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Used 2000 Saab 9-5 Consumer Reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
83 reviews

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4.75 out of 5 stars

I love a SAAB

dc2, 01/23/2004
2000 Saab 9-5 Gary Fisher Edition Turbo 4dr Wagon
0 of 0 people found this review helpful

I bought a 2000 Gary Fisher edition wagon about 3 months ago with 25,000 miles. This car was/is in fantastic shape. In 3 months I have put on 8700 miles and have fallen in love with this vehicle, and plan to keep it for atleast 200,000 miles. Will it last that long? I dont know this is my first SAAB, but so far Im hooked for life. I am dissappointed in the fuel ecnomy as in 3 months I have not gotton over 24 mpg, and I drive 98% highway, althouh I do have quite the lead foot! ALTHOUGH BEWARE OF CENTRAL SAAB IN NORWOOD, MASS!!!!

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4.88 out of 5 stars

Underappreciated Vehicle

checito28, 02/06/2004
2000 Saab 9-5 Aero Turbo 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful

When I was looking for a new used car, I wanted it to be fun to drive, reliable, and also luxurious. I also wanted it to be unique. This car fits the bill, I have the manual trans and it is great! The turbo lag is non- existent (perhaps someone with more skill notices a turbo lag) it looks great, it's comfortable for 4 people (including rear heated seats). My only complaint is with the cupholders - although everyone talks about how cool the folding cupholder is, it only holds standard sizes and sometimes it's difficult to get the can out.

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4.88 out of 5 stars

2000 Saab 9-5

jnod204, 02/16/2004
2000 Saab 9-5 2.3t 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Overall, it is an excellent driving experience for an excellent value.

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4.88 out of 5 stars

Stand Out From the Crowd

Pat's Aero , 03/02/2004
2000 Saab 9-5 Aero Turbo 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Buying this car used, with Saab's massive depreciation, is the best bang per buck out there! Must get the 5 speed to take advantage of the overboost. Luxurious interior, good power, nimble handling, and best of all, you stand out from allthe So. Calif. ubiquitous MBZ's and BMW's, because there's few Aero's.

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4.38 out of 5 stars

best Saab yet

johnshepherd, 03/04/2004
2000 Saab 9-5 2.3t 4dr Wagon
0 of 0 people found this review helpful

My 3rd Saab, downsized from an 9000 Aero. less power, better quality and comfort. bought as end of lease with 100K warranty, cheaper that way. one major breakdown, idler puller went, under warranty. Do not like the automatic transmission though, no fun. Love my Saabs.

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4.75 out of 5 stars

50,000 miles per year

Herb Hirsch, 07/10/2004
2000 Saab 9-5 Aero Turbo 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful

This car has demonstrated outstanding reliability under very high usage averaging 50,000 miles per year. Saab's recommended maintenance has been followed consistently, and only Saab parts have been used. Now at 225,000 miles everything works flawlessly. I expect to put between 300,000 and 400,000 miles on the car before replacing it with another new Saab Aero. Today, the car still gets 27-30 mpg on the open road at cruising speeds of 70- 75 mph; weather is the major cause of variation in mpg when speed is in this range. I added XM radio and a Nokia hands-free cell phone to the car.

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3.75 out of 5 stars

2000 Saab 9-5: A quality ride

FloJo, 08/23/2004
2000 Saab 9-5 2.3t 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Since buying my certified pre-owned 2000 Saab 9-5 in July of 2003, I've been enjoying a smooth, comfortable ride with little to no quality problems. I would definitely recommend this car to other purchasers, particularly the certified pre-owned program at Saab. The trunk space is fantastic, and it drives great in the harsh winter weather on icy roads (I live in Michigan). A very safe feeling car. My only complaint is a little big of lag in the acceleration, but it's not so much that it drives me crazy. Overall a great car at a solid price.

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4.5 out of 5 stars

Auto Industry best kept secret

greeny9, 03/11/2003
2000 Saab 9-5 2.3t 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful

This car offers a great balance of ride, handling and accelleration. It has nice qulity feel and look to it both inside and out. So far It has been very reliable.

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4.38 out of 5 stars

Well balanced and fun

Mike, 01/18/2005
2000 Saab 9-5 2.3t 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful

The 9-5 continues the SAAB tradition of providing an economical, sporty, cavernous luxury car in one package. It is great.

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4.63 out of 5 stars

For a used car there is no equal, but...

Love/mild dislike, 05/20/2005
2000 Saab 9-5 2.3t 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Reliability is less than stellar. I love my Saab. For the price it is far superior than any other car. Ride is excellent, lots of power, great ergonomics/comfort. I bought a used car w/49K miles, however the turbo blew at 53K (covered under warranty + free towing), the paint is VERY fragile (has gouges in hood from the tow, and keeps getting scratches in parking garage from other drivers resting briefcases on the trunk, top). I am now taking maintenance VERY seriously (there are several other common problems). However, for the safety, performance, and style there is no equal.

