I bought this car used from a local dealer.  It was in a slightly worn condition.  There was a dent in the front, the carpet had stains and the driver's side mirror had yellow paint transfer marks.  I saw through all the imperfections after having test-driven it.  The engine was superb as was the throttle response.  It was comfortable as well.  The last time I remember driving a 9-5 was when my mother had it as a loaner car for her '95 900SE and I used up all the fuel tooling around the neighbourhood.  Now that I've had the car for almost two years, with some TLC, it has done very well.

Things I got fixed

The car I have is the Linear trim.  Very basic but it still has leather inside.  One of the things I got rid of almost immediately were the cheap tires and the horrendously warped alloy wheels.  I replaced them with the 17" Sport Edition wheels with Michelin Exaltos All Season tires from Tire Rack.  It made a big improvement in terms of ride quality and handling.

A part of the engine that needed attention was the PCV system.  Apparently, it was necesary to update it to prevent oil from clogging the turbo system.  The update will increase the reliability of the engine.

The SID (SAAB Information Display) unit was also replaced with a remanufactured unit where the pixels were fixed.  If you go through the dealer for a new one, the unit will most likely fail again, so head to a third party to replace or fix it.

For the 9-5, it is also a good idea to inspect the rear suspension bushings for any wear as it's known for this car to have problems when the car has higher mileage.

That takes care of the immediate concerns.  Now for the fun part!

Performance and Handling

The four cylinder turbo engine is quite good and actually quite large.  I was going to go with a V6, but it was said in the SAAB forums that the 2003 model was one of the best model years for the SAAB 9-5.  There were the least number of electrical and eingine problems in that model year.

Throttle response is a bit slow in normal mode, so I usually keep the car in Sport mode.  With it on, the acceleration is effortless and floods in an instant.  It's as if the car knows what you want it to do without you telling it.

The suspension is compliant and sporty - even for the base level trim.  However, there is much noisy movement when going over rough roads.  it's a good thing it's only noise.

Since I had replaced the OEM wheels with aftermarket wheels and tires, the car take turns a lot quicker.  The Sport Edition wheels have additional offset that increases the track/stance of the car by an inch or two.  The change was like night and day.

My car also has the manual shift mode.  In 2003, this really isn't a proven technology as its behaviour is evidence of that.  With the tranmission set to manual mode, shifting is accomplished - somewhat -  by little nubs or buttons.  The right button upshifts while the left one downshifts.  Using this feature is only good for mountain roads where you need to limit the speed through engine braking on a descent.  But if you use it like a Playstation game, there is lurching.  The shift delay is so bad that it was worse than when I was learning how to drive manual shift.  My neck hurt.

However, I later figured if you layed off the throttle before you press the shift button, the gear shift goes a lot smoother.


Interior

Born from jets, there isn't a lot of wind noise at speed.  In fact, the car wants to go much faster and the cruising speed is a nice, docile 80 mph.  The seats are fine when you're just cruising along, passing everyone on the highway.  But take the car in through some twisty roads and you'll find yourself grabbing onto the interior for some support.  The seat have some support but I found it to be quite flat.  There isn't enough side bolstering for my sporting driving style.

For the family of three, it's quite comfortable for us, especially on long trips (800+ kms).  We arrive to our destinations quite relaxed with no ailments being developed along the way.

Ergonomics

My favourite feature in SAABs are in fact the font used for the controls and instrumentation.  It's absolutely fabulous!  Extremely readable in all light conditions.  The ergonomics of the whole layout however, is a little "off".  As a 6'3" male, the steering wheel is just short an inch of reach because my seat is also put way back.  There's plenty of headroom and enough legroom for a properly good driving position.  Reach for the controls is as expected.  No quibbles about that.


Quality

The quality of the materials is above average to the usual plastic interiors you find on similar year GM cars.  You can tell there's a definite European influence to the design.  It's a shame that later iterations have gone to more GM tupperware.

As for the body panels, the grade of steel used is much thicker than normal.  I discovered this when I tried to repair a dent on a body panel by "pulling" it - but without success.


Conclusion

This is a great car - especially in the winter months.  It heats up quickly without effort and to drive it also asks for little effort.  The car indeed acts as an extension to the driver - like a waiter that instead of asking you what you want, it anticipates.

And like any used car, you need to invest a little money in order for it to serve you correctly.  And so far, the SAAB 9-5 has done just that for me and my family.
Amount Paid (US$): 12000.00
Condition: Used
Model Year: 2003
Model and Options: Linear 2.3t