SAAB OG 9-5 HOT Wagon - The Family Haul-ass

Yeah, so we got a daughter last month so that prompted us to get a bigger car.

I have always wanted to have a SAAB, preferably one fitted with a turbo. and I got a heads up on a local ad from a friend for a very nice looking '05 OG 9-5 Linear Sport Combi with the big engine (2.3T). I went to look at it and ended up buying it on the spot.

It has 220000km on the odometer and a full service book stamped.
Filler cap is clean, doglegs on passenger side is just a tiny bit rusted. None on on the driver side. Rear trunk panel is in good nick, just some surface rust. Will grind away the worst and buy some zink and 293 paint on a spray can and go to town as it's such a small area. Interior is very nice. Small nick on the headliner but no biggy. Will do a h20vac on it to lift out the bum-fluff that might have accumulated during these 15 years of existence.

Rear shocks are brand spanking new, that's why it sits as it came out of the factory i.e. high.

Will take it up on a lift to check the undercarriage as well as checking bushings as I feel that the subframe bushings are about to go.
Rear seem to be fine.

Eying Maptuns stage 1 tune but I need to get a good baseline on the engine before that happens.

Stuff that doesn't work:

Driver side mirror doesn't fold in correctly. Might find a used on at the scrapheap and respray.
Radio is dead because the last owner switched to Xenon fronts so needs Tech2 to restart it.

Stuff to buy short term:

• New tyres (Goodyear Eagle F1 XL 225/45/17)
  
• do88 Vacuum lines
  
• Maptun radiator kit (old one went poof, page 3)
  
  

Stuff to do short term:

• Fit Maptun raditor kit
  
• Fit new Vacuum lines
  
• Lift car up to check the damage underneath (check bushings, check exhaust for leaks, check the inner fenders for damage)
  
• Mend any obvious issues with the body & chassi (passenger and driver side dogleg a bit rusty, bootlid too)
  
• Sand down the wheels and repaint them in Gunmetal.
  
• Fit tyres
  
• Align tyres (Camber, toe in)
  
• Polish the vinyl trim so it goes back to black again
  
  
  

Stuff to do long term:

• Paint front bumber, might keep the rest as 'Linear' pending on the look.
  
• Fix rust
  
• Drop pan & sump, clean it out
  
• Change all fluids
  
• Drop front subframe and change bushings
  
• Change out fuel lines
  
• Change fuel pump
  
• Change all bushings
  
  

Near Future upgrades:

• Stage 1 ECU remap
  
• Maptun front strut brace
  
  

Future upgrades in no particular order:

• Maptun Cobra turbo inlet pipe
  
• 9-3 Aero calipers and discs 314mm front, 300mm rear.
  
• Braided brake hoses
  
• Bilsteins B8’s
  
• Eibach 20-30mm lowering springs
  
• 3” downpipes to 2.5" stainless exhaust with 200 cell race cat, hidden exhaust.
  
• Change ECU for the stainless exhaust
  
• Send a second hand elkhorn and an engine cover to mediablast.
  
• Change motor mounts
  
• Change the bushings in the gearbox to brass
  
• Change the interior to full leather
  
• Change the hood on the stickshift
  
• Change the leather trim on the handbrake
  
• Change to a Griffin steering wheel.
  

Considered progressive lowering springs? Coilovers might be a bit harsh for family hauling.

When you get around to it, can you show the tools/kit used when sanding and spraying the alloys? I've got a set to do too :)

Awesome cars! I've had a 2.3T and a 2.0T - I've now got a 300bhp GC8 Impreza which is great but I still can't help myself looking at 9-5s on eBay. There's definitely something about them.

Fab I love SAABs the top gear video on the brand history was a good one... https://www.topgear.com/videos/jeremy-clarkson/tribute-saab-part-22-series-18-episode-5 there's a part one to this that really digs into the history too.

Yeah, fair shout. I am eying the Eibach B8's. Progressive at the rear but lower.

Lovely, nice to see another forum owned Saab.

Did they ever do 17" tri spokes for the 9-5?

Nostalgia. I'm from Trollhättan. Had a 9-5 a few years ago, just so I could say I had owned one. Did alright until the turbo took a dump on the motorway and had to be towed... Crappy pic:

1 Attachment

Pimpy hearse vibes, nice. Bet you could fit a wardrobe in that thing.

