The wrecked Volvo is going to be replaced by some kind of Saab, probably. Last weekend, I checked out four. And I need your help.
1. 2006 9-5 Aero
On Friday, I drove out to a used car dealership in Marin County, at the foot of Mt. Tamalpais, to check out this 89k mile, one-owner wagon hailing from Houston. It looked nice online and this lot is known for its huge (19 at the time of writing) Saab inventory.
The first thing I noticed was this HUGE fender panel gap. It was big enough to slide through a paperback edition of War & Peace. The Carfax revealed no accidents, so could it have left the factory like that? It was a big turn off. Nevertheless, I took the automatic for a spin on Highway 101. At one point, I was following a W12 Phaeton. The 9-5 was a bit too big for me, the interior a bit austere, and the PRNDL shifter a bit Fisher Price. Though it has just 8,000 more miles than my dearly departed 2006 V50, it felt like it led a hard life in Texas.
2. 2006 9-3 Aero SportCombi
Discouraged, I asked the salesman if he had any manual wagons for sale. No, unfortunately, but there is one in the back, being prepped. We walked around back.
It’s a one-owner California car. What’s more, it has a 2.8 liter V6 that is turbocharged. And it has a manual six-speed! I love the color, which is more yellow in real life. It was very dirty and the front seats had gaping holes along the side bolsters. The car is not ready for sale because during an inspection on a lift, the dealership noticed a hairline crack on the oil pan. Once they’ve installed a new oil pan and detailed the car, they will call me. When/whether they will track down an oil pan will be interesting, and a test of parts availability.
And despite a career spent negotiating every day, I may have been too enthusiastic about this wagon in front of the salesman. Bad move.
Obviously, if the price is too high or if the pre-purchase inspection reveals too many problems, I will pass on this. So if any of you Hoons know of one of these for sale within a two hour flight from SFO, please let me know!
And one more thing, what does the carbon buildup on the exhaust tip tell us, if anything, about the state of the engine?
3. 2008 9-3 Turbo X
On Saturday, I checked out this locally owned, meticulously maintained, Turbo X. I describe this as a Swedish version of the Mercury Marauder. Totally imperfect, but very lustworthy. It looks sinister from a mile away, and you can hear it from that far as well (think muted F1 engine warbling at idle).
I took it for a test drive and it did not disappoint. A combination of turbo lag, slow throttle response, and/or a dumb slushbox caused a 1.5-second delay between flooring the gas pedal and warp speed acceleration. Though it only has 280 horses and less than 300 pound-feet of torque, it felt a lot faster. The brakes, though large for a Saab, did not inspire confidence.
This is a fun car, but it wasn’t for me. Just 350 Turbo X sedans and 150 Turbo X wagons were sold, so the cost of maintenance and repair will be an issue. Plus, Cooper the Dog has a tendency to scratch the hell out of any car’s interior, and it would anger the Automotive Gods for him to defile this wagon’s pristine black leather interior. But, I did learn from this test drive that the 9-3 wagon’s size is perfect.
4. 2008 9-3 2.0T
Finally, I checked out this sedan at an Acura dealership. It was a stick shift and I wanted to see and feel a Saab shifter and clutch in action. This specimen has 44k miles and was perfectly adequate in a positive way. In fact, while driving it, I considered just ending the search then and there and buying it. The only thing that stopped me was the color, which I was not crazy about. Had it been red, it would be in my garage right now.
So gang, while I wait for that Dijon mustard yellow 9-3 Aero SportCombi to be readied, if you know of any for sale, please let me know. It has to have the 2.8 liter V6 turbo, not the 2.0 liter-4. And, it has to have less than 100k miles. Easy enough, right? And thanks in advance.
Oh, and Tim, I will need a new Hooniverse sticker.
Images source: Copyright 2015 Hooniverse/Jim Yu
Shopping for Saabs (x4)
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#4, a bunch of red sharpies, and beer for your friends. You’re welcome.
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A pity with the lagging Turbo X…1.5s is very long and may just suck the fun out of engaged driving.
Did you get any indication of what the asking price for the mustard wagon will be? Also seems like a proper dealer who identifies, mentioms, and tries to fix issues. I have been reading too many outrageous Jalopnik and TTAC posts about car dealers to take that for granted.
Have you spoken to SAAB United or some other interest/fanboy group? Any odyssey like that will make a good read. And good look finding just the perfect car!-
I have no idea what the asking price on the mustard wagon will be. The dealer seems pretty open about everything.
