. Only the classic 900 3 door comes close. The 2003-2007 9-3's look sharp but not as sharp as these other two models.

I've also just bought a new car, which couldn't be a Saab since the factory closed. It should be here in August. It's a BMW 320i, 6 speed manual. Just a tiny bump in hp from my Saab 9-3SS' 175 to 180 now. I think I'll keep my just acquired 1999 9-3 for a while.