[s-cars] POLE: wonderful dilema, S4 or Ultrasport?

[Varon H. Fugman]

>>Saab 9-5 Aero: Possibly another good choice.  FWD but manual tranny avail.
Don't know much about what the problem areas were for these cars.

We have a 9-5 wagon, not an Aero :-( and not a manual :-(  Purchased
off-lease with 33k miles, now 106k miles and 5 years later.

Not an Audi, but a good European car.  After 5 years my wife is still
delighted with this car and has no plans to replace it.  Tons of torque even
with the 2.3l light pressure turbo... the Aero must be almost S-car fast
(but you need to be going in a straight line first!)

Excellent fuel economy on the highway... 30mpg to 32mpg.

I never cared for the 4-speed automatic until we started towing our 2,000
pound Chalet camping trailer.  The transmission seems to sense the load back
there and adjust its behavior accordingly.  I am also impressed at what a
good tow car the 9-5 wagon is for a FWD (although I wouldn't recommend a
hitch weight much over 200 pounds.)  No problem towing the camper at
75-80mph and handles way better than a truck. 

Problems: alternator failed under warranty at 44k miles.  Headlight control
module failed recently.  Heater valve sprung a leak.  Pixels failing on the
SID display (seems they *glued* the ribbon connector to the circuit board
rather than soldering it!)

When it comes to service, don't trust Cadillac dealers that have become Saab
dealers.  They don't know a thing about Saabs.  Find a good local
independent Saab shop or send the car to Taliaferro Imports in Springfield,
MO (www.genuinesaab.com).

Varon
'95 S6 snow car
'99 9-5 rain car
'96 MX-5 sun car