2005 Saab 9-5 Aero wagon - nordwulf

[SaabScott]

On the road in Ontario this weekend. North and East of Lake Huron where there are so many lakes and waterways. And a perfect spot for a lunch break.

Frank!!! Why didn't you give me a heads up??? ;-)

I want first dibs on your car Frank when you decide to move onto the next one.

Sorry Burnsie, I called dibs on it when he announced he was buying it!


Although, from the sounds of it, that isn't going to happen in the near future.

Frank, have you ever thought of setting up a Saab search company? You always seem to find great deals!!!
(And I may need your assistance later this year)

[nordwulf]

Frank!!! Why didn't you give me a heads up??? ;-)

My road trips never seem to go as planned and ended up only spending one day in Toronto. And that makes it difficult to make plans for both us ahead of time. I'll need to come back and attend one of the Saab events in the GTA.

It was a nice sunny day and a long time ago since I visited Toronto. Hardly saw any Saabs, unfortunately.

[ddamien60]

I am driving my '04 9-5 Linear Wagon, and love it at 147,000 miles!! I am thinking that another '04/'05 vintage wagon might be in my future, and likely an Aero, if I can find one with low enough miles and in good shape. Like you, I am hoping for vented seats, but they are hard to find. Yes, those cars are becoming more difficult to find, but with the longevity factor on our sides (and I have an awesome repair shop in Boston Metro-West), the cars will last us a good long time!!

[nordwulf]

I bought it exactly one year ago and still have no plans of getting something else. I occasionally look at dealers lots and all their shiny new vehicles but always come back to my trusty 9-5. One year is a record for me, I believe..

There isn't much to report on since the last update. I fixed up the spoiler rash a couple of months ago and it is still holding up good. I still have have to take care of that ticking sound from the front end. But besides that, just regular maintenance and that's it. it's now at 62K miles so that's about 20K miles in the last year. Quite a lot, considering I live only a few miles from work.

The pinstripe was bothering me and it wasn't too difficult to remove. Looks so much better without it. http://saabworld.net/f243/painted-pi...uctions-28414/

The wood dash panel I installed earlier has now been replaced with an aluminum Aero dash. I really like the look of that and brightens up the interior. Thanks Psymon! I have to take some decent interior shots but I am sure you've seen it before.

I need to start planning my next road trip.



There haven't been any major road trips but I did take it along the north shore of Lake Superior and into Northern Ontario for a short camping trip.

https://plus.google.com/photos/11357...75452330715457

[psymon]

I am lazily waiting for you to figure out the ticking sound since I have the same sound for a little while now. Other that that, I have put about 40k miles since I got mine in early 2010 (72k total)and it has been rock solid(knock on wood). Just basic maintanece. Like you, I think about selling or trading for a new car but it just doesn't make sense at this point. Just swapped in snow tires yesterday!

[Burnsside42]

. . . . . hate you . Nice find. How much for the Arc? lol

[nordwulf]

Getting close to 2 years of owning this 9-5, longest I ever had any Saab! The ticking sound from the front wheels while turning is still there and it seems to be getting worse at less turning of the steering wheel so something that needs to be addressed soon. Besides that, ownership has been uneventful and the 2.3T is just humming along with regular oil changes in the last year.

I spent about $600 in regular maintenance and small repairs in almost 2 years. Not bad at all for a car that is getting close to 10 years of age. I keep a spreadsheet of all work that has been done:

12/1/2012	43,950	Oil change Castrol Syntec 5W-40 / KN filter	$35.00
		Spark plugs NGK Platinum Plus PFR6H10	$47.96
		Engine air filter	$13.07
		Cabin air filter	$23.99
		Shifter jalousie	$24.27
		Front Emblem	$19.80
		Thermostat	$24.52
		Engine coolant sensor	$16.22
12/20/2012	45,000	Serpentine belt (short)	$25.87
		Waterpump o-rings	$3.00
		Fuel filter	$14.97
03/09/13	49,850	Oil change Castrol Syntec 5W-40 / Mobil filter	$35.00
4/27/2013	51,845	Outside temperature sensor	$25.00
		Engine splash guard	$25.00
		ATF change (12 qrts / 3 times)	$86.17
6/14/2013	55,504	Coolant change	$15.00
		Coolant Bypass Valve	$30.00
07/17/13	56,820	Oil change Castrol Syntec 5W-40 / Mobil filter	$35.00
11/27/13	62,840	Oil change Castrol Syntec 5W-40 / FRAM filter	$35.00
04/09/14	68,124	Oil change Castrol Syntec 0W-40 / KN filter	$35.00
09/05/14	75,172	Oil change Castrol Syntec 0W-40 / KN filter	$30.00
		Total parts/repairs	$599.84

There haven't been any major road trips so basically just the average driving in the Great Lakes state and Ontario.

Winters come and go

Untitled by fwulfers1, on Flickr


MS Chi-Cheemaun car deck - Saab 9-5 by Frank Wulfers, on Flickr

Camping at Fairbank Provincial Park, Northern Ontario by fwulfers1, on Flickr

A few night/evening shots

2005 Saab 9-5 Aero by fwulfers1, on Flickr

Untitled by fwulfers1, on Flickr

Local back roads

Untitled by fwulfers1, on Flickr

I probably have to disappoint some SW members here because I still am not planning to sell it anytime soon. I just have to start planning a major roadtrip again soon.

[nordwulf]

We know engine sludge is a thing of the past for the <= '04 9-5 but I was curious to see what it looked like under the valve cover. Removing the cover is easy by removing the DIC, taking out all the bolts, a few gentle taps with a rubber mallet and off she comes.

Fitting the cover with new gaskets was a bit tricky because they don't stay on the cover when you want to fit it. I managed to lay the gaskets on the head and gently putting the valve cover on. It takes a few tries and you have to make sure the gaskets are properly positioned within the ridges of the cover.

Everything looked very clean inside and camshaft and timing chain/gear all seemed to be like new. It has done 75K miles so far and I imagine when I pull the cover at 150K miles, it still may look the same. I guess I will find out in 10 years from now.

[nordwulf]

I stopped by my favorite drag strip in Middle-of-Nowhere, Michigan last weekend where there are 3 concrete runways at an old army airfield. Each runway is a mile long and the concrete surface is still remarkably good. The airfield was mainly used as a missile base during the cold war. Nothing else remains besides the runways and it is used in winter for automotive testing.

I got th 9-5 up to 120 mph / 200 km/h but my brakes didn't hold up very well after the first run. Interesting experience when you get near the end and the car doesn't stop as fast as you expect. If I would drive at higher speeds often, a brake upgrade definitely would be worth the money.

DSC02631.jpg by fwulfers1, on Flickr

DSC02653.jpg by fwulfers1, on Flickr

[nordwulf]

It has been a while since me and my 9-5 went on a road trip. Instead of sitting at home during the holidays, eat, watch TV and look outside dreaming of a road trip, I just decided to get in the car and head West. Two days from Northern Michigan to Denver, CO was a good drive for a total of about 1400 miles.

The drive is not relly that exciting, just highways and flat countryside with some rolling hills. My 9-5 recently needed new front axles as the ticking sound while turning sounded like a catastrophic failure to happen sooner or later.

Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas may not sound very exciting to drive through but at least the roads were very good, weather was nice and not much traffic at all. I was close to the geographic center of the contiguous 48 US so was curious to visit this major tourist attraction. Well, not that major but interesting to visit anyways.





Fighting the crowds at the geographic center marker/monument.



The Saab is running great and is hungry for more miles.