Calling all Saab drivers!

spank_inferno

So the missus and I are going to retire our fabia to stud and upgrading to a bigger car.

The criteria we agreed on was:
- A 4door saloon that wasnt too big.
- Comfort and ride quality were very important
- reliable
- easy on the pocket and the eye.
- to have a bit of poke in the engine when needed.

So on saturday we test drove a saab 93 1.8i (122bhp)
And I have to say we both really liked it.
The car felt great and was a lovely comfortable place to be.
The engine was a bit dissapointing so we reckon the 1.8t or a diesel would be preferable.
The Saab seems to tick a few boxes for us.

So my question to Saab owners:
What are they like to own?
What should a perspective buyer look for?

many thanks

*Edit* I read the parkers article on it which was good, but I'm also looking for personal perspectives on it.

txpjl

1Mil miles and 8 deer. u can't go wrong. lol

http://www.jsonline.com/business/29181064.html

Try a dedicated SAAB forum or owners club as well.

colm_mcm

The gearing on the 1.8i is very short so it revs an awful lot at motorway speeds. I had one from work for a chunk of last year. I really liked it.
They're hard enough on bushings and need a cambelt every 40k. The 1.8t (which is a 2.0) would be a better choice. the 1.8i is the opel ecotec engine. I found the cabin a bit rattly, particularly the (leather) seats.
Try and get a good spec, the basic ones don't have proper speakers and other corners are cut.


Performance wise, it's similar to a 1.6 Avensis.

If space isn't an issue and if the budget allows, I'd look at the new model S40 as well.

Midnight_EG

Saab_Ed around?

Mycroft H

txpjl wrote: »

1Mil miles and 8 deer. u can't go wrong. lol

http://www.jsonline.com/business/29181064.html

Try a dedicated SAAB forum or owners club as well.

Amazing, gotta love the old 900s

Ferris

The 4 pot turbo petrol engines on the '02 - '07 9-3's need oil changes every 5k miles due to them sludgeing the oil. Also needs to be drained from the sump via the sump plug, not siphoned out.

Diesels are a fiat sourced unit and go well but need 40k cambelt changes and good oil change history (not specific to saabs of course, all engines need good oil, especially turbo ones)

See here:

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/index.htm?md=571

Saab Ed

Midnight_EG wrote: »

Saab_Ed around?

You called

Sorry , I cant really be of much help because my Saab is an old girl. All I can say is that the 2.0 litre lump is almost bomb proof so long as you change the oil way ahead of when Saab suggests. A good few of my friends have modern Saabs and excluding normal wear there's not much they complain about. One mate recently bought a 150bhp 1.9 turbo diesel 9-3 (2005 ) in Vector spec and its just fantastic. He does alot of driving and he reckons there's not much out there better than it for the money. Around 50 to the gallon is what he's getting from it. The 2 litre petrol , like all 2 litre cars is'nt great on juice when pushed but in everyday conditions its good enough. You'd have to buy the turbo though, the normal 1.8 is dog slow and a gruff aul motor to shift along. For the money you spend versus an Audi , Saabs are great value. For what its worth , if you are going to keep this car for a good long time then consider a similar year 9-5. 3 or 4 year old versions suffer awful depreciation and you could bag youself a right bargain...like this......

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Saab/9-5/2.0-t-ve/200929194648614/advert?channel=CARS

Barr

I've owned a 9-3 , the previous model and found it wonderful. Powereful and reliable. The newer ones seem to make small money second hand which mekes the great value.

veetwin

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Saab/9-5/2.0-t-ve/200929194648614/advert?channel=CARS
[/quote]

Thats a serious amount of car for the money!

colm_mcm

That 93 is badget 2.0t. does that mean it's higher bhp than a 1.8t (which is also a 2.0)?

Saab Ed

colm_mcm wrote: »

That 93 is badget 2.0t. does that mean it's higher bhp than a 1.8t (which is also a 2.0)?

Yeah thats it....

1.8i = 122bhp

1.8t = 150bhp

2.0t = 175 bhp......as far as I remember

colm_mcm

sounds about right.

then there was the 2.0T which had more power than the 2.0t.

grudgebringer

txpjl wrote: »

1Mil miles and 8 deer. u can't go wrong. lol

http://www.jsonline.com/business/29181064.html

Try a dedicated SAAB forum or owners club as well.

Oh Man, that is amazing, 1 million miles .... sad that Saab wouldn't give him something for it though ....

Hope my 1999 9-3 last that long (doubt it though) :P

VolvoMan

Just to ket everyone know, the engines in the 9-3 are not the same as the ones in the 9-5, which are known to be troublesome. They are in fact GM units and I don't think I've heard of anything major go wrong on them.

galwaytt

In recent year, we've been through: 03 Renault RX4 1.9Dci, Galaxy 1.8Tdci, Mazda MPV 2.0 (ahem :rolleyes:), and since last year, an 06 Saab 1.8 Tid. So far, it's done exactly what it says on the tin: fast, economical (40.8mpg at the mo on commute), v. comfortable, and looks great.

