Date: 19 Jun 1998 04:20:04 GMT From: nswnopsamn.webspan.net (Neil Weinstock) Subject: Re: Looking at '99 9-5; advice?
In article <dkuipers-1806980440350001nopsamer-ppp-port-05.neosoft.com>, David R. Kuipers <dkuipersnopsamam.neosoft.com> wrote: >Hi all-- > >I've never owned a Saab before, and I'm looking to buy a new car this >summer. I'm interested in the new 9-5 SE but have little to go on other >than a couple of reviews in auto mags. I see a lot of posts on this ng >about older Saabs, but little review/opinions about the new models. I've driven the 2.3LPT/auto and was impressed. I found the car overall to be an absolute pleasure to drive, and I really like the unique styling of Saab's interior. The driver's seat was stupendously comfortable. Envisioning the same car with the more powerful V6 and traction control makes me drool. However.... The interior really needs more place to put stuff. This seems to be a problem with European cars in general. With a standard in-dash CD player, it seems weird to me to have no real place to stash CD's. The center console has some room (at least compared to the 9-3!) but not enough (God forbid you should try to figure out where to put CD's in a 9-3 with the optional in-dash changer.) At least the cup holder is cool. I also wish the 2.3 would come with traction control. Seems a glaring omission on a car of this class, though it's not absolutely critical on a front-drive car. Not an issue if you wait for the SE, since it has traction control. Also, reliability issues dog me still. Not that I expect the Saab to be a lemon, but a car that will at least require some care and attention. There is no place to get the thing serviced anywhere near between home and work, so getting service will inherently be a hassle. One of the prices for having a unique car. One thing I really liked about the 9-5, especially since it's somewhat bigger of a car than I really want, is the tight turning circle. Makes it feel like a much smaller car in many situations. [ ... ] >FWIW, you can probably predict the other cars I'm looking at in addition >to the Saab sedan. The usual suspects--BMW 3-series, Mercedes C-class, >Volvo S-70, Audi A6, baby Lexus. All offer similar performance numbers and >cost. The Saab seems appealing because I like to drive a car that I don't >see a bazillion other of the same cars on the road every day. If I had a >dime for every BMW, Lexus, and SUV in my suburb............ You can't get much more esoteric for the price than Saab.... - Neil --==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==-- Neil Weinstock See the Passat/A4 Wheel and Tire Page: nswnopsampan.net http://www.webspan.net/~nsw/Wtpage/
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