After 70,000 miles, I feel my 1999 Saab 9-5 wagon is falling apart. Up until now, we have had very few problems other than an unusually high tire failure rate and constant replacement of the headlight bulbs.
Now I am dealing with the following.....
1) Failure of the rear locking mechanism. I was told that the solenoid needed to be replaced by my Saab dealer ($180 or the part I believe) but it has now worked since they "lubricated" it. 2) Oil leak in the turbo. I was told that the seals need to be replaced in the turbo. No cost estimate given but I was told to live with it for as long as I can. 3) The car has a tendancy to surge when backing up while cold. I am told that this "may be" the throttle body. No cost estimate given but I was told that "this would not be good". 4) The car started to groan today. I am not sure what is wrong with it, but it has a constant groan that gets worse when I turn the steering wheel (even while parked). My guess is that the power steering pump is going bad?In addition, I need new brake pads and rotors. I know that these are "consumables" and I can't complain about getting 70K miles out of them, but if you add up all the money I will need to spend to fix this car it is absurd. I currently have a Honda Accord (140K miles), Volvo (190K miles), and an Acura (33K miles) and and not put this kind of money into all three cars combined!
Needless to say, I am not impressed with my first Saab.
Bill