I am looking at buying a 2001 Saab 95. I will be taking over the
payments for this vehicle. It will have about 45-50K miles and will
owe about $17-18K. My question if anyone can help me....what kind of
problems should I expect if any and will this thing last me at least
3-4 years w/out major hassles. Also, how expensive are Saab?s to
maintain? Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks....Romey
>I am looking at buying a 2001 Saab 95. I will be taking over the
> payments for this vehicle. It will have about 45-50K miles and will
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> 3-4 years w/out major hassles. Also, how expensive are Saab?s to
> maintain? Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks....Romey
Sounds like you are paying too much. The seller seems to be upside
down on his loan and you are assuming his condition.
Look around and you are likely to find the same car for less money.
-Fred W
The Malt Hound - 02 Mar 2005 16:29 GMT
>>I am looking at buying a 2001 Saab 95. I will be taking over the
>> payments for this vehicle. It will have about 45-50K miles and
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
>
> Look around and you are likely to find the same car for less money.
FYI... I did a quick look up on kbb.com on a '01 9-5 and the Private
Party value is about $14,500
If it was a 9-5SE (with the dreaded GM V6) it would be worth a
thousand more according to Kelley, but I would say stay away and find
a 2.3L 4 cylinder turbo. Much better engine.
-Fred W
Dima - 02 Mar 2005 19:57 GMT
I was under impression that the 9-5 V6 was the Saab asymmetric turbo engine,
not the GM V6 used in the earlier NG900? Are you sure about "dreaded V6 GM"?
-Dima
> FYI... I did a quick look up on kbb.com on a '01 9-5 and the Private Party
> value is about $14,500
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
>
> -Fred W
The Malt Hound - 02 Mar 2005 21:33 GMT
>I was under impression that the 9-5 V6 was the Saab asymmetric turbo
>engine, not the GM V6 used in the earlier NG900? Are you sure about
>"dreaded V6 GM"?
I stand corrected. It is a SAAB 3.0L turbo V6.
Whatever it is, it still has a timing belt.
Personally, I wouldn't want it, but it is better than the GM engine in
the 9000's
YMMV,
-Fred W
Goran Larsson - 02 Mar 2005 21:53 GMT
> I was under impression that the 9-5 V6 was the Saab asymmetric turbo engine,
> not the GM V6 used in the earlier NG900? Are you sure about "dreaded V6 GM"?
The 3.0 V6 used in the 9000 and the 2.5 V6 used in the ng900 is from a
different engine family than the 3.0 V6 used in the 9-5. Both engines
are GM engines, the 9000/ng900 V6 was manufactured by Opel in Germany,
the 9-5 V6 was manufactured by Vauxhall in England. The recently
presented 2.8 V6 in the new 9-3 SC is also a GM engine. This one is
manufactured by Holden in Australia. The four cylinder petrol engines
used in the 9-5 are also GM engines. They are manufactured by Saab in
Sweden.

Signature
G?ran Larsson http://www.mitt-eget.com/saab/
The Malt Hound - 03 Mar 2005 13:50 GMT
>> I was under impression that the 9-5 V6 was the Saab asymmetric
>> turbo engine,
[quoted text clipped - 14 lines]
> in
> Sweden.
Thanks for clearing that up. The reference I found called the 3.0V6 a
"SAAB" engine, but I suppose it can be loosely defined since SAAB was
owned by GM during its release.
-Fred W
I think you are paying too much for the car. I bought a 2001 9-5 SE V6 with
43,000 miles one year ago. I paid 14,100.00. I knew I got a deal so I
jumped on it! Maybe 17-18 is OK, I checked the NADA values and I guess it
ranges from 16K to 18K. Look around here in Clev Oh there are all kinds of
deals on 9-5's in the 14-15K range. Where are you located
Anyway If it is a V6 you will need a timing belt @ 60K. On the 4 cyl there
are issues of Direct Ignition packs failing and some sludge problems.
> I am looking at buying a 2001 Saab 95. I will be taking over the
> payments for this vehicle. It will have about 45-50K miles and will
> owe about $17-18K. My question if anyone can help me....what kind of
> problems should I expect if any and will this thing last me at least
> 3-4 years w/out major hassles. Also, how expensive are Saab's to
> maintain? Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks....Romey
Radovan Biciste - 02 Mar 2005 17:38 GMT
Hello,
very well said. Just note that timing belt change is free at SAAB
dealer. Well it is wise to change tensioner and pulleys at same time but
labor and belt will be covered. Also there are problems with 4 cylinder
engine concerning PCV system that leads to turbo failures or engine
death. It is essential to have oil change history for 4 cylinder car or
at least car checked for the sludge. Inspection is around $100 at SAAB
dealer and mention you want to check them for the sludge. I'm sure they
will know what you mean. There is also retroactive transferable 8
years warranty on this engines in recognition of the problem. But I bet
it is going to be honored only if you can show regular maintenance
records and oil changes. V6 engines are modified British made by GM.
They seem to be trouble free.
