One of my good friends came to me with a very typical question I receive often: “Any advice for a good daily driver?” Sure, I know a few cars. I only eat, breathe and sleep cars.
Anyway, after rounding out a few vehicles, he asked, “What about Saab?” Oh, Saab. I felt ashamed I had forgotten about the niche Swedish automaker unloaded by General Motors years ago. But, yes, what about Saab?
Well, in fact, there is a vehicle that fit exactly what he’s looking for and undercut his budget significantly. It had me thinking maybe I should scoop it up myself. That is the 2010-2011 Saab 9-5, the brand’s last hurrah in the luxury sedan segment.
The vehicle was introduced under the brand’s short-term Spyker ownership, but it was basically 99.5 percent a GM product. It rides on GM’s Epsilon II platform and shares a lot of commonalities with GM sedans of the time. And, guess what? They’re dirt freaking cheap now.
We found a 2010 Saab 9-5 Aero with the 2.8-liter turbocharged V6 engine (the engine the Regal GS should have received…) and Saab’s superb all-wheel drive system for $13,000. Only 13 grand for a magnificent looking sedan with incredible appointments. Remember, this car was hovering around $50,000 when it was first introduced.
From a design point of view, the 2010 9-5 couldn’t have aged more gracefully. In fact, looking back on it, Lincoln’s new Continental flagship may have found some inspiration from the Swedes. Its blacked out A and B-pillars and dramatic C-pillar look incredible, leading the eye to the gorgeous rear taillight bar.
Despite its upfront cost being dirt cheap, there may be a few reservations about scooping one up. It seems certain body parts are becoming hard to come by, specifically the taillights. Combing the forums, I did find some suppliers seem to be pledging dedication to continue building parts. But, as for other service parts, it’s a lot of GM parts bin here.
Owning this Saab is certainly not for everyone, as it could bear some interesting surprises regarding parts availability. But, if you’re the kind of person who likes a conversation piece, you’ll be the talk of the town at the local gas station in a Saab 9-5.
Comments
So I’m assuming it’s a used?
Except comparatively, it’s not that affordable.
First, you have to factor in competing cars. Again, the Chrysler 200S is only about $3,000 more, and has 300 horses – without the turbo – and a lifetime warranty option. And it has a similar or slightly better AWD array.
The Saab 9-5 not only has no warranty, you can’t source parts easily (as in, affordably). If you look at the repair costs for late-model Saab’s, the bumpers, seats, and other parts often make the car a write-off, even if it gets into a fender bender.
Getting service is also can be complex. Don’t buy one until you look into these issues… and are sure you have an Epsilon II-friendly mechanic willing to service it.
Don’t get me wrong, I’d still be seriously interested… had the hatchback landed here in time.
Christopher….seriously if you have ever owned a classic Saab 900 or a 9-5 you would know better than to buy a bland Chrysler regardless of the warranty OR hp. People who are Saab enthusiasts will tell you nothing drives like a Saab(esp the classics IF you had any experience in one you would understand where Im coming from) and Chrysler never made a car with the asphalt its driven on in the last 30 years…Ill take that 2011 Saab any day over a junk box Chrysler fresh off the production plant.
Greg, the final-spec Saab 9-5 is using the same Epsilon II platform that underpins the Regal GS and the LaCrosse. It’s basically a hybrid of the two cars, leaning a bit towards the Regal.
Saab did play a role in suspension tuning, but even the wild-and-crazy mods that they made to the Epsilon I platform were long-tamed. By the time the second-gen 9-5 was developed, Saab was under orders to limit their modifications to a single Turbo V6, the Haldex AWD (ported mostly from LaCrosse), and to suspension tweaks, as well as the hatchback that I mentioned.
The Saab you lust after was not in the 9-5, sorry, but it is a Regal by another name. Drive the 9-5 back to back with the Regal GS, and you’ll see what I mean.
What the Garbage Made Complacent company did to the “niche” automaker SAAB should be considered a crime. I eagerly await the second demise of this less than stellar car maker and will applaud as they go into the annals of history just as they relegated SAAB. I don’t care how many people that lose jobs for producing this excrement. No more bailouts. No more complacent garbage on the roads of the world.