99's had the shitty injectors - thats about the extent of my 9-5 knowledge.

 

actually the 99 injecterz dont suck.....

Say I'm in the market for a 9-5 Aero Sedan with a 5/speed manual transmission.

Which model year should I be looking for?
cheap side, 00-01.
low miles, any other year

Which ones came with the heated & cooled vented seats?
not sure, but all come with heated seats, and i think that was 2001 and up and an option for the cooled seats

And did they come in Cayenne Red? Or only Merlot and Imola?

no aero in cayanne red ever. cayanne red is a 99 only color as well.
not sure about the others. i have to say i think i remember seeing a guy on SC with an o3 aero in merlot
if imola red is really nice red color, then yes

 

The later the better. There were improvements such as going from 230-250hp along the way. 00 is the first year(99 for the 9-5 as a whole though), its always a good practice to try and get a car from the end of its production cycle to get the best example. If I had to buy used and could afford it, I would look for an 04-05. If I was on a tighter budget an 02-3. But these days, I have seen a few clean 120-150k mile 2000 Aeros for $5-7k.

 

2002-03 are the best years for the 9-5 generally. Got all of the improvements of the mid-cycle enhancement, before they started deleting stuff to cut costs.

The '02+ Aero's have better seats -- the '00 and '01 Aero's have the same seats as the other 9-5s.

But, as you're looking at a five-speed Aero, the main advantages of the '02+ models are not particularly relevant: (1) a much improved five-speed automatic, and (2) suspension and handling improvements which brought the base models up to '00-01 Aero levels.

Colors I'm not so sure about. I know that Imola Red was available for the Aero's in '00-'01. I don't know if I've ever seen a 9-5 Aero in either Cayenne Red, Chili Red, or Merlot. Of the three, I would bet on Merlot, though.

You can get an Aero in the best 9-5 color of all, though - Cosmic Blue.

Why all the sudden interest? Not happy with the ng900?

 

2002-03 are the best years for the 9-5 generally. Got all of the improvements of the mid-cycle enhancement, before they started deleting stuff to cut costs.

The '02+ Aero's have better seats -- the '00 and '01 Aero's have the same seats as the other 9-5s.

But, as you're looking at a five-speed Aero, the main advantages of the '02+ models are not particularly relevant: (1) a much improved five-speed automatic, and (2) suspension and handling improvements which brought the base models up to '00-01 Aero levels.

Colors I'm not so sure about. I know that Imola Red was available for the Aero's in '00-'01. I don't know if I've ever seen a 9-5 Aero in either Cayenne Red, Chili Red, or Merlot. Of the three, I would bet on Merlot, though.

You can get an Aero in the best 9-5 color of all, though - Cosmic Blue.

Why all the sudden interest? Not happy with the ng900?

Also in 2002+ came the stiffened front hubs, which were not available in pre 2002 models. The 5 speed manual in 2003 was beefier ( there is an update rebuild kit for pre-2002 models) and 2003 you get the ability to easily add the 2005 front end for that awesome spoiler for your FMIC

 

Oh, I'm very happy with the ng900. But I'm starting to come to the realization that a crazy-go-fast modded ng900 is probably not a good car for business purposes.

A 9-5 would have a better appeal as a commuter/work vehicle for going to meetings and such.

And a newer 9-5 would have a better safety rating than my 97 900, especially when driving my son around.

As soon as I get a garage, the SPG is staying indoors except for sunny days. It's going to get a thorough workover and cleanup. I've decided not to go crazy with the engine, and want to have a beautiful classic for summer sunday drives.

 

03-04. 03 for when the 250 horsies burst onto the scene, and because everything after 04 is "decontented" which is corporateese for let's take shit out and hope they won't notice.

 

also, note that in '04 they updated the pcv system which will hopefully cut down on sludge issues.

 

Yes, but you can retrofit the updated PCV system to any 9-5, even the '99's. It's PCV fix #6, and installed I think it cost me $150 for my '00 Aero.

This should be mandatory for anyone who buys a four-cylinder '99-'03 9-5.

 

That car is secks......I hope its a 5spd.

 

According to his profile it is... Now if it were only a wagon...

 

Espresso Black - only in 04

 

The espresso black color is VERY cool my friend. I'll have to give you that one. I've only seen one '04 Aero in that color, with tan interior, and it was beautiful! From a distance and at night it looks black but when you get up close the metallic brownish color really comes out. And with the tan???? Top notch..