Getting ready to buy a SAAB

Most people will tell you not to get the V6 as it has a belt instead of a chain, even if you had a bad experience with a chain.

I guess, if you do the belts before their time is up is not an issue.

The dealer claims it is still under

I can't comment on the dealer's warranty claims.

The perfect SAAB engine is the 2.3L (square engine).

You can expect all sorts of little things to go wrong like they do in most cars. Have the test drive, see if they have a 2.3 which you could test drive too.

There has been a major issue affecting engines of 9-5s (2.0L and

Good luck. Charles

(SAAB 9000).

I have the same car - 2000 9-5 SE V6t. Mine happens to be a station wagon. It is a fabulous car. DO NOT listen to the boneheads who will tell you to avoid the V6. It is actually a MUCH more reliable engine than the 2.3L 4. Also FAR smoother and more powerful at low speeds. Fuel economy is quite good, I get

The problem with the 4 is the major sludge issues. If a 4 was maintained by the "book" as Saab recommended in the early years of 9-5s, it will almost certainly have a sludge issue - the oil change intervals were simply far soo long, and they are now on version #6 (!) of the PPCV system.

As to the V6. Make sure the timing belt AND THE TENSIONER pulleys were replaced at 60K miles. Saab pays for the first timing belt change, but they do not pay for the tenshioner, so often people don't change it. They fairly frequently fail before 120K. If you can't document both the belt and tensioner having been replaced, do it now. Better yet, get the vendor to do it as part of the sale. Cost me about $500 for both at a good independent garage. Was cheaper to have the whole thing done at my favorite independent than to have the $tealership do the "free" belt and pay them to change the tensioner.

Use synthetic oil. I change it at 7500 mile intervals. While the V6 is not prone to sludge issues, the turbo will live longer with synthetic. Remember,

Other specific to V6 issues - there is an O-ring where the oil filter mounts on the non-turbo version of the engine. This will turn into dust and start leaking. Cossts ~$2.50 and took me 30 minutes to change. The thermostat is expensive and hard to get to, so change the coolant on schedule and use the corrrect Saab coolant to prolong its life. That's about it. Unusually, IMHO the V6 is easier to work on than the 4, it actually has more room around it in the engine bay. Also, you can often get parts for it MUCH cheaper from a Saturn dealer than a Saab dealer, as the same engine sans tubo was used in the Saturn LS.

I bought mine with 41K on it two years ago, now at 67K. Only issues have been the O-ring and the pixels starting to fail in the SID display. Fixed both myself. Otherwise just routine service items. I did pre-emptively change the crank sensor and the heater valve. Those are both common 9-5 issues for both V6 and 4 cylinder cars.

Kevin Rhodes Westbrook, Maine '00 9-5 SE V6t Wagon 'WASAABI' '92 C900T Convertable 'SUNSAAB' '91 BMW 318is '74 Triumph Spitfire

My Mom's 2000 905 SE Wagon has been a great car so far too besides the aforementioned SID issue. If you maintain the engine according to the manual you should expect many more miles.

Dan