Saab 9-5 Aero 20,000 Mile Ownership Review

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[Cruzredeye]

I have a 97 Saab 900 se turbo convertible 5spd … What is the best way to get more power?

[junkman]

Saab saved for about 8 years on the radio but continously
improved the rest. Detail #1 is the timing chain, when the
previous owners droved the engine from cold start normal
to working temp and back to cold the chain lasts for more
then 180'000 KM. Detail #2 the rear end of the rocker panels,
Sabb used thru the 9-5 production different lower wheel
arch portions and the closed sheets tend normally to rust.
Remove every yr the inner wheel liners and wash the wells
with a pressure washer. Then re-attach them and put them
thru with Saab original bonding agent. Test against leaking.

[Isaac Carpenter]

04/05 Aero bumpers are not hard to find. I called my local certified saab repair shop ordered one and it took 3 weeks to get in from Sweden……..

[mikael kling]

Please keep 9 5 videos coming, i love my 2003 sedan 9-5 2,3t.I only had it for 5 months, took a chance when buying it ,no service history available. The car is very rustfree and has electric roofwindow and leather seats only 240000 km. I have a good feeling about the car and will take care of it and i plan keeping it for a very long time. When i was young i had 3 Saab 99,so i have a sweet spot for Saabs.

[Dylan Rice]

Anybody have problems with the power steering mine has a big leak and i have no clue where its coming from

[JM Garcia]

PS Interior-wise, the 9-3 is a better design, but the 9-5 is MUCH better quality.

[John Baldwin]

I've talked to many older peeps including long time Saab mechanics who owns any Saab and the one common thing they all say by their experiences that when the car's engine has over 200k miles it becomes more reliable but during the ownership from new to used having a well less than 200+k will have more issues and you must attend to those and spend money after the warranty expires… as for other parts they will fail just like any other car you have to replace because they're designed to fail but always follow the manufacturer's recommendations to what needs to be done of the owner's manual?
I've personally owned from 1989 to present about 4 Saabs; 3 of the 900 series 1983 S model, 1986 900-T including a 1987 SPG and my present 2001 9-5 Aero sport pkg… my first 3 Saabs I don't have as 2 of them were totaled by idiot drivers but it did its job… my SPG which I bought online from Michigan that the owner was selling only said there was a 'little' rust in the wheel well front driver's side but the truth when I got it delivered had extreme rust damage even the floor was eaten away and to restore was too much to spend as I had expert advice from Mile High Saab back then as the owner does repairs and also restores Saabs – so after having for awhile I sold it for junk and started looking for another car and I was lucky to find the 2001 Saab 9-5 Aero that had 1 owner on a lease program but that too was from Michigan but no rust and was a near mint condition but suspected the owner was a smoker as there was repair work on the front seats…
As a warning – Michigan used cars will have lots of rust damage and the used car business always goes shopping for out of state looking for cars and trucks that don't have rust damage…
My turbo finally gave out at over 116k miles – that is not bad at all… I did recently did some major repairs as the labor was $1,800 but I bought 99% customer supplied parts and it is hard to find a shop that will allow that with no applied warranty on the parts of course just to guarantee the labor was done right? I'm good with that… some of the parts I got are lifetime warranty on the water pump & AC condenser not limited lifetime warranty… my original turbo was a Garrett TDO4 T-18 but I have a T-19 in it but can upgrade it to a T-22 impeller… re-manufactured clean OEM B235R automatic transmission off from eBay for $318 bucks w/ no warranty or core charge [ did purchase online warranty for 1 year 59 bucks ]; 150 bucks for shipping to a business 50 bucks extra to a residence… I had other parts plus some that are hard to find like the V belt splash guard but you can get it new aftermarket to spec for about 40 to 50 bucks as those get broken often… the mechanic found 2 broken exhaust manifold bolts had to retap those, replaced all hoses and vacuum lines with silicon, fuel filter, thermostat, used BG products for the oil & engine kit and transmission cleaner and conditioner… will have to come back after a month to redo the oil change plus BG…
I still need to get new oil cooler lines that are leaking or maybe has a bad O-ring? Rear adjustable control arms plus have to find a Saab service shop for a GM Tech2 tool to unlock the 'radio code' so I have have music as it is kinda of a bummer needing a Tech2 rather than inputting the 4 digit code like older models to unlock the radio/CD?
Thanks for sharing of your experiences and opinions including asking for Q&A!

[Dennis Spors]

How about a video about installing the turbo v6 in a 9'5?

[sneaks01]

Can you do anything with and old 900?

[BWTECH]

drag race all your Saabs bro lol

[Chris Marzoli]

It must be a real treat for you to drive this beauty after your NG 9-3’s! Keep the 9-5 vids coming I want to see some of your dad‘s high mileage one owner wagon!

[Alan Funt]

My 01 9-5 wagon is a great car. A $5 ebay bluetooth adapter solved any issue I had with the stereo. The DIC's on 9-5's were no where near as bad as on the 9000 which is where they really got their bad reputation. If you don't flog them and drive them within their limits they'll last a long time.

