# Any Saab 95 owners?



## Gleammachine (Sep 8, 2007)

Been considering a change of vehicle recently, originally it was going to be an E39 Touring, but struggling to find one in my price bracket that hold value for money.
I have however been to see a couple of Saab 95 Hot Aero's (estate), and you appear to get a lot of car for around the £2000-£3000 mark.

Any members own or have owned a Saab 95? 
Done some research and the sludge problem obviously is something to look out for and needs some focus, other than that they seem to get good feedback. 

Would welcome any experiences and feedback.:thumb:


----------



## andy665 (Nov 1, 2005)

Had a 9-5 HOT Aero estate for a while. they are cheap for a reason

In a word - CRAP

Unrefined, soulless, lifeless - yes it was quick once you got through the chronic torque steer but an epic fail in all other areas apart from ergonomics and seat comfort

Without a doubt the most disappointing car I have ever owned

Perhaps if I'd got a job as a lecturer, grew a beard and had patches sewn into the elbows of my suit jackets I'd have loved it


----------



## Grizzle (Jul 12, 2006)

^^Agreed test drove one it was quick and had a load of space but it was dull as dishwater, test drive one it might be the car for you everyone is different, i know a few people who have had or still have one and quite like it. 

I like the estate version right enough lol.


----------



## Alzay (Jul 16, 2008)

I've just bought a 95 after a recommendation from a mate, I love them very smooth and loads of space I've done all the fast car stuff , Scoobys, R32, Z4 if you want a bit of comfort and a cruiser you can't go wrong with a SAAB.


----------



## tom-coupe (Jan 17, 2009)

its a vectra aint it?


----------



## Grizzle (Jul 12, 2006)

tom-coupe said:


> its a vectra aint it?


yeh it is.


----------



## zaphod (May 7, 2007)

For *informed* comment and advice check out  UK Saabs 

Warm welcome guaranteed.


----------



## Prism Detailing (Jun 8, 2006)

I had a couple of problems with my 9-5 Hot Aero, but over all i love it, soo smooth, power is amazing, the seats are the most comfortable out there and well equiped, and its not based on a vectra! that was the 9-3 and the first generation 9-5 platform was all Saab design, the later second generation im sure shares it with the Insignia.

Ill also say that coming from my BMW E36 touring to this was light night and day, I thought the BMW was good for handling, but the 9-5 was on par and in some instances better. Yes there is torque steer, not nothing more that expected from say the likes of a Golf GTI and considering it has 50bhp more and much more torque it puts it down very well.

With very little money you can take the 250bhp 350nm up to 280bhp 440nm. If you get a later 2004 plate you will get a very high spec with sat nat, heated rear sears, xenons and more.....

and uksaabs is a fantastic forum 

Things to look out for:

Dont worry about rust, i struggled to find a 9-5 with any when i went looking !

A common fault is the DI cassette, this was one of my biggest problems, my one was failing, replaced with a recond hadn one, misfired badly and caused unburnt fuel to get into the cats and destroy them, ended up replaced it with an Abbott Racing 3" downpip, sports cat and full system.

My gear box failed but was replaced under warrenty, also my car suffered the sludge problem and blew the engine, again fixed by the dealer, but the slidge problem is easy to prevent, drop the sump and fit the the breather kit and nothing to worry about again.

Interior wase the SID (Saab information display) usually has pixals out, but £40 and get it fixed with a lifetime guarentee.


----------



## Grizzle (Jul 12, 2006)

zaphod said:


> For *informed* comment and advice check out  UK Saabs
> 
> Warm welcome guaranteed.


Ah your one of those "dont have an opinion unless you have one" people


----------



## andy665 (Nov 1, 2005)

zaphod said:


> For *informed* comment and advice check out  UK Saabs
> 
> Warm welcome guaranteed.


My comments were based on 9 months of ownership and are therefore informed, just because my comments contrast with yours does not mean that they are not informed.

I value driving dynamics, engine refinement, reliability - all of these were missing in the Saab for me - it was an effective means of getting from A to B but I want a car to be more than mere transport


----------



## kevin whittaker (May 16, 2011)

The 95 HOT Aero is a quite a fast car and a pretty decent drive IMO -the estate variant giving a decent size as well, but does suffer from a few SAAB issues, most of these are covered in the previous posts - but also consider the trailing arm bushes these wear and make the handling really vague....

Also timing and balance shaft chains - rattle from a cold start....

P.S Something Almost Always Broken....


----------



## zaphod (May 7, 2007)

andy665 said:


> My comments were based on 9 months of ownership and are therefore informed, just because my comments contrast with yours does not mean that they are not informed.
> 
> I value driving dynamics, engine refinement, reliability - all of these were missing in the Saab for me - it was an effective means of getting from A to B but I want a car to be more than mere transport


My comment was based on 25 plus years of driving and owning various Saabs, from the brand new to the 40 years old, and other makes, too.


