Gool looking, goood feel, drives fine IF you are prepared to sink a lot of money after the purcahe just to mainatin it.

Outrageously expensive repairs, hostile cutomer service

I purchased my Saab 9-5 from a friend (dealer) at 50,000 miles so I knew that the car was maintained properly. However, problems started to occur soon (I am no at 97,000: the info pannel failed three times, the transmission had to be rebuild, the engine had to be rebuild too, a plastic valve that controls the air failed too, plu s small problems. The most upsetting thing is Saab's arrogance and poor cutomer service. I expected for a luxury car more dependability. Saab appears to be in the business to rip you off. They refused to acknowledge the poor quality of the info pannel, did not trust my mechanis and wanted me to spend $70 just to have a Saab delaer make the same determination and help them colelct marketing data while stating that since I am two months beyond the warranty they do not care. Accesing the palstic valve ($15 value) would hae cost me over $1,000 in labor. They knowe the valve was defective from many complaints o the web and dealers' feed-back, yet refused to assume any responsibility.
The car is nice but maintaining it is a nightmare, excerbated by what I feel the predatory policy of Saab. Be aware of their slick ads. I would stay away from these kind of people just to maintain a normal blood pressure.

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Volvo, BMW

cool features like sport mode and winter mode (drops it into 3rd at start) for auto transmission. Decent gas mileage for the performance you can potentially get out of it.

Repairs are frequent. Also expensive. Saab like's to rip you off because no one else can plug into the ecu. (no one else can or wants to fix it)

I bought it with 45k miles on it. 15k miles later... after an engine rebuild, a replaced ignition, and a new fuel system.. well.. would you look at that i have a new car... no. I cannot count the amount of time my car has spent in the shop... probably close to the same ive taken while actually driving it. Other than that. It can be fun to drive... in sport mode, going down hill.. with the wind behind your back.

Im far too negative though. It drives very nicely when its in good working order. And it has a lot of storage space in the trunk. So if you enjoy a sedan that you can load up a lot of your stuff in, and you can handle the expenses then its a good car.

-Great looks, aggressive styling.
-Pirrelli tires on really nice aluminum rims.
Refrigerated glove compartment for drinks (How cool is that?)
Superb handling
Great gas mileage

Light cheap feel when closing doors, especially the back hatch. (You gotta slam it to close it)
Sun roof a little tricky to close just right.

My first Saab. I think there will be more in my future. This car replaced a Mercedes 230. I truly loved the Mercedes, but I need something larger. I no longer miss it though.
The Sport Combi is a hard one to peg. The power is awesome. Hold on to the wheel, take a deep breath, and brace yourself before you stomp the gas pedal. The traditional "turbo-lag" is minimal, but still there.
The comfort has a Mercedes feel...almost.The seats are great, but the doors scream "I came from General Motors!")
The handling? I drove this thing from Canada to Florida through the mountains of Virginia. My wife said it was a a little scarey to see the goofy wide eyed grin on my face from morning till night. She was also quite annoyed with me for never letting her have a turn at driving this beauty.
The redesign of the body is attractive.. for a 'Station-wagon'. No manufacturer is gonna get caught calling one of their vehicles a 'station-wagon'.
It seems now a days that's the Marketing kiss of death for sales. However if it looks like a duck, I call it a duck.
I am truly enjoying the number of compliments and comments from people, everytime I am beside the car. I thought it looked great for a 'Station-wagon', from the start, but I thought it was just me. The compliments and head turns from the Twenty and Thirty-sometings really freaked me out in the beginning.
After four months and 14,000 kilometres, the honey moon is still on. No problems to report whatsover,..so far.
Love the roomy storage that the back end offers. It suits my life style for hauling stuff. Thoughtful tie-downs are a nice touch. Love the coffee cup holder. I thought my Mercedes had first prize for cool design, but Saab must have spent a fortune coming up with this thing. Just try and not play with it during the first few weeks of ownership.
The interior is nicely finished with Two-tone saddle-stiched leather seats. (option)

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Mercedes C230 Kompressor
Saab 93 (borrowed frequently)

The car's main strengths are handling and power. Or is that power and handling? My 12 minute commute bearly evaporates the dew, but road trips are fantastic. Whether it is up 1 to Oregon on twisty coastal roads or autobahn ratpacking on desert freeways, the cars delivers. The turbocharged 4 is a light engine which allows me to maneuver very quickly in heavy traffic as well. The interior is great looking, and the seats are well bolstered without feeling as if they were made of wood. I've had 2 guys over 6'5'' in the back seat at the same time and they were pleased with the legroom.

