the automagic on the Aeros is great especailly in stop and go. ParkTronic is not really needed. Nice for tight paralell parking and tight garages but not needed. the ventilated seats will be great in the summer in the traffic. ac with ventilated seats is just the best thing ever invented..

 

I have the park thing, not really necessary ( but I grew up in the city and learned to park by "touch technique") It is cool when backing out of a parking space in a shopping center if it goes off it means hit the brakes!

I have vented seats and can't wait to try them, bought the car in Oct!

Manual Vs Auto is a personal prefenecr thing and rally only matters as you mod...

Oh and it will be hard to find the vented seats, they were a seperate option.

 

I also would not rule out an late model Arc. You have the TD04 and a lot of what makes an Aero good for less money.

 

While the ventilated seats are really cool (pun intended), it's not as if they are "must have" accessory. 9-5 seats are pretty breathable as is. I don't have ventilated seats in my 9-5 Aero, and I don't get sweaty down below on summer road trips. (Plus I think the ventilated seats are kind of loud, which I don't like).

An automatic is a big big help in stop-and-go commuter traffic. You can get your 5-speed manual fix with a classic 900 turbo as a weekend car.

So I'd say, go for it.

 

my mom's wagon has the park-tronic thing. It just pisses me off. I know where the ends of the car are, and sometimes it thinks i'm too close (like in my garage, it freaks out because there are tires stacked up near the front, and the side of the rear bumper pick them up). Also, i've had the sensors get caked with ice, and it gets REALLY unhappy then.

 

love the vented seats, love the park assist.

could I have lived without them? of course. But now that I have them....

 

My dad's Aero sedan has park assist and vented seats and my mom's aero has neither. I love mom's for the fact that it's an Aero wagon in white with a rear hatch spoiler, but at the end of the day, I'll take dad's car because of the park assist and the vented seats.

 

the park feature is nice but not really needed. it does suck in the winter though when the sensors get jammed up with snow, because when you go to reverse the car thinks there is something right there and it makes just a solid beeping noise.

 

The Aero isn't worth the 11k premium over the 9000.

 

Agreed. Although the 9k is an entirely different car, not at all like comparing Viggens to NG's.

Seriously though I wouldn't stress over the vented seats. A great idea but I find them loud.

The autos in '04 went to a 5 speed. Much better. Dad has an '04 Arc Auto that is basically an Aero without the suspension seats and spoiler. Still a great ride!

 

you guys know you can also swicth park assist off right? :lol:

 

No, i didn't know that. How do you do it?

 

My dad was in the same situation. He wanted a manual Aero wagon, but found a 03 auto for a steal. Honestly the automatic is great...in sport mode. Even I have trouble faulting it and I hate automatics. My dad tells me he doesnt regret getting an auto...but he has our 900 to drive when ever the 5 spd urge hits him.

My dad's also has parktronic, which is the most ignored feature on the whole car.

The vent seats are awesome and you cant go wrong with them at all.

 

Ugh... Me want vented seats....
This car is very clean... I actually had the chance to buy it before the previous owner traded it in but could not secure the funds in time... The dealership is asking less for it then he was.

It's an 04 with 47,000 miles. Warranty ends at the end of this month and no CPO. I'm fairly confident I could get it for $14,000- $14,500 out the door...

But do I really want a car loan let alone on a car without vented seats... :-?

I wonder if factory harness includes the wiring for the vented seats and all I would have to do is find seats (yeah right) and add the switches.

Part of me would just prefer to stick with my 11 year old tally with 155,000 miles. I mean I have replaced nearly everything on it by now.

 

I wonder if factory harness includes the wiring for the vented seats and all I would have to do is find seats (yeah right) and add the switches.

I have vented seats. I'd gladly trade straight across for anyone that has a pair of Granite Gray 04-05 Aero seats in similar condition. I like the ventilation, but I'd rather have the bigger bolsters.

As someone that owns an 04 Arc, and has an 04 Aero in the family, I say the Aero is well worth the premium.

I like Park Assist, but I also live on essentially a one lane street with cars on parked on both sides (which can make backing out of the driveway a bit challenging) and I have to parallel park quite a bit. The 9-5 isn't exactly a small car, and it's nice to know exactly how much space I have back there.

The Aero suspension upgrades are well worth it. An Aero is a set of Bilstein HD's away from an excellent ride/handling balance--about as good as a 9-5 will ever get without significant work.

