2008 SAAB 9-5

Money Pit

Comfort Rating: 4 Performance Rating: 3 Interior Rating: 4 Reliability Rating: 2 Safety Rating: 3 Technology Rating: 3 Value Rating: 3

We purchased the car used at 85,000 miles (only 1 previous owner listed on the car facts, and all maintenance up to date.) We thought the car would be a good value for the price ($8999 before taxes.) The dealer told us up front that SAAB went under and that any new parts would have to be purchased out of the country, and he also told us of a couple of SAAB dealerships that were still operating in our area. Great! We test drove it, and fell in love with the luxury of the seats, the sun roof, the Boise surround sound system (super awesome sound system,) and the Turbo pick up and go. We loved it! After our purchase, things started falling apart. The headlights started going out, the circuit to the headlights started separating from the circuit board and had to be re-soldered on. By 98,000 miles, the car started idling rough. No sooner did that occur, then the car completely died while my husband was driving on the freeway!! He was able to eventually get the car to start again and drive off of the freeway, only to have it die again on the street. We called AAA, and by the time the tow truck arrived, the battery completely died out. We got it to a mechanic, who recommended a new transmission. Our dealer was able to locate a refurbished transmission with a 6 month warranty, and $1600 later, the car's check engine light pops back on. Oh, and the loaner car that our awesome dealer let us borrow during the transmission fix was a 2007 Saab 9-5 which also had check lights flashing on it's display. "Check Headlights," "Check oil," "Check Tire Pressure." Needless to say, we aren't very impressed with the durability of the SAAB engine, transmission or electronics.