Air Con / blower / Heated Screen Panel faulty - took 4 weeks off the road and many trips to dealer to eventually fix.
Front Seats Loose on runners.
Heated Seats faulty.
Severe Dashboards rattles - dash replaced twice to effect a cure.
Faulty Clutch replaced.
Clutch Slave cylinder broke up.
Xenon headlamp leveller broke.
Alarm fault, eventually traced to bonnet sensor.
Washer fluid level warning faulty.
Passenger Electric Seat switch virtually fell off.
Other silly stuff like wipers banging on A pillar etc.
Superb performance, brilliant Seats, superb HK Audio, a touch of individually and a good level of equipment on the early 2004 MY 9-5 made this seem like a good buy. I have wanted to own a 9-5 Aero for a while now, and jumped at the chance to buy this one owner, 10K mile year old vehicle.
However, in retrospect I wish I had not bothered.
The car is noisy (tyre roar) compared to others in the class (yes I have owned and driven at length several of the competitors) despite changing to Eagle GDS3 tyres which are supposed to be quiet and the suspension whilst being firm, has a tendency to crash over bumps and makes for quite a lumpy ride on anything other than smooth roads. Although it has never actually broken down, the number of dealer visits and length of time off the road to rectify problems has been just daft on what was originally a £30K odd vehicle. Torque steer when accelerating hard in the lower gears is noticable but expected with 250bhp through the front wheels.
The engine is a bit coarse when revved and the brakes not particularly confidence inspiring needing a firm push on the pedal. The gearchange is ponderous and baulky as well. I just wish I'd not been so blind to these inherent 'characteristics' of the car during the test drive, but there you go - I just wanted one.
Depreciation is horrendous as well, but on a plus note means 2-4 year old cars can be bought at very fair prices.
Maybe I just got a Friday car, I don't know, but its really put me off buying another which is a real shame as the '98 9-3 we ran before was superb for build quality and reliability.
I have owned 3 Saab's with the HOT 2.3 engine which is the best bit of the car. I have an automatic and can keep up with really fancy stuff (BMW M3s) with the right fuel and the turbo on song. I have to agree about the tyre noise and note that it is noticeably worse since the 2002 suspension rework. I have suffered niggly electrical problems on both the 9-5s, but had nothing on the 9000. However I have had no problems with seats or switchgear or rattles (which I really hate). I don't think you can get as fast a car for the money elsewhere. And a big plus is that you can fold the rear seats and put in sheets of 6 by 3 plywood, 8ft posts etc.. I will have a problem choosing another car that can do all this can. But if I don't go for the 250bhp engine then I probably won't go with another Saab.
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