Saab 9-5 Sedan

smu1976

I read in the Saab Club of America that the new 9-5 design is coming in 2004. Does anyone know if the new 9-3 is coming in 2002?

mlc5

My dealer mentioned that 9-3 redesign was due out for the 2003 model year.. So I guess that means sometime next summer (i.. 2002) you should be able to order it...
He also mentioned that hatch back is being discontinued.. and would be replace by a wagon version.. which I am sure will disappoint more than a few folks...

mzeger

Could it be a GM customer loyalty offer? Does anyone know more about these coupons?

I found out Saab has done a nationwide direct mail campaign. Some recipients get coupons for $5000 off a 9-5 purchase, others (like me) get $6000. These can't be used for lease cap costs, but the $1000 coupon can.

bulkleycorp

From what I read, Saab did a mailing sometime in late February - early March. They probably mailed a bunch of different offers. (I used to be in the direct mail industry and it's VERY COMMON for a company to test different offers).

Therefore, it's possible that some people received the $1K off, others the $5K, $6K, et. al.

At the end of the day, unless one knows how their mailing and offer strategy all we can do is guess.

I heard from someone on the www.saabnet.com message board re this - he tried calling SAABUSA to say he "...lost the certificate...pls send another" (it was my suggestion to him) ..SAABUSA said they couldn't find his name in the database so they couldn't give them the certificate. Guess they covered that loophole....:<

nutodd1

Hey guys,

Just wanted to let you know. Saab has released an accessory that is a replacement ECU and spark plugs for the 2000 9-5 LPT. The kit allows the turbo to "over boost" to achieve an additional 30 horsepower and 30 lb-ft of torque. The kit is sold as a saab accessory (part no. 02 86 443) and thus is waranteed by Saab, and will not void your factory warantee. The part retails for $750 but I ordered mine for about $600.

I have the kit but its not installed on the car just yet, so I can't comment on performance. From what the dealer told me, the performance after the upgrade resembles the Aero more so than the V6. For all of you looking for a little extra oomph from your LPT car, this could be a good answer. Saab realized that they overengineered the engine/ drivetrain, and are releasing these performance upgrades to take advantage of that. Something to think about...Any questions, e-mail me.

-Todd

thorgan

Note that the upgrade chip is just for model year 2000 - for some unclear reasons. We're pushing Saab to offer the same thing for the '99 models as well. Oh I hope so!

dski

Is that for the I4 or the V6? Maybe I'll get one with my next 9-5 in about a year.

drew

joebogus

I read the posts here about the rebate coupons of $5K and $6K. I contacted SAAB via the Saabusa web site to see if I could get one. This was their response to me:

Thank you for contacting Saab!

We do appreciate your consideration as a part of your decision for
purchasing/leasing a vehicle. However, the promotion that you are
inquiring about was offered to customers that were selected from
targeted demographic groups.

"We do apologize, and would like to extend an invitation to visit our
web site to view our other incentives that are currently being
advertised. Please visit www.saabusa.com, we want to welcome you into
our family.

Thank you once again and we hope to have another chance to serve you."

I'm wondering what demographic group I need to be a part of. Did they target people that weren't going to buy a Saab anyway? I doubt it. Anyhow, I'm still trying to figure out how to get one of these coupons. If you have any ideas, bring em on. Does anybody have one that they'd like to part with? Are they transferable?

Thanks,

Kelvin

golfgod2k

I tried to get one as well and got the same response. The interesting thing is that I am in the demographic because I got a coupon months ago, but misplaced it. I asked them to check their database for my name (since I'm in there) and then send me one. Haven't heard back from them since.

bulkleycorp

I was in the direct mail business so I'm familiar with how one can "seed a name and profile" to get selected. Doesn't work all the time because it depends upon the list selection strategy they use for a particular mailing -- which varies by mailing.

