2000 SAAB 9-5 Reviews - Page 4 of 12

I bought the car and it was not maintained well.

I had to do all the major services that the previous owner did not do.

I spent about $2k bringing the car up to standards.

Afterwards it drove nice.

The ignition unit went out and was expensive from the dealer.

The turbo went out at 100k miles. Typical sludge problem.

I bought a rebuilt turbo on eBay $425 and had the engine flushed.

Now I use only synthetic oil.

Drives great, no issues. Now that it is up to date in maintenance, I plan to drive it another 60k before I sell it.

I have had over 20 Saab's as a used car dealer.

If you maintain them properly, they are reliable for the most part.

There are certain quirks and weaknesses that Saab's have, (turbo, sludge, ignition, etc) but overall they are good cars.

I love how they drive and feel.

I have seen them go over 300k miles.

The PCV valve was never replaced by the previous owner and it was not a cheap fix for a tiny piece of plastic.

The turbo components have gone, causing blue smoke to be forced out of my exhaust (gasket, lines, etc.) but that was a relatively cheap fix, all done for under $200.

The trans bushing went out, but was a $30 fix and an upgrade to a polyurethane one.

The car is a absolute dream to drive, even with the excessive body roll.

It is a car that is extremely under estimated, which makes it good for a teenager like me with a heavy foot.

The gears are somewhat hard to change, but after the polyurethane bushing upgrade, they are much easier.

One big problem for me was the lack of aftermarket performance parts; they have them, but the good ones are extremely expensive, which puts me behind my friends in modding, but the car is fast enough to blow away almost any teenagers car.

All in all, this is a comfortable, fast, easy to drive car.

Great first car to drive, cheap (to buy) and fun!

Have had to replace the SID (the display above the radio). This is a simple replacement that I ordered from the Internet, and replaced myself.

I figured I'd chime in as I saw so many people complaining. I figured people like to vent when the are made about something.

This car has been wonderful for me.

It's quick off the line. It's comfortable. It's sweet looking.

I haven't had to pay the dealer a penny to fix anything yet. I just had to replace the SID, as many folks have. But you can pop the old one out, and pop in a new one yourself. It's just a simple plug in.

Check Engine Light comes on periodically since purchase.

Sunroof at 40,000 miles.

Display missing pixels at 50,000 miles.

Sludge Problem at 80,000 miles.

Short Block replaced at 80,000 miles.

ABS at 82,000 miles.

All four wheels froze in place at 82,000 miles.

Transmission at 85,000 miles.

CV Hoses hardened at 87,000 miles.

Timing Chain, Guide and Tensioner (?) at 110,00 miles.

Currently, engine Sounds like a diesel engine (110,000) miles.

Customer Service in the beginning was great.

After the car developed problems, customer service at Saab Headquarters was like the defensive line of the New England Patriots.

Customer service at the dealership was not sympathetic.

I would advise anyone to get rid of the car before the warranty expires.

After the warranty is expired, that's when the problems start to occur or in some cases, begin the repeat.

We were so excited to purchase the SAAB however; there is a serious flaw. We need a class action suit.

The first engine froze up at at 45,000 miles. We are great at changing oil and taking care of our car. The dealer was totally rude and unhelpful, and told us the manual was incorrect and the oil had to be changed earlier than what was stated in the owners manual. We had to fight for weeks to get them to lower the price of the new engine. That put us out $1,600 dollars.

Now our second engine has 55,000 miles on it and it is blowing blue smoke out of the exhaust. We are in the process of dropping the sump and try to clean out the oil. We are very concerned that this engine is doing the same thing, and as soon as we get the brake light on the back interior fixed, $150.00 to install the new one, and fix the two broken front power windows that broke a year ago, $360 each, and hopefully keep it running after we clean out the oil and run some engine cleaner thru it, we are selling.

We know when we have been beat. There is no way dealerships and companies should be allowed to get away with the outrages prices for repairs, when obviously from prior comments the car is defective. Hope someone does something soon.