TURBO? I was recently told that I need a new turbo for my 1999 9-5 Saab. How much is reasonable to pay to have this work done on a Saab.

NO VIN told or country
the service manuals are by maker,model, year and VIN.(means country codes VIN)
6 engines 3 diesel and 3 gas(petrol)

if confused where you live go to SAAB dealer and ask for the service manual.
confused meaNS Car was bought in FRANCE but we moved to Germany. the VIN solves that riddle see?
2.5L turbo charged.????????????
intake means what, at what point in the induction of air is the problem from Air cleaner box to intake valves
all of that, ?
for sure TURBO if is ,will be very very unique.
the list (arc is body calls options)but ARC did allow v6
no engine told and is an engine question pure.

2.0 L B205 I4
2.3 L B235 I4
3.0 L B308E V6
diesel:
1.9 L Fiat JTD turbo I4
2.2 L D223 turbo I4
3.0 L Isuzu 6DE1 turbo V6

There is a Haynes manual for Saab 9-5 (1997-2004) which covers most tasks.

It is fairly difficult to remove especially if there's a lot of rust. Bolts tend to break instead of coming loose. The 2.3t turbos are known for failure, they are the smaller of the two turbos. The Saab's with the larger turbos are labeled 2.3T -notice the capitol letter T instead of t. They are interchangeable and I highly recommend installing the larger if you want the repair to last. Get you practice removing the one at the junk yard before you work on your own. Oil lines and coolant lines will require some slight re bending/shaping to fit in place of the smaller turbo but it will be well worth it. Instructions could be handy but not necessary for most mechanics. Online Saab forums would have detailed instructions.

You should check out www.reliable-store.com they have info on repair, service, wiring diagram, electrical diagram, fuse diagram, torque specs,
troubleshooting, PCV, gear box, owner's/service/repair/parts manual, fault codes, error codes, etc everything on all vehicles. must check it out

I would replace to turbo. To make sure it is the turbo and not the head gasket, remove the air intake to the turbo (not a hard job) and then (with engine off) grab that turbo shaft. Try and pull and push it and move it up and down. If there is ANY play, it's the turbo. If you got 161k out of one turbo, that is VERY GOOD. Normal is 120k or less. There is a guy on ebay that sells rebuilt for about $300. If you do the work yourself (Experienced Tuner) you can save $1k. Else you will have to have a shop do it, usually about $1,200 or so for everything. If you are in the WI area, we could work something out.

The part number is on a plate which is normally situated on the side of the turbo or between the inlet and outlet where the oil feed pipe is so either you can get it cleaned and see it in a small mirroror you need to remove the turbo. Otherwise you can get a motor parts shop to check it for you from few softwares available to them.

No. Turbo charged engines have been designed to have the turbo. The turbo uses exhaust gas to spin a dual air compressor to push additional air into the intake, without it the car probably won't even run. There are numerous electronics monitoring pressures and temperatures. Sorry turbo has to be fixed for car to run properly.

IS the smoking extremly heavy ? Extreme heavy smoke where you cant see behind the car would indicate turbo. If this is the case no engine damage should have occured. The turbo on these cars are oil and water cooled, The heavy smoke indicates a worn seal in the turbocharger is leaking oil directly into the exhaust system and burning there. Catylitic and oxygen sensor damage may occur but engine damage is unlikely.

Depending on the overall condition of the engine, it could have worn or frozen rings, worn valve guides or the turbo you installed is worn out. These are driven by exhaust pressure and if their bearings are worn, you may be getting a mix of compressed air from the turbo and oil that is seeping past the compressor's internal seals.

No you can't.Internal damage will be done to the engine.Sorry to tell you this.