If you have time--- best bet is to profile yourself at their web site such that they'll send you a rebate coupon next time they send on in the mail. From what I recall they were targetting families with young children in certain income brackets -- $100K HHI and above...

mlc5

I did receive one last week... or should I say my wife did ... It's actually a dealer incentive coupon as opposed to a rebate coupon, and it was for $5k off ...
The coupon is definitely NOT assignable ... and can not be used with any other promotion, such as the 5.9% finance special you may have seen out there....
The curious thing was that my wife got one within a week of me picking up my new 9-5... So my thinking was that she was targeted due to that and nothing else...

mzeger

I received a $6000 coupon at about the time I moved away from considering a used Lexus and towards a 9-5 (kind of like getting a $6000 lottery ticket). In addition to demography, my local dealer says Saab targeted owners of certain '95 & '96 cars. I have a '95 Volvo 850GLT so I guess I'm a prime target for a 9-5.

I also heard about a subvented 9-5 lease for $399/mo, 36 months, 36K mi., but you need about $2300 down + taxes and fees. I was ready to lease and just keep $7000 from my trade, but the $6000 coupon seems like far too great an incentive to pass up. Basically, it's like getting a $38K car for $30K after dealer discount and the coupon. Saab lets you use the coupon and get the current 5.9% financing too.

Any thoughts on lease vs. purchase? I've asked this before in this forum but I'm still on the fence.

bretfraz

You've prolly read my dissertations on this subject, but an opinion that is Saab 9-5 specific, I've got to say that anyone not leasing this car is making a huge financial mistake.

Saab's in general depreciate quicker than other luxury makes. If you buy you'll be upside-down in the loan until the bitter end. Coupon or no coupon.

SFSC has offered some terrific lease deals with solid residuals and incredible money factors. Taking advantage of "free money" is a very smart thing to do. Ignoring it means you'll prolly pay close to full market interest on another brand.

It depends on your lifestyle, your carrer, and your values. In general, if leasing fits, it is definitely the thing to do with a 9-5.

From my perspective, there are two questions a buyer has to ask themself:

1. Do I want a Saab 9-5?
2. I am a lessor or a buyer?

Everything falls into place after these are answered.

mzeger

Doesn't steep depreciation make any car a poor lease value? After all, what you pay for in a lease is the depreciation + interest.

The question isn't "9-5 vs another car", it's stictly "lease or buy w/the $6000 coupon".

Here are 2 points in favor of buying:
- I don't mind keeping a car for 4-5 years (though my Volvo has been on the road nearly 6 yrs).
- I'm uncertain about future driving habits. I used to put 20K mi./yr on a car (mostly business). Now, I will probably drive 12-15K/yr. I hate the thought of coming up with another $1000 if I put an extra 100 mi. on the car each month.

The single attraction for me to lease is that I put less cash into to a car upfront.

If I didn't have the coupon, I'd get in the $399 lease. It seems that the $6000 coupon comes right off the bottom line and offsets the advantage. My salesperson and I checked the math today, and it supported buying for my case.

bardsljr

bardsljr

I'm considering gettig the base 2.3 T 9-5 ( my wife got one of the $6,000 coupons and we drove one today. Had been thinking Acura 3.2 TL-S or BMW 325XI, but I was totally - and unexpectedly- impressed by the luxury, ride, and pcikup (in "sport" mode) of the 9-5. With another 30 HP , well, as Muddy Waters said "Well, Well, WELL!".

Todd and others, I'd like to hear about your experiences post-chip installation.

Thanks- Jim (my email address is "bardsljr@umdnj.edu" if you want to correspond directly. )

smu1976

I agree with you on the purchase versus lease in consideration of the miles, but remember to factor in a few other variables. Mostly the loss of your warranty after 48 months. Even the extended warranties will kill you in their deductable's. I am on my third Saab, and though I bought the first two, I leased this one, for the second one was killed me in repairs and depreciation, (Saab's are not known for holding their value). Love the cars, but I have to be under a factory warranty for piece of mind.

badand

Hi all. I am new to this board. I am considering a 9-5 Aero. I called a dealer today and was told that they have a $3,000 factory rebate on a 36 mo. lease with an attractive money factor. I noticed many of you talking about a $6,000 rebate and that looks like the deal at the web site for $399/36 mo. on the 9-5.