I bought my car based on need and its excellent condition both mechanically and cosmetically. I also knew that I could easily upgrade it as it is essentially identical to an Aero mechanically. I'm in the process of doing that now, but I do wish I'd held out for an Aero instead.

 

I was in the exact spot you are a year ago.

Get the Aero.

Buy an extended warranty

Park assist matters so little it isn't even funny.

I don't have vented seats on my Aero, but I wish I did for the coolness factor. Only the coolness factor. Can I live without them for the sake of the rest of the car? Um, that'd be a YES.

Do I regret the automatic? I find it hard to believe I'm saying this, but no, not at all. If I want, I can play with the paddle shifters in manual mode for the fun of it. When it comes to stop and go traffic you will be much happier. And for 14,500 you can't go wrong.

Get the Aero. Come to the dark side....

 

I thought extended warranties weren't all they were cracked up to be?

 

Mine's already paid for itself. $1100 at time of purchase. Then I would have to have paid $1200 for heater core, headlight leveller and ACC and labor, etc. Out of my pocket? $0

Plus you get the 60-day thingy from the dealer.

 

Park assist FTW, I find myself almost hitting things while backing up in my NG since its assist-less. Its great features for backing into places that have low objects (snowbanks, concrete parking stops) that you would never be able to see out the back window. I've never tried vented seats, but as GA said, the non vented seats don't really get hot and sweaty, even in the summer.

 

To me the seats and park assist are nice to have but if there was a better deal on a car without them I wouldn't care.

 

Just test drove it. Rides great. Sooooo much quieter then my NG.

I thought that I did hear a ticking noise under the hood with the engine running...

I'm going to contact the previous owner and see if I can get the oil change history.
Burns ran the IRIS report for me.
Can anyone make sense of this for me?

Recall/Service Campaign History
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Campaign Campaign Repair
Campaign # Campaign Description Complete Expires Dealer Claim #
15018 SR RECALL 15018 FIT RETAINING CLIP AND SCREW YES 810 7805441
15429 SC CSC15429 LUBE/REPLACE DOOR HANDLES 9-5 MY03-04 YES 08/25/06 810 4579362
15435 SC CSC15435 SECURING CRANKCASE VENTILIATION HOSE YES 12/31/06 810 5641272

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Warranty Claim History
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Repair Failed Repair
Date Mileage Claim # Part Failed Part Description Dealer
12/05/07 44548 7821491 35149 BULB, REAR 810
10/29/07 43285 7812451 87025 CONDENSER 810
10/29/07 43285 7812452 21118 GASKET, CYL. HEAD 810 <-- Head Gasket???
10/29/07 43285 7812453 35185 BRAKE LIGHT CENTER 810
10/22/07 43229 7811471 20000 ENG. ASSY. 810
09/20/07 42173 7805441 15018 RECALL 15018 - FIT RETAINING CLIP AND SCREW 810
12/26/06 30026 6744221 35149 BULB, REAR 810
07/05/06 24977 6705561 10002 ENGINE - CK BASED ON CUSTOMER COMPLAINT 810
02/27/06 20905 6674291 35149 BULB, REAR 810
12/28/05 19246 6661721 84210 EMBLEMS 810
12/28/05 19246 6661722 35149 BULB, REAR 810
11/17/05 17915 5653223 11215 SERVICE 15,000 MILES/24,000 KM 810
11/17/05 17915 5653224 36472 SWITCH, ELEC. HEATED REAR SEAT 810
10/10/05 16777 5644313 87056 HOSE, COMP. - CONDENSER 810
09/26/05 16306 5641271 81236 FRAME ASSY (CASSETTE) 810
09/26/05 16306 5641272 15435 CSC 15435 SECURE CRANKCASE VENTILATION HOSE 810
08/27/05 29000 5142081 11730 ROADSIDE REPAIR NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY 7987
08/08/05 15018 5630511 81231 SUNROOF WIND DEFLECTOR 810
12/27/04 7150 4579361 35149 BULB, REAR 810
12/27/04 7150 4579362 15429 CSC15429 LUBRICATION OF DOOR HANDLES 9-5 810
06/15/04 1859 4531831 11202 30 DAY CHECK 810
06/15/04 1859 4531832 84380 REAR VIEW MIRROR, INT. 810
06/15/04 1859 4531833 83111 DOOR, FRONT 810

 

Maybe I am spoiled but driving the cars without sport seats I just cannot get comfortable. Also you are better off paying for the "upgrades" from the factory rather than adding them later. Also insurance value is better.

