Bought one of those quirky Swedish cars today..

[Wulf]

I couldn't take it anymore.. 9 months without owning and driving a Saab is too much! Especially going through the Spyker deal and seeing all the support convoys all over the world.

I have been on the lookout for the "perfect Saab" for a while and finally found this 2005 Saab 9-5 in Virginia. To make a long story short, I hopped on a flight to Richmond, VA this morning and picked up my new car. It's always a bit of a gamble to travel this far without having seen the car but all the signs were good. One local owner, traded in at a small Ford dealership, clean Carfax with maintenance records, friendly sales guy and sales manager who answered any questions promptly without any BS.

It's pretty much loaded with the Executive package, navigation and the Sport Package with two-tone seats and carbon fiber dash panel. Only thing is missing is vented seats but those were not available with the the Tech package. I was never really of a fan of this package (only seen it in Black/Grey) but I was sold on the Tan/Black combination. The dash panel also fits in well with this interior color combo. Better than the silver Aero dash.

The car has 62K miles and she drives like a dream. The moment I opened the door and sat in those wonderful seats, I instantly felt at home again. There is still a nice leather smell, the car is clean and seems to be well taken care of. Most of the interior feels like new, except for a few wear spots on the leather of the driver seat.

I could go on and on about the great day I had but that must be quite boring to anyone else. All I can say it's great to be back! I'll keep this one forever..

I really would like to buy a round of drinks for everyone but pictures will have to do for now.

[cuba]

Nice score Wulf. Welcome back in the fold. Were they fair with the Benz?
I kind of like the black in the seats. Don't think I've seen that before.

[Talladega900]

Nice color, Wulf!

I LOVE the front fascia of those years. I bought mine one year too early! LOL!

[SaabScott]

Nice catch Wulf ... 62K miles eh? Just about 100K shy of what I have now.

[Wulf]

Originally Posted by cuba

Nice score Wulf. Welcome back in the fold. Were they fair with the Benz?

I still have the Benz. I don't really want to sell it because it gives me the same kind of feeling as the Saab. It's difficult to describe but I am sure you know. Too bad I only have a 1-car garage so I would need to store the Benz somewhere. Perhaps I should just have an extra garage built on my property. But then I would buy more cars and motorcycles. It'll be a vicious circle!

[zachc]

those tone two seats are amazing. oo i am jealous. haha

[Ryno]

very sexy!!!

i know how you feel, the wife forced me to go 4 years without a Saab. I never felt at home in any other car.. and our marriage is much better now...

[blinktude]

isn't that like your third 9-5 wagon?

Nice ride btw! You got the rare Navi & two tone combo.

[WhiteT5]

Whoa. I didn't know the sport tech interior was available in black/tan. Before I saw the pictures, I thought it would look terrible. In fact, it looks quite nice. Very nice car .

[cuba]

Originally Posted by Wulf

Too bad I only have a 1-car garage so I would need to store the Benz somewhere. Perhaps I should just have an extra garage built on my property. But then I would buy more cars and motorcycles. It'll be a vicious circle!

Buy a 40' shipping container. It's becoming quite popular here. People use and convert them into all sorts of things. They make great garages and are water tight. I know a bloke who has a smaller refrigerated one he uses as a wine cellar (he's a merchant).

[Wulf]

Originally Posted by Ryno

I never felt at home in any other car..

I was actually looking at a few other vehicles as well.

Subaru Outback
Basically an affordable 9-3X. AWD would be great with all the snow we're getting in northern Michigan. My house is on a hill and it is a challenge to make it up there with 2WD sometimes. A Subaru would fit all my needs but in the end it's just a Subaru. No offense meant to all you happy Subaru owners (Boon and Blix among others) but it just wasn't for me.

Saab 9-7X
I was actually pretty close with a deal on a 2007 with low miles. I thought about it for a long time and it would fit all my needs. I test-drove a few but it never felt like "driving". Again, technically a great fit for my needs but it was just transportation at the end of the day.

2009 Saab 9-3 2.0T XWD SportCombi
I found a nice used one with low miles for $26K. I really liked it but it would stretch my budget too much. But still a great deal for the kind of car you're getting. Unfortunately, not the right car for the right price for me right now.

I had two 9-3s and three 9-5s in the past 4 years (hey, I am single without kids so I have to spend my money on something, right?). There is just something about the 2005 9-5 Aero I couldn't resist.. Feelings before logic, eh?

[Jesda]

I'm really digging the two-color seats and the wraparound dash

[stamonkey]

Congrats! I can't say I've ever seen the black/tan two tone. I think that I like it.

[SaabKen]

OMG Frank, that is one GORGEOUS 9-5 wagon !! Congrats.

I'm always envious of you guys south of the line ...... so many good used car choices at unheard-of (to us) prices.

KEEP the Benzo. They don't make 'em like that anymore. Do the container thing as per Cuba's suggestion or whatever it takes to keep it parked and safe. If keeping it is totally not an option, why not plan a nice long early Fall road trip to .................. Vancouver

Enjoy your new ride. I know you'll prolly be sleeping in the garage for a few nights beside it

[saab19]

wow. nicely done, wulf. can't say I didn't expect you to stay away too long.

personally, my favorite front fascia on th 9-5 aeros, especially the wagons.

[OlegShv]

Congratulations Wulf!

[SaabHat93]

Croiky thats a pretty car. Nice find. The 9-5 wagons are by far my favorite of the newer line up, and yours is just stunning.

Welcome back and congrats.

[Aerogirl]

I'm not a big fan of wagons, but this one is really nice. Those seats are beautiful!! I love them.

[fusionrx]

Don't think I have EVER seen the two tone combo before your car...

Lovely.


Sooooo, what mods are you planning on the car?

[Jezzadee]

Great looking car.

Any other non-Saab owners here thinking of rejoining the fold? Apart from me?