Can anyone tell me if it is possible to get the $6,000 on an Aero.

Thank You

golfgod2k

Live in L.A. and being quoted for a new 9-5 SE $3400 drive off, $450 a month tax included for 36 month/15k per year lease. Would like to get input on this. I feel like this is a good deal, but I'm wondering if I can do better. Would love some feedback. Thanks!

bretfraz

Doesn't steep depreciation make any car a poor lease value? After all, what you pay for in a lease is the depreciation + interest.

Not if the finance company is subsidising the residual. In leasing the depreciation is a known factor in advance via the residual. With my 9-5 lease, the residual was 56%. Will my car depreciate in real terms more than 44% over the next 36 months? Yes. Who eats that difference? The finance company.

When you buy, you are burdened with the depreciation curve. But if you'll keep your car long enough to pay it off, this is not a significant issue.

Sounds to me like you're a buyer and not a lessor. The two points you mention are the two major determining factors of lease vs. buy. Looks like you've made up your mind. Enjoy your new 9-5.

dsemmen

What is this $6,000 coupon for a Saab people are talking about. How do you get one? Thanks

mlgtx2

A few months ago I discussed with a number of you the potential costs associated with the use of the pre-wired integrated phone system in the 9-5s. I can now offer my own experience to the "Board". I have read on this site and on Saabnet that Nokias are the only phones compatible with the Saab system. I can unequivocally say that such statements are untrue. I purchased and installed an Ericsson T28W digital phone from Voice stream (one of the wireless service providers in Houston) in my MY2000 non-Onstar 9-5. My costs included the following:

Ericsson T28 Phone: 100
Saab phone cradle mount: 60
Saab Phone connector: 13
Ericsson Hands free HCA-10: 160 (CellularOutlet.com)
Installation w/ext. antenna: 200

I Have used the phone for a few weeks and I whole-heartedly recommend taking advantage of the pre-wired system, especially the Ericsson's voice recognition system and 100 phone number voice memory. The phone mutes and "takes over" the radio whenever the phone is in use and I have the phone set up so that calls can be made and answered completely hands-free. It is quite a nifty set-up, especially since the car is a 5spd.

John

badand

OK, here is the deal they have proposed to me. 2001 9-5 Aero. MSRP $41,795. $3,000 rebate from Saab. They want $4,500 from me. Including 1st payment, tax, sec. dep., acq. fee, other fees. Total cap reduction is $5,605.57. Net cap cost is $35,119.43. The residual seems weak at 49%, but the money factor is .00129, that seems strong. Total monthly cost for 36 mos./15,000 is $521.43. I would say that your deal on the SE sounds pretty good.

mstssc

How are you guys getting such good residuals on a 9.5 in the US? In Canada, Saabs residual after 48 months is 41%, after 36 months it is 49%. Not much incentive here when you compare a Acura at 54 % (48 mths). When this residual is taken into account, I can get much more car elsewhere for my monthly payment. Anybody have any idea why Saab is doing this here (besides the obvious heavy depreciation)? The dealer keeps saying they want to market the cars better and do have good interest rates (3.9%) but its not enough.

Steve

bretfraz

It's been my experience over the past 8 months that Saab subsidises the Aero the least; prolly because the production is more limited and they don't need to sell them as badly as SE and base models. 49% is a bit lower than what SFSC offered in 4Q2000 (about 55% IIRC, I posted it here so check old posts). Anyhoo, the money factor is right and the resid isn't too bad so I'd say its a competitive deal vs. what they've been offering.

