I have been looking for a sports sedan and have narrowed it down to two different cars. My first choice is the G35 sedan and second is a Saab 9-5 which is admittedly very different. The G35 is definitely a more dedicated sports sedan but I am more than likely going to be buying a year older model in my price range. From what I have read the G is probably the most reliable car in its class. The only major faults I have found are oil consumption, front brake issues and poor seats. The oil consumption doesn’t really bother me because this will be a second car for me (3rd for the family) and won’t be accumulating that many miles. I haven’t been able to find much on the front brake issue, is it just premature wear? And I haven’t sat in one yet to see how bad the seats are but that always seems to come up. I am used to daily driving a Jeep wrangler so I figure they will feel nice to me but how bad are they? Thanks for any help you can give.

 

Get the G. Seats are fine, oil consumption is only on select engines, and brakes are an issue on 03-04. Stay with 05 or higher. Nicer interiors, exteriors, and more goodies!!

 

as far as the brake issue:

03 and 04 had a combo "soft" rotors and aggressive pads. this was later resolved and updated parts are now available as OEM.

the drivers front seat track is known to fail, causing movement and noise...

 

come on put another sedan on the road

 

Do you feel comfortable in the sedan on extended trips?

What year/mileage should I be looking for in the 15-16k range?

 

the longest drive iv taken mine on is about 100 miles. i love how comfortable my car is. i drive 30 miles each way to work and its comfy

 

It took me awhile to get used to the seats for my 05, but I think that is b/c they were a little stiffer than the other cars I drove (Lexus Rx300 and Toyota Carolla).

as with any car though, there will be an adjustment period for your body to get used to the new contours of the seat, but most of that can be smoothed out with the seat adjuster.

my favorite aspect of the seat is that it automatically rolls back when you get in and out (and rolls up when you start the ignition)

 

No seat issues here. Very comfortable IMO (my wif'es Highlander on the other hand is NOT).

I just saw a thread today & a guy just bought an '06 sedan, 6MT (manual transmission) with 30K miles, a sunroof & navigation for $17.4K. That is a steal!!!

 

Oh yeah, I'd suspect you'll pay higher maintenance/repair costs if you go the Saab route. Just my $0.02.

 

So for $15-$16 I am probably looking at an 05?

 

i bought my 05 sedan 6mt in october it has navigation sunroof sport package and premium sound fully loaded lol i paid 18k

 

You have to also remember the Saab is FWD with an anemic engine, and the company itself is about to go orphan (i.e., abandoned by GM, Swedish gov. refuses to bail it out again).

 

Not necessarily. Navi is about $2k along (NEW)....also, if you find one w/ 40K or 50K miles, it will cost less.

 

I love my '06, glad I went with it too cos of the bluetooth. I don't have any of the issues you mentioned in your first post either.

I personally wouldn't go with Saab just because of the situation they are in, although I do like the look of some of them. But IMHO, there is so much more you can do with the G, if you plan to mod that is.

 

It does really help to hear of your good experiences with the car. I showed both the 9-5 and the G35 to my wife and she likes the G35 better as well. When I weigh the two they come out fairly even but have very different advantages. The Saab has excellent mid-range power (Top Gear Ep. 3 Season 3 said faster from 40-70 than a 911turbo) and gets really good mpgs. For 15-16k I can get a nicely equipped 06 Saab with low miles. The G35 on the other hand seems to have power everywhere and one of my favorite engine notes. The RWD platform is also a big plus for me because of the handling benefits. The G35 is a 6 speed vs. the Saabs 5 and I believe it comes standard with head lights that rival the Saabs premium vision package ones.

Would I be better off getting a loaded low mile (aprox 30k) 05 or a 06 with 50k? I know it’s a broad question but which would be more likely to be problematic i.e. were there more 05’s that used oil than 06’s? Thanks again for all your input.