Used 2001 Saab 9-5 Consumer Reviews
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Don't Bother - These things are money pits
Richard, 02/22/2016
updated 08/30/2018
2001 Saab 9-5 SE V6t 4dr Wagon (3.0L 6cyl Turbo 4A)
7 of 11 people found this review helpful
I should have looked further into that price (why does a car with this many nice features and such good driving cost so little) before buying... The cost for the timing belt, which must be replaced every 80k, is over $1k at the repair shop. If allowed to go to failure, it will destroy the entire V6 engine... Don't buy one of these with a V6 engine. I spend, on average, about $2.5k each year just replacing things that break so I can keep my car on the road. I'm saving to replace it, but I keep draining my savings to fix it so I can get to work again. I bought mine used. I've had this particular car now for almost 6 years & 100k miles (bought at 95k miles, now at 195k miles). Here are the things I've had to replace on my car during that time: Radiator, Both Radiator Hoses (separate repairs for all 3, one radiator hose failure left me stranded on the side of the road without coolant.) Ignition coils and spark plugs (that almost left me stranded, I knew they were failing but I had to wait a week for the parts to come in) Idler pulley (This one was replaced twice, did the first time during the timing belt change at 120k miles, the second one almost stranded me as I saw it bouncing down the road while I was driving to my repair shop). Water pump (also done during the timing belt, glad I got a 2-for-1 on that one - total cost was $1200 for that repair bill). Alternator (over $1k for that one, and it took time to come into the 'Saab' specialist shop) Turbo (That was $2k on its own, ouch!) Front and rear shocks/strut dampers. Power steering hoses and reservoir. Speakers (2 had the foam to fail, I found a speaker repair shop that got them back to working for less than $100 total). Air Conditioner Controller Motors under the dash, x2. (The first one failed so it was blowing cold during the Winter. The second one failed so it was stuck blowing the defogger onto the windshield during the summer). I did this repair myself. It took a while. I shudder to think what the repair shop would have charged for this one. I've also had the headlight wipers fail (I removed them) and the sunroof leaks into the vehicle if I'm parked facing down-slope when it rains. Luckily, my office has a parking garage so I don't deal with that too often. Also, I cut my finger on the wood veneer peeling off of the dash. The wood they used was just too thin and the glue fails over time. I'm gradually peeling it off of my dash, it doesn't look good... Normal Maintenance Items: Tires (Tires only last ~50k miles, that's the longest I could get out of a set of Michelins. Thank goodness they're only $500 a set) Brakes (Pads & Rotors once, Pads the 2nd time. This car eats those too). Oil Pan and Valve Cover gaskets. I still have to get the stains out of my garage. Fluids (This thing requires Euro spec synthetic motor oil because of the turbo, it's not cheap - about $80 for the shop to do this oil change). Headlight bulbs only last about 4 months, that's with the long-life version. The 'Silverstar' bulbs only last 4-6 weeks in this car. These are $20 per pair (for the long-life version). About 'Onstar' - The onstar system they put in my car is completely obsolete. It will not connect to anything now. I removed the Onstar from my car. 2018 Update - New in the 2 years since my last review: Replaced the shifter linkage connection bushing at the transmission. There's a nylon bushing between the end of the shifter cable and the shift linkage on the transmission. That apparently fails with age and when it does, you're stuck in whatever gear you were in when it broke. Fortunately, the part was $5 at Advance or Auto Zone and I was in my driveway when it failed. If your shifter thinks it needs to be pulled from D to 3 to get the dash display to move from N to D, then it's about to die - you should drive to somewhere flat that you can park and fix this. Fuel Pump & rear gate lifters. Replaced Key Controller Module - When this failed (because water was getting into the sunroof and it collected around this module that sits at the low point of the car below the driver seat), the key no longer did anything EXCEPT unlock the drivers door. Turning the key in the ignition would turn on accessory power, but nothing else would happen because this module tells the computer if the key is valid, not the key pattern in the lock cylinder. The speakers in the rear doors no longer work so I've got a functional rear subwoofer, but no other sound except for the dashboard speakers. The battery died - that should have been expected. It was old (first time replacing that in 6 years, which is about average for a good battery). The turbo that I replaced is now smoking heavily again on startup (as long as there's oil above the fill line on the dipstick, which is another question, but I think the turbo is the source of the leak). Also need to replace the Alternator again. I'm not going to do the turbo or the alternator this time. It's time to cut my losses.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
Swedish Meatball
Wmstrahan, 06/24/2006
2001 Saab 9-5 2.3t 4dr Wagon (2.3L 4cyl Turbo 5M)
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
Great car until many things begin to go wrong. The car is constantly throwing up trouble lights and things are breaking. Will never buy another Saab (we have two 9-5s) but I hope my friends do so I can ride in them.
2001 Saab 9-5 for sale near you
3 of 3 listings
- 2.3t SedanMSRP: $1,950512 mi away
- SE V6t SedanMSRP: $5,9911,231 mi away
- 2.3t SedanMSRP: $3,9991,439 mi away
Another Saab why ??
ken wilson, 06/25/2003
2001 Saab 9-5 Aero 4dr Wagon (2.3L 4cyl Turbo 5M)
3 of 4 people found this review helpful
Outside of the turbo performance and the cargo area of the wagon this car is a joke. Cheap plastic interior, no place to put anything, rode noise, etc.Wish I had never sold 528i. I had a 91 9000 turbo and after ten years you think they could get it right.Not so. $40k this is what you get.
Fun to drive...expensive to fix
gohard, 01/07/2013
2001 Saab 9-5 SE V6t 4dr Wagon (3.0L 6cyl Turbo 4A)
3 of 6 people found this review helpful
I bought my Saab 2001 used with 20k miles in 2004, now has 98k miles. It has been a great dog mobile and triathlon equipment car. I have a love/hate relationship with the Turbo. It has gone once already as has the battery, brakes, cup holder, lights (frequently), electric panel, A/C, etc. I have easily spent over $10k in repairs. The ignition is in a terrible place and the car has turned off when a larger person passenger accidentally bumped the ignition. I thought it was a lemon but from reading other reviews this is typical of this model. I had hoped to drive it forever but I don't think it will last that long. The interior is nice but I won't buy a performance vehicle again.
Terrible hot!
adonis23, 07/07/2012
2001 Saab 9-5 Aero 4dr Sedan (2.3L 4cyl Turbo 5M)
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
I live in the midwest and during this summer of 2012, we have experienced extreme daily heat (99-107 degrees F). My 9-5 Aero automatic usually performs flawlessly inside and out, but the heat has brought odd and annoying electrical problems: There is a "bing-bong" noise that let's you know when there is a problem, which would be helpful if it didn't do it every minute or two; the gas gage fluctuates from completely empty back to the accurate reading while the TSC/off light is on despite pushing the button, and I have replaced the same headlight three times this year. I love the car though. I drove to NYC and was able to get 31.0 mpg, which is incredible with 230 bhp.