Bought a $1200 Saab 9-5 turbo yesterday

Last Friday, my RX-7 was unfortunately hit while parked. Insurance sent me a check for $900, I was tired of the car, and sold it and the spares for $1600. I had been stalking a 1999 Saab 9-5 turbo on craigslist, posted with no price, but a description of something like "219k miles, needs exhaust work, new turbo" and figured I'd give the guy a call. He was asking $1400, after looking at the car and driving it, I offered him $1200 and he took it! The car is a 5-speed, dark green with tan interior. Runs awesome and cleaned up really well inside & out with a few hours of TLC. I love my sports cars but going from a 1st gen RX-7 to a 9-5, holy hell what a difference! Next Monday I am dropping the oil pan to remove sludge and install the #6 PCV update. Apparently the de-sludge procedure is no harder than doing an auto trans filter R&R, so I'm not too worried (vs the 9-3, where you have to drop the subframe). Might put on a Tallaferro downpipe too. Stay tuned, if you were wondering what a $1200 9-5 turbo is like, I'm about to find out!

We just sold a $2000 9-5 turbo. It should be pretty damn good, all things considered. Very comfy car for commuting.

Holy hell I want a $1200 9-5 turbo.

92CelicaHalfTrac wrote: Holy hell I want a $1200 9-5 turbo.

Start looking, there are quite a few out there surprisingly.

Nice find.. got pics?

SlickDizzy wrote: Apparently the de-sludge procedure is no harder than doing an auto trans filter R&R, so I'm not too worried (vs the 9-3, where you have to drop the subframe).

Having dropped the subframe on my old NG several times.. it was not that big a deal

Let me introduce you to your new favourite parts supplier : eEuroparts.com. I have been using them for SAAB parts for years and have had nothing but good experiences with them. Since the 9-5 has more GM parts bin construction than 9000s and c900s, Rock Auto might be a good place to comparison shop too.

Good Luck.

99% of the Saabs I find in my area have automatic transmissions. Wouldn't mind finding a Saab with a manual, the turbo would almost be icing on the cake.

Is this a V6 or a 4 cyl? Wikipedia just confused me, since I know nothing about Saabs. Pics?

They are very comfy cars, I have a 900s, the mpg's could be better, but other wise I am pretty happy with mine.

I hope you have better luck than I did. While mine was comfortable and efficient (32MPG on the highway), it lunched its turbo (800 miles from home in the middle of the night) despite an absence of sludge and careful oil changes and then later ate its auto trans. I never really bonded with the car; it always seemed simply an appliance, and an unreliable one at that.

Mine was a 2.3lpt. The Aeros seem to have the best reputations for reliability (different turbo), while the V6s have their own set of problems and are not as efficient.

sethmeister4 wrote: Is this a V6 or a 4 cyl? Wikipedia just confused me, since I know nothing about Saabs. Pics?

Its a 2.3l Turbo 4 cylinder. You couldn't get a stick with the V6 in a 9-5.

Have fun, I have about 160K on my 9-5 Aero and it has been great so far. I had the GS DP on my 99 9-3 and it was very nice and very well made. Get an Aero ECU and turbo and the smile on your face will be hard to get rid of.

i like this story. let's see the car.

Even with the LPT the car is a lot of fun. I'm trying to be really careful while driving though in the event that the sump is all sludgy. Unfortunately it looks like that job is gonna have to wait until next Sunday. It sounds relatively easy.

I will get pics up tomorrow afternoon, been too busy with school and work to take any.

You may not need to drop the pan. A length of coat hanger with a hook bent at the end fished through the drain hole will allow you to determine if there is sludge in the pan. Pulling the valve cover is also recommended, as considerable amounts of sludge are often found there, especially if the PCV is breached (the hose from the valve cover to the oil trap is the most likely culprit).

02Pilot wrote: You may not need to drop the pan. A length of coat hanger with a hook bent at the end fished through the drain hole will allow you to determine if there is sludge in the pan. Pulling the valve cover is also recommended, as considerable amounts of sludge are often found there, especially if the PCV is breached (the hose from the valve cover to the oil trap is the most likely culprit).

I did that when I was looking for my car, it works well. Slick - you ma know this already but the LPT only has 180hp, the Aero has 250 -260hp and just as much tq. It should be a cheap and easy conversion.