Saab 9-3 - The worst car I've ever owned!

The Pontiac

This is the 7th car I've owned since I started driving 16 years ago, and the only one I have disliked (actually hated). All the others I loved to bits, in their own way. I've owned 2 Fiestas, a Honda Civic, a Jeep Cherokee, a Peugeot 406 and a Ford Focus.

The thing is - the Saab should be a class above in terms of comfort. The ride quality is bordering on the ridiculous. It's fine on main roads but on crappy surfaces it shakes, rattles, squeaks and you can feel ever pothole and bump. The worst built interior I've ever had in a car. Something like British Leyland would have built in the 1970's. Shockingly poor quality plastics. A good ride might be compromised for decent handling. You must be joking! The steering is lifeless and the handling is crap. My Focus was 5 years older with 160k and it would leave the Saab for dead in handling and ride quality. The only good thing about the car is the Fiat 1.9tid 150bhp engine.

Rant over. I hate my car.

Matt Simis

Why did you buy it if so many things are so glaringly wrong?

The Pontiac

Matt Simis wrote: »

Why did you buy it if so many things are so glaringly wrong?

You're dead right and I hold my hands up. I should have taken it for a longer test drive on different roads etc. A test drive with the owner is a bit daunting, especially in the 9-3 with the gazillion buttons on the dashboard.

As you own the car for longer period you realise what a piece of crap it is. GM really messed up Saab.

I'd love to get rid of it after only a few months, but all that hassle.

Supergurrier

Almost bought one of these until i heard similar stories, so glad i didn't i can't imagine life w/o a 5 pot burble

JAMM222

I have a Saab 95 for just over a year now and it's definitely my favorite car. I drove my friends Alfa 159 2.4 jtd yesterday and I was dying to get back into my Saab

Supergurrier

Different chassis completely though

The Pontiac

Supergurrier wrote: »

Different chassis completely though

Yeah the 9-3 shared the same platform as the Vectra. Were the Vectras themselves this horrid, I wonder?

The Pontiac

LIGHTNING wrote: »

I always heard Vectra`s while being a bit bland were actually good drivers cars.

There were such a big seller, so I can't imagine them being that bad.

I must have bought a dud, although you do read on the forums about the 9-3's crashy ride. The 9-3 interior is just crap, period. That's indisputable.

Wonda-Boy

A mate of mine had a 07 Saab and the amount of things that went wrong with it after he got it is truely amazing...he sold it for buttons and got a 09 Passat.

Bpmull

LIGHTNING wrote: »

I always heard Vectra`s while being a bit bland were actually good drivers cars.

My parents bought a new vectra in 2005 old type 1.9cdti 120bhp. We sold it in 2007 but my mother swears it was the best handling car she ever drove. She was half sorry she sold it. As for Saab my uncle has a 93 2001 and loves it but he just loves saabs. Other than that I have never heard anyone say they were a good car.

The Pontiac

Bpmull wrote: »

My parents bought a new vectra in 2005 old type 1.9cdti 120bhp. We sold it in 2007 but my mother swears it was the best handling car she ever drove. She was half sorry she sold it. As for Saab my uncle has a 93 2001 and loves it but he just loves saabs. Other than that I have never heard anyone say they were a good car.

My brother also had the old shape 9-3 (1999), the same model as your uncle's, and it was a fine car. My 9-3 is 2005, the newer model, and I've no idea what GM did to it to make it so brutal.