BIG SAAB MAKES GOOD ALTERNATIVE CHOICE There’s a guy in my village who has run Land Rover products for years. He started with a Discovery, then moved to a Freelander before going back to the later Td5 Discovery. But reliability was a bugbear that plagued them all and when it was suggested he try a Saab 9-5 estate he liked it so much he couldn’t imagine why he never bought one before. He had his Saab for two or three years and loved it to bits. He sold his business and sloped off to Spain for a month for a hard-earned rest, taking the Saab with him. The car never missed a beat. Since then he had a major claim just outside the warranty and Saab paid up without any fuss His is only the base two litre model, although even on that you get a turbocharger. Remember that this Swedish maker, now part of the General Motors giant, has been big on turbo cars for years, not always just to turn them into fire-breathing behemoths to frighten everyone else off the road. Mind you, Saab does still make cars that will do that and these days they are even more impressive thanks to biofuels, which raise performance as well as cutting pollution. I’ve just tried one and enjoyed it immensely but am not convinced that these fuels are the way forward. They demand too much land mass to produce and are a red herring. The 9-5 estate makes a fine chariot - the saloon’s pretty good, too, but I’ve always liked estate cars better. It’s distinctive, so you won’t find yourself driving round in a car that looks like everyone else’s. The 9-5 has been around since October, 1997, as a saloon and November, 1998, as an estate. By now cars that are a year old or more have suffered the typical large car value slide, which means there are some tasty bargains out there just waiting for you to find them. Saabs will wear a high mileage well, so don't let that put you off. However, you want evidence of a cast iron service history before you buy and it’s probably not a bad idea to have an expert eye cast over the turbo bits in particular. Trim and general body finish have always been to a high standard and you also have that fine Saab reputation for safety to help you feel less vulnerable in today’s modern traffic conditions. A feature I like is the “night panel” switch, which blacks out all but essential information to cause less confusion and glare at night. Engine availability covers 2.0 and 2.3 litre four cylinder units and a 3.0 V6 derived from General Motors, which owns Saab. The less powerful engines are low pressure turbos designed to boost efficiency rather than give blasting performance. There’s also a trio of diesels, a V6 three litre designed in conjunction with Isuzu, a 2.2 litre four which comes straight from Vauxhall – Opel, and a1.9 litre from Fiat. This latter is the best, despite its smaller capacity. It just seems much smoother running and really eager. As well as the Saab dealer network, there’s also a good selection of specialist outlets which can be used both to source used cars and to service them. A complete service history is vital with these cars - ignore those without one. Services are due every 6,000 and 12,000 miles, so high miles drivers will find themselves visiting the garage regularly. Insurance starts at Group 13 - be prepared for hefty premiums on more powerful cars, though. Prices are now reasonable - spend £10,000 and you’ll be in a 54 plate two litre four door. Estates are more pricey, but £10,000 will still buy an equivalent model maybe a plate or two earlier - well worth the money. A six month old 07 plate 1.9 diesel Vector estate will set you back £17,875, a big saving on its £25,800 price when new. Maurice Hardy