Not many. I just had my 20,000 mile service and have only had a shield replaced (my fault), for $35.00, and the CD unit replaced under warranty. The air dam is a little low, so keep some touchup paint ready. I'm told this has been rectified on subsequent models. The dash cupholder is flimsy, and the other front cupholder competes with your elbow for space. I use the semi-synthetic Saab oil, and change it every 5,00 miles.

I purchased the Aero after owning about 20 or so cars. I like to drive. My past experience has brought me to the Aero and I am very satisfied with this car.

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1955 Olds convertible, '57 Pontiac Starchief, '59 Chevy Impala convertible, 4-wheel drive Jeep, M-114 PC, 2 1/4 ton 6-wheel drive truck, MGA, '65 Mustang convertible, Beetle, Beetle, Beetle, Dart, Dart, Mizutani Seraph 10 speed, '75 Plymouth Fury, '81 Jetta, '93 G-35, '96 850.

Styling, power, comfort. car is really nice I paid almost nothing for the car...

Cost to maintain in top notch condition may be expensive. Tires, tune-ups yadda yadda..

Car runs great, smooth, fast, power band seems to go on forever....pulls non-stop cruised highway speeds 70-80 for hour in complete comfort. LArge enough for two kids and stuff yet sporty enough to race B'mers and the like. It is acar car that screams I am the man!!!! Jet Black with camle leather....SWEEEET

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BMW 318, Caddy...

A very safe car. Restful to drive. Reliable engine. Roomy for four occupants, OK for three slim persons in the rear seat. Keeps you cool or warm as required. Many nice features. I like the styling more and more, both elegant in a functional way, never flashy.

Computer display erratic: says brakes or brake lights are defective, when this is not the case - worrying before you get used to it, then annoying. The display also loses pixels in an unpredictable way.

I live in Sweden, where I bought and drive the car on sometimes slippery roads. I find it a lovely car to drive and to ride in. 9-5 is the safest car in Sweden (in actual conditions), but I hope I will never contribute to that statistic. Excellent brakes. Quite a lot of luggage space. Could use more spaces for stuff you need while driving (maps, sunglasses etc.) Computer display erratic. Lots of thoughtful features like dual sunvisors, night panel and a fun cupholder that comes out of the dashboard. Good stereo. Not as quiet as I would have liked on rough surfaces.

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SAAB 900 1988

Pretty to look at, fast (when running), maintenance is included

Poorly built, unreliable, needs more than one cupholder, lots of minor things break - very irritating, dealers have poor parts inventory, difficult to get service appointments, doesn't come with an extra car

I purchased my 2001 9-5 Aero new from the dealer in Jan of 2004. It was left over stock from 2001. I had them add the certification to is as part of the deal. This has been the most disappointing car I have ever owned. To date, it has left me on the roadside twice and has been in the shop approx 12 times. This is a car with about 20K miles on it. It came equipped with "OnStar". This is a total joke. In the event of a breakdown, all they do is call Saab Roadside who then calls AAA to come get you. I can do that from my cell for free. The last breakdown occurred in the middle of a move across counrty. The car just quit on a Sat around noon while on the Interstate. I sat on the side of the Interstate in 95 degree heat for over 3.5 hrs waiting on a wrecker. I was not in the "middle of nowhere", so it should not have taken that long to get someone out there. By the time my car was towed to the nearest dealer, the service dept was closed. The folks at Saab actually expected me to stop there in the middle of a move (even when I explained that the movers would be in my new city with my belongings in 3 days) to wait until the following Monday for someone to look at the car. No time for that, I rented a car at Hertz and continued with the move. The car wasn't repaired until the following Thursday - something about parts being ordered. Had I waited, the movers would have been at my new place for over a week before me. Did Saab expect them to just wait too? To date, my car is still sitting at the servicing dealer as I am unable to take off a week from a new job to fly back to get it and drive it out here. Saab says they are not responsible for uniting an owner with his car, no matter the circumstances. I am not trusting enough at this point to even think it will make it. Bottom line here - don't go spend your hard earned money on one of these, unless you just enjoy being in a service dept a lot. Talk to some folks in your area who own or have owned one. Go buy something reliable. You are better off giving your money to charity. You'll get more out of it. They don't refer to my situation as a "Saab Story" for nothing.

Handling, cargo and cabin space, smooth engine, standard equipment. Good “factory certified” program. Best car for the money ratio on the market.

1) Awful Michelin Pilot tires, noisy, no grip, easy to damage… had to replace them after 10K, hate them! Got Falken Azenis instead – silent, reliable, pleasure to drive! 2) SID display missing some pixels… known problem with all pre 2004 Saab’s – replaced by warranty.

