Saab 9-3 Diesel

ZiabR

Hi,

Ok so here is what i can tell you.

- My budget is 17000
- Oldest car i am willing to buy is 03
- Looking to buy in Jan-Mar 08
- Has to be the Diesel model

Because of my budget and the year of the car, i will most likely look to buy a 04 come next year.

I am looking at the 2.2TiD model. All i know about it is, 2.2 TiD 125BHP.

I am looking for info about the engine in this car from people who are driving Saabs. Anyone have this model and engine, how does it perform?

Cheers

Henry Ford III

Engine is a bit....er....agricultural. Later 1.9's are much better.

ZiabR

Henry Ford III wrote: »

Engine is a bit....er....agricultural. Later 1.9's are much better.

Hmm that sounds odd, i have read reviews about the Saabs engines to be super and very powerful. Can i ask why you think it is agricultural?

Take a look here, let me know what you think:

http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/reviews/Review.aspx?model=780

domania

Get it from the UK and pay the VRT. Lots of what you want. You can work out the VRT online. With that budget you will easily get what you want.

ZiabR

Any links for UK Saab dealers?

Or should i say, max budget of 17000, need a diesel car no smaller than 1.9TDI. Looking for comfort and power.

Your ideas?

Moanin

Try www.allapprovedcars.com

Mainly main dealers in UK use this

domania

bang it into www.autotrader.co.uk and have a look. Then work out the VRT for the car on

https://www.ros.ie/VRTEnquiryServlet/ShowVRT

Pick a postcode that will be easy to get to like one in Liverpool as it's near the Ferry. Most of these dealers are well used to dealing with people from this side of the water going over for a bargain.

Try using the Liverpool Postcode for their central post office it's L32 2BR. Otherwise google another post office in another city.

TychoCaine

logik wrote: »

Hmm that sounds odd, i have read reviews about the Saabs engines to be super and very powerful. Can i ask why you think it is agricultural?

The older 2.2 is a GM engine, and they replaced it with a Fiat designed 1.9, so it mustn't have been that good.

E92

logik wrote: »

- My budget is 17000
- Oldest car i am willing to buy is 03
- Looking to buy in Jan-Mar 08
- Has to be the Diesel model

Because of my budget and the year of the car, i will most likely look to buy a 04 come next year.

I am looking at the 2.2TiD model. All i know about it is, 2.2 TiD 125BHP.

I am looking for info about the engine in this car from people who are driving Saabs. Anyone have this model and engine, how does it perform?

Cheers

Its an Opel Vectra in disguise. Thats what the 9-3 is.

ZiabR

Well i currently drive the old Ford Mondeo 1.8TD so are you guys saying i would be best going for the 2.0 TDCI 115 BHP 05 Model of the Mondeo?

Have the 1.8TD for 3 years and never had a problem with it.

groupb

The mondeo is far superior to a saab. The saab is a car that falls into the same category as the volvo S40 and audi A4. ie they are bought on looks and image but are bettered by most of their compeditors.

bazz26

The GM 2.2 Turbo diesel is noisy,very clattery and 125bhp is not great considering the additional tax you have to pay for a 2.2 litre, it well past it's sell by date to be honest. It was replaced by the 1.9 Turbo Diesel Fiat multi-jet engine in 2004. The 1.9 litre is available in 120bhp, 150bhp and soon a 187bhp twin turbo version.

The 9-3 itself is also a let down and has nothing in common with great Saabs of old.

If I were you I would stick with a Mondeo, you could get a high spec 130bhp Ghia or Titanium TDCi version in the UK dirt cheap. Or better still try and find the ST220 TDCi.

Henry Ford III

ST220 is a 3 litre V6 petrol bazz. ST TDCI is the 2.2 diesel. They look much the same btw.

furtzy

E92 wrote: »

Its an Opel Vectra in disguise. Thats what the 9-3 is.

A Vectra in a dinner jacket is what they call them. Had the 2.2 diesel in my previous vectra and it was allright. Bit clattery and noisy but good power. Its light years behind the new 1.9 150bhp common rail fiat engine which i have in the current vectra. Would recommend you shop around for the 1.9 version making sure its the 150bhp version and not the 120bhp 8 valve engine. The 2.2 suffered with problems with the fuel return pipes which result in poor starting and loss of power when overtaking. Mine had this and is easily solved by replacing the return pipes at very little cost.

ZiabR

Looking at the Mondeos on the .co.uk site i can get a Ghia X 130 BHP for half nothing which is great.

Anyone have experience about bringing in cars from the UK. Is there much too it? Alot of hassle and effort?

LOTTOWINNER

"The mondeo is far superior to a saab. The saab is a car that falls into the same category as the volvo S40 and audi A4. ie they are bought on looks and image but are bettered by most of their compeditors."

well I suppose saab, volvo and audi should all close down and we'll all drive fords, cause after all "looks and image" has never influenced anybody when buying a car, have they?

siralfalot

what you want is an Alfa 156 2.4 JTD

ZiabR

siralfalot wrote: »

what you want is an Alfa 156 2.4 JTD

Sorry, wouldn't buy an Alfa in a fit, not getting into the Alfa argument either.

siralfalot

logik wrote: »

Sorry, wouldn't buy an Alfa in a fit, not getting into the Alfa argument either.

well the 156 2.4JTD is a far far superior car to the 2.2 diesel Saab (the Alfa engined 1.9tid 9-3 is much better than the 2.2) which pretty much leaves you with one choice outside of Saab, Audi A4 TDI

although.........

some say that its carved from solid Granite,
and that its boot is the size of the Nevada Desert,
all we know is, its called the Skoda Octavia

Nuttzz

siralfalot wrote: »

some say that its carved from solid Granite,
and that its boot is the size of the Nevada Desert,
all we know is, its called the Skoda Octavia

lol

Stephen

Legroom in the back seats of a 9-3 is utterly ridiculously bad. Seems bizarre for a car of its size.

zoom_cool

Get a 1.9tdi Audi A4 will not depreciate as much as mondeo and try and get quattro one they r brill