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4.88 out of 5 stars

love it!

venkisiyer, 03/15/2003
2000 Saab 9-5 2.3t 4dr Wagon
0 of 0 people found this review helpful

We've had a 2000 wagon since jan 2001 - its a great car, absolutely no problems, great performance, like the interior layout and quality, good external looks (little more conventional than previous saabs), and of course, the dealer's always been great during services, etc.

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4.63 out of 5 stars

Oh the Humanutty

Ipse Dixit, 08/03/2005
2000 Saab 9-5 Gary Fisher Edition Turbo 4dr Wagon
0 of 0 people found this review helpful

This is Saab #3 for me. I had a 97 900 SE T, and a 2001 9-5 SE V6 T. The 97 was awesome, but I was unimpressed by the 2001 V6. My 2001 was in the shop when I spied the 2000 silver wagon. The little 4-banger put the V6 to shame on my test drive. I was shocked to find out it was a 4-cyl! I absolutley love the way this car handles. There is the old 0-15 mph lag w/ the AC on, but I'm a highway driver. I have a set of Winter wheels that I use for my excursions in snow and ice. I have put many SUV drivers to shame in severe snow storms. If only they knew it was about the tires. The Saab experience has been great with the following exceptions: 5+ broken fog lights, burnt out bulbs, DIC.

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3.38 out of 5 stars

nice options but not dependable

gloria, 08/02/2005
2000 Saab 9-5 2.3t 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Its time to trade this car. This car has had four major repairs since we owned it. When the car is not having a problem it is enjoyable to drive.

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5 out of 5 stars

just perfect

grasshopper333, 10/15/2005
2000 Saab 9-5 SE V6t 4dr Wagon
0 of 0 people found this review helpful

This is a great car for the money. It drives so well my husband has scrapped the idea of getting a vette next year and will be buying a Saab. The wagon has all space you could want and all the comfort. I test drove competitors. Nothing touches the Saab.

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4.88 out of 5 stars

ABS Module

Ipse Dixit, 11/14/2005
2000 Saab 9-5 Gary Fisher Edition Turbo 4dr Wagon
0 of 0 people found this review helpful

After replacing my own DIC (or IDM) for $319, I encountered another problem 2 months later. Warning lights on the dash came on; ABS, Warning Triangle, TCS. The speedometer and odometer stopped working. This all eventually causes the CEL to come on as well. I had it in the shop, did some research, reported this all to Saab USA. It turned out to be the ABS ECU. My service shop called Saab to see if they'd pick up the $2500 repaur cost. Saab offered to pay 1/2 and no labor (about $450). I said "no thanks" and did it myself for about $500.

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4 out of 5 stars

Great Car-But has problems.

danesh, 11/24/2005
2000 Saab 9-5 Aero Turbo 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful

I have always been drawn to the unique style of Saab cars, so when the lease on my 9-5 2.3t ran out I fell in love with the aero after just one test drive. The car is zippy, handles very well, and has all the creature comforts anybody would need. Unfortunately I have had to spend a lot of money on this car despite that fact that it is still under warranty. For starters the 3 spoke wheels get bent very easily causing the car to wobble at speeds of over 70mph, the light bulbs need constant replacement, and the battery is very unreliable. If you buy this car make sure you have the warranty otherwise it is going to cost you a lot to keep around. A nice alternative to your run of the mill car.

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3.63 out of 5 stars

Undoubtedly the most unreliable car ever

NWpilot70, 12/18/2006
2000 Saab 9-5 2.3t 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful

In the process of researching my new vehicle purchase, I couldn't help but warn potential owners of a Saab 9-5 about the incredible frequency of costly repairs. 1st turbo replacement at 48000 miles, second turbo just blew again at 95000 miles, despite proper unspooling procedures and impeccable maintenance. A myriad of electronic failures that, come to find out, are outrageously common. Including an ABS module replacement for $3000. The display has been pixelated since around 45000 miles. I sent an e-mail of concern to Saab regarding potential recalls to consider and, of course, I received the courtesy reply. In short, I'll never own another Saab! It's awesome when it's running. Too bad it's rare!

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5 out of 5 stars

Built to Last - Designed to Protect

saabzerphun, 02/03/2007
2000 Saab 9-5 Aero Turbo 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful

I love this car. It is my 4th Saab; I have enjoyed it the most. Accelerating is a lot of fun; the manual tranny is my favorite part. Inside, the seats are perfect for long trips. Both front and back are heated. In the snow, you are the big dog on the road with a set of Gislaved Nord Frost 3 winter tires. I have had no reliability issues in almost 39,000 miles. At around 60,000 miles I fell asleep and left the road at 60 mph; flew about 35' and came to rest in the ditch. I needed a tow out of the ditch but drove it home and the small dealer I bought it from fixed it up fine. I'm still driving it and, except for the driver's side front floor mat, the car looks and drives as new. Great car.