Nice! 08/09?

Think it was a 2007. Never tried a wardrobe but a full size bathtub was no problem ;)

.

It's sad to see 9-5s and 9-3s being parted out for scrap. But I guess when the camchains go on an '08 Aero you say screw it and chop it up.

I wish they did! That had been sweet.

Thinking;

• Dremel to take down the big damages
  
• Orbital grinder with 800 grit sandpaper to clean it up
  
• Paintdegreaser & Shampoo rinse
  
• Prep with Zink paint and then 247 paint in a can
  
  

Should work.

Ok, this went of the rails pretty quickly.

I might get a garage spot after new years, so I can really go to town on it. Fingers crossed.

I have bought a second hand Trionic 7 databox is sent to Uppsala for Stage 1 tune. Going up into 270bhp and a fuckload of torque. I hope the clutch will hold.

I also went and bought a complete 04/05 Aero bumper/skirt kit i.e. the sharktooth as it seems to be called in the UK.

It's going to get scuffed, fixed with poly plaster where it's a bit scratched and then repainted in the 293 colour - that is 'Parchment Silver Metallic' or Dirty Silver as I call it.

Pic below for ref on the sharktooth.

Future plans:
Aero struts/dampers & Eibach lowering kit (Cheaper than B8)

To source the 9-3 Aero brake kit with discs for the front. 314mm instead of the 308mm so not a lot there but the calipers are HUGE in comparison. Good braking power is important for the family!

I'm also pondering going full black leather interior with the Viggen or Aero steering wheel and getting the '06 Denso Nav retrofitted. Also important to the family.

Might also get a Hirsch dual exhaust, but that is pending on the price from the seller. Important to no one except me.

Standard stuff for modding Saabs really heh...

Ping @jono84, @russmeyer & @Harry 

I have always wanted to have a SAAB

said no one, ever. :P

Did I miss a memo? Are these actually desirable cars over here?

All sounds good to me. Not knowing newer Saabs so well i'd want to consider how good my base car is (rust, structurals etc) and how much will this cost to mod in comparison to buying an Aero. Solid cars are becoming harder to find to so if it's a good base and you can afford it then i'd say go for it. Personally i'd stick with as much stock Saab/Aero kit as possible as it's guaranteed to fit/work (in principle...). My experience of aftermarket stuff has been mixed but Hirsch/Viggen/Eibach are great starting points. I'd also check with your insurers as modding quickly narrows the companies you can go with (Adrian Flux has always been good for me).

Did I miss a memo? Are these actually desirable cars over here?

Nice contribution.

Saab have always been an unusual company/car but they have always had a good following in places like the UK, North America and Japan. They lost some character when taken over by GM but certain later models like the 9-5 Wagon have started to attract attention and have aged well. In its heyday Saab presented an interesting performance car choice that didn't have the image of a German car cunt mobile, British brand boy racer or American/Aussie gas guzzler redneck wagon. I think a lot of people still identify with this and it's reflected in the amount of nice comments i get when i'm out in it and the steady appreciation in price.

EDIT: Turns out I'm a little sensitive about Saab...

You're really getting stuck in! I'm ashamed to say I have no zero knowledge/experience of anything you've mentioned except the remap; one of mine had a Hirsch remap (and no other mods) and it wasn't ideal. The boost spiked massively and then dropped away sharply so it drove a bit like a diesel and loved to taunt the traction control/eat tyres.

the turbo took a dump on the motorway and had to be towed

That sounds familar..

Nice contribution.

Oh, we all have to love everyone else's shit now do we? Missed that memo too. You new here? :-*

I've honestly never heard anyone say "Oh, I really like SAABs". UK seem to love shitty little Fords, Aussies love shitty V8s (Holden, bro!), yanks love massive shit trucks, Europeans drive anything that they can park in a dog kennel without knocking the mirrors off. I dunno, they're like a brand I thought ended in the 80s or something.

I have an 05 2.0 combi. I used to actually hate it because it’s so low to the ground and has quite a small cabin space compared to its footprint. Starting to get a bit attached to it now but I don’t know how many more Swedish winters it can take before the undercarriage rusts through.

Sounds about right for Hirsch mapping and Saab Aero in general re: eating tyres and taunting the traction control

http://www.uksaabs.co.uk/UKS/index.php