The price seems to be a bit high to me. Visit your SAAB dealer. I'm
almost sure that in the worst case you'll get a similar car but with
100k warranty as Certified PreOwned.
Good Luck,
Radek
> I think you are paying too much for the car. I bought a 2001 9-5 SE V6 with
> 43,000 miles one year ago. I paid 14,100.00. I knew I got a deal so I
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> Anyway If it is a V6 you will need a timing belt @ 60K. On the 4 cyl there
> are issues of Direct Ignition packs failing and some sludge problems.
romey - 02 Mar 2005 18:46 GMT
> I think you are paying too much for the car. I bought a 2001
> 9-5 SE V6 with
[quoted text clipped - 29 lines]
> abuse:
> http://www.autoforumz.com/eform.php?p=491723
thanks for all the replies thus far...it definitely helps! The 95 is
a turbo. As for the pricing and condition of the car...it?s in pretty
good shape. I?m actually taking over the loan payments from a good
friend of mine. I plan on selling it in a few years so I just want to
make sure I can AT LEAST break even on the car. Also, I am going to
pay off the car with a home equity, therefore the interest payments
will be about 4.25%. What?s the likelihood this car will hold its
value in about 3 years? Thanks again!
The Malt Hound - 02 Mar 2005 18:59 GMT
> thanks for all the replies thus far...it definitely helps! The 95
> is
> a turbo. As for the pricing and condition of the car...it?s in
> pretty
> good shape. I?m actually taking over the loan payments from a good
> friend of mine.
I hope he is a very good friend, because you are bailing him out of
his loan. As I said before, he is upside down (meaning he owes more
than the car is worth) and you are buying him out of that position.
> I plan on selling it in a few years so I just want to
> make sure I can AT LEAST break even on the car. Also, I am going to
> pay off the car with a home equity, therefore the interest payments
> will be about 4.25%. What?s the likelihood this car will hold its
> value in about 3 years?
2 chances... slim and none. SAABs are notorious for rapid
depreciation. Plus are you are starting out behind.
-Fred W
MH - 02 Mar 2005 19:14 GMT
> .. What's the likelihood this car will
> hold its value in about 3 years?
It will not....
as with any modern car the loss of value will be most in the first years. If
you want a car to hold its value, you should buy a classic car (preferably a
SAAB of course). But if you take the value of money in consideration (the
cash value) it might be an even better investment if you just put your money
in a bank savings account.
--
MH
'72 97 '77 96 '78 95 '79 96
'87 900T8
http://go.to/saab96
Matt O'Toole - 06 Mar 2005 07:01 GMT
>> .. What's the likelihood this car will
>> hold its value in about 3 years?
> It will not....
> as with any modern car the loss of value will be most in the first
> years. If you want a car to hold its value, you should buy a classic
> car (preferably a SAAB of course). But if you take the value of money
> in consideration (the cash value) it might be an even better
> investment if you just put your money in a bank savings account.
Saabs depreciate like rocks, but this makes them an excellent used car value.
Definately let someone else take the hit though.
Matt O.
Peter Wilkins - 03 Mar 2005 23:31 GMT
>thanks for all the replies thus far...it definitely helps! The 95 is
>a turbo. As for the pricing and condition of the car...its in pretty
>good shape. Im actually taking over the loan payments from a good
>friend of mine.
I don't think he is really "a good friend" if he is prepared to do
that to you - he is transferring to you a loan on which the asset is
worth less than the loan and getting home free himself. Don't do it,
or else demand around $3000 cash to take over the loan.

Signature
Regards,
Peter Wilkins
The Malt Hound - 02 Mar 2005 19:00 GMT
>I think you are paying too much for the car. I bought a 2001 9-5 SE
>V6 with
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> guess it
> ranges from 16K to 18K.
That's retail value from a dealer. You don't pay that for a private
party sale. For that, figure on about 1/2 way between retail and
wholesale.
-Fred W
Matt O'Toole - 06 Mar 2005 07:06 GMT
>> I think you are paying too much for the car. I bought a 2001 9-5 SE
>> V6 with
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>> guess it
>> ranges from 16K to 18K.
> That's retail value from a dealer. You don't pay that for a private
> party sale. For that, figure on about 1/2 way between retail and
> wholesale.
I think Saabs are selling at below book value these days though. Look at eBay,
for example.
In fact dealers are making huge profits on Saabs, because they're charging close
to book retail, but buying the cars for practically nothing at auction. They
can even discount a little so the customer feels like he's getting a deal, and
still make a killing.
But what really matters is that you feel you got your money's worth.
Matt O.
The Malt Hound - 07 Mar 2005 14:21 GMT
>>> I think you are paying too much for the car. I bought a 2001 9-5
>>> SE
[quoted text clipped - 13 lines]
> Look at eBay,
> for example.
eBay is not a valid indicator of retail value. Pretty much everyone
that purchases cars on eBay (including me) is taking a calculated risk
of doing eCommerce in order to obtain a lower price. I would expect
*every* sale on eBay to be below retail value on any car (except
perhaps rare and exotic ones).
-Fred W