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You left the fastest Saab off your list. The 9-7x Aero. A Trailblazer with a 390 LS-X V-8. Plus you know you can still get 98% of the parts for it and 100% of the driveline parts.
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Don’t laugh, but I considered flying to New Jersey to get a 9-4X.
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What stopped you?
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The thought of sourcing a front windshield one day.
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Ok, for once I actually had to do some/a lot of work today, so I had to cut my previous comments about the missus Saab Aero shorter than I wanted.
I forgot one other big issue – the front springs. There was actually a recall as the front springs break. The first time they were covered by Saab, second time they broke Saab was no longer a company (and I believe time wise fell outside that warranty – plus I didn’t feel like driving 350 miles one way to the nearest ‘previous’ dealer). We absolutely could not locate the Aero springs, and settled for 2.0T “sport” springs. That was about 20,000 miles ago so not ideal, but is working. Probably not a big deal in sunny Cali where you don’t have to worry about snow and salt.
Other plusses – we’ve never touched the tranny or clutch and there’s still no signs of slippage. Actually, no mechanical issues what so ever. I wouldn’t be worried about the carbon on the exhaust – our car has the same issue/non issue. Good luck with the search and hopefully happy motoring.-
Thank you for the insight.
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That’s what you told your Honda dealer.
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If you don’t play a Charade.
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Well, I’m sure he wanted to do his Civic duty and commend the dealership’s willingness to help him on his Odyssey to find a car that truly Fit.
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Expanding on GTXcellent’s point, I have no experience with Saabs, but I wouldn’t be too worried about carbon/soot on the tailpipe of most turbo cars. Mazdaspeed3’s are notorious for it, apparently, and given how long it’s been since it had a proper wash (another resident of California, here), my WRX has pretty sooty pipes right now, too. My understanding is that turbo cars will often be set up to intentionally run a bit rich from the factory, especially under load, to avoid a lean condition under boost. Hence, sooty exhaust.
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Carbon on the exhaust tips is no biggie on 9-5s and AFAIK, on the 9-3s. My now-departed 9-5 had plenty of carbon on the exhaust tip in its 300k mile stay at my home.
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Depends how bad it is. Cloud of soot in the morning after sitting all night is a symptom pointing to bad turbo.
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As the current owner of three* SAABs, my advice** is to buy all four.
*Fair warning: I am an idiot.
**Fair warning: I am still an idiot. -
I dunno, these cars never won any comparison tests, which makes me think there must be better cars.
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I agree. On paper, and even behind the wheel, Saabs are very ordinary. I think it’s more about the statement of owning one. What that statement is is subject to interpretation.
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In that case, add a Jaguar wagon to your short list!
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It is!
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Found it, what about these. I think they are E85 capable but all the blue translucent trim everywhere looks pretty sweet. http://goo.gl/aD373R
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Subjectively, and objectively while we’re at it, my Rover is terrible.
Absolutely love it. -
Mmpf…I have to eat some crow as I now remember that SAAB have actually won 1 comparo. Finnish tech mag TM chooses Winter Car of the Year every winter and SAAB has won with 9-5 in FWD large car group. Proper test it is too as everything from brakes to seat heaters to defrosting performance is tested in -25 deg C. 9000 won whole test among 20 car models or so.
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No 9-2X?
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Too Subaru-y.
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You say that like it’s a bad thing.
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Wow, you can read a lot between the lines.
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I assume the 9-7x is too Trailblazing, by that same measure.
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that’s a Subaru he wants a saab
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What’s wrong with the color? A high profile racing drive can’t pick the paint, you take whatever the sponsor wants it to be. Baby blue just needs some teeny stripes of orange vinyl…
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The oil pan for the mustard one is not cheap but can be found http://www.ebay.com/itm/Saab-93-Oil-Pan-12623431/361280811788?_trksid=p2047675.c100011.m1850&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D30002%26meid%3D1a1e935035f74f7d8614c621d3b24631%26pid%3D100011%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D5%26sd%3D360972594030
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Actually scratch that, I found one for a third of the price: http://gmpartsheadquarters.com/?i=8&act=partnum_search&partnum=12623431&make_htaccess=cadillac-115&shortname=gmpartsheadquarters
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I’ve had all three (no awd in my v6)
you’ll appreciate the fuel economy of the 2.0 and can tune it to stock v6 power. however, you can tune a v6 to run a stock STi.
no 9-5, don’t bother
Get a v6 with manual without a history of issues, oil pan crack probably meant previous owner who didn’t let the car warm up/ cool down enough (should do 5 min each with these cars For long drives), which could mean other heat related issues the dealer could easily overlook in their profit-maximizing “inspection”
go by owner and have fun driving (and tuning cause it’s the sh**!-
Good info. I like to keep mine stock, thank you.
