should I but this car?

[deeph8]

Looking at a 2001 525it with 138k miles. Many new parts. Also looking at Saab wagons which are a bit cheaper for the same vintage. Any thoughts as to which is better?

[gchand]

God only knows. :)
All I can think of as a consideration is that there are good parts availability for the BMW. Not sure how this is for older Saabs.

[JimLev]

"Drive It Like You Stole It, A Sickness for Quickness"
The Bottle Rocket "King of Spray" 2 Stage Nitrous Oxide
Dare to be different and stand out among the crowd of me-to-cars!
No guts, no glory! Tire smoke, not traction control!
Zionsville all aluminum radiator to replace the 3 leak prone Nissens Radiators!

NOS Progressive 2 Stage Controller with port injection
Snow's Performance Methanol/Water Injection
Dinan downloads, VAC Under Drive Pulleys
Dinan Carbon Fiber CAI
Dinan Front Strut Bar
Electric Cooling Fan w/PWM controller
NGK Iridium Plugs
DDE Enhanced Angel Eyes, Smoked Lenses
Koni FSD's/H&R Springs, BAV Brass Caliper Bushings
Eisenmann Race Exhaust (from H8-Rain's car)
///M5 3.15 LSD
///M5 Sway Bars, Front & Rear
Energy Suspension Polyurethane Sway Bar Bushings
///M5 Gauge Cluster Rings ///M5 Lip Spoiler
///M5 Mirrors and Switches
Leather Z weighted shift knob (thanks H8-Rain)
Rogue “Octane” Short Shift kit w/WSR
Rogue Tranny Mounts
StopTech Brake Lines Front & Rear
Axxis Deluxe Plus pads Front & Rear
Staggered M Parallel 66, Xenons
Modified CDV, UGDO
Euro Storage Tray (thanks Zombywolf)
Redline in Diff and Tranny
Passport 8500 X50, Escort ZR3 Laser Jammer
G-Tech/Competition Pro Data Logger
Auto Enginuity OBD-II Scan Tool
25% Tint, X-Pel, LoJack
PIAA Driving Lights
BMW CCA Member Boston Chapter

[Bmw540san]

bunch a obsessive lunatics like us (this a compliment actually). That will tell you a lot about the popularity of Saabs (if any).



1998 BMW 540i 6 speed
Arctic silver, M sport suspension (euro delivery), prod. date 05/98, non VANOS
Staggered 18" style 32 OEM wheels
3.15 open differential
Remus exhaust
AFE CAI with improved heat shield
Z3 shifter
VDO oil pressure and temperature gauges in place of headlight/fog switches
Powder coated valve covers-satin black
CDV delete
Debadged
AEA DRL module (aftermarket daytime running lights)

1997 BMW 528iA
Alpine white, premium package, prod. date 04/97, single VANOS
Staggered 17" style 32 OEM wheels
Debadged
AEA DRL module
Custom made sun blinds for rear seating area

2000 Nissan Frontier Desert Runner, AKA "The Work Horse"

Garage aids:
Direct Lift Pro Park 8
Campbell Hausfeld 28 gallon oil lubricated air compressor
Newair ACP-1400H portable air conditioner and heater
Auto Enginuity scan tool with BMW enhanced option
Actron 9135 scan tool-for quick readouts

[JimLev]

just as much, if not more, than BMW parts, they are the size of a 3 series, so you might as well own a BMW.
We may be lunatics about our pride and joy, but they just tell saab stories on their forum.

[BG]

If you live in one of the states where you see a lot of Saabs, they are worth considering. Rhode Island and Massachusetts seem to have plenty of them. But if you live in a place where they are rare (as in my example, Mississippi), I think you would have a lot of frustration ordering parts, finding a skilled mechanic, finding a dealer with the diagnostic equipment. Will a GM dealer be able to help?

[jim217]

Remember: Saab is but half a word. The full word is DamnSaab. I used to own one, so I know from bitter experience.

[lezonebay]

quirky styling too. The only Saab I actually liked and would buy is the Saabaru which was a Subaru WRX converted into a Saab. Thats one sweet thang. 4WD and Turbo and Subaru quality.

