Soldato
- Joined
- 29 Jun 2004
- Posts
- 12,954
It's actually a 2007 Saab 9-5 Vector SportWagon (jargon for estate). It's the facelift Dame Edna version, 1.9 TiD coupled to a torque converter automatic transmission. I picked it up for £1600 and the specs are:
- Eagle F1s all around.
- Leather upholstery
- Heated seats
- Autodimming rear and side mirrors
- Heated side mirrors
- Xenon headlamps
- Cruise control
- Dual zone climate control
- Parking sensors
- Electric folding mirrors
- The most useless automatic wiper system in the world
- An obsolete DVD based Saab navigation system
- One cup holder + other Saab quirks
- 145k miles
- A full engine rebuild – description in the text below
- Full Saab service history – rare to have manufacturer service history of a car of his age and mileage
I needed a large diesel automatic for £2k, ideally less. It needed to be economical, reliable, wafty and not a complete dog. At £2k this is impossible right? I originally looked at:
- Volkswagen B5.5 Passat Estate 1.9 PD TDi
- Saab 9-3 Estates
- BMW E46 diesel estates in various engines
- BMW E39 diesel estates in various engines
- Mercedes W203 estates in various engines
- Mercedes W211 estates in various engines
I didn’t look at the Octavia automatics as these were DSG boxes, which the internet told me were very unreliable at that age and mileage (150k+ miles), yet ironically I entertained the idea of an old Mercedes auto with their complex workings - I was unlikely to buy a Mercedes or BMW at this price point, but was curious to see how far I could push the boat. The Saab 9-5 didn’t even cross my mind – I immediately wrote it off, as from images I hated the interior.
All of the cars I saw on the above list were completely shagged. They were dogs. Stains everywhere, dents everywhere, scratches everywhere, buttons missing, bits of trim missing here and there, spill stains on the seats (vomit maybe). It wasn’t an enjoyable experience. I did see this one W211 E350 CDI Estate. It was sublime. It was also being sold by a guy in a New Era hat for £1.5k which was less than the market value for what was an awesome car. Alarm bells rang and I walked away.
The task at hand seemed hopeless. All I wanted was a perfect diesel automatic estate in good condition with everything working, with toys for £2k. Not a lot to ask is it?
I had a talk with iaind on these forums who was very helpful in providing advice Saab-wise when I was looking at 9-3s. He likes the 9-5 more than 9-3. Personally I never understood why. The interior of the 9-5 looks old and dated compared to the 9-3. But after seeing a load of cars which turned out to be dogs I decided to put the 9-5 on my list.
So I went to see this 9-5, in Silverstone, owned by a man in his senior years. He had the car for 7 years, and before him one guy had it from new. He was selling the car reluctantly because he was given a new Mercedes by his company (W213 Estate). He told me he wanted a new Saab, but soon found out they were out of business!
The car was in great condition. There were a few blemishes but nothing that couldn’t be sorted out. In 2012 at 90k miles, and on the motorway no less, the car suffered from a cam belt failure and the engine seized. The owner who I bought the car from took it to Saab for repair at a cost of over £2k which covered:
- A full inspection of the engine and other parts
- Re-skim the cylinder head
- New gaskets, new cam shafts, new seal rings, new water pump, new timing belt, new injectors and seals. Almost the entire engine was replaced with new parts.
Some may see this as a bad thing. It was repaired by a Saab main dealer, so I'm remaining hopeful no issues crop up. I see it as a 145k mile car which had a main dealer engine refresh at 90k miles.
Now I call it a living room on wheels because the seats are the most comfortable I have ever sat in. Far more comfortable than my brothers F10 BMW 530d estate. And the car is silent. No creaks, no rattles. It's just a super comfortable place to be. Just like your living room. The car is quite huge, but I got it for its size.
Anyway, pictures (from Auto Trader - I haven't had a chance to take any):
- Eagle F1s all around.
- Leather upholstery
- Heated seats
- Autodimming rear and side mirrors
- Heated side mirrors
- Xenon headlamps
- Cruise control
- Dual zone climate control
- Parking sensors
- Electric folding mirrors
- The most useless automatic wiper system in the world
- An obsolete DVD based Saab navigation system
- One cup holder + other Saab quirks
- 145k miles
- A full engine rebuild – description in the text below
- Full Saab service history – rare to have manufacturer service history of a car of his age and mileage
I needed a large diesel automatic for £2k, ideally less. It needed to be economical, reliable, wafty and not a complete dog. At £2k this is impossible right? I originally looked at:
- Volkswagen B5.5 Passat Estate 1.9 PD TDi
- Saab 9-3 Estates
- BMW E46 diesel estates in various engines
- BMW E39 diesel estates in various engines
- Mercedes W203 estates in various engines
- Mercedes W211 estates in various engines
I didn’t look at the Octavia automatics as these were DSG boxes, which the internet told me were very unreliable at that age and mileage (150k+ miles), yet ironically I entertained the idea of an old Mercedes auto with their complex workings - I was unlikely to buy a Mercedes or BMW at this price point, but was curious to see how far I could push the boat. The Saab 9-5 didn’t even cross my mind – I immediately wrote it off, as from images I hated the interior.
All of the cars I saw on the above list were completely shagged. They were dogs. Stains everywhere, dents everywhere, scratches everywhere, buttons missing, bits of trim missing here and there, spill stains on the seats (vomit maybe). It wasn’t an enjoyable experience. I did see this one W211 E350 CDI Estate. It was sublime. It was also being sold by a guy in a New Era hat for £1.5k which was less than the market value for what was an awesome car. Alarm bells rang and I walked away.
The task at hand seemed hopeless. All I wanted was a perfect diesel automatic estate in good condition with everything working, with toys for £2k. Not a lot to ask is it?
I had a talk with iaind on these forums who was very helpful in providing advice Saab-wise when I was looking at 9-3s. He likes the 9-5 more than 9-3. Personally I never understood why. The interior of the 9-5 looks old and dated compared to the 9-3. But after seeing a load of cars which turned out to be dogs I decided to put the 9-5 on my list.
So I went to see this 9-5, in Silverstone, owned by a man in his senior years. He had the car for 7 years, and before him one guy had it from new. He was selling the car reluctantly because he was given a new Mercedes by his company (W213 Estate). He told me he wanted a new Saab, but soon found out they were out of business!
The car was in great condition. There were a few blemishes but nothing that couldn’t be sorted out. In 2012 at 90k miles, and on the motorway no less, the car suffered from a cam belt failure and the engine seized. The owner who I bought the car from took it to Saab for repair at a cost of over £2k which covered:
- A full inspection of the engine and other parts
- Re-skim the cylinder head
- New gaskets, new cam shafts, new seal rings, new water pump, new timing belt, new injectors and seals. Almost the entire engine was replaced with new parts.
Some may see this as a bad thing. It was repaired by a Saab main dealer, so I'm remaining hopeful no issues crop up. I see it as a 145k mile car which had a main dealer engine refresh at 90k miles.
Now I call it a living room on wheels because the seats are the most comfortable I have ever sat in. Far more comfortable than my brothers F10 BMW 530d estate. And the car is silent. No creaks, no rattles. It's just a super comfortable place to be. Just like your living room. The car is quite huge, but I got it for its size.
Anyway, pictures (from Auto Trader - I haven't had a chance to take any):
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