Do I really have to run it for 5 minutes before/after? What is it about this car that requires it?-
Absurd overcaution? Sure, let the turbo cool off a bit after a hot ‘n’ heavy run, but that seem excessive even for finicky Swedes.
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not absurd. 2.0/2.3, sure a minute is okay. Lots of space for heat to dissipate. This isn’t so with the v6 whether it’s the mustard wagon or turboX. Typically I pop the hood after a long drive and let it sit ~2-5 minutes (less than a minute for short drives) to simply let the radiant heat out. Also, by idling after a drive you allow the turbo to be cooled by it’s only source of internal cooling, the motor oil. At idle, the oil is at its coolest.
Again, I’ve owned all three engines and currently have the v6. I maintain it this way and my theory has paid off.-
even after a slow drive your turbo will be super hot, go ahead and find out for yourself haha!
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I was behind a Blue TSX wagon on the way home. That was a dang fine looking car, and I haven’t read anything bad about it other than MOAR POWEERRR. Paul N at curbsideclassic really enjoys his. Shocking as it may be, the TSX may have fewer long term issues than a Saab.
Or what about a dual rear wiper blade Camry wagon that will outlast us all plus a Miata/fox body mustang/anything on the panther platform? Almost all of the 92-96 Camry wagons rusted away around my area but a few are still running and look great as they came with peak Toyota quality. And a fox body mustang would also make a statement in SF. -
I remember sitting in a 9-3 Turbo X wagon at the LA auto show circa 2010 and it being a notably depressing experience. They had like 3 cars covering their poorly lit, sparsely staffed booth. The car in question felt like a “it just came back in, we’ll detail it ASAP” rental – scuffed, bland, etc.
Felt much better about the WRXagon after that. -
Before you 2.8T, please, please do your homework on that engine’s coil faults. They are nearly insurmountable without expensive custom retrofitting.
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Check the classifieds over at saabnet.com. It looks like Gary Small SAAB up in Oregon has a few that would interest you. If you can get to the East Coast there is a red 9-3 you might want on the board.
Also, as a long time SAAB owner currently running a 2006 9-5 Sport package (Aero) and a 2008 9-5 Aero with the four cylinder engines and manual transmissions, I would not turn down the four in favor of the six. The third gear roll on in these cars with a stick is surprising, making it a great highway car. Make sure you get the sport (Aero) bolstered seats, 17 inch wheels and the larger 308 mm front brakes.
I would avoid the V6 all wheel drive versions due to parts availability, particularly issues with the rear diff; besides that design is best called an Audi A4/A6.
SAAbs have been great cars for me even into the high mileages that I usually keep them. And as an orphaned brand, they are cheap used. -
i have to say, i’ve always liked the idea of a Saab better than any actual Saab i’ve been in. when i get rides in them, they just feel sorta…clattery and broken. maybe i’ve just not encountered a good one. they inspire fanatical loyalty so there must be something about then i’m not getting.
as for being enthusiastic, i don’t think you have to worry about it. i’m not good at hiding excitement, so i basically share everything i like about a car with the seller – it lets him know i’m serious and honest about the car, and any negotiations will have that behind it. i don’t buy the bit about not showing your enthusiasm so you have the upper hand while bargaining. -
The most important thing about a Saab is its value… it doesn’t have any. I have a 2001 9-5 wagon with less than a 100,000 miles. It’s a 4 cylinder turbo with a 5 speed. (There’s nothing great about that stick, except it’s a stick). I tried to sell it a couple of years ago (the usual on-line places) and over a month I got zero offers. None. I would have taken almost nothing but not nothing but I finally decided it wasn’t worth giving away. So it gets driven here and there because it gets 33mpg on the highway. It’s big, quiet, holds everything and anything and my kids don’t know how to drive it, which I guess is good. I might just die with it. Point is, you shouldn’t pay a lot for any of these cars. There’s a few weirdos that want them but they’re weird and there are fewer and fewer of them every day.
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Anybody else feel compelled to immediately head to Craigslist to shop for Saab?
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