Wulf’s new whip
TS regular and curator of the Saab-Media-dot-net website, Wulf, has recently blessed his garage with a 2004 Saab 9-5 Aero.
Wulf’s fond of his wagons, so it’s little surprise that this new ride has the big back end. In Wulf’s totally objective view, the 04/05 Saab 9-5 is the best looking Saab ever - inside and out. I don’t want to get into a wedge situation here and marginalise anyone - everyone’s got their favourites - but I tend to think he’s not far off on that one.
Anyone else planning on getting a new ride soon? It’s always an exciting time.
Here’s a few shots of Wulf’s new whip. If you like those, there’s plenty more over at his website. Congratulations, mate!
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grrr lucky you!!! this is my favorite saab of all time!!
congrats to you on a beautiful purchase!!
Congrats Wulf!
I think you will be very happy. My Vector220 have the same chassi as the Aero, and that is a comfy but still proper roadholding one. You will be some HP and torque up on my ride though.
I’m thinking of getting my vector220 exchanged to a TTiD of some sort.
I’m just trying to do some damage control of the economy thing….
Wow, I didn’t think you would make a blog entry of it but I guess it’s good to share pictures of this beautifully designed car.
Perhaps a little background information is interesting. I purchased my 2001 9-5 2.3 lpt Wagon in Florida in July of last year and was really impressed with the quality and how it drives. But coming from a 2006 9-3 Aero SC, I knew it was only a matter of time before I would upgrade to a 9-5 Aero when my financial situation improved. I wasn’t quite ready yet but I found this 2005 9-5 Aero Wagon on eBay offered by a seller in Boston. As I wanted a manual transmission, I jumped on this opportunity as these 2004/2005 Aero Wagons with manual transmission don’t come up for sale often. It already had 97K miles so my offer of US$12,500 seemed reasonable and was accepted by the seller. These low resale prices (these cars are US$40K+ new) are good for the Saab enthusiast but terrible for the brand in general.
Boston is about 900 miles from my home in northern Michigan so it was a great opportunity to get familiar with the car on the way back. The closest Saab dealer in my area is 150 miles so I knew I had to travel some distance to find a manual 9-5 Aero Wagon. I was met at Boston airport by another Saab nut I got in touch with on Saab Central and he offered to drive me to the place in his newly acquired 2004 9-5 Aero. You meet the nicest people in a Saab. Thanks Matt!
A few observations of the new car. The good:
1. The interior still looks and smells like new. The driver seat is a bit creased on one side but that’s about it. The steering wheel shows absolutely no wear at all. Saab sure did a great job in building and material quality.
2. The car is loaded with everything except Nav and cooled seats. There really is a lot of nice equipment that you don’t need but is nice to have. I am talking about auto-dimming mirrors, park assistance, the great HK audio system, xenon lights, sunroof etc etc. The sport seats are absolutely wonderful and a nice improvement over my 2001.
3. The engine and transmission are magnificent. It’s amazing Saab is able to get some much power from a 2.3L 4-cylinder engine. It just keeps going and going.
4. I dropped the oil sump shortly after I got the car home because I wanted to check for any signs of sludge. I was happy to find out that the sump and oil pickup screen were completely clean and still looked like new. Not bad at all for a 9-5 with 97K miles. It looks like the latest PCV fix installed from the factory really made a difference. Here is some more info and pictures about the sump, as well as a write-up of how to drop the sump.
http://wulfers.net/auto/repairs/9-5sump2005/index.html
Not all is perfect as there are a few issues.
1. The front-end of the car has been repainted at some point in time. It hasn’t been in a serious accident but the hood is just a tad bit dented. Judging from the pitted windshield and right-mirror, I also suspect the exterior took a bit of a beating in the harsh Northeast US winter driving conditions. If you look at the pictures, you can see a small difference in color between the front-end and rest of the car. It does show worse in pictures than in real-life so you really have to know what to look for. Perhaps a good detailing job in spring will get the dullness out of the paint from the rest of the car and match up with the front.
2. The headlights flicker but it probably just needs new bulbs. The bad thing is that Xenons are not cheap but they should last a long time.
3. The Aero suspension and 17” wheels are definitely something I have to get used to on the often bad roads in the US. It is also causing some rattles in the back which I still need to fix. But on the other hand, it sure has razor-sharp handling for a large car like this.
4. There are some deep scratches on the wheels but that can probably be fixed by a wheel shop
These are just a few minor issues for me. I guess if I wanted a perfect car, I should have paid an extra US$30K for a new one. The car drives straight and is mechanically in great condition and that’s most important. I think I am done buying cars for a while as this seems to be the perfect fit for me. But I have said that before and I am on my 4th Saab in 2 years. I think I am addicted..
“In Wulf’s totally objective view, the 04/05 Saab 9-5 is the best looking Saab ever”
..without the rails it would be perfect!!!
Wulf, I just realized you’re the same guy who put together the excellent sump-drop article that my friend and I referenced when dropping my sump on my 1999 9-5 a few weeks ago. Well done. Unfortunately, my sump was not too pretty, but hopefully the cleaning and the PCV #6 fix bought me a few more miles/years.
Very nice new wagon. I hope it treats you well.
metrognome/Scott H (the other one)
Don’t feel bad about the headlight flicker…my MY06 9-3 has always had lamps that fluctuate with engine revs at standstill! Love your new car, agree it was the best 9-5 evolution by far.
Mark_belfast,
“MY06 9-3 has always had lamps that fluctuate with engine revs at standstill!”
I have an ‘02 9-3 that has ever so slightly flickering headlights when the ACC is on and the car is idling [the SID too...]. I kept thinking this was an alternator or charging system problem but my mechanic said both things were fine. So…this is NORMAL when the compressor cycles over? I knew Saabs were quirky but that seems a bit irritating and I wish they could’ve engineered that out.
The rims on these 04-05 Aeros are awesome.
From one 5spd wagon owner to another: congrats, Wulf! Beautiful ride! Love those wheels!
classy saab, congrats!
That first photo, btw, is AMAZING. It’s as if the Saab was walking on water.
Swade: PLEASE include that shot in the POO competition book!