I'm About to Saab

[PDXSaabNut]

Hello everyone!

I'm in need of some advice here - I can't make up my mind on what to do with these Saabs.

In one corner, we have a 2003 9-5 Aero with 100k miles, loaded with options, and which seems to have been taken very good care of by another Saab fan.
In the other, we have a 2010 9-5 Aero with 60k miles, also loaded with options, and which is currently out of my price range.

I am currently driving a 2000 Lexus ES300 with 190k miles, which has had the water pump and timing belt recently replaced, but needs brakes and tires.

This should be a clear choice - keep the Lexus until it dies and THEN get a Saab - but that's no fun, and I really want a Saab back in my life.

My main questions are: If I wait another two years, what are the chances I'll even be able to find a decent 9-5 Aero? If I pull the trigger on this 2003, am I signing up for large amounts of wallet pain in the near future?

I just don't know what to do, and would love any and all advice/discussion/help that anyone is willing to share.

Thank you.

[XLR99]

I'd say grab that '03 if it's clean and well maintained by a Saabist. I have two 9-5s now, one of which currently occupies two bays of my garage . They're basically at opposite ends of the maintenance spectrum. If you wait two more years, the (small) pool of good, well maintained 9-5s for sale will probably be much smaller. I figure a majority of the well maintained ones will be staying with their present owners, and a percentage of the good ones for sale go to sub-optimal new owners, then kind of spiral down and end up as bottom feeder beater cars.

[PDXSaabNut]

That makes a lot of sense, thank you XLR.

Guess it's time to brave the cold and spend some time detailing the Lexus to sell it. I just hope the seller doesn't decide to raise the price again on the 9-5...

Are the issues on your 9-5 fairly common? I've got a list of things to ask about on this one, but I might be missing some common issues.

[XLR99]

Off the top of my head, the most common issues are sludge (less likely with newer car, and actually changing the oil with synthetic), the stupid coolant bypass valve ($22 to get rid of it forever), throttle body, HVAC blend door arms, SID display pixels failing, and probably a couple others.
Also ask about subframe bushings and the serpentine belt and pulleys.

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[PDXSaabNut]

SID is an easy fix - I did it in our '01 that we had previously. Sludge and coolant bypass I'm aware of, and shouldn't be an issue. I don't know about the throttle body or HVAC issues though - are they major fixes or can they be done by an amateur? I am pretty well versed in car repair.

I will be having a third party garage take a look at the car, and I was planning on having them look at bushings, motor mounts, shocks, etc. when that happens.

[XLR99]

I think almost anything on these cars 'can' be done as DIYs depending on your experience, and time.
The throttle body potentiometer wear out inside which starts giving drivability problems. Ohioan just replaced his. I haven't done the blend door arms but the symptom is that you get hot air on one side and cold on the other. I haven't looked into it yet.
If you check out eeuroparts blog page, they had an article over the summer with the top 10 9-5 issues.

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[nordwulf]

Buy the 2003 9-5 now and perhaps keep on saving and buy the new generation 9-5 in a few years? The new generation 9-5 is still pretty recent and there haven't been as many threads on forums like the first generation. Pretty much everything with the first gen 9-5 is well documented and there are many more owners that have done repairs and worked on the cars themselves. So you will have a much larger support group when you need help.

Not sure if you checked out the 9-5 Buyers Guide with the main common issues: http://saabworld.net/showthread.php?t=693

[PDXSaabNut]

I just went and read the eeuroparts article XLR, thank you. Found a couple of things to add to the 'possible failure' list, which isn't terribly fun.

I did check out the buyer's guide Wulf, thank you as well. I've got a large list prepared for when I go see the '03. Your point about the larger support group makes sense as well.

I'll be calling the seller today during lunch, fingers crossed!

[XLR99]

Sorry Wulf, should have remembered the buyers' guide!

PDX, don't stress about issues list- many of them are quick, easy fixes or things that will show up over time gradually. Any car, even Honda personal transportation appliances, will have some known issues over time. Also, bear in mind that the fix for every one of those issues is documented on this site, should it be necessary.
Most important (unless you're an idiot like me) to get one with a mx history so you know the oil was changed regularly with quality stuff. That one's not a quick fix!

[PDXSaabNut]

You're right, of course.

I think part of making this thread is me convincing myself that I'm as prepared for anything that might go wrong, and that I'm not completely crazy for moving from a very reliable Lexus to a 9-5 that isn't as reliable. That's not saying it won't be great, but it isn't quite on the same level, I don't think.

Either way, I want the Saab. I was going to call today at lunch, but instead my phone died, and I don't want to bother him during dinnertime. Tomorrow at lunch I will be calling.