Eduardo's 1995 9000 CSE 3.0 V6
What can I say.... I love it! I would prefer a an Aero or a 200hp turbo...
I like turbo engines - one reason I'm a Saab lover. But this car, I
hope I will have it my entire life. It was my father's car, and in 1999
they decided to change it and buy a 9-5 2.3t auto so I took the 9000
and now it's mine!
Because the 9000 has an auto gearbox it loses some "punch",
but it's smoother and more comfortable. Sometimes to do a little sporty
driving or overtaking I change the gears manually... the power and the
"kick" of the car between 4000rpm and 6600rpm is incredible.
Once a BMW 330 cabrio wasn't able to follow me as I started to overtake
a truck. I started at 30km/h I selected first gear, pushed the accelerator
hard and then "buuuuuuuummm" the sound of the V6 is incredible.
The bad thing about the auto gearbox is that it always tries to go with
the longest gear and sometimes, on a hill for example, you lose some
flexibility - the car goes under 2000rpm and must change down. In this
situation it's enough to change gear manually. I never imagined a non-turbo
car could have this flexibility. Between 2000-3000 it hasn't the same
power as my father's 9-5 2.3t, but it has no problem in accelerating
very well. The best zone as I said is between 4000 and 6600rpm when
the VIM (variable intake mainfold) opens all the valves and you can
feel a kick in your ass similar to a turbo engine.
The car has 190000km and it's a reliable car, although we have had
minor problems with it. At 170000km we had to change one of the timing
guide rollers and the water pump. I drove more than 2000 km with the
water pump "blocked" and the car didn't overheat at any time
- it's incredible - and some days ago I changed the head lamp washer
motor. I see in some photos that it's a common problem and the mechanic
told me it can happen, as explained on this web site: "one evening
when I switched on the ignition, the windscreen washer pump started
running and wouldn't stop until I switched off the ignition. Pulling
various fuses isolated the problem to the headlamp wipers (the windscreen
washer pump stopped running when the headlamp wiper fuse was removed)."
About the interior and equipment.... It's the CSE version, but with
similar equipment to the Grffin version, with heated electric-leather
seats (beige), cruise control, computer.... it's a very comfortable
car - one of the best things about the car - and has soft suspension,
but it's a very safe car. I'm often surprised by how good the car feels
in some situations. For example on wet roads, it feels safer than the
9-5. The color of the car is Eucalyptus Green, the wheels are the Aero92
6x15” wheels fitted with Michelin Pilot Primacy 195/65 R15 tires.
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