It’s time for the Saab owners around here to help out the potential Saab owners.
I got an email from Shant, a Sydney-sider and lover of Italian metal. Obviously a young man of impeccable taste, which is only confirmed by his recent interest in Saab 9000s. Shant recently noticed the value available in the 2nd hand Saab 9000 range here in Oz. As with all used Saabs, you get a heck of a lot of car for the money.
His interest was only strengthened when in a recent conversation, his Dad mentioned the exact same thing. His Dad’s actually the one looking to buy – Shant’s too busy with his Lancias – but they’ve noticed this vehicle, a 1995 Saab 9000 Aero for sale.
The basics:
180,000kms
5 speed manual
Black on black
All the usual doodads PLUS a power upgrade to 189kW and 390Nm (source unknown)
Shant writes as follows:
The situation is this: my dad’s daily driver is a 1997 Mazda 626 with around 110k on the clock. It’s proven reliable, but the temptation of one of these at virtually straight-swap money is too much to resist.
So the prime question is, what goes wrong on these? I know auto trannys have a tendency to go bang, but obviously that’s not a concern. The TCS can be dodgy also, but this is a 1995 so better in that respect than the 1993s-4s I believe?
Also, is the mileage – 180k – a touch high to risk using it as a daily driver? It’s not just a matter of not getting where he wants to go, it’s also a question of ongoing costs. Obviously this will cost more to run than the Mazda – that goes without saying – but do things have a tendency to start going wrong every second month at this kind of mileage? I know for example that Alfa 164s fall to bits after about 100,000km…
I’ve mentioned to Shant that the usuals (history and a good inspection) are very much recommended, but this looks like a great ride for the money.
We’ve had a 9000 for a number of years now and it’s been pretty rock solid. It’s now at over 210,000kms and it still feels as good as the day we got it five years ago. I’d recommend a 9000 CS to anyone without hesitation
I can’t speak for the Aeros, though, which possibly get driven a little harder than what the CS does, just due to their nature.
So all you Aerophiles out there, please feel free to chime in and share your experience.
Comments are closed.