SAAB 9-5 Question

"romey" wrote in message news:42257532$1 snipped-for-privacy@alt.athenanews.com...

Sounds like you are paying too much. The seller seems to be upside down on his loan and you are assuming his condition.

Look around and you are likely to find the same car for less money.

-Fred W

"The Malt Hound" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@adelphia.com...

FYI... I did a quick look up on kbb.com on a '01 9-5 and the Private Party value is about $14,500

If it was a 9-5SE (with the dreaded GM V6) it would be worth a thousand more according to Kelley, but I would say stay away and find a 2.3L 4 cylinder turbo. Much better engine.

-Fred W

I think you are paying too much for the car. I bought a 2001 9-5 SE V6 with

43,000 miles one year ago. I paid 14,100.00. I knew I got a deal so I jumped on it! Maybe 17-18 is OK, I checked the NADA values and I guess it ranges from 16K to 18K. Look around here in Clev Oh there are all kinds of deals on 9-5's in the 14-15K range. Where are you located

Anyway If it is a V6 you will need a timing belt @ 60K. On the 4 cyl there are issues of Direct Ignition packs failing and some sludge problems.

Hello, very well said. Just note that timing belt change is free at SAAB dealer. Well it is wise to change tensioner and pulleys at same time but labor and belt will be covered. Also there are problems with 4 cylinder engine concerning PCV system that leads to turbo failures or engine death. It is essential to have oil change history for 4 cylinder car or at least car checked for the sludge. Inspection is around $100 at SAAB dealer and mention you want to check them for the sludge. I'm sure they will know what you mean. There is also retroactive transferable 8 years warranty on this engines in recognition of the problem. But I bet it is going to be honored only if you can show regular maintenance records and oil changes. V6 engines are modified British made by GM. They seem to be trouble free. The price seems to be a bit high to me. Visit your SAAB dealer. I'm almost sure that in the worst case you'll get a similar car but with

100k warranty as Certified PreOwned. Good Luck, Radek

Walp wrote:

"Walp" wrote: > I think you are paying too much for the car. I bought a 2001 > 9-5 SE V6 with > 43,000 miles one year ago. I paid 14,100.00. I knew I got a > deal so I > jumped on it! Maybe 17-18 is OK, I checked the NADA values > and I guess it > ranges from 16K to 18K. Look around here in Clev Oh there are > all kinds of > deals on 9-5's in the 14-15K range. Where are you located > > Anyway If it is a V6 you will need a timing belt @ 60K. On > the 4 cyl there > are issues of Direct Ignition packs failing and some sludge > problems. > > > "romey" AutoForumz.com> wrote in > message news:42257532$1 snipped-for-privacy@alt.athenanews.com... > > I am looking at buying a 2001 Saab 95. I will be taking > over the > > payments for this vehicle. It will have about 45-50K miles > and will > > owe about $17-18K. My question if anyone can help > me....what kind of > > problems should I expect if any and will this thing last me > at least > > 3-4 years w/out major hassles. Also, how expensive are > Saab's to > > maintain? Any help would be greatly appreciated! > Thanks....Romey > >

"romey" wrote in message news:42260a10$1 snipped-for-privacy@alt.athenanews.com...

I hope he is a very good friend, because you are bailing him out of his loan. As I said before, he is upside down (meaning he owes more than the car is worth) and you are buying him out of that position.

2 chances... slim and none. SAABs are notorious for rapid depreciation. Plus are you are starting out behind.

-Fred W

That's retail value from a dealer. You don't pay that for a private party sale. For that, figure on about 1/2 way between retail and wholesale.

-Fred W

It will not.... as with any modern car the loss of value will be most in the first years. If you want a car to hold its value, you should buy a classic car (preferably a SAAB of course). But if you take the value of money in consideration (the cash value) it might be an even better investment if you just put your money in a bank savings account.

-- MH '72 97 '77 96 '78 95 '79 96 '87 900T8

I was under impression that the 9-5 V6 was the Saab asymmetric turbo engine, not the GM V6 used in the earlier NG900? Are you sure about "dreaded V6 GM"?

-Dima

I stand corrected. It is a SAAB 3.0L turbo V6. Whatever it is, it still has a timing belt. Personally, I wouldn't want it, but it is better than the GM engine in the 9000's

YMMV,

-Fred W

The 3.0 V6 used in the 9000 and the 2.5 V6 used in the ng900 is from a different engine family than the 3.0 V6 used in the 9-5. Both engines are GM engines, the 9000/ng900 V6 was manufactured by Opel in Germany, the 9-5 V6 was manufactured by Vauxhall in England. The recently presented 2.8 V6 in the new 9-3 SC is also a GM engine. This one is manufactured by Holden in Australia. The four cylinder petrol engines used in the 9-5 are also GM engines. They are manufactured by Saab in Sweden.

Thanks for clearing that up. The reference I found called the 3.0V6 a "SAAB" engine, but I suppose it can be loosely defined since SAAB was owned by GM during its release.

-Fred W

I don't think he is really "a good friend" if he is prepared to do that to you - he is transferring to you a loan on which the asset is worth less than the loan and getting home free himself. Don't do it, or else demand around $3000 cash to take over the loan.

--=20 Regards, Peter Wilkins

Saabs depreciate like rocks, but this makes them an excellent used car value. Definately let someone else take the hit though.

Matt O.

I think Saabs are selling at below book value these days though. Look at eBay, for example.

In fact dealers are making huge profits on Saabs, because they're charging close to book retail, but buying the cars for practically nothing at auction. They can even discount a little so the customer feels like he's getting a deal, and still make a killing.

But what really matters is that you feel you got your money's worth.

Matt O.

eBay is not a valid indicator of retail value. Pretty much everyone that purchases cars on eBay (including me) is taking a calculated risk of doing eCommerce in order to obtain a lower price. I would expect

*every* sale on eBay to be below retail value on any car (except perhaps rare and exotic ones).

-Fred W