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a couple of wks ago, i test drove a vehicle from the local saab dealer. i ended up sigining a purchase order, and financing agreement, last saturday.
this vehicle is a 2000 9-5, 5speed, presumably new. between the test drive and the purchase, it was driven approximately 5-10 miles by the dealer, to figure out how to set the speed alarm to some number other than 0mph [making it buzz when the car was stopped....] he claimed the speed setting value [as opposed to the clear/set] could only be changed if the car was moving. that piece of mis-info was cleared up when i took the vehicle days later.
i took the vehicle last saturday, with approximately 75miles on the odomoter, and i drove the vehicle 500 yards, and noticed that i had trouble getting into 1st gear easily at a stop light. i drove, home, then back to my office around the corner from the dealer [maybe 12 miles]
when i got into the car to leave my office, i could not put the car in reverse, nor could i get into any gear but 5th.
i had to move the car around our parking lot like fred flinstone, and drive over to the dealer 4 blocks from my office that afternoon.
i had owned the vehicle no more than a couple of hours. parked at the dealer, when i got out, there was a significant burning smell from under the car.
i have since been told by the dealer, that the part that failed, normally not stocked because it normally does not fail, was a socket/ball on the linkage.
i do not know what that is, but it's failure, and probable failing before i took the car or even before i saw it, is a serious concern to me. i am further concerned because both the salesperson and the sales manager, after speaking with the in-house saab mechanic, told me that the part fails when a valet or other driver does not shift correctly.
i can not confirm the nature of the part, as the dealer's mechanic claims to have returned it to saab, despite my request to see it.
now "repaired", my concerns are not alleviated. i would like to hear from you all precisely what it is that you all think caused this problem, and what can be done to alleviate my concerns.
please do not mis-understand, it is a comfortable car to drive. but that part is a piece of the drive train, and a part which should, in my mind, be of such design as to not ever fail. i notice, also, that post-"repair", the shift is stiffer.
if this piece of the linkage fails, clearly, i am not getting a "reputable" drive train. and that, after all, is the most important part of the vehicle.
i also notice that the sound, coming from the rear of the vehicle ["harmon speakers] is significantly dulled and softer that the sound from the front speakers.
this is noticeable when the fade is moved from mid to front to rear. it sounds as speakers might when they are "blown", tho i notice this characteristic on a 9-3 which i more recently drove, also.
the two speakers, up behind the rear passengers' outside ears sound as if there only produce thumpy bass sounds, with dull other frequency features. is this normal for this vehicle? the dealer has no idea.
thanks....hoping to read/hear your comments
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