CommonGutterTrash
This user is more useless than a half-baked compost pile.
Post Master Sr
Registered: 09/16/02
Posts: 6437
Loc: Boston MA
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Aside from oil-changes, the 4-cylinder can go 100k before any major Service. Used saabs fall into 2 categories: 1: high-mileage comfy cruiser, neglected by first owner. Just driven, and oil-changes. They usually sell them in 3-4 years when they hit 100k, and need water pumps/suspension. They're never washed, usually have broken fog-lights, and cracked lips. The muffler is no longer chrome, and you can't tell what color the carpet was. These, you stay away from. changing the coolant means the water pump leaks, you often find them with filthy, leaking engines, and there's usually some degree of sludge, since the owner likely went the full 10k OCI, but skimped on the synthetic oil. which means the car smokes on start-up, and the timing chain makes a ton of racket.
The other half of the 9-5's out there are treated as children. They get new synthetic changes every 2500 miles, they are detailed, they have low miles(or if they're commuters, they LOOK like they have low miles) it'll have no curbing, no broken ANYTHING, and Still have blue coolant in it from the factory. they're well-kept, serviced by a master-tech, and are never skimped on. it will likely have obscure dealer accesories, and all the badges will have been replaced after they chipped off. The ignition cassette will have been changed, and it will have the correct NGK plugs in it.
In general, they're bullet-proof motors. the trans is strong, the early 4-speed a/t was great, but the later 5-speed was a little less-strong, (gave out over 350lb/ft, I hear) the low-pressure cars have a garrett GT17 that tend to fail in 80k or So, and are good for about 275hp. the aero comes with a mitsu TD04 that doesn't quit, and is good for ~325hp. most people call it quits there, as the stock pistons are cast, and tend to 'splode much after that. the good thing, is that the fuel-system will keep up with the turbo's abilities with just an ECU-flash, and a higher-pressure FPR.
The lpt's are soft, cushy cruisers. The brakes are enough, the ride is mushy, but they're comfortable as hell. Sedan and wagon have tons of space for Seating, and storage.
The aero has completely different suspension, sway-bars, brakes, clutch, cams, and ecu. They're lower, stiffer, and have better/stronger brakes all around. In 02, the car was revised, but not much changed. just bumpers, HIDs, some interior look, and rear brakes were made bigger.
They're based on a Vauxhall platform, but they changed more than 60% of the chassis, and can only be built in the trollhatten factory, so they're considered their own car.
I don't know any cool facts, like they used whatever material in some place to save weight, and whatever. I know that overall, the car works well. nothing it does conflicts with anything else. it's comfortable, solid, and doesn't sound like a tin can when you drive, and sand gets kicked up by the tires. when you let go of the door handle, it doesn't twang, and sound like you're breaking it. When you wind one out (which is only 6200rpm), it pulls, and feels healthy. You can run an aero on 87 piss-water, and it will go just-fine. you'll be ecu-limited to base-boost of ~7-8psi, but it'll drive just fine, and get ~28mpg. (thanks to a 9.2:1 compression ratio)
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Craig R. 2000 9-5 Gary Fisher Wagon 1995 850 T-5R 1996 Galant AIM = gclipse96
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