Re: Saab deals in Canada vs. US, no question that it's a bidness decision and any response would be speculation. I'd contact Saab Canada for inside info and gossip. Same with Acura Canada and their resids.

joebogus

I've contacted Saab a couple of times regarding the rebate coupons, and the final word was that they contracted an outside company (read: we have no responsibility) to select people from a certain demographic group and then chose names at random. The program has expired and it is not possible to get a coupon unless you were selected.

Having learned that much, and a little from others' posts, I went back to my Saab profile for their monthly e-mail newsletter, and changed my current vehicle from Honda to Volvo.

Kevin

andymsn

First off, anyone have any notion of whether this current lease incentive package will likely continue?

Second, based on the lease quote I received yesterday, it appears what SFSC is doing to reach the 399/mo rate is, in effect, giving a $3000.00 rebate on the car that the customer applies in the lease, in addition to the customer kicking in over $3500.00. It's a rebate because, at least where I live, rebates are subject to state and county taxes and it's taxed on my quote.

Quote received yesterday on a base 2001 9-5 with heated seats, premium package and automatic (list $38,360.00 - edmunds claims invoice of $35,828).

Money down is the $3000.00 cap reduction, first payment (515/mo), sec deposit (525) and taxes, for a total of about 4300 at delivery.

Vehicle Cost 37018 + acquisition fee of $495.00 (what the hell is this and
should I tell them to pound sand on it? Sounds like
just a kicker to the dealer that I'm paying.
Gross Cap Cost 37513
Cap Reduction 3000
Net Cap Cost 34513
Adj Residual 17645 (residual, according to quote, is 0.46)
Tot Term Depreciation 16867

Total Pymts w/ tx over 3 yrs 18547

Money factor is .00038. This quote was, according to the top of the sheet anyway, from Chase Manhattan Auto Finance, not SFSC (although maybe Chase IS SFSC??).

Any thoughts? Thanks in advance for taking the time to respond!!!!

bretfraz

OK, here's some info:

http://www.intellichoice.com/lease/leasingDetail.cfm?vehicle_nmb=8368

It'll tell you all the details of the lease as offered by SFSC, who, by the way, is not Chase Manhattan.

The Chase deal looks close to the SFSC deal. But compare details closely.

No negotiations on the acq fee. Nothing to do with the dealer; it's charged by the finance company. Same as disposition fees.

Wanna little perspective? My 2000 9-5 SE with paint and heated was 36mo/36K, $1000 down (total of $2200 paying all upfronts), payment is $453/month including tax. No rebate, no coupon, no note from mommy.

saabbuyer

I'm thinking about leasing (3 yrs) a 2001 Saab 9-5 SE. Concerned about repairs and service costs. Any thoughts? Also, are there a sufficient number of repair shops in Dallas? Only one dealer in this good sized city. Thx

saabsince86

Today I was quoted the following (from 2 dealers) on a 9-5 base wagon, prem, htdseats, metallic.

Price = invoice + $500 ($36,334 on a $38,310 msrp)
Lease incentive = $3000
Money factor = .00059
Cap cost red = $999
Bank fee = $495
Other fees = $30 plus plates about $150
Residual = 47% of msrp

With taxes (.0825) rolled in, the monthly is $445
The drive off is $2200

By the way there is an excellent lease spreadsheet to be found on The Saab Network 9-5 bulletin board. Just open the bb and search for lease spreadsheet.

Has anyone gotten a price at or below invoice??

bmwjoe

The service is free for the first 3 years. At least it was in 2000.

Drive Safe,

Joe

andymsn

To manual 5-speed or to 4-speed automatic on a base 2001 9-5, that is the question. Drove both tonight and like them each well enough, but I'm probably leaning toward the automatic for practical purposes, although the 5-speed is certainly fun. I just don't see myself driving the vehicle in a manner that would allow me to meaningfully take advantage of the benefits of the 5-speed. The automatic in sport mode seems to be pretty gutsy and, in some respects, faster than the 5-speed.

