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Bought a 2000 9-5 Aero Wagon!

68K views 651 replies 47 participants last post by  Cark 
#1 · (Edited)
Sup dawgs.



The Viggen is about sold, and I wanted a cheap car to replace it because I don't drive too much in the summer and I wanted to pay off the rest of my student loans.

Anyways, details. 2000 Aero 5spd wagon, black on tan with 98k miles. I only paid $1800 for the car! It needs work though.

Parts needs (OEM):
PCV6
Upper Motor mount
Upper Trans mount
SID

(Cool):
GS poly trans mount
GS Intake
Forge BPV
Aero lip (probably going to Mach 1 lip it)

Things that need work:
Pan drop, oil/filter change
Trans fluid swap
Coolant flush
Brake fluid flush
Alarm removal or battery replacement







It came with some beat up RKII's that I put on my 900SE. The reason why it was so cheap is because the combination of the bad motor mounts and original trans fluid is making reverse hard to get into. Oh, and it has some dog leg rust I need to slap some POR on.

I already did some new vacuum lines and the rerouting + plugs. It drives really well and has a great stereo!

If anyone has any of these parts I need, please let me know. Or if anyone knows of a yard locally that has good 9-5 parts.
 
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#570 ·
I think what I did was take it all apart and assess the situation first. This was after it was already consistently warm out, so I just manually adjusted the blend door by hand and set it to full cool while I waited for parts.
You may find that nothing is broken, and it just needs to be cleaned/lubricated. In my case I think I found a broken shaft on one side and a seized motor on the other.

Good pics of the process here:
http://www.thesaabsite.com/faqfiles/Blend-Door-Replacement-Both-Sides-PDF.1287.1.pdf
 
#572 ·
Alright, lets talk blend doors.

My passenger side temperature is not working correctly. It can go up, but not down beyond probably 70-72 degrees. The code I am getting is 10, for a motor jam. I can manually move the shaft that the motor slips into which changes the temperature without any stress or noises. When you take apart these motors, are you supposed to index them in a certain way before installing or can you just reinstall it and run the calibration?

If I reinstall the servo with the blend door manually put to LO, it can increase temp but it will never be able to go back down. Do these servos actually fail? Also, I took the servo off the gear assembly, lubricated it and spun it with a drill.

Also, anyone have some spare blend door servos?
 
#575 · (Edited)
Good idea, I'll summarize here so I can copy/paste for the future.

Interior:
  • BBA reman SID
  • 2002+ Aero front seats
  • 2002+ Aero Aluminum Dash
  • Custom Aux in
  • Rear ash trays
  • Rear pull out floor with Saab carpet liner
  • Kicker subwoofer in factory enclosure
  • Kicker dash speakers
  • Cold A/C
  • Saab All Weather floor mats
  • OEM 2002+ 3 button key + one extra original key
  • OEM Homelink/Compass rear view mirror
Exterior:
  • Clear front corner markers
  • Smoked side markers
  • 18x8 Bremmer Kraft Wheels ET32
  • Mustang Mach 1 front lip
  • Tinted windows 35% fronts, 15% rears
  • De-badged rear with custom "Aero" center badge
  • New hood badge
  • Windshield replaced 2015
  • Alternative 1 lighting

Engine:
  • 3" Turbo back exhaust
  • Forge BPV
  • GS Intake
  • Mike D stage 2 tune
  • Cylinder head replaced for broken exhaust studs, new gaskets everywhere
  • 230PSI Compression across the board
  • Powerflex torque arm bushings
  • New engine mounts in 2014
  • New battery 2016
  • 2006+ Power steering line upgrade
  • Newer coolant hoses
  • PCV6 Update
  • Pan dropped at 100k, spotless, new o-rings installed.