But seriously if you tight on the money but want a good wagon, the Subaru's are great. Parts prices same but you need less of it and they run forever.



1997 BMW 840CiA
1990 BMW Z1
1999 BMW 528iT (Hauler mobile)
2002 Astro Van AWD
2003 Nissan 350Z Enthusiast Package
1987 BMW 535i with 5spd manual (for sale)
1992 BMW 735iL (needs head and interior)
1977 BMW 320i (project racecar)
2007 Mazda CX9 AWD (Wife mobile)
1998 Yamaha Blaster+Breeze

1995 850CSI CD00177 (SOLD)

[Vin M]

2003 530i (Sport Package) Build Date: 02/03
Titanium Gray over Black
Shadowline Trim
5-Speed Manual Transmission
Zeckhausen Modified CDV
Dinan Upgrades: High Flow Throttle Body, CAI, Stage 3 Software, and Free Flow Exhaust.

Horsepower: some is good, more is better, TOO MUCH is just right!
"If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough." ~ Mario Andretti
"What’s behind you doesn’t matter." ~ Enzo Ferrari

[Eurodavid]

[Eurodavid]

SAAB 900s from 1990 till 1996. It was my first European car. Put over 200,000 in that time frame, and drove it everywhere. It was, fortunately, very reliable, but that is because I think I got lucky (friends owned SAABs, did have much luck at all--always fixing it). The only thing that really sticks out in my mind about that 900S was two things:

1) it was so unbelievably ugly that it was a sharp-looking vehicle, if that makes sense to you, and:

2) the amount of cargo that 900S hatchback could carry was beyond unbelievable. Never seen a car like it before (and I used to own some American whales) and I've never seen a car like it since. I think it could still challenge most all SUVs today in terms of cargo capacity.

Eurodavid

[JimLev]

Saab 96 two stroke that she actually called Ezra. She wanted to name their son that but her husband refused so she got stick on letters and put the name on the back of the Saab.
I had a few friends that owned Sonetts, one guy thought it was the best since sliced bread...then he bought a 2002 and was hooked on bimmers.

[dreulandb]

Keep in mind that the SAABs are mostly turbo for that vintage and if the previous owners have not been good about oil changes, you might be in for a nasty surprise if you need a new one. I think SAAB spec'd Mobil 1 and 10,000 mile oil change intervals since ~2000. Not sure if I'd run oil that long in a turbo motor, even if it's synthetic.

[Dave S.]

Aero for my son and so far it has been reliable. We've had it for about three and a half years now. The only issues we have had was the passenger side seat heater would not shut off, and the rechargeable battery for the alarm system stops holding a charge after about 6 years and then the alarm goes off intermittently, usually at 3am. The fix is to replace the module at $400, or take the module out and replace the batteries and solder new ones in. Most importantly, we have learned that the engines have a serious problem with oil sludging because they decided to put the oil pan next to the exhaust header and the heat cooks the oil. The oil pickup can get clogged and starve the engine of oil. The way to prevent any problems is frequent oil changes which we've been doing. So far so good.

Saab Central

jet black 2000 528iA
sport premium package
MB Quart speakers
two Alpine amps
MTX subwoofer
AudioControl equalizer
Dice interface for iPod
BMW CCA member

[ED]

Good question!

I have owned a 1984 Saab 900 T for many years now. I recently purchased a 2001 530i. Both of these cars are expensive to run and to maintain. Frankly I think the SAAB is a better car, which I know that many here will not agree. They are designed to be much more user friendly, comfortable and fun to drive. They are great in the snow and rain. We SAAB owners are very partial to our cars. BMW's thens to have more pesky continuous little expensive problems. BMW are big expensive plastic toys. Saab as one of the previous posts suggests, needs to be serviced by an experience SAAB mechanic who you can rely on and trust. Today they are not an easy task to find. Go to SAABNET.com for a similar blog with lots of information.

If you cannot afford to spend between $1000. to $2000. per year on parts and repairs stay away from both of these vehicles.

[Craig in Canada]