(Relatively) Cheap Saab Performance
One of my work colleagues is considering a new car at the moment and at this point he is, at least, considering Saabs.
He spotted a Saab 9-5 for sale locally today and I was surprised to see it priced at around $15,000. It was a 1998 model and had done around 135,000 kilometers. I’ve still got the Saab 9-5 pegged as a $20,000 car in my own mind for the Australian market, but a quick search shows that there’s actually plenty of sub-$15K Saab 9-5s on sale here.
Providing the car checks out alright, this seems like outstanding value to me. Higher kilometers aren’t too much of a concern if it’s been looked after OK. But some aren’t even what I’d consider high mileage cars.
Take this one for example:
It’s an early model Saab 9-5 with just 130,000kms on the clock. It’s in the always-nice silver and looks pretty well maintained. It’s got the full compliment of Saab features minus the sunroof but if it’s as good as it looks then it’s a heck of a lot of car for the $13,995 asking price. Haggle it down to $12,500 or so and you’re doing even better.
Then head on over to Elkparts and use the money you’ve saved for the appropriate BSR upgrade and your 150hp and 230Nm sedan turns into a 215hp and 343Nm powerhouse for a sub-$15K price.
Here in Australia, I doubt there’s a better buy out there for less than $15K.
More from this category
- Pollhattan Saab: a 1.6T for the Saab 9-5?
- Channel 4 put 1.6T into Saab 9-5
- 2010 Saab 9-5 photochop
- New Saab performance bits from Hirsch
More from this author
- A Quick Thankyou
- Automotive Rites of Passage
- Friday Snippets (well, it’ll be Saturday when you read them)
- Edmunds provide puzzling Saab Turbo X road test
Subscribe to this author
Recent Comments
- 1985 Gripen on If you’re in the market for a Saab, now’s the time
- papluh on Automotive Rites of Passage
- Mag-X on A Quick Thankyou
- SaabKen on A Quick Thankyou
- Mag-X on EnG Weekend Snippets
- Mag-X on A Quick Thankyou
- ELBOBO on A Quick Thankyou
- eggsngrits on A Quick Thankyou
- eggsngrits on A Quick Thankyou
- Jeff on A Quick Thankyou
If someone is interested: I sell my MY 2000 9-5 2.3 R Troll for 13′000 Swiss francs (~12′000 $). 158′000 km, special Hirsch-leather-seats and carbon dashboard, Hirsch-Rims and Hirsch-suspension (Bilstein). The car is in a very good condition.
http://www.saabhess.ch/verkauf/occasionen/occasionlistemuensingen.html
BTW: I changed to a practically new black 9-3 SS Performance which is a nice car as well…
The early 9-5’s have depreciated to unbelievably low levels here in the US — a car with more than 100,000 miles can be had for $4,000 or so, depending on other factors.
See
http://saablink.net/forum/showthread.php?t=23503
and
http://saablink.net/forum/showthread.php?t=23525
Aus$15k = US$13k these days — Wow, see my shopping post! The dollar fluctuation has played with this comparison, no wonder Canadians are buying US cars!
The thing about earlier Trionic 7 Saabs (99-04 roughly) is that they can be subject to engine sludge. They definitely need to be checked-out by a Saab-aware technician.
Sludge is relatively easy to prevent by changing the oil regularly, using a good quality synthetic (ACEA A4, if I recall) and installing the latest Saab vent kit. Some of the really cheap cars out there may not have had an easy life.