 

I'm more or less sold on it. Drove it for an hour Saturday. Contacted the previous owner and he gave me the whole run down. Mobile 1 and Saab filters every 3,500 miles. Was a commuter vehicle so the miles are low and they are highway.

The lack of vented seats didn't bother me and it was abnormally hot Saturday.

Original owner also told me what the dealership gave him on trade... Now whether that is what they actually gave him or if they fudged the numbers I do not know.

I'm going there after work to see what we can do about $$$$.

Any tips? I already know to negotiate on final price not monthly payments and to put at least 10% down. I think I am going to try to secure finance today before I go but I will still see what kind of rates they offer.

Thanks for all the input!

I also decided to manuever backwards through the packed and narrow used car lot to return the Aero to it's spot. Had no problems seeing or judging distance. So we can take parktronic off the list. ;-)

 

Coming from a guy who parked cars for a living, thanks for not being a whore about parktronic!

Refreshing to see people who don't need the nannies.

 

Time for more input/opinions!

Car was listed for $18,790 originally
Was "on sale" for $15,790
They offered it to me for $15,000 + Tax + Title + etc... as soon as I sat down to discuss.
We went back and forth a few times and it's been a day. They just came back at $15,290 out the door.

Here in NJ tax is 7% and title and all that other crap is like $300.00. So they effectively would be selling me the car for about $14,000.

What does everyone think? Bite the bullet and go for it?

 

I would ask them about the motor on the warranty claim history. I'm confused about the engine -ck based on customer complaint entry on 7/5/06. I'm also wondering at 43,229 miles (10/29/07) if it had the engine replaced due to sludge becuase all it says is Eng. Assy.

Price seems good.

 

The original owner had told me that they were having problems with coolant use... That is why the head gasket was replaced on 10/29.

 

What year is it again? An '04? It is a 4-model-year-old car. Could you afford to buy something as nice new? Would you want it to depreciate as badly as that wagon did? You could lease I guess, but you'd have to watch your mileage, do your service intervals exactly on time, and fret over every ding and scratch the car gets.

I'd say get it, but get an extended warranty. Even if you use it once, it will have more than likely paid for itself.

Or do what 'dukted did - search the WHOLE country for exactly what you want and have it shipped. It worked out awesome for him, could for you too. There's a place near Atlanta that has a lot of really nice used 9-5 Aeros, can't remember the name though... Anybody?

Another 2 cents.

 

What year is it again? An '04? It is a 4-model-year-old car. Could you afford to buy something as nice new? Would you want it to depreciate as badly as that wagon did? You could lease I guess, but you'd have to watch your mileage, do your service intervals exactly on time, and fret over every ding and scratch the car gets.

I'd say get it, but get an extended warranty. Even if you use it once, it will have more than likely paid for itself.

Or do what 'dukted did - search the WHOLE country for exactly what you want and have it shipped. It worked out awesome for him, could for you too. There's a place near Atlanta that has a lot of really nice used 9-5 Aeros, can't remember the name though... Anybody?

Another 2 cents.

Can't lease... Drive way too many miles... Plus no modifying! And like you said... Would be worrying my ass off about the shopping cart rolling around in the parking lot...

Logic kicked it.... I let it go
I realized that I would be paying $15,000 for the privileged of working on a 4 year old car. I feel more comfortable with my car because I know exactly what has been replaced and what needs fixing... I'll just pinch my penny's until I'm in a better financial situation... Hopefully right about when the 9-3 TurboX Combi's are coming off lease

Thanks everyone. I appreciate all your "cents".

Oh yeah... If anyone wants more info on this wagon let me know and I will pass on the info.

 

Well, although its too late I would say: You shouldn't have to worry about working on the car much, if at all, for awhile really. I mean, I have a 2002 which I drive the piss out of and the most intensive thing that went wrong so far was a motor mount. Don't get me wrong, that would suck to replace yourself... but it also wasn't something that was so bad I even noticed. Even the sludge issue is almost non-existent for the 03+ models.

Other than that, its just been basic maintenance or performance stuff.