----------



## andy665 (Nov 1, 2005)

27 years of driving and owned many makes of car, driven a whole load more - does that make my comments any better informed than yours (no it does not - I'm not that petty) - of all the cars I have ever owned and driven the Saab was the one that most failed to live up to expectations

Sorry if you don't agree with me but it is my opinion.

The OP asked for feedback - not POSITIVE feedback only

I have driven other Saabs and found them to be massively more characterful and enjoyable than the 9-5


----------



## Prism Detailing (Jun 8, 2006)

Rob probabbly best to test drive one, if you opt for an Auto then ensure you press the "S" button which really changes the dynamics of the car....I remember my father was test driving one for me down in Ascot and I was talking to him on the phone whilst driving it, he thought it was on par with build quailty of both his BMW and his Audi but didnt think the performance was any better than the Audi A4 2.0T or the BMW 330 until i mentioned the "sports" button, then i heard his response, something i cant repeat on a public forum, but he then said it was much quicker than the Audi and BMW, also thought it was just as refined as his other cars. Also the sterio (Pioneer) is really good, but if you get the upgrade with the Harmon Kardon speakers its fantastic.

I respect Andy has his opinion, some of it i wouldnt agree with, but then again thats my own opinion.....

I have driven other Saabs as well, the 9-3 as i considered that an it was not as impressed as i thought the 9-5 build quailty was better (as expected for the top of the range). I think if your looking at more character then look at the 9000 Aero, but the 9-5 is a much better car in soo many ways.

You also look at the stats, during the period of the 9-5 your talking about, it is knwn that 80% of owner kept with the brand....do you think they would do that if it as bad as previously mentioned ?

If you can, try and find a Hirsch'd or Maptun 9-5, without a doubt the Hirsch is best one (IMO)

Watch this video....no more said:


----------



## Naranto (Apr 5, 2007)

SAABs are like Marmite.

The 9.5 is very under rated, much like most SAABs. As Prism said, go for a test drive then decide.

For me the 9000 Aero is the one to choose. In 1997 when new, with accessories you were looking at a price of £35,000. :doublesho

Take a look at the Top Gear road test on the 9.5 - 'more mid range punch tham a 911 turbo' according to Clarkson.


----------



## Gleammachine (Sep 8, 2007)

Prism Detailing said:


> I had a couple of problems with my 9-5 Hot Aero, but over all i love it, soo smooth, power is amazing, the seats are the most comfortable out there and well equiped, and its not based on a vectra! that was the 9-3 and the first generation 9-5 platform was all Saab design, the later second generation im sure shares it with the Insignia.
> 
> Ill also say that coming from my BMW E36 touring to this was light night and day, I thought the BMW was good for handling, but the 9-5 was on par and in some instances better. Yes there is torque steer, not nothing more that expected from say the likes of a Golf GTI and considering it has 50bhp more and much more torque it puts it down very well.
> 
> ...


Thanks matey for taking time to share you experiences, was reading your thread in the studio yesterday with interest.

As this will be a replacement for the van, obviously reliability is paramount, whilst I'm a stickler for doing things correctly, I just don't won't my fingers burnt and unncecessary repair bills.
I've had 8 german cars and fancied a change, the 95' seems to tick all the boxes for my requirements, I have no problems with addressing the oil sump/breather as I'd class this as routine, excuse my ignorance though but what are the DI Cassettes and how do you tell if they are going to need replacing?

There is a 95' Hot Aero at a dealers not far from me, as soon as I get a chance I'll get down there and grab a test drive, will then be able to make a more informed decision.:thumb:


----------



## Prism Detailing (Jun 8, 2006)

Thats the well spec'd one with everything, i did the same, replacd my van with one, and even the saloon takes everything in it without putting the rear seats down, so it got lots and lots of space


----------



## kevin whittaker (May 16, 2011)

D I Cartridge - Direct Ignition.... Coil pack

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SAAB-95-C...CarParts_SM&hash=item3f0fb1633a#ht_840wt_1110

You can't tell when they are going to go, but the burning smell when you take it off tells you they have gone... TBH, they have become quite cheap and when I last ran a Saab I even had a spare in a box in the boot - they are quite "spontaneous" when the pack up but two minutes to change....:thumb:


----------



## Gleammachine (Sep 8, 2007)

Prism Detailing said:


> Thats the well spec'd one with everything, i did the same, replacd my van with one, and even the saloon takes everything in it without putting the rear seats down, so it got lots and lots of space


Cool, that dealer seems to have a few Saabs in stock, so hopefully he will be upfront and know his beans.



kevin whittaker said:


> D I Cartridge - Direct Ignition.... Coil pack
> 
> http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SAAB-95-C...CarParts_SM&hash=item3f0fb1633a#ht_840wt_1110
> 
> You can't tell when they are going to go, but the burning smell when you take it off tells you they have gone... TBH, they have become quite cheap and when I last ran a Saab I even had a spare in a box in the boot - they are quite "spontaneous" when the pack up but two minutes to change....:thumb:


Thanks, that doesn't seem too bad, when they go does it damage any other parts, what does it actually stop from working? Sorry for the dumb questions.


