2008 Saab 93 1.9td opinions ?

Colash

Any thoughts on these Saabs ? I think they are a great looking car and spec wise are loaded to the hilt . 7-8k seems to be the going rate for a 08 model

corsav6

Colash wrote: »

Any thoughts on these Saabs ? I think they are a great looking car and spec wise are loaded to the hilt . 7-8k seems to be the going rate for a 08 model

I think its a fiat engine, same as the vectra so not to bad. It may actually be the same chassis too but that's one to Google. I know 1 person with 1 and he loves it, I was only in the passenger seat but its a nice interior and seems well built. Not sure about certain spare parts as Saab have been through the mills this last few years.
You would probably get 1 for less than 7k if your not in a hurry and keep an eye on the usual sites.

Colash

corsav6 wrote: »

I think its a fiat engine, same as the vectra so not to bad. It may actually be the same chassis too but that's one to Google. I know 1 person with 1 and he loves it, I was only in the passenger seat but its a nice interior and seems well built. Not sure about certain spare parts as Saab have been through the mills this last few years.
You would probably get 1 for less than 7k if your not in a hurry and keep an eye on the usual sites.

Thanks for the reply . I'm looking at one or two from dealerships in Dublin that comes with warranty so that makes the price tag of 7-8 k more appealing . Plus the mileage isn't colossal on them either .

corsav6

Colash wrote: »

Thanks for the reply . I'm looking at one or two from dealerships in Dublin that comes with warranty so that makes the price tag of 7-8 k more appealing . Plus the mileage isn't colossal on them either .

Well with warranty and low milage you should have yourself a nice car. I would personally have 1 before an a4 or Passat, I think the Saab is a nicer looking car.
I'm sure some 93 owners will pop along and give some real advice along with the pros and cons.

Colash

corsav6 wrote: »

Well with warranty and low milage you should have yourself a nice car. I would personally have 1 before an a4 or Passat, I think the Saab is a nicer looking car.
I'm sure some 93 owners will pop along and give some real advice along with the pros and cons.

I'm exactly the same . Too many a4 and passat around . I think the Saab has great looks and I can't really find bad reviews about it .

MJ23

Go for it. Great car.
Take note of the amount of these you see in one day. Then take note of the amount of A4's and Passat's around in one day.
A unique car, at a very decent price.
Parts can be picked up handy, don't worry about that.

Colash

MJ23 wrote: »

Go for it. Great car.
Take note of the amount of these you see in one day. Then take note of the amount of A4's and Passat's around in one day.
A unique car, at a very decent price.
Parts can be picked up handy, don't worry about that.

Thanks for that . The point you just made might have helped me make my decision

Mycroft H

corsav6 wrote: »

I think its a fiat engine, same as the vectra so not to bad. It may actually be the same chassis too but that's one to Google. I know 1 person with 1 and he loves it, I was only in the passenger seat but its a nice interior and seems well built. Not sure about certain spare parts as Saab have been through the mills this last few years.
You would probably get 1 for less than 7k if your not in a hurry and keep an eye on the usual sites.

While the 9-3 and the Vectra are technically based on the same platform; the GM epsilon, don't be fooled in thinking that the 9-3 is a Vectra with a new badge. Saab were famous for tinkering with it until they were happy with it.

9-3 is a lovely car and the 1.9tid is a great engine. Go for it.

toastedpickles

Yep go for it! less problems than the 2.2 and you're past all the messy problems with those years

Mycroft H

The wee button to engage "night" mode wins me. Kills all the interior lights bar the speedo. Class.

toastedpickles

Mycroft H wrote: »

The wee button to engage "night" mode wins me. Kills all the interior lights bar the speedo. Class.

Yeah i got one in mine, it's pretty damn cool, never use it though, i like to see all my lights :pac:

galwaytt

Mycroft H wrote: »

The wee button to engage "night" mode wins me. Kills all the interior lights bar the speedo. Class.

Yep. Drive over 140kph and they all come back on automatically as well. ....

Colash

This one has me really tempted to purchase
08, full service history, warranty , 1 years NCT, and 115 thousand miles on clock .
7995€
Sorry I couldn't post the link

Cee-Jay-Cee

toastedpickles wrote: »

Yep go for it! less problems than the 2.2 and you're past all the messy problems with those years

You've got that arseways. The 2.2 was the reliable trouble free GM unit. The 1.9 is the more troublesome Fiat unit that can give EGR trouble but it's still a better engine than VAG units.

Colash

I was always told the VAG 1.9's were invincable that's why I'm stuck between the Saab and an A4 or passat . But the Sabb is winning in the looks department

Tea 1000

CJC999 wrote: »

You've got that arseways. The 2.2 was the reliable trouble free GM unit. The 1.9 is the more troublesome Fiat unit that can give EGR trouble but it's still a better engine than VAG units.

