Thanks, yea that pretty much confirms my research. Plus the 535 I was looking at was a pre March 2008 which were particularly prone to these issues. I searched the VIN with a dealer and they said all the warranty work for these issues had been performed on this car but still, too high dollar of a risk to try and push to 300K miles. Twin turbos, too many moving parts that are high $$ to fix.
However the search is over. I bought a 2009 Saab on Friday. 80K miles, one owner, full service records. This guy took it to the dealership religiously every 6000 miles for a check up. The car is like new save for a little wear on the driver seat. Turbo charged 2.0-4 banger. I didn't think a 4 cylinder was capable of producing 210 HP. This thing runs and drives unbelievably. Should be a good highway cruiser and perfect tool for the job. We'll see if it's up to the test to be pushed that far.
I know it's a dead make but so is my Plymouth. Parts are plentiful and cheap. Let's put it this way, BMW 5 series twin turbo, $1,900 for one replacement turbo. Saab 9-3, $600 for a replacement turbo in which it only has one.
Wish me luck.
I read the whole thread & was thinking Saab the whole time. A Friend of mine went Saab religious back in the 80's with the 900's & has been dyed dead red Saab-ite ever since.....thing that really impressed me were the brakes....outstanding imo.
My thought is anything i buy new(never have) would be American, in hopes that most of the money would remain in American economy. Used purchase i go foreign...Saab, Volvo, Subaru, Lexus/Toy among my first choices....as daily drivers.
I can comfortably say the older gen Lexus is fairly bullet proof., at least the 4.0 ltr V8. I chose the lexi as the engine for my chopped bug, i bought two of them, one run & leak checked, the other an overheating victim. Both motors were 97, out of LS 400's, each w/ 125K miles.
The broke motor we tore down. It had been driven til it stopped. Intake cam belts were literally burnt off, so all the intake valves bent, the motor oil was baked golden. Head gaskets were completely blown, every cylinder full of water. Motor was torn down within a month of the incident, so rust was not an issue. Bearing surfaces were Pristine! All barrels were pristine with no deck ridging what so ever. Look at the barrel focused in pic & You can see the factory hone lines!! Beyond decking block & heads & replacing the intakes, this motor could be put back together with original parts, although Paul will replace all bearings & valves. No scoring of cyl walls.....they dont even need honing. With six bolt mains, my feeling is that these are very bulletproof engines, especially for being all aluminum. Great products, but toyota corporate are ********, offering no support, lip service to the DIY user. (Side note: Alfa Romeo will bend over backwards to help the DIY. They were very cordial to me, with prompt response to my inquiries about the old two liter 4 cam aluminum V8.)
I think Saab was a Good choice Runner. Sorry Mopes, i think the New Charger is downright ugly, & the fit & finish leave a ton to be desired.
