I sense that there could be an All Saab Class at this year's Challenge!
I sense that there could be an All Saab Class at this year's Challenge!
Not to rain on anyone's parade, but I see a lot of these with catastrophic engine failure-either being overheated, or turbo oil seals failing. Just a friendly heads up.
But, there is a Challenge award for failure so it could be a win-win.
wheelsmithy wrote: Not to rain on anyone's parade, but I see a lot of these with catastrophic engine failure-either being overheated, or turbo oil seals failing. Just a friendly heads up.
That's a turbo thing, not necessarily a Saab thing. People don't take care of $2000 turbo cars.
So are there decent ways to add a bit of Viagra stiffness to a 'vert? I just test drove a '99. It was fairly nice for it's age and is dirt cheap. Luckily the guy lives in one of those developments with "speed humps" so I got to get a good feel for chassis flex. It's noticeable, but not tragic. Only thing I didn't like about this particular example was there was a suspension clang (sounded like bushings??) and it had the typical Saab pixel issue in the center console.
Swank Force One wrote:wheelsmithy wrote: Not to rain on anyone's parade, but I see a lot of these with catastrophic engine failure-either being overheated, or turbo oil seals failing. Just a friendly heads up.That's a turbo thing, not necessarily a Saab thing. People don't take care of $2000 turbo cars.
Plus for more fuel savings Swank would install a larger turbo anyways..
In reply to Klayfish:
Bracing can be added to any NG900/9-3 pretty easily. Check out the performance catalog at genuinesaab.com (Taliaferro Performance) and you'll see what the aftermarket has to offer (which isn't a bad selection, actually).
Steering rack brace (the silly rack placement makes this a very obvious improvement)
Subframe brace:
I had a 99 9-3 SE that we put around 150K on and I loved that car. The 99 SE had the turbo and inter cooler from the Viggen but was still a T5 car so with a cheap boost controller and some PVC pipe it would wrench the wheel out of your hands in 1st and 2nd if you were not paying attention.
When our third child was born my wife needed a minivan like vehicle so I took over her 9-5 Aero and we gave the 9-3 to my brother and it is still going strong with almost 300K on it.
So, I just bought a 99 9-3 with 110k on it. It was very cheap- I guess we'll see how this goes 
NONACK wrote: So, I just bought a 99 9-3 with 110k on it. It was very cheap- I guess we'll see how this goes
well, that escalated quickly. good luck!
I've had an 01 9-3 vert for about 5 years now. I've just been religious about oil changes (bigger filter and Rotella T6) and haven't had any engine issues. I have however been living with a check engine light for most of the time for an evap leak that appears once a month for a few days. I had to do a wheel bearing at some point, and replaced the exhaust flex pipe section with a stainless piece I procured on ebay.
I would suggest Brew City Boost's Stage 1 ECU tune, or if you're feeling crafty get T7 suite and do your own.
Great. Now im looking at Saabs.
Viggen looks pretty bad ass. Had a chance to trade for one once. Fun car to drive, but too gammered to own.
If purchasing a Viggen, check the wheels closely. They look fantastic, but bend if you run over a pebble.
We had an '00 base 9-3. I installed the GenunineSaab steering rack brace (shown above), and a larger rear sway bar. Both were noticeable improvements.
They run much better on 93 octane, and in the "S" mode if you get an automatic. Actually, with the turbo the auto isn't the worst choice in the world.
I'd look at one again as a cheap DD. When buying, look for the nicest one in your budget. Like a BMW, deferred maintenance can hurt you. Look for frequent oil changes with synthetic, and drop a coat hanger down the dipstick tube to check for sludge (very common). The combination of long oil change intervals, non-synthetic oil, and the heat of the turbo does not work well in the long-term.
I ran ours with a set of snows in the winter and it did very well.
Damnit. I guess I'm picking one of these up after I unload this wheeler dealer Bimmer. I've always wanted one after my 9000 got totaled. If i can find a white with cream interior and a stick I'll be happy.
http://austin.craigslist.org/cto/4809521242.html
Too bad I just burned the toy money on new flooring for the house otherwise I would be out looking at this one.
In reply to wheelsmithy: To further my strange connection to this thread, I have a Buddy just up the road (middle TN) who overheated his 9-3. He killed it. Milkshake in the crankcase. 4 (5?) Door. Nice, black body. Could be had for scrap value. If anyone has interest, I'll get details-stick or auto, price, title status, etc.
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