1999 SAAB 9-5 SE Estate 2.3t petrol

Summary:

A realistically priced luxury alternative to BMW / Mercedes that has been a pleasure to own

Faults:

We had to replace the badges on the bonnet and rear tail gate due to flaking paint.

The central locking does not work on occasion, but I am unsure if this is the car or the remote.

General Comments:

The car is fairly fast when the pedal is pushed hard, but the handling is not the best in corners due to its size.

Petrol consumption is an issue, however on long journeys it returns 34mpg, not bad for a 10 year old car!!

The interior is spacious with easy to use controls and extremely comfortable seats. The boot is large and easy for loading.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 15th April, 2009

30th Jun 2009, 04:29

Update on my original review:

The car recently started losing water through a faulty heater bypass valve. I replaced with an aftermarket Vauxhall part at a cost of £16, and all is good again.

1999 SAAB 9-5 SE Auto 2.0 LPT

Summary:

Fast Car - horrendous Fuel Consumption!

Faults:

All within the last 12000 miles:

Air Conditioning intake seal failed - sucking water into the car, cooling it and spraying it out via the cabin vents onto me and my passengers!! Quick fix @ Saab dealer - £100.

V Poly belt seized, taking several pulleys with it. £300.

SID info panel very hard to read - I'm told a common problem.

Constant overheating in traffic - have to put the heat on full to ensure it doesn't boil over.

Turbo gasket blew.

Turbo charger is about to blow

Drive chains are about to break

...time to get rid!!

General Comments:

Considering the size of the car, it is remarkably quick - but fuel consumption is horrendous - 17mpg on a good day!

Even though I have had the above faults, I am not "annoyed" at saab nor the car- it is nearly 7 years old - what do you expect?!

Nice car to be seen in - paintwork is great, leather seats are very comfortable. I will miss it when it has gone.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 24th July, 2005

14th Nov 2005, 06:06

Fuel consumption - 17 mpg is very low:

I got 36.6 mpg on a trip to London and back from Hull, East Yorkshire. I didn't cane it too much, kept pretty much to the limit, and was pleasantly surprised. Around town, well that's a different story, but still not bad considering - currently about 25 mpg. This is on a '99 2.3t auto estate.

Check the read-out is giving the correct units for where you are located. US gallons are smaller than UK gallons. I UK imperial gallon = 1.2 US imperial gallons.

On a general note, change the oil every 6,000 miles and use quality fully synthetic with the new black oil filter recently introduced. That should help keep the engine sludge free, and extend the turbo life.

1999 SAAB 9-5 SE 2.3 turbo

Summary:

For the money, nothing can touch it, fast, comfy and reliable

Faults:

The drivers door lock not working, fixed by dealer, however later found a problem with the connector to the door when fitting a stereo. This is due to the plug not connecting properly.

Automatic climate control sometimes displays only two numbers and then rectifies itself.

General Comments:

I had a stage one upgrade done before I picked the car up, however, as is usual with turbo cars, the performance changes daily! Can be quick, but handling is not sporty as the car doesn't turn into corners very well. Saying that, this is a big car and the Aero set up would rectify this.

The stereo is absolutely rubbish. A problem I had in my last Saab. No bass or you blow the speakers! Have since fitted all new stuff. Now sounds great.

Not an easy car to work on and the main dealers are expensive, I use an independent dealer, very reasonable, servicing is half the price.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 17th April, 2003

1999 SAAB 9-5 Station Wagon

Summary:

Deviations and unacceptable materials

Faults:

The car had only travelled a short distance, about 1 metre, was moving slowly in reverse and was in contact with no objects of any description. Yet the suspension suffered a catastrophic failure. This car's suspension fractured on a cold morning for no apparent reason.

SAAB admit that there are 'deviations' in the cast suspension component and also the 'not acceptable' presence of a well-known embrittling agent called cementite.

General Comments:

Despite these 'deviations' and unacceptable materials, SAAB try to make a case that the real cause is accident damage.

SAAB get their lawyers to claim payment of around £800 sterling for replacement of the failed component.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 31st March, 2000