Overall, I've been very happy with this car. I bought the car factory-certified with only 6K miles on it. The car is very well designed, handles better than probably 90% cars around. Engine is reasonably smooth and quiet, especially for 4-cylinders. I am a kind of a tall guy; still feel very comfortable on either front or rear seats. I had a SUV before this car (Discovery) and my overall opinion that SAAB is much better car in every aspect you’ll ever compare two cars, leaving Discovery with better off-road capability only, however never drove Disco off-road for the last 4 years. I know that BMW drives better, Audi feels more solid… however hey, I bought this car at least 10-15K less than those brands having almost the same fun driving it! This is the best car for the money on the market and I would definitely recommend it to everybody, especially if the car is a SAAB-certified.

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SAAB 9000CSE - good car, however not that reliable. LR Disco – it is a mistake to own it unless you are professional ranger.

Audio system on the Aero model ***sweet*** Quick very very quick and responsive The certified warranty from Saab Styling of the body Safty

Ventilated seats, work fne bu overated The paint seems less protected, like it has no clear coat or something gas mileage only 19.75 city and highway combined, but then I drive the machine!

I wanted to buy an Aero for about a year before I got up the heart to make the move. All of the poor reviews on here kept me scared away. I deciced based on what I read on here the only safe way to go was through dealer and to make sure it was a *** Saab Certified ***. Some may say this is not important, it sure was to me. The car had 29,900 miles on it when I bought it. The warranty covers this car to 100,000 or April of 2006 which ever coms first. I bought it in Jun of 2003. The exclusions of the warranty are brake pads and rotors, and the audio system after 50,000 miles. I have to tell you I am plenty impressed and would recomend this car to anyone. Fast, Fast, Fast and a ton of fun to drive. This is funny, I had four differnt Acura legends (all used, but in good shape)used to pop the sunroofs open in the winter months turn up the heat and crank the stero, and they were one sweet enjoyable ride. But the last one was the full size lengend and it just felt to big. I then moved into a VW Passat, this drove like it was glued to the road, very very smooth ride. The radio was real bad so I replaced it the first week I owned it. Put a ALpine unit in, only to find out it was he speakers. So, for the three years I had it every time I turned the radio on, I turned it rigt back off, it was that bad. I would open the sunroof in the Passat only to close it because of the horrid wind noise that would com in. But I kept it beacuse of th great ride. It as expensive when it came t repairs also. That lead me to the Saab certified program. I had the the Saab about an hour when I realized I hadn't lost my love for music. The Saab Harman - Kardon system is as close to Bose as you will get, I mean it is nice. The Aero has an upgraded system above and beyond the regular 9-5 system and it is sweet, I always have on unlike the Passat. The sunroof isn't as quiet as the Acuras but so much quieter than the Passat. I hve had a check engine light come on and off a few times since purchasing, also a brake light failure warning light comes on sometimes during a rain storm. The light is still working though. The ventilated seats I find to be loud, and not worth the price, they do work though. A second cup holder would be nice. When you step this baby out into the left lane to go by somebody it just a queston of whether you want to be polite or leave them like they were tied, his car WILL MOVE. Fun, Safe. Again I relize some have had problems, but with the certifid program I'm not sure how you could go wrong.

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1988, 1989, 1991, 1993 Acura legends 1991 Nissan 300zx twin turbo 1999 VW Passat 1.8t

Whiplash/vented/heated seats, infrequent maintenance, a joy to drive in the mountains. Excellent in the snow, even without snow tires. Sure-footed, can feel confident passing semis in the rain at 80 MPH. Exceptional gas milage for a car of this size and weight (23 city/30 highway) If you're moving up from an older SAAB, you will love the 9-5. Simply the best SAAB yet.

Occassional rattle here and there, usually stops within a few thousand miles. Annoyingly large keyless fob (better design in 2001 with all-in-one key).

Have owned this car since September 2000. It represents my 3rd consecutive SAAB, replacing my 1995 9000CSE with 188,000 miles. I ran my 1987 900S over 275,000 miles before it started wearing out. My experience has been that these vehicles are the most durable, reliable, and safest on the road. It was a gamble for me buying the V6t as I am used to the 4 cylinder that SAAB uses. I have no regrets though, the V6t is just as reliable as the 4s. I just turned 110,000 miles on mine. Clever features adorn the 9-5. Best of all is the ACC sytem, much better than in my 9000. I miss the fuse box in the glovebox from the 9000, I think it was better placed. Short of that, extremely satisfied SAAB owner. Buy it, you'll love it.

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1995 9000CSE, 1987 900S, 1984 Toyota Corolla.