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, Tue, 28 Aug 2007 07:06:18
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> Rear shocks seem to be bouncy.
You'll want new rear shocks. My local indie hit me for $500 for a pair of OEM shocks. Don't overload the cargo area, or you'll be back for another round. Worn rear shocks do terrible things for the car's handling.
> Gislaved Nordic Frost tires, fronts are new, rears are worn.
This, combined with the last, suggests to me that you need to take the car to an alignment shop that understands Saabs. The rear suspension can be out of alignment from the factory, to the point where the by-the-book adjustments won't be sufficient to get the alignment right. A misaligned rear end will eat tires quickly, and in the meantime you'll have handling issues. Go someplace that will shim out the rear end so that it matches factory specs. Expect to pay for one or more shim kits on top of the four-wheel alignment fee.
> Drivers side seat base seems to rock, maybe off the track or loose?
Some degree of "play" in the power mechanism, and in the mounting to the floor, is typical for this model.
> Brakes seemed soft, but pads have more than 50% of the meat left, how responsive should these brakes be?
Compared to other cars, especially domestic cars, the 9-5 has a pretty soft feeling brake pedal -- it will sort of "mush" down past the fully-applied point. However, it still has full braking power and good pedal feel -- it's just different.
Besides the timing belt, which is critical, other things I would look for based on experience with *my* 2000 9-5 SE V6 SportWagon, would be:
* Condition of the serpentine belt pulleys and alternator
* Batteries tend to last 2-3 years; how old is this car's?
* Any noises when closing the sunroof from the fully-open position? (A bracket tends to break up there)
* Do the heated seat/ventilated seat switches work at all positions without making arcing noises?
* If it has ventilated seats, how worn is the leather in the driver's seat?
* Does the A/C feel like it's pushing enough air at full fan speed? (Checking for clogged cabin air filter, simple fix but it goes to show how well the car has been maintained)
* Are the fog lights fully attached and properly aimed down the road? The plastic bracket holding them in tends to break, making them sag until they fall off. It's often better to zip-tie them in rather than install another crappy plastic bracket...
* Does the car have the full compliment of junk in the trunk? The standard kit should include: Folding cargo cover, four CargoTrack eyes, a reflective triangle, towing eyebolt, screwdriver with two bits, jack, jackhandle, tire wrench, bag for holding dirty tire. Some of this stuff tends to go missing with used cars; the more of it you have, the better.
posted by 209.23.64...
, Tue, 28 Aug 2007 07:06:18, Tue, 28 Aug 2007 11:01:14
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