----------



## Prism Detailing (Jun 8, 2006)

Well yes.....It was my DI cassette that failed, but usually you will know as the engine management light comes on, and you loose power......and me being...well me! kept flooring it and caused the damage to the cats. But you will know the problem way in advance of that happening, i just didn connect the dots as i thought it was fixed previously, but the second hand DI cassette i got was faulty too


----------



## zaphod (May 7, 2007)

Gleammachine said:


> Thanks matey for taking time to share you experiences, was reading your thread in the studio yesterday with interest.
> 
> As this will be a replacement for the van, obviously reliability is paramount, whilst I'm a stickler for doing things correctly, I just don't won't my fingers burnt and unncecessary repair bills.
> I've had 8 german cars and fancied a change, the 95' seems to tick all the boxes for my requirements, I have no problems with addressing the oil sump/breather as I'd class this as routine, excuse my ignorance though but what are the DI Cassettes and how do you tell if they are going to need replacing?
> ...


That seems a nice one, and only just ran in.


----------



## kevin whittaker (May 16, 2011)

Gleammachine said:


> Thanks, that doesn't seem too bad, when they go does it damage any other parts, what does it actually stop from working? Sorry for the dumb questions.


They just don't start.... Never been out to one yet that cuts out... You just go for a drive to the shops, work or whatever - come back to it and it cranks but will not fire, pull the DI and swap it over(4 torq screws and a single mulitplug), turn the key and drive off, not even had to change the plugs on one and nothing else fails as far as I am aware...

Personally mine never failed, but the specialist that I worked with had about 250-300 of them in the corner waiting for someone to devise a repair (when they were around about £700-800), now they are around about £150 no one has bothered....

When you remove the DI cartridge and smell the coils you know that it is blown - bad burning smell as an electrical component burns out inside but due to the resin within they are not serviceable or repairable as far as I am aware....

With regard to the one in your link - make sure that you hear it start up from cold - it's about the age/mileage where timing chains and balance chains wear and rattle when cold, timing chains are "relatively" easy to do with the correct tools and parts, balance shaft chain and sprockets are much more involved - it's pretty major surgery TBH (and labour intensive).


----------



## zaphod (May 7, 2007)

Any vehicle with a DI Cassette will be prone to the same.
Beware of Chinese copies of these DI's, BTW.


----------



## Naranto (Apr 5, 2007)

A DI cassette sits on top of the spark plugs. each plug has its own coil. The system gives a better spark and also when you switch off the ignition it sends a high charge through the spark plug to clean it ready for your next trip. A very sophisticated system.


----------



## lags72 (Jul 25, 2008)

Don't think you'll be disapppointed with a 9-5

As a used buy, measured against alternative choices, it scores highly in terms of reliability, comfort, spec. All in all, a lot of car for your money !

And I'm pretty sure it's in the highest-rated group in the official safety tests .....


----------



## Squidula (Jan 28, 2011)

Its never going to have the balance of a rear drive car, but Id never consider them as being soul-less. Great ergonomics, brilliant seats (volvo just pips them imo), lots of quirky features, and good amount of mid range grunt.

Saab brought turbo technology to the market, GM ruined the brand with their cost cutting, but that said, the earlier 9-5s have a quality feel to them in the interior plastics, sound deadening etc.

I wouldnt say they suffer from torque steer anymore than other 200+bhp fwd cars.

My advice is take one for a test drive, and sign onto an owners club to learn about any potential issues (every car has problems specific to that model, the owners clubs will know of all of them).

You can get a lot of car for the money with Saab. Ive owned various different makes, and one thing I always look for is something a bit different. A turbo car generally wont have the soulful sound of normally aspirated, but you wont have to wring its neck to get the performance either.

My fave car Ive owned, probably my e34, then followed by a few saabs. Least favourite Octavia vRS, followed by Megane 225. Everyone has different opinions, and values things in their own way. Take one for a test drive, and see how you get on.

Id recommend the 9-5 Aero Estate personally, it ticks a lot of boxes.


----------



## Prism Detailing (Jun 8, 2006)

So Rob....did you get to try it ? if so what did you think ?


----------



## Mirror Finish Details (Aug 21, 2008)

I drove a few 9 5's before I went German again, was a car I really rated and even in saloon guise I could get all my day to day detailing gear in it, not the genny or 400l water tank though. But most of my work is with clients with water and power anyway.

I had just had quite a few Saab's before so fancied a BMW, even in a 3 series I can still get most of my stuff in the boot and my machine polishing tool boxes on the back seat. Saves a fortune from running a van.

I still fancy a nice 9 3 convertable though for a project car for the summer, as they are a proper 4 seater.


----------