The engine is far more refined the VAG bunch (although I wouldn't not buy a car over that). It's now got 98k kms (58 miles), and every time I get in it, it makes you wonder how much better people expect diesels to get, really. Quiet, too, and cruises at 65-70 with consumate ease, and needs no gear changes to overtake - just wooshes along.

What I like with Saab's (and Volvo's..) is that they are generally higher spec than equivalent German, for less money..........leather far more common (which is a must, for me).

Oh, and I think it looks great as well !

Good value to buy, imho.

pburns

galwaytt wrote: »

In recent year, we've been through: 03 Renault RX4 1.9Dci, Galaxy 1.8Tdci, Mazda MPV 2.0 (ahem :rolleyes:), and since last year, an 06 Saab 1.8 Tid. So far, it's done exactly what it says on the tin: fast, economical (40.8mpg at the mo on commute), v. comfortable, and looks great.

The engine is far more refined the VAG bunch (although I wouldn't not buy a car over that). It's now got 98k kms (58 miles), and every time I get in it, it makes you wonder how much better people expect diesels to get, really. Quiet, too, and cruises at 65-70 with consumate ease, and needs no gear changes to overtake - just wooshes along.

What I like with Saab's (and Volvo's..) is that they are generally higher spec than equivalent German, for less money..........leather far more common (which is a must, for me).

Oh, and I think it looks great as well !

Good value to buy, imho.

Yeah we can all yearn for the days of the old 900 Turbo with our purist hats on and dismiss the 9-3 as a Vectra-clone but when you actually weigh up the pros and cons something like a 9-3, with the right spec and the right engine actually makes a lot of sense. That estate version looks great and I just know it was a bargain.

cadete

Hi all
goin to lok at an 05 9-3 1.9tid linear sport tomorrow, reading this i take it they are quite good for the money, and have no real problems. Am i correct saying this?

blueband

Not sure OP if you're planning on going brand shiny new or second hand, if new I don't have any experience of the newer models.

I am however a current owner of the first 9-3 SportsSedan as it is called by Saab, first saloon version of the 9-3 as previously they were all hatches/fastbacks

I've got the 2.0T Aero which is a 220bhp (someone earlier mentioned this so thought I'd clarify)
It's a mid 03 and even though I absolutely love it, the early incarnations were prone to trim rattle and some electrical problems. So far I'm lucky to have not had many problems in my almost 4 years of ownership. I personally think they're a car you either love no matter what or cause dissilusionment - bit like my previous Alfa GTV6 which I adored but cost me a fortune!

You do generally get good kit for the money, mine's fully loaded with every gadget you could want as standard. My advice if you're going second hand is look for an 04 or 05 model, you should avoid the teething rattle and electrical problems that were in the first batch. There was a facelift in 06 I think but I personally wasn't mad on the changes, prefer my my models look.
Only problems I've had since I got it was a pinch sensor in the drivers window, cabin fan went caput, and a bushing gone in the rear passenger side. Suspension noises with our poor quality roads I think would be common on most cars.
Oh, and a good few scrapes on the underside/edges of the very low body trim on my model from all the bloody oversized speed bumps Dublin Council love throwing down everywhere!!! :mad:

If you can stretch to a more powerful model do so as it is a heavy car.
The 1.9TiD is great fiat/alfa engine (same as the Alfa GT) but avoid the earlier oil burners which were a GM 2.2 and were awful!!!

Hope this helps.

mumblin deaf ro

grudgebringer wrote: »

Oh Man, that is amazing, 1 million miles .... sad that Saab wouldn't give him something for it though ....

Hope my 1999 9-3 last that long (doubt it though) :P

Saab gave him a free car:

http://www.4to40.com/newsat4/index.asp?id=671

mumblin deaf ro

To OP:

http://www.saabcentral.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=30

biko

I used to have one and loved it, might get a 9-5 next time for the extra space.

Dr Kamikazi

Another thing about Saabs, they seem to have a better reputation on the road than Beemers and Audis.
When is the last time you ever heard anyone say "Look at that maniac in his Sabb!" :cool:
You probably get let out more than other exec barges.

aero2k

VolvoMan wrote: »

Just to ket everyone know, the engines in the 9-3 are not the same as the ones in the 9-5, which are known to be troublesome. They are in fact GM units and I don't think I've heard of anything major go wrong on them.

There is a known problem with the 9-5 4 cylinder engines caused by sludging. Cars that have been treated to regular oil changes with fully synthetic oil seem to be much less at risk. Other than that the engines are very robust and can take high mileages (i.e. over 200k). A design change after late '04 solved the sludge problem, but if you find a good one older than that - plenty of them about for relatively little money - there's a modification kit available for around €75 which a competent diyer can fit.
The 9-5 is quite a bit roomier than the 9-3 without being much bigger on the outside.