help me choose a saab

So there are 3 saab 9-3's i'm looking at. 2 are 99 SE's and one is a 00 viggen. each one is 2-3 hours drive from me (in different directions) so I can't easily look at all of them.

http://desmoines.craigslist.org/cto/5059799952.html -00 viggen asking $4k but says make an offer, its been on c-list for awhile, afraid it could be a basket case but a cheap viggen still has me interested.

http://omaha.craigslist.org/cto/5083445837.html -99 SE just came up yesterday. cheap and looks pretty good, asking $1.1k higher miles though

http://kansascity.craigslist.org/cto/5056013214.html -99 SE been on c-list for awhile, looks nice, new clutch, tires, service records, asking $2.7k 136k mi

help me decide what to go for.

Email the sellers and ask what oil they use, and how frequently they change it. You'll want to buy the one that's been drinking synthetic for most (if not all) of its life.

What dj said, though it would be hard to pass up the Viggen.

I would go for the silver one, and see if you can get a few hundred off the price. Make sure preventive maintenance is up to date, spend those few hundred you saved on a tune and you will have 95 percent of the Viggen's performance for just over half the cost. If you really want to go wild you could add in some suspension and a bigger exhaust and have a car that's faster than the Viggen, and still less $$.

The 99s are also less sludge prone than the later cars.

If you like the newer style, try this one. http://columbiamo.craigslist.org/cto/5069382097.html

I imagine that the salvage title will make that a $3k car.

DJ nailed it.

If you can get a 99 or earlier call that would be my choice... Trionic 5 (T5) cars are a little easier and cheaper to maintain/modify than the Trionic 7 (T7) cars.

However, the viggen is a phenomenal daily driver.

Real dream would be a 99 Viggen Coupe...

$2000 Viggen that needs a clutch slave cylinder:

http://www.saabcentral.com/forums/index.php#/forumsite/21020/topics/511481?page=2