Why do I keep flirting with Saabs?

Post 817120 by foammanmark on 2018-08-18 18:28:03

Love the look of particularly the OG 9-3's, but I scrap my 2nd one in 12 months tomorrow. An Aero coupe 12 months ago due to major engine failure, and now my Aero vert due to cracked bulk head etc. They are nowhere near as good as Volvos, so I now plan to stay away from them. I do still have my Dame Edna 9-5 TiD which is also broken, but just an intercooler hose thank God!! Still have my C70 T5 which I've owned for 6.5 years, and my plan is now a C70 vert, but before that a V70 probably T5. Next year before I buy another car though............

Post 817122 by Gold 'N' Brown on 2018-08-18 20:49:29

Cos they are awesome :banana: I'm just about to get my 9-5 Aero back on the road next month. Bought it Feb last year and stuck it straight in the garage to do "a few bits". But then the V70 needed work and so the Saab has been gathering dust. But now I've decided to scrap the T5 next month when the MOT is up and it's been a mad rush to get the 9-5 sorted. Nearly there now. I'm far from a dyed in the wool Saab fan. But I would love a good 9000 Aero one day, and a 900 T16, and an NG 9-3 with the V6 turbo. Still really like the look of the OG 9-3 Aeros but not sure I'd like to actually own another. Funny thing about the OG 9-3s and the bulkhead cracking, I'm sure mine had the early signs of it too, but then I wrote it off after 6 days so we'll never know! But when I spoke to a guy down the road who runs his own Saab only workshop, he said he'd never heard of it, had never come across it, and don't believe nonsense you read on the internet. But then I've since heard from some that he's a bit of a tw@, so there you go.

Post 817124 by foammanmark on 2018-08-19 13:17:23

[QUOTE=Gold 'N' Brown;817122]Cos they are awesome :banana: I'm just about to get my 9-5 Aero back on the road next month. Bought it Feb last year and stuck it straight in the garage to do "a few bits". But then the V70 needed work and so the Saab has been gathering dust. But now I've decided to scrap the T5 next month when the MOT is up and it's been a mad rush to get the 9-5 sorted. Nearly there now. I'm far from a dyed in the wool Saab fan. But I would love a good 9000 Aero one day, and a 900 T16, and an NG 9-3 with the V6 turbo. Still really like the look of the OG 9-3 Aeros but not sure I'd like to actually own another. Funny thing about the OG 9-3s and the bulkhead cracking, I'm sure mine had the early signs of it too, but then I wrote it off after 6 days so we'll never know! But when I spoke to a guy down the road who runs his own Saab only workshop, he said he'd never heard of it, had never come across it, and don't believe nonsense you read on the internet. But then I've since heard from some that he's a bit of a tw@, so there you go.[/QUOTE] The vert has gone, but could end up being saved by a guy who specialises in them down here. We compared my car with 3 others that he had there, and the movement of the rack/clamp on mine was noticeably more. Had the rear arches sorted in April at over £400, but I would have had the bulk head sorted if I'd known about it. My cosmic Aero coupe came from up your way, Gorebridge, and I had an awesome drive back across to Moffat in snow etc. Hope that your 9-5 Aero is sorted, but sorry to hear about the T5. Something major wrong with her?

Post 817130 by p fandango on 2018-08-20 10:23:44

my old man used to love Saab's, but when he was looking for his last 9-3 you could certainly see the difference between the genuine Saab's & the Vectra's. He won't go back to them again now tho

Post 817132 by foammanmark on 2018-08-20 17:57:34

[QUOTE=p fandango;817130]my old man used to love Saab's, but when he was looking for his last 9-3 you could certainly see the difference between the genuine Saab's & the Vectra's. He won't go back to them again now tho[/QUOTE] I think that I would only ever have the 9-5's from now on, but I'll wait for a decent Volvo in a few months is the plan.

