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I've owned a couple of SAABs. First was built like a bank vault, and went 300k mi. before I lost sight of it. Seond was ... well I bought a Volvo next. After GM took over SAAB I was unimpressed by the replacement 9-3 I did like the 9-5 wagon but there is that ergonomic problem I mentioned. I'm not the only one who's noticed it. BTW have you discovered the SAAB board http://www.saabnet.com/tsn/bb/9-5/ yet?
A Volvo has pretty high repair costs, too. based on the cost of the extended warranties, the BMW one and the Volvo VIP one, the odds for trouble with a V70 Volvo in the first 100,000 miles are roughly (very roughly) the same as for a V8 BMW, which is more complex. I agree the 325iT doesn't have much room in back and the X5 has about the same but the 525-540iT and lamented 528iT don't seem too cramped. I haven't taken my tape measure though.
What would I buy if I needed a car tomorrow? Difficult question, because I like a reasonable amount of power and a manual transmission. I'm excluding the SAAB not only because of ergonomics but because It's a GM product. I don't think the Audi is any more reliable than Volvo. The "ideal" BMWs for me, the 530iT or 540iT/6-speed or 330iT aren't exported to the US. Volvo .... well my experience with my dealer's service department has been less than stellar. If you have a good dealer that could make all the difference. That would leave me the 325iT and that's a default choice because I'm not enthusiastic about a new car that's waaaay slower than my present car, also the local BMW dealer is not much better than the local Volvo dealer. So I'm hoping that my present car is going to last a little longer, I'm not sure I even NEED a wagon now, so I dunno. I'm frustrated by the lack of choices.
-Punxsutawney Phil
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