The 9-5 looks as a Saab should. It has that classic, somewhat sleek, somewhat quirky design. The 9-5 is somewhat less stodgy appearing than the 9000, which it replaces. Overall, we thought the Saab 9-5 looked very nice. We have no reason to believe that the 9-5 will be any more or less reliable than any other Saab.
Saab parts do tend to be expensive.
And, like other Saabs, the 9-5 has a lot of components stuffed under the dashboard. Any work that has to be done under the dash is going to cost serious dough, very quickly. The good news is that there's plenty of room under the hood with the four-cylinder engine, making life easier for your mechanic. Routine service should be no sweat. The six-cylinder SE edition, however, is another story.