Front suspension:
  • Complete overhaul 2015/2016
  • Bilstein HD shocks, stock Aero springs
  • New control arms and bushings OEM
  • New sway links
  • New strut mounts
  • New tie rod ends
  • Powerflex subframe bushings
  • Car was aligned by a Saab enthusiast after the F+R overhauls

Rear Suspension:
  • Complete overhaul 2015/2016
  • Bilstein HD shocks
  • Powerflex Trailing arm bushings
  • New OEM cross stay bushings
  • Adjustable lower cross stays, perfect -1 degrees of camber on both sides
  • 2002+ Aero rear vented brake upgrade

I have the original window sticker, I am the second owner and I bought it with like 98k miles on it. Currently 131k. All the normal shit, Rotella T6 every 4500, NGK plugs every 6-10k, Royal purple in the trans every 7-10k. I have OEM roof racks, 2 sets of wheels and a Hirsch spoiler for it as well. Probably sell that stuff separately. Biggest issue at the moment is that reverse is getting trickier to get in. I have a spare gearbox I could install with a 2002+ Aero clutch, but I would like that to be an option for the next person. Probably forgetting some stuff.
 
#577 ·
I've got the itch. Also, I wouldn't mind selling this car while it still has a little bit of value. I could just drive it for a long time and sell it when it is tired.
 
#584 ·
If you're buying a 9-5 that needs trans/clutch work, it's about $1000 in labor because of the amount of work it takes with the subframe and shit. If you have the means and time, fix it. In fact, toss in a new slave cyl and friction disc.
 
#585 ·
i know the new car itch, Newer cars are getting too good to overlook, and you have been doing the saab thing for awhile.

besides the yota, i can't think of any car you have had for 3+ years

That being said, i would support the "save your money" mentality. your wagon is probably worth 4-5k on its best day, to just the right person, when all the moons align on Jupiter. Or you can drive it for another 75k miles, and have it be worth 2-3k. and in the next 3 years of saving pay for almost any car you want without a car payment while laughing all the way to the bank on how much money this car has saved you.

Also, i think this car has had all the power steering lines done as well.
 
#586 ·
Awesome wagon. Exactly what I would want if I had a were to get another. My current wagon had to be an auto so my wife could commute in it and share the driving on vacations, but I'd love to have your car! Can't justify it as it would make my 9000 Aero redundant...

Told the lady I wouldn't have a stable with more than 3 cars for the next 2-5 years...similar to the boat you're in.

What would you get into if you do sell it?
 
#588 ·
MikeD hit the nail on the head. It's exactly what I'm looking to do with my wagon. Get a couple more years out of it and save $ in the meantime, hopefully for a big upgrade when the time comes. We'll see how that works out...
 
#589 ·
The problem with a 16 y/o wagon, is that they constantly need *something*.
As much as we'd like to think that owning one is a zero-cost affair, there's bushings, brakes, hoses, radiators, master cylinders, transmissions, window regulators... etc that constantly go. We think nothing of it because we appreciate that it's a 16 y/o car and "stuff breaks", but it's not a "free" car.

I'm not talking you out of keeping it. Maybe just out of thinking it'll save you that much money as a daily driver.
 
#590 ·
^and that's a fair point too.

My wagon needs some TLC as of now, bushings, a few other suspension bits, new tires... but even a new car is only new for a minute. And how soon before you want to start upgrading that fancy new ride??? Huh? Huh? ;)

Your wagon is already just the way you like it.
 
#593 ·
Had the Viggen, enjoyed it for what it was but I prefer a 9-5.

Funny story. The car has been very reliable for me for the last couple years. Things break, but not stuff that keeps it from getting you around. So my dad does some work in Syracuse NY and just bought a 2016 Tacoma. He decided to take my wagon on his last trip because luxury and because he has put 10k miles on his new truck already. Well, the car blew a coolant hose on him 500 miles from home... He was able to cut the hose back and reinstall with a traditional band clamp and run the coolant system depressurized.

He pulled into my driveway on a Thursday at 10:15pm. I already had the hose from eeuro so I tossed it in and drove the car to Acadia the next morning. Put almost 2k miles on the car in about 2 weeks, not bad.

Problem is, he also curbed my nice wheels a little and the AC drains clogged on him and he didn't notice. 3" of standing water in the back of the car...Good thing it was hot and sunny all weekend!

I fixed the passenger side blend door this weekend and installed a new driver side CV axle with royal purple synchromax in the box. Shampooed the carpets and installed new sway bar end links. Now the car is just nice. Drives excellent.

Anyone have a lead on a sway bar link that lasts more than 10-12 months. I have tried so many brands.
 
#594 ·
Haha, this wagon has me thinking the exact same thing; sell my 9000 or Viggen and buy a 2nd wagon?