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5 out of 5 stars

Saab 9-5 Aero sedan

DavidH, 03/30/2003
2000 Saab 9-5 Aero Turbo 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful

This is the best car I've ever owned. My last car was a BMW 740. It's comfortable and a blast to drive. It has been extremely reliable to date. The only complaint I have is that road noise is a litte loud for a car in this class. This supposedly can be improved by different tires. I'll have to wait until the current ones wear out to find out.

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5 out of 5 stars

2000 Saab

Saab Lover, 04/08/2003
2000 Saab 9-5 2.3t 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful

MY wife has fallen in love with this car. It seems to be the perfect balance between size, mileage and luxury.

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4 out of 5 stars

Need another car

redsaabfun, 03/21/2007
2000 Saab 9-5 2.3t 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful

For the first several years we owned this car, it was our weekend car. So there was very little that went wrong. We only put 4k miles p/year on it. Once it became my wife's every day car, the problems started ramping up. Lost the serpentine belt 50 miles from home at 14,000 miles. Two water pumps, digital display replaced once, turbo problems. The car is in the shop right now for yet another water pump, that was replaced, yes you guess it, just past the shop warranty of 1 year or 12k miles.

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4.13 out of 5 stars

A pretty fun/good car

NewM3owner, 08/09/2007
2000 Saab 9-5 2.3t 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Bought my 2000 9-5 used in 12/03. Went with the manual tranny which made it a little sportier. Bad turbo lag, but once it is in the turbo, pretty quick. Handling is fairly tight, not sportscar tight, but pretty good. Overall I was happy with this car. It drove well with very few mechanical problems until just recently, then it seems like everything started to fall apart. I just sold it for a '99 M3 w/ 50k miles. I think I am going to notice worlds of difference.

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4.75 out of 5 stars

Awesome Ride!

toxicavenger70, 09/27/2007
2000 Saab 9-5 Gary Fisher Edition Turbo 4dr Wagon
0 of 0 people found this review helpful

This is my second 9-5 wagon but this one is Limited Edition Gary Fisher. Great car but I did do a Saab ECU upgrade and it took all the turbo lag out of it! No slow starts from the light anymore! It is almost like I have it in Sport Mode all the time. Best seats I have ever sat in for a long time and heated seats that don't cook your bottom. Car handles great in our Colorado snow with snowtires (no studs). It did have the standard SID problems, Coolant bypass valve, #6 PVC update and crappy tires. But I get BBA reman. to fix the SID and it has a warranty for 86 bones, PCV update 50 bones and now the car is ready to rock!

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4.38 out of 5 stars

Fun Car to DRIVE!

toxicavenger70, 06/07/2007
2000 Saab 9-5 Gary Fisher Edition Turbo 4dr Wagon
0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Awesome wagon! I have had a Linear wagon, a Volvo wagon and 3 Subarus. The Gary Fisher is the best one so far! It has the standard turbo lag at first but when it takes off it is good to go. I did have the DIC replaced due to recall and SIDs should be a recall item too. But other than that it is a great car for the price. Also I went back to Subarus for awhile but honestly I missed the comfort of my Saab.

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4 out of 5 stars

Good and well-balanced car

DCSwede, 09/08/2007
2000 Saab 9-5 SE V6t 4dr Wagon
0 of 0 people found this review helpful

The Saab's ride-handling balance is a good compromise (somewhat favoring ride quality), and it has good performance and responsiveness (esp. with the sport mode engaged). It's quiet without being Lexus-like and has a very good sound system. The seats are comfortable (though it can be tricky to find a good seating position), and the interior spacious. Respectable highway fuel economy (~25 mpg). Largely reliable (though when needed, repairs/ maintenance is expensive). Overall, it's a very good car, but the base (2.3L turbo) engine provides nearly equal performance and better fuel economy; I'd also recommend buying a car of 2002 model year or later, when a number of improvements were made.

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3.13 out of 5 stars

Never buying Saab again

szthdy, 10/17/2007
2000 Saab 9-5 2.3t 4dr Wagon
0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Afte having a Saab 900 that ran forever and bought used, I carefully researched wagons and came to the 9-5 purchase expecting good things. I've had problems with the the theft alarm and various things almost since day 1. Now, only 7 yrs. old, it needs more repair than it is even worth, and I've waited for tow trucks 4x in less than 2 yrs., not counting prior to that. I can only expect that reliability has gone down even further. I got a lemon, and will be glad to soon be rid of it! Cramped rear, flimsy and inconvenient (albeit cool) cupholders. It is a nice car, all except for the reliability problems.

