I am looking at wagons large enough to fit three kids in car seats in the back row. This search has narrowed down to either an '05 Saab 9-5 wagon (Arc or Aero) or an '05 Volvo XC-70, with leanings towards the Saab 9-5 due to better gas mileage. I wanted to see if anybody had comments on the reliability of one car over the other. I am planning on purchasing either a certified car or an extended warranty (likely through warranty direct). Also, any other thoughts on wagons that might work (and I am not considering minivans or SUVs for many reasons, but gas mileage is a big one). I had considered the VW Passat, but was scared away by reliability on these cars in the last several years.
Thanks for any thoughts.
Make sure you test out three seats across. My brother a happy owner of a Saab 9-5 Aero uses Britax(larger ones) and it looks tight to put a center one in but maybe possible with narrower seats.
Either Swede is likely to be more expensive to repair than an American or Asian model.
I have. Actually I can fit the Britax Marathon, Chicco infant carrier, and one booster. And the Britax will be replaced by a booster in about 3-5 months, so then I only have to fit two boosters and the infant carrier. It is tight, but fits. To go bigger I have to consider minivans or SUVs and for gas mileage reasons I don’t want to go there. What concerns me is the reliability reputation of the 9-5. The 9-5 is wide in the back seat though with 56" of hip room. The next closest appears to be the XC 70 at about 54".
That great on seats. Boosters seem much more reasonable in width.
With regards to reliability I believe Saab’s are average, my brother has less problems from 45k - 95k than his Nissan Maxima. If you are buying one that is not certified find a good independent shop with a reputation of knowing Saab. I believe the key to any used make especially Euro brands is a good shop. Dealers can be good but of course you pay dearly in most cases for that.