The 2.2 was a prick of an engine.

toastedpickles

Colash wrote: »

I was always told the VAG 1.9's were invincable that's why I'm stuck between the Saab and an A4 or passat . But the Sabb is winning in the looks department

It's a lovely car don't get me wrong I've a 9-5 and i love it, you don't see many saabs around and as one poster has said how many passats and audis do you see each day, if your worried about parts and stuff going wrong, don't, there's plenty of parts trust me if you want to see my yoke I've a build thread i can link you to, even though its a 9-5 in whats known as "the trouble years" it might be worth a read even just to see what you might be getting features and the like the 9-3 and 9-5 have similar specs, i've found at least

irishgrover

I bought a 93 estate a couple of years ago @ 69k and it now has 115k (miles)....my thoughts
a.) I really like it!
b.) Utterly trouble free
b.) there are two engine types for the 1.9 -- 1.9T (120bhp) and 1.9TT(150bhp). I have the 120bhp
c.) If you get the opportunity drive more than one. Reason I say this is that when I was buying I test drove two of them from the same dealer (Galway), they should have been near identical, but one was just infinitely better...probably down to how it lived it's life to that point.
d.) The engine is Fiat and has a good reputation, used in Saabs, Alfa 159, vectra
e.) The seats are, without doubt, the most comfortable I have ever driven in
f.) Mileage wise - I do 20% backroads 80% motorway - same route every day. If traveling at 120-130 kmh I get 44-46mph. If I go down to 100 kph I get ~54 mph
g.) The nightlight button is cool :-), (If turns off all backlights bar speedo illumination - up to 140kmp), if you get close to 140kmp then the rest of the speedo lights turn on) - this is very silly but very cool
h.) The interior is a matter of taste - it's a bit plasticy and not very modern - but designed that way
i>) Be aware that just ''cause there are phone controls on the steering well, it does not mean that bluetooth is installed.

Of course, by default, I'm going to say I like it, as your less likely to get someone come onto a public forum and admit a bad decision...but personally I have no regrets and I spend a couple of hours a day sitting in one.
Best of luck with whatever you decide

Tea 1000

irishgrover wrote: »

b.) there are two engine types for the 1.9 -- 1.9T (120bhp) and 1.9TT(150bhp). I have the 120bhp

I believe there are 3, the 120 and 150, and the 1.9TT is actually around 180 and has 2 turbos, the 150 still only has one.

corsav6

Mycroft H wrote: »

While the 9-3 and the Vectra are technically based on the same platform; the GM epsilon, don't be fooled in thinking that the 9-3 is a Vectra with a new badge. Saab were famous for tinkering with it until they were happy with it.

9-3 is a lovely car and the 1.9tid is a great engine. Go for it.

Don't get me wrong here, I love the vectra, and I'm at the early stage of sourcing 1.
The Fiat engine suffers from egr problems, that's a common and easy fix. It also suffers from swirl flap problems, not so easy to fix. The biggest problem is if the Saab uses the same gearbox, M32, very common bearing failure. Our 1.3 astra uses a smaller version of the 1.9 fiat engine and so far the only problem was egr, which a good hard drive seems to have sorted for now.

irishgrover

Tea 1000 wrote: »

I believe there are 3, the 120 and 150, and the 1.9TT is actually around 180 and has 2 turbos, the 150 still only has one.

thanks for the clarification, I happily stand corrected.

onemore guy

We have the same car same year etc, we are very happy with it, only real issue has been the EGR valve. Parts are available everywhere though I reccomend buying original saab parts, we tried fitting a different brand EGR valve and it was a nightmare, bought an original on ebay and it is solid now. We've had it a year now and the only mechanics it needed was EGR, timing belt and water pump and the front wheel bearing, not bad for a car with 120k.

corsav6

onemore guy wrote: »

We have the same car same year etc, we are very happy with it, only real issue has been the EGR valve. Parts are available everywhere though I reccomend buying original saab parts, we tried fitting a different brand EGR valve and it was a nightmare, bought an original on ebay and it is solid now. We've had it a year now and the only mechanics it needed was EGR, timing belt and water pump and the front wheel bearing, not bad for a car with 120k.

If you could get it mapped to ignore the egr valve it would make a huge difference, cleaner inlet manifold and better performance.

Cee-Jay-Cee

Tea 1000 wrote: »

The 2.2 was a prick of an engine.

Yep it was crude and agricultural but reliable unlike the fiat 1.9 lump which had many issues. I used to own a 2.2 9-3 and I bought it after being advised by a former Saab mechanic that it was the better of the two engines and that the 1.9 Saab also suffered regular electrical problems with sensors and stupid wiring faults.

galwaytt

CJC999 wrote: »

You've got that arseways. The 2.2 was the reliable trouble free GM unit. The 1.9 is the more troublesome Fiat unit that can give EGR trouble but it's still a better engine than VAG units.

Tea 1000 wrote: »

The 2.2 was a prick of an engine.

CJC999 wrote: »

Yep it was crude and agricultural but reliable unlike the fiat 1.9 lump which had many issues. I used to own a 2.2 9-3 and I bought it after being advised by a former Saab mechanic that it was the better of the two engines and that the 1.9 Saab also suffered regular electrical problems with sensors and stupid wiring faults.

Well I went from the 150bhp MJet engine to the 2.2, so allow me............

Neither have given any trouble. The MJet did 100k in my hands with only EGR cleaning, 1 x alternator rebuild, 1 x timing belt service and 2 x drop links, and at 168k the DMF & clutch were due a change - but I sold it instead. Couldn't fault it really. And yes, nicer than VAG engines - albeit a bit thistier (43mpg).

The 2.2 I have for nearly two years - but it's auto. Slower, a bit noisier, but suits the auto 'box and it's a lovely comfy cruiser. Only 3mpg less than the 150, but mechanically simpler. And cheaper. The difference in price I paid for it pays for the tax difference for the next 5 years...........and it's a bigger car: 9-5 estate over a 9-3 estate.

Again, basic service, keep the oils & filters done, and no issues after nearly 2 years - and it's a daily commute car. 200k on it now.

Love 'em both.

Wtf I'm going to buy after it eventually gets retired I have no idea....