Is it to buy a low mileage SAAB 9-5 3.0 Turbo?
I'm concerned with a low mileage SAAB that it's spent a lot of time doing shopping trips and has cooked the turbo bearings. Is that likely?
Mileage is less than 6000 per year.
OTOH it's a stonking car and I want it. The only other problem is that it's 400 miles away and I'm very, very busy.
Depends on how low...
That isn't too bad. Guess it'll depend on how it's driven and where; this could be a ten mile (each way) commute for five days a week through a busy city in rush hour, by one "careful lady owner," or less frequent, longer trips.
The 3.0 doesn't tend to be well liked, but how much of this is because of "if it ain't four cylinders, it ain't a Saab" crud, and how much is genuine, that's something else... The diesels have a bad reputation, because that Isuzu V6 is a horrid piece of kit by all accounts. But I know you don't mean the diesel... right?
Too true, no this one is fuelled on God's own fuel and is priced at pocket money levels for a car that's as good as the best that I have seen.
The problem is that to buy it I have to get up to Scotchland.
Which part of Scotchland ?
We have many representatives up here ;-)
I'm sure someone would make an effort to pick you up at Scotland airport.
%steve%@malloc.co.uk (Steve Firth) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:
No, not really.
IIRC the v6 is an assymetric turbo - the turbo's only blown from one bank, and not particularly high boost. Very creamy, not a lot of kick-in- the-back.
I'd ask over on saabcentral.com, I think. Lots of 'merkins, who are going to be far more familiar with v6 9-5s than over here, since they didn't shift many here.
Shopping trips never did cook or coke turbocharger. Failing to change the oil of a low mileage car on time instead of miles could impact turbo life.
It's a modern car and will have a water cooled turbo bearing housing. So turbo will last life of the car. I've got one that's done 170K. What killed oil cooled turbo was heat soak from cast manifolds after switching off after 80-90mph M-way run. Water cooled turbo fixed that issue for series 2 RST and R5 turbo but still idiots remove the turbo water cooling because it "overheats the engine".
Doesn't sound such a bad experience.
Having decided I'm going to run this Saab into the ground, sometimes I think, hmm Saab 9-5. Or 9000. Or diesel conversion and MX-5.
It's not far from Glasgow, with a Motherwell post code. The "problem" such as it is is arranging to take time off work to see the car and bring it back. We're in panic-overdrive meltdown phase of my work at the moment with need to get through an external audit of all the computer systems by the end of April. There's no real slack in the schedule.
I checked with FlyBe and I could get a one-way ticket for between £38 and £80 depending on the date and the arival time (morning flight costs about 2x the price of the evening flight). That's cheaper than either the train or my petrol costs if I were drive up with Mrs. F.
The car itself is, IMO, slightly over-priced but not hideously so and for me it's in pocket money territory. It's also one of the few that I've seen that is, from the photos, in good condition with one owner and a raft of carefully kept documentation.
I've been humming and muttering about getting a car to use for commutes since my pattern of commuting has changed. I used to do occasional long drives (very long - up to Cleveland, Cumbria or to Cornwall or Cambridge) staying in hotels then returning. For that sort of use I could use the Jag or the Ford without flinching. Now I'm zipping backwards and forwards about 50 miles per day with occasional short excursions. The pattern of driving isn't good for fuel consumption or for the car mechanicals. OTOH I don't want to buy some boring shitbox.
The SAAB looked an interesting motor, I've also seen a couple of AMG Mercs locally that might do the job, although both are a bit heavy on fuel. An AMG CLK 430 looked to fit the bill, close call against the SAAB though for me. I got disappointed on buying a SAAB 9000 2.3T about ten years ago IIRC. The owner's husband advertised the car for sale. I loved the experience of driving it and offered cash, and went to the bank to get it. While I was there the woman rang my wife and begged her to ask me not to return with the cash since she didn't want to sell the car. I abandoned the attempt but I was a bit sad about losing that car. This SAAB seems to be pretty similar, even if it is an unpopular model.
That's what I was interested in, I've lookd at some alternatives all of them cars in range of 6-8 seconds to 60, with 140 -150 mph at the top end. I'm more interested in a smooth car with good seats than I am in an outright sports car. A turbo suits because I was hoping for something that would piddle along at low rpm when required but have some top end grunt if I decide to take the drive to Italy in it or if I get one of the moments in the UK where overtaking needs to be done in a hurry.
At the moment my list has an AMG Merc CLK, an E-class Merc and the SAAB as possibles. This is a pocket money project - I'll still have to buy a large bloatmobile 4x4 at some time as well as whatever I get now. Although the Ford refuses to die, having sailed through another MoT with just an advisory on rear shocks.
Righto, that doesn't seem to be an issue for this one since it has a full MDSH.
I work in the ML postcode pretty much all of the time and travel through it back and forwards to work.
If you need more pics, a lift, blah blah blah, just mail me.
Cheers
JF
Cool thanks for the offer. I'll try to struggle with my work schedule, give them a call, see how it goes.
My mate in the midlands has an 04 CLK55AMG for sale, depends on the definition of "pocket money"
Less, I suspect, than your mate would want for his car. They seem to go for around £10K, if they're in the condition that I would consider.
The AMG CLK 430 was unloved, hence pocket money prices which means I can pick up a good one for about half the price of a CLK55 at most.
Most people listened to Mr Clarkson who said the 55 was the only one worth buying.
The 55 isn't much quicker than the 500, and the 500 is a better bet for everyday use (better ride, cheaper parts)...
Plus it's a cabrio, which ups the price.
Just to let you know, they 9-5 isn't quite as big inside as the 9k.
A lot of the early 9-5 owners, when they got leggy sold them for cash, and bought bargain bucket 9k turbos for pennies, and got space and cash in the bank.
The 9-5 interior is quite nice though when fully equiped.
OK, thanks. But it's probably not an issue for the current intention. I'll still have other cars for other purposes.
Yes, I found that to be a good feature. Also the seats seem to be particularly good. I can't drive German cars for long becuase the slab-like seats are like riding a buckboard horse-drawn buggy. I think I can just about tolerate the Merc E-class and CLK seats but even those are bit on the firm side. SAAB seem to have mastered the art of making supportive but comfortable seating.
Not just that, the cubby/switch/vent layout just works. You reach, you get, simples.
No remembering where everything is.
Depends... If you decide you want it, then it'll be no risk at all.
If you decide you don't want it, then it'll be the worst thing in the world that anyone could *ever* do :)
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