Reading a bit of the build thread and seeing the recent photos of your car on 18's piqued my interest (as did the red '56 ford pickup in one picture). Hearing the exhaust note in your 2nd and 3rd videos really got me thinking, "I need this car in my life." It sounds very similar to my 900 turbo with MSS exhaust and that car made some of the my favorite sounds in the world! Your car looks and sounds like a lot of fun! You've taken the best bits from the later 9-5's and modified the styling and performance to create one of the best looking 9-5's out there! I bet most of the people on this forum would LOVE to have it.

Hard to estimate a price on such a tastefully modified labor of love. While your 16 year old wagon is better looking, more fun and more "SAAB" than all the other $6,000-$12,000 9-5s currently for sale, due to age and mileage alone it will never be worth as much to most car buyers...even SAAB lovers. As-is you might fetch around $2,500; transmission issues are hard to live with and only get worse. If the transmission weren't an issue, I'd say you could expect around $3,200 for a quick sale or, as Mike said, around $4-4,500 to the right buyer if you waited 2-12 months. The SAABNUT in me thinks your car is worth $4,500 but, if I were to make a firm offer, I would feel I got a great deal at $3,600.

Buying a car like this usually involves an emotional connection rather than a rational decision, but because it has been so meticulously maintained, your car should appeal to both sides of the SAABNUT brain! With all that's been replaced, there's no reason to think it wont match the reliability of more expensive 9-5s with lower mileage, the only caveat being parts directly affected by the added stress of a stage 3 tune.

As far as wagons go, yours is among the nicest I've seen.

Post some glamour shots, include the interior and MOAR EXHAUST NOWYSES!!
 
#595 ·
I appreciate the kind words. I am still slowly cleaning the interior and finding that the tan carpet is coming back to life. I always thought it would have stains here and there, but its cleaning up so well.

If you're interested next spring, let me know! If I put another transmission in, I'll end up putting in a new 2002+ aero clutch and resurfacing the flywheel. After all that, I'll probably ask $4000 for the car with all the extra bits I have too.
 
#596 ·
Well I finally made the tough decision about my wagon. I ended up making a large eeuroparts order to facilitate my transmission swap. Aero clutch/pp, slave, rear engine mount, intermediate shaft bearing, axle seals, f+r main seals, oil pump o-ring and some 0063.

Guess this means I will be keeping my car for some time now. Maybe I'll do some rust-proofing while I am at it. I also picked up some barely used Blizzak WS80's and some 16" wheels. Kinda excited to be on 16's for the winter.
 
#601 ·
The killer here, is that it's not incredibly difficult.
It's just removing a TON of stuff.

I'm happy to hear that you're repairing it.
it'll allow you to enjoy it a little longer, AND help the resale.
Don't forget subframe bushings while it's apart!
 
#603 ·
Sooooooooooooooooooo. I swapped my transmission over the weekend with the help of Mike D and the use of the lift at Finch Welding and Fabrication.

I took basically no pictures because it was a bitch. So the car now has a working transmission with new: flywheel, clutch/pp, slave cyl, rear engine mount, F+R main seals, oil pressure switch and axle seals. The new transmission came from my girlfriends old white 1999 9-5 that got wrecked in our driveway, so I knew it was a good unit.

Biggest problem is that the 1999 transmission I had wouldn't fit without the 1999 only mounting bracket. I didn't realize that the 1999 transmission didn't have the bolt holes for the newer transmission mount until I went to install it, /facepalm. So we started calling around and Steve Snow from Maine had a gearbox he would sell me. Also turns out he had the 1999 bracket I needed! So after 3 hours in the car, we were ready to install the new transmission.

It went back together without much struggle and it drives quite good. Weird things though. I am now getting 2mpg better and the starter is half as loud as it used to be. The new transmission is quiet and shifts into all gears! Big improvement.
 
#605 · (Edited)
Glad to hear it all worked out. The early 9-5 had different gearsets, I guess. It's possible you got taller/shorter gears and aren't actually getting better mpg.

So... did you use the 99 or newer trans??
Actually, the MPG increase might be real.

I'm pretty sure the speed signal comes from the wheel speed ABS/TC, and I *think* combined with injector duty cycle (I never chased it down but it always looked to me like it was figured in, in addition-to or maybe instead-of tank level).

What final drive was it?
 
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