So, under the assumption that I'm likely going with the automatic, I pose the following question.

I noticed on the sticker that the tranny on the 5-speed is produced in Sweden but the automatic is made in Japan. What gives? I asked a friend who's more in the know on cars than me, querying who GM owns, or has a piece of, in Japan. His response: Isuzu, Suzuki and Subaru. Also have deals with Toyota (see Geo Prism), but doesn't believe GM owns a meaningful share of them, if any.

Asked my salesperson here and he claimed the automatic is made by "asiat-warner" (sic?), and the automatic tranny is the same one that Lexus puts in their vehicles, albeit with different settings, of course.

So, any thoughts from the cognoscenti on this board? Agree or disagree?

Thanks in advance for taking the time to answer!!!!

saabsince86

I personally like the 5 speed because of the control it provides and the awareness of the car and the conditions that it requires. My driving is always more fun (except for bumper to bumper rowing) with the standard.

The auto is indeed made by Asian-Warner who makes the Lexus tranny. All reports that I've read praise it.

Best of luck with the car.

tsuchi

I picked up my 9-5 base with automatic transmission last Thursday and am quite happy with it. Personally I think 9-5 is a fairly heavy, solid and comfortable car and I don't really associate manual transmission with its class and size. Of course this is just my personal opinion. I do have one question regarding the sports mode however. Has anybody noticed any gas mileage differences between driving with sports mode on all the time and without sports mode? If there is no different from gas mileage's perspective, what impact in terms of wear can be expected? I really like the sports mode and think it should be the default or standard driving mode.

singers

New to the Board. Live in New York City. Looking for a '99 9-5 (would go for a new one but can't take the abuse the garages give them). Need suggestions on 4 cyl vs 6 cyl, manual vs auto tranny, and any helpful hints on going about buying it (dealer vs. private sale). i'm figuring on low 20's for price. feedback appreciated, even from saaber.

mlc5

Based on the info I've seen here and elsewhere, the most often occurring problems with the '99 appear to be the ECU, Turbo seals, lights and fuel tank "thump"... so keep those in mind when researching..
The ECU appears to have been recalled, so that should now be o.k., I would imagine the turbo seals are covered under warranty (problem would appear as light smoke during cold start).. there is some type of add on baffle kit to address the fuel tank thump... and the bulbs... well ..your on your own there...(disconnect DRT's perhaps ??)
As far as 4 vs. 6 cyl.. I haven't compared directly. I have the 4cyl on the 2001 model... by all accounts... those with the auto using sport mode are very please with the performance.. though the gas mileage seems to suffer...
Good luck with your search...

singers

thanks mlc5 for the info. will be utilizing it in my search.

sarac1

I have a 2000 9-5, manual transmission, 6 months old with 7500 miles, approx. In the last 3 weeks, the car has lost power and shut down completely (died) while I was driving. I was unable to restart the car initially, but after sitting a while, it did restart. The first time, I had it towed to the dealer because I didn't feel safe driving it The dealer said that all of the diagnostics were clean, and all they could find was "fouled spark plugs." The second time, I did restart it and drive it to the dealer. This happened just last Friday, so no diagnosis yet. I'm wondering if anyone else has encoutered the same problem, and if so, what was discovered. Thanks for the help.

darandall

Sarac1 - It sounds like a defective EMU. Mystery stalling and erratic stops and starts are some of the problems I had with my 99 9-5 wagon which were solved by a new EMU. I had similar problems with another car which checked out fine on the diagnostic plug - my cheerful mechanic agreed to replace that EMU to see whether it was the problem, and it was. Keep on the dealer - "fouled plugs" is a load of you know what! Good luck!

darandall

It should have been ECU throughout - the spell check feature needs a new ECU!!

darandall

I really like the manual - the clutch action is not unpleasant, although all stop and go traffic all the time would do me in.

