2003-4 Saab 9-3: Any good?

Hey,

Looking for presentable daily driver. Candidates need to: - be around $5000 - $7000, - have 4 doors, - have a MANUAL gearbox (or gearbag in Saab's case), - get decent fuel economy (around 30 hwy), and - be somewhat fun to drive.

I've looked for a Golf or Jetta, but came across some really cheap Saab 9-3s, which make me wonder: are they any good? I had a 1995 GM900, so I am aware the 9-3s through 2002 are a bit cough lacking, but how are the newer 9-3s? I drove one last winter and thought it was fantastic. They sure are cheap. I'm looking at a 2003 with 60,000 miles on Craigslist for $8000. Or could get a 2001 Brazilian-made Golf for the same dough.

Thanks!

they are pretty good value. The autobox is not good in 2003, but you won't have that issue. There are many cosmetic and electrical mostly minor issues and front wheel bearing and struts can fail prematurely. Get an 04 as most of the new model stuff was fixed by then. The oil sludging is not a problem on the current 9-3. I have an 07 Sportcombi and it has been excellent so far. The ride is good and relaxing, but not autox material. The highway fuel economy is great. High 30'smpg no problem. Saab probably has the worst depreciation curve in the automotive world except for SUV's right now. That makes them great used car bargains. I would say the quality will beat a VW.

Go for an '04 for the reasons that Aspen mentioned. The first model year seemed to be rushed, like always, and they missed some issues. They were all fixed by '04.

Great cars. They handle absolutely phenomenally. Much better than the previous 9-3s. Good fuel economy and good looks. Hard to argue with the low prices now, too.

MiatarPowar - Maybe I just had a bad egg...but the ones I've driven had horrible understeer. Is that part of handling "absolutely phenomenally" or am I missing something? I think they look pretty sharp, but I am not a fan of the handling at all. I've only driven stock examples with stock tires.

Bryce

Nashco wrote: MiatarPowar - Maybe I just had a bad egg...but the ones I've driven had horrible understeer. Is that part of handling "absolutely phenomenally" or am I missing something?

It was personal opinion after having driven them hard. It feels very well-balanced for a FWD luxo-sedan. Understeer was only present for me when it was completely overdriven. Most of the reviews that I've read of the 9-3SS (03+) have touted handling as superb for a front-driver.

Compared to the '01 9-3 that I owned previously and most every other front-driver I've been able to drive, I thought the 9-3SS handled wonderfully. It isn't a CRX. It isn't an M3, or even an E30. It's a 3000lb+ FWD sedan, and you have to drive it as such.

'04 Arc (the "T", not the "t" motor) Replaced a wheel bearing at 67K, and replaced the flaked paint emblems... otherwise, no complaints. Watch for dealers seriously under inflating the tires unless they're on the ball, Saabs run low 40s pressure cold.

OK, one complaint, you need an actual Saab dealer (or Saab specific shop with the right computer) to make changes to stuff like DRLs, auto locking behavior, stuff like that.

And you can't replace the stock stereo, it's fully integrated. Luckily anything above the base radio is actually pretty good!

Aspen wrote: Get an 04 as most of the new model stuff was fixed by then.

The stuff that's wrong on '03s--Do the repairs work, or are they screwed forever all the time? 'o3s are cheaper, so if one fix fixes the problems, then the previous owner has probably taken care of them.

Radios: I like to listen to far-away AM stations at night when I drive, so a quality tuner section is far more important to me than twelve subwoofers. I'm a RADIO listener, so if the tuners are fine, I don't care having the base sound system.

The stuff that's wrong on '03s--Do the repairs work, or are they screwed forever all the time? 'o3s are cheaper, so if one fix fixes the problems, then the previous owner has probably taken care of them.

The minor stuff usually stays fixed, but there just seems to be a lot of it. Interior pieces, wheel bearings, struts, window regulators, etc. The worst issue is the auto tranny/coolant leak failure, but the std should be OK. Also there was some fibre optics used prior to 07 or 06 that can be a problem.

An 03 can be a good buy if stuff has already been fixed or it will nickle and dime you while annoying the crap out of you. There was one guy on the Saab board with a list of 20-25 dealer visits for warrantee work. I am just saying that an 04 may be less troublesome and worth the extra money.