[JM Garcia]

The one thing that drove me crazy about our 9-5 was the HVAC "blend doors" which failed (cheap plastic part). The replacement is pretty cheap, but you need a double jointed octopus to do that job.

[Chicago UI]

Since you did the fuel pump check the filter. I did both on 2019 since they were original parts still kicking.

The filter was sweating fuel. That’s how corroded it was.

[Aleksander Gierula]

9-5 Aero vs TurboX !!! Please 🇸🇪 🇵🇱😎 Great video by the way.

[Eóin MacLean]

Definitely my favorite model from Saab! Have to agree, that Aero bumper design on the ‘05 and ‘04 is super desirable. Wouldn’t mind owning a 9-5 Griffin, though 🙂
One little quirk I’m not a big of in my ‘06 9-5 is changing the cabin air filter. Lots of wires to manoeuvre around and requires a good deal of patience. It’s less awkward in the older 9-5s.
Here’s an idea: how about a video on installing an aftermarket stereo/head unit?

[Dandyfi]

I’d like to see a video on your 9-5 wagon with 250K mileage! I just got back from a road trip from San Francisco to Tucson in my 9-3 were I had to have some emergency coil packs sent so I didn’t break down in the desert. Saab mellow drama!

[JAB]

Interior is a little outdated but the quality of the interior is wayyyyy better than 9-3 imo..

[Enrico Bianchin]

Best 9-5 ever. Too bad it has an automatic, the 5 speed manual in the 9-5 aero is great 👍🚀

[Thehunter85]

Great vid, I always watch your 9-5 vid's as I own one myself 😉 Do you know how long does usually last the OEM DIC?

[DerbJd]

We love our Saabs. This is why we buy and own them. We love them just as much when they break down, which isn’t very often in my experience. My 2006 95 Razorlight Wagon never once broke down in the 3 years I owned it, until someone smashed the back in and write it off. My 2008 93 I still have. And in November the Z19DTH engine blew up and cried oil through the dipstick and turbo gasket. My fault for boosting it by an extra 75bhp and thrashing it for 60,000 miles. It popped at 133,000 miles. But all I did was take it to Saab and get a replacement engine. No way was it getting scrapped. Now has 138,000 on the car and 58,000 miles on the replacement engine. Chassis wax oiled and under sealed, full body respray, Android and Torque Pro head unit, big brake conversion. All good.

[Antifaws]

Nice one. However regarding trim differences, you could turn that perspective around and think that the US non Aero trims were just very close to the Aero. Euro market entry level B205's, diesels etc were on the other hand a long step from an Aero. Chassis, brakes, exterior trim etc.

[Luke Mallory]

I dare say a Euro-spec base 1999 9-5 2.2 diesel with black plastic lower bumpers, 83 bhp, cloth interior and a tape deck is a little different to a 2004 9-5 Aero with 250 bhp and a sports leather interior. I actually would say that 9-5 had a very, very wide range..! Afraid the Yanks got spoiled for choice with your 2.3t and Aero, but spare a thought for the rest of us..!

[MrClassicDoctorWho]

I agree with you regarding the interior being dated by definition. It doesn’t look like modern cars that’s for sure but it’s still one of my favourite interiors nonetheless. I love how there’s no infotainment screen that’ll be outdated in 5 years. I also like just how many things you can adjust on it. It’s just practical and I appreciate that.

You could argue that the 9-5 after 2005 has a more modern interior but…I hate all of the noticeably GM things they added like the radio. Straight out of a Chevrolet or Buick.

Pre-2006 it looks very Saab in design.

[Alex B]

Just replace that audio setup by something modern double-din size. If the button under the ESP button is a blank it can be used ad a slot for a USB connector. A Dremel or something similar is handy for that kind of work.

[SCREW IT!]

Spare pump, DIC and CPS are a must on these cars!

[Jimo]

When you're asleep, do you dream about Saabs? I'll bet you do.

[Kenny S]

Ok guys I need help I own a 2003 Saab 9-5 Aero I currently have 149000 miles on it and need to pass my inspection. The High Beams aren't working I've been told I needed a new headlight harness to fix this. I have the xenon bulbs in the headlights. I've been told that this harness isn't available anywhere. The orange relay I've read about I dont have in my saab so I know that isn't the issue because it did work when I bought the car. Someone please help me I love my Saab

[Alex Strömberg]

i've driven my 9-5 32k miles now, only had to do oil changes and change a coilspring for the airbag.
And that front has to be on more than the Aero, i see 2.0s with it. the 97-01 front is the nicest looking one.

[d mans]

u should do a timing step by step on the project car or start learning how to tune it for the chanel

[Pierre Colombo]

Well vid ideas for the 9-5 would be about some mods but as you said it's not your car
Try to convince your dad mate haha !

[d mans]

very nice saabs last forever 😂

[Saab Enthusiast- Omar]

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