Post 817136 by Gold 'N' Brown on 2018-08-21 08:47:23

[QUOTE=foammanmark;817124] Hope that your 9-5 Aero is sorted, but sorry to hear about the T5. Something major wrong with her?[/QUOTE] Aero should be well sorted :D Nothing majorly wrong with the T5, it's just hit that point in it's life where everything needs doing at once and I've had to make that tough decision - head over heart - to let it go. MOT due mid next month and I'm not going to throw more money at it. It's a good car with plenty of life left in it but only for someone willing to spend a lot of money replacing bits. I'm not particularly happy to be scrapping it, but its a financial decision - I can get £175 for it from a local scrapper, or, I wait and wait and wait for someone willing to pay the equivalent or more for an un-MOT'ed ££££ey gold, dented, puke coloured interior V70 that needs a lot of money spent on it! And I don't have the time or inclination to strip it for parts. It needs £500 in parts to do the bare minimum to pass an MOT, ~£1000 in parts to make it more bearable day-to-day (mostly suspension refresh) and truth be told I'd need to chuck £2-3k at it to get it anywhere near a point I'd be truly happy with it.

Post 817137 by Gold 'N' Brown on 2018-08-21 09:00:58

[QUOTE=foammanmark;817132]I think that I would only ever have the 9-5's from now on, but I'll wait for a decent Volvo in a few months is the plan.[/QUOTE] I love both brands for different reasons. I've long thought if you could combine an early 9-5 wagon with a Volvo T5 or R engine, that would be a perfect combo for me. Love how the 9-5s look, but much prefer a 20VT engine to a 4 pot. THe engine note, and the interior will be the bits I miss when I get rid of the V70. Best seats ever, awesome heating, and the dash ergonomics are just so right in a V70/S60. 9-5s are just so cheap to pick up though compared to Volvos. Still loads of Aeros about for sale, but these days T5s are thin on the ground. 2.3s are cheap but usually look a right state. 2.4 T5s are like hens teeth. Pound for pound, the Aero's I see for sale always look much tidier. I paid £800 for mine from a dealer (annoyingly the guy that part X'ed it had it on Gumtree for about £500 weeks before and I missed out), and it'll stand me at about £1500 once it's back on the road. I thought that was a bargain but when you see what other's are picking up, in roadworthy condition, I actually paid over the odds! A lot of parts seem cheaper than Volvo. Tuning (thanks to Noobtune) is way cheaper. Aftermarket support seems better for the older models compared to the Volvo world. Comparing the Ph2 range to similar age 9-3s and 9-5s they both suffer the GM/Ford cost cutting, but I think VOlvo just have the edge in certain aspects of build quality. Certainly my 9-5 is a lot rustier underneath than the V70 (only a year difference between them). Mark, out of curiousity, what do you think of the UKSaabs forum?

Post 817140 by foammanmark on 2018-08-21 15:14:34

[QUOTE=Gold 'N' Brown;817137]I love both brands for different reasons. I've long thought if you could combine an early 9-5 wagon with a Volvo T5 or R engine, that would be a perfect combo for me. Love how the 9-5s look, but much prefer a 20VT engine to a 4 pot. THe engine note, and the interior will be the bits I miss when I get rid of the V70. Best seats ever, awesome heating, and the dash ergonomics are just so right in a V70/S60. 9-5s are just so cheap to pick up though compared to Volvos. Still loads of Aeros about for sale, but these days T5s are thin on the ground. 2.3s are cheap but usually look a right state. 2.4 T5s are like hens teeth. Pound for pound, the Aero's I see for sale always look much tidier. I paid £800 for mine from a dealer (annoyingly the guy that part X'ed it had it on Gumtree for about £500 weeks before and I missed out), and it'll stand me at about £1500 once it's back on the road. I thought that was a bargain but when you see what other's are picking up, in roadworthy condition, I actually paid over the odds! A lot of parts seem cheaper than Volvo. Tuning (thanks to Noobtune) is way cheaper. Aftermarket support seems better for the older models compared to the Volvo world. Comparing the Ph2 range to similar age 9-3s and 9-5s they both suffer the GM/Ford cost cutting, but I think VOlvo just have the edge in certain aspects of build quality. Certainly my 9-5 is a lot rustier underneath than the V70 (only a year difference between them). Mark, out of curiousity, what do you think of the UKSaabs forum?[/QUOTE] I'd go along with all of the above, but just add that the Saabs have the edge of fuel economy also. However, my Saab repair bills warrant having a Volvo and using a bit more fuel tbh, and this is now my way of thinking with my next car. UKSaabs is OK imo, fairly busy and I've had some decent help at times off certain peeps.

Why do I keep flirting with Saabs?

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