2005 Saab 9-5 Aero wagon - nordwulf

[nordwulf]

I was going to keep my current 2004 9-5 Arc for a long time... I have had it for about 7 months now, all maintenance and repairs done, everything is running fine like it should. However.. I often look around on eBay and cars.com to see what interesting cars are available. Just looking and no serious plans to buy another car.

I like the 9-5 Arc, very comfortable and drives great with the 2.3T. But I was just missing something compared to the previous Aero's I owned. I really liked my 2005 9-5 Aero I sold last year and wished I still had it. 2004-05 9-5 Aeros with reasonable miles and in good condition are becoming increasingly difficult to find.

A new listing popped up on cars.com from a dealer in Florida. It's a 2005 Saab 9-5 Aero with 41K miles. Not much information and no pictures so I didn't really pay attention to it. But I decided to send a message the following day to see if I could get some more info. I got a quick response from a sales guy the following day and he also sent some pictures. The car was just traded in and official pictures were going to be made the following week.

I had good luck but also bad luck with buying a car based on pictures only. The car fax checked out good, it's a 1-owner car, was first registered in NJ for a year and the rest in SE Florida. Maintenance records from both NJ and FL so sounds like a typical snowbird. I have a good friend who lives in Florida and he checked out the car for me and took it for a drive. Besides a few minor cosmetic issues and a dent on the hood, everything else looked great. After a quick negotiation on price, I couldn't pass up this Saab.

It's my favorite color silver and has all the equipment I want in a 9-5, except for the vented seats. Oh well, you can't have everything. But it does have the Sport Tech package with the two-tone grey/black leather so that's a nice replacement for the vented seats. So... to make a long story short, I am flying to Fort Lauderdale this weekend and pick it up Monday morning. Drive around Florida, visit friends and enjoying the nice weather for about 5 days and then drive back to Michigan. Can hardly wait!

The sales guy was not the best photographer so this is the best picture I have so far. But don't worry, many more will follow next week.

[Dave T]

Perhaps you should keep the current 9-5 as a spare? It's likely to be one of the better 9-5 specimens on the road. My 2005 9-3 is in good condition that it might be just as reliable and not as worn as a 2008 9-3 with a moderate number of miles. What that means is that only a 2009-2011 car is in better shape. As time goes by, the number of cars available that is in better shape than your Saab will decrease.

[rpiereck]

Another long road trip and a nice trip report is forthcoming, I see... I am looking forward to hearing about this one.

I am really enjoying my 9-5 in Germany, I know when I return to the US I won't be able to bring it along, and I seriously think I'll be looking for another 9-5 Aero wagon in the US too. These are great cars.

[nordwulf]

I am really enjoying my 9-5 in Germany, I know when I return to the US I won't be able to bring it along, and I seriously think I'll be looking for another 9-5 Aero wagon in the US too. These are great cars.

I was looking at some new 2011 Saab 9-3 as well but something just draws me to first generation 9-5. The second generation 9-5 was very tempting as well and there have been some great deals on those. But the closest Saab service center is 200 miles away and just wanted to take that risk. And I like the price of an older Saab so I won't have to get a car loan.

I checked out some 2006+ 9-5 as well but still prefer the old style dash, steering wheel and the 2004-2005 Aero exterior. There is just something about those that's just perfect. I briefly considered something like a Volvo V70, S60 or even a Subaru Outback. But then I remembered I really enjoy driving and the only wagon for me would be another Saab.

[Dave T]

Another long road trip and a nice trip report is forthcoming, I see... I am looking forward to hearing about this one.

I am really enjoying my 9-5 in Germany, I know when I return to the US I won't be able to bring it along, and I seriously think I'll be looking for another 9-5 Aero wagon in the US too. These are great cars.

There's a nice 9-5 Arc wagon in Boyne City, MI! If it is not so nice, he'd unload it on the open market. At least, that is what I'd do, not offer it here if the car was a piece of unreliable junk, offer it here if the car was a good specimen.

[rpiereck]

I too prefer the dashboard and steering wheel of the 9-5s up to 2005. The 2006+ have a slightly odd dash and that steering wheel looks out of place.

[nordwulf]

I too prefer the dashboard and steering wheel of the 9-5s up to 2005. The 2006+ have a slightly odd dash and that steering wheel looks out of place.

Some parts of the 06+ dash I like like the green/white lighting, head unit with aux-in and satellite radio and a bit more modern feel. On the other hand, the head unit, ACC controls and 9-3 steering wheel look like a cheap parts bin job and don't match the rest of the interior. I prefer the 4-spoke steering wheel because I like hanging my hand at the bottom of the wheel while cruising. Impossible with the 3-spoke steering wheel. The <=05 dash and interior have better quality materials as well. The creaky door handles and top dash materials just make it all feel cheap.

[Yamarocket630]

You have a sickness Frank. I'm still enjoying your old Aero too! Just giving it some TLC today in prep for some new tailgate stuts.

[Dave T]

You have a sickness Frank. .

Only as a joke!

Frank identifies Saabs that are in good condition, fixes them up a little, then when he is bored, gets another Saab and finds a good home for the previous Saab. Besides, he doesn't have big car payments, like he had with his 9-4X.

I'm a little different. I have this sickness in that I look at the 9-5 as a car that "them rich folks" drive and the 9-3 as the car for ordinary people. That's why I've always driven 900's and 9-3's, not 9000's and 9-5's. This doesn't make sense because the cars that I might buy in the future to replace my car costs more than a 2011 9-5, which are being sold at bargain prices.

Frank should post a summary of the Saabs that he's had. Yamarocket has his 2005 9-5 Aero. Scott in Ontario had a 9-5. There's Frank's current 2004 9-5 Arc wagon. He's had a 9-4 and a blue 9-3. That makes 5, but isn't a complete list. Add to that a Toyota Carina, Opel, Mercedes Benz 300TE wagon. I've had 3 classic 900's and a 2005 9-3.

[rpiereck]

So Frank, are you keeping the Linear or selling it?