saloveku

The lease residuals are so bad because the car is terrible at holding its value in Canada. IT is a fact. We are getting 0.9% finance and lease rates though.

mstssc

The 0.9% is for financing with the lease at 2.9% and 3.9% depending on length. Still good interest rates. The Saab I was looking at MSRP of $47k cnd, residual of $18k (48 mnths). Even at the low rate it was $680 cdn + tax. Compare the Lexus IS 300 I just test drove at $45k cnd (similar equip) with $24k residual after 48 mnths for about $600 cdn + tax. (Lexus is 5.9%) IMO, the interest rate is not enough and Saab is quickly disappearing from my short list. If I planning to keep the car after the lease, then I wouldn't be so concerned, but the low residuals basically remove the option of returning the car at lease end.

Steve

bmwjoe

Hi,

I was wondering where to get a small spray can of touch up paint for my 2000 Imola Red wagon. Duplicolor and Plasticote can't help.

Drive Safe,

Joe

sarac1

Thanks to darandall for the suggestion. I picked the car up yesterday, and not being of a mechanical or automotive bent, I'll try and summarize what I was told for future information. The dealer's mechanic checked pin connections and found a loose one on pin #36. Rather like the basic computer "check your connections before calling tech support" I think. According to the dealer, this was sufficient to cause the dead stop problems. So far so good, but time will tell. Thanks again.

eieio1

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=592095067

guyp1

Just leased 2 new 2001 Saab 9-5's (both are base, automatics -- my first foray into Saab, hopefully not my last). One wouldn't start after 3 days, so that's back at the dealer (no verdict yet, but that will probably be the subject of a separate post). I drive about 60 miles per day, so I have to admit good gas mileage was a factor when I decided to go with the 9-5. But when I monitor my MPG via the computer (yes I clear it first, and I'm not in the 'S' or 'W' trans setting), my highway MPG is only in the 23-25 range. City seems to be 18-20, around where I believe it should be. How are you folks who are posting 30-35 highway MPG doing it? Manual trans? 55 MPH?Maybe I drive too fast -- on the highway I like to keep above 65, and as I'm sure you all know, this car is really fun at 85-100, so I often go pretty fast when conditions permit. My old BMW 750 actually got better MPG when kept between 60 - 75 MPH. Is that not going to be true of my 9-5's? I wish I could judge if both my 9-5's are behaving the same, but as I said, the other has been in the shop for about a week now. (By the way, I took a 9-3 automatic loaner, since I hadn't test driven it at all -- and aside from the less luxurious interior, the 185 HP version I'm driving is also a fun car that really can move -- but I'm only getting about 26 highway MPG on that -- again driving pretty fast). Any suggestions or advice is greatly appreciated!

mlc5

Guy...
I have the same car with the manual. I'm getting around 26 mpg overall (25 city/28 hwy)using 87 octane. I haven't done much highway driving yet.. but the one time monitored it using 92 octane, the mpg was 30 or so. Not sure if it was the gas or the breaking in of the engine, further monitoring is required.
My engine only has 1200 miles, and based on other postings, I wouldn't expect optimal fuel economy for at least another year or two...

bmwjoe

Hi,

Some people on the list have had turbos go on their 9-5s. The symptom was smoke on startup. My question is how much was the smoking? Was it just a basketball sized puff, or does it fully envelope the car like a WWII radial engine? I have seen a tiny puff when my wife has started the car. Is this a problem?

Drive Safe,

Joe

jcthom4

I am considering a used 2000 Aero sedan w/ 27k miles on it. Basically 21/2 yrs and 23k left on the warranty. If I want to keep this for 10+ yrs (only drive about 10k miles/yr) am I looking at huge maintenance costs?
The price (private seller) is $26,250. and it has vent seats, BBS wheels and wood steering wheel...Good deal?
Also, if I get into a bind is it tough to sell an Aero in the Midwest? THanks in advance!