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4.88 out of 5 stars

Great 8 years!

Peter, 11/06/2007
2000 Saab 9-5 Aero Turbo 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Our 9-5 has been a really good car. Mainly use it as a winter driver these days, but it is comfortable, quick and very fuel efficient on the highway for the performance the car delivers. On 6 separate occasions reached over 500 miles (800 kilometres) on a single tank of fuel. Parts can be expensive, but taking our car to a local ex-Saab mechanic who has his own garage, it's been wonderful. He immediately is able to diagnosis the situation and supply replacement parts at a price that a regular Saab dealer would not. Would I purchase a Saab again, absolutely but it has to have the performance, space and efficiency that the 1999-2008 95 has, which I understand is only about a year away.

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4.75 out of 5 stars

My Saab

Retiredinky, 01/16/2003
2000 Saab 9-5 2.3t 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful

This is an excellent vehicle. I had the upgraded ignition system installed adding about 15 horsepower. This 4 cylinder turbo charged engine runs like a top and has plent of power. I get 24/32 MPG around town/highway. There is plenty of leg room and trunk space. The car rides like a dream. I have driven as much as 1900 miles with very little stopping and no discomfort. Overall this is a wonderful car. My lease expires this fall and I will either keep this car or get another one.

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4.38 out of 5 stars

Super Car

George Swatman, 07/01/2003
2000 Saab 9-5 Aero Turbo 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful

There has not been one repair,even a small one, required on this car. The manual transmission is extremely smooth. Plenty of power is always there at any speed. This is lots of space in the interior, much more than in competition, eg BMW 500 or Audi A6. The large Saab has been probably the safest real world car over the years.

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3.38 out of 5 stars

Don't think the dealer should know my name

Frank, 06/13/2008
2000 Saab 9-5 2.3t 4dr Sedan
0 of 1 people found this review helpful

This car is a nice cheap option used and comes with a nice warranty. Once the warranty expires GET RID OF THE CAR! Car currently needs $5000 worth of repairs (head gasket, rear main seal and abs module). What a hunk of garbage! DO NOT BUY A SAAB, spend the extra few grand and get a Honda, Toyota or Nissan. The dealer knows, my name, my wife's name and my kids names. Unfortunately I also have a Saab 95 wagon. Can't wait to get rid of that either. GARBAGE CAR!!!! If they are born from Jets, then I am done flying!

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2 out of 5 stars

So glad I managed to sell this worthless piece of

paulw09, 08/28/2013
updated 02/29/2016
2000 Saab 9-5 Aero Turbo 4dr Wagon
0 of 1 people found this review helpful

By far and away the most useless piece of junk I have ever owned. Bought it used with 140,000. Since then (within two years) I have replaced: The radiator, water pump (twice) fuel pump, transmission, countless dash bulbs, brake and headlight bulbs, sub woofer, driver's mirror, driver's sun visor, seat fans, two window motors, hatch struts to hold the hatch open- I use that so often that it is no wonder they broke!.As i write this the oil is leaking, the brake light failure keeps coming on, the hot box no longer works, the sun roof leaks. If anyone should think that this is a good car be forewarned. They are junk. Buy Japanese, buy German even by a Yugo you will appreciate the reliability. Finally sold it and bought Japanese.......

Safety
3 out of 5 stars
Technology
2 out of 5 stars
Performance
2 out of 5 stars
Interior
3 out of 5 stars
Comfort
4 out of 5 stars
Reliability
1 out of 5 stars
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3 out of 5 stars

Nice car, but junk

Frank, 08/28/2009
2000 Saab 9-5 2.3t 4dr Sedan
0 of 1 people found this review helpful

Loved the look and driving feel of car. So glad I had a warranty since it was in the shop every month. At least the dealership gave me a nice loaner car. Couldn't wait to buy a Toyota. Repairs done: new turbo, struts, starter. Repairs needed: ABS module ($3000), Transmission ($2500) and another turbo ($3000). DO NOT BUY THIS BRAND.

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5 out of 5 stars

Aero is the best

NCAlan, 06/02/2005
2000 Saab 9-5 Aero Turbo 4dr Sedan
0 of 1 people found this review helpful

Got my Aero used from the official dealership here in Canada and so far quite satisfied. Had some initial electric problems like broken CDchanger but it's being fixed by the dealership. Otherwise this is the best car I ever owned. Drove it already for around 8,000km during last 2 months, mostly highway driving, and Aero performs extremely well on the high- speed. Overtaking is a blast, and acceleration, even with the automatic transmission, puts that nice smile on your face. Sport mode is must on the freeway. Aero drives and handles like a small sports car providing comfort of the luxury sedan. In my opinion exterior styling of the Aero model is a work of art that stands out of the crowd.

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