Saab 9-5 '00 vs. Camry LE V6 '01

I was extremely unimpressed with Camrys I test drove. Same with Lexus. Very dead road feel. Seemed to be for people who don't like to drive. The worst was the Avalon. A return to the Detroit Land Yachts. I think the Saab has a lot more interior room. Not sure if that 9-5 still has the hatchback. If it does, that's a definite advantage.

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I owned a V6 Camry and there are some issues with the Toyota V6 engine and sludge if the oil was not changed at appropriate interval. Some people either did not change the oil at all or read the Owner's Manual and saw that you could go 10K miles between oil changes. They did not read the part about "severe driving conditions" where you change the oil every 3K miles OR 3 months, whichever comes first. They got sludge and blamed the design of the engine. If I did not get absolute proof of proper maintenance, I would re-consider the Camry. Interesting thing about the price ($11,200) - mine was a 2000 V6 LE with 37K miles a manual transmission(automatic was an $1,100 option) and I got $14,500 when it was totaled. So why is the '01 going for only $11,200?

I can tell you the Camry has a soft, comfortable ride. You don't feel the potholes and bumps like you do in a Saab. It does not handle like a Saab either. When you hit the gas, the front end goes up. When you hit the brakes, the front end dives. When you go around a curve, the body rolls.

The base of the seats are shorter than a Saab seat, leav> guys, please help me out with your advices:

thanks for your input, guys.

as for the price - it is a veeeery private sale, the person wanted

12000 (which is right in between of a trade-in and private sale on Edmunds), but after considering bad tires it had the price went down :)

this puzzles me though - how come the tires are bad after only 39K? some alignment problems?

will take this Camry to a dealership tomorrow for a complete-check-up...

my emotions tell me to get a SAAB, and I have learned to question emotions :)

How long do you expect tyres to last? I get about 15-20k on the fronts, and that's if I take it easy.

Two main factors - driving style and rubber hardness (harder rubber == less grip but more life). I go for soft tyres.

Drive the Camry and drive the Saab. You have to make the decision on what you want. If you can, sit in the car for more than two hours to see if the seats are comfortable for you. After driving a Saab I could tolerate the Camry seats for alittle more than one hour.

Also remember why you are buying the car and decide if the the soft ride (poor handling) of the Camry is what you want.

webwesen wrote: :: which one is better for a young family of two? :: thx a lot!

A young family? No doubt the Saab. Much more fun to drive, much more comfortable and foremost: The Saab is as safe as a car can get!

Cheers!