Learn me: 2006 Saab 9 -3 2.0 Turbo

We have started casually shopping for a replacement wagon for my daughter to drive, once the TDI goes back to VW. She wants something off the wall. One car I came across that would fit that bill is a clean looking 2006 Saab 9 -3 2.0 Turbo wagon for sale nearby.

Ad says: I have for sale my 2006 Saab 9-3 2.0 Turbo wagon with only 114 K miles it runs and drives excellent it's been well taken care of garage kept there is no oil leaks no check engine lights the transmission shifts smoothly at all gears the engine idles smooth and strong there are no issues with the turbo or anything on the car this car is outstanding versatile very comfortable sports wagon and is fun to drive the leather interior is in perfect condition there is no wear on leather seats it blows super cold ice cold AC everything works 100% it's well equipped with Factory Xenon HID lighting sunroof heated seats the exterior body original glossy paint this vehicle has never been in a accident zero clean Florida title clean Carfax it has four newer tires it needs nothing and I just change the oil the brakes are good to front and back I'm only asking $4300 best offer

I would have a PPI done prior to purchase. In general though, are these decent cars? A co-worker has a 2006 2.0 he bought new and it's been super reliable, and that is in spite of his teenage girls doing their best to destroy it!

My brother had an '05 9-3 which was an excellent car. Sporty and taut, comfy on a long drive and knocked down 35 MPG hwy.

Met it's demise in a front end collision when a doofus pulled out and into my brothers' lane on a 55 mph road. Car held together astonishingly well, one of the safest things out there.

Good to know! I recalled them being rated as highly safe. And good MPG is a bonus.

They are very good cars. We have had an 04, 08, and currently my wife drives 2010 sedan. it has been very reliable for 90k. just had to replace fuel sending unit as the gas guage got flaky. I would buy another one if they were still making them. We still have an old dealer around here, which has been nice when I am busy. I know them pretty well if you have specific questions.

They can be excellent cars. Unfortunately, if you don't have local support (SAAB have their own specific scan and programming tools) you can wind up stuck on seemingly simple repairs. We have had an older (2001) 9-3, and it has been an unending source of aggravation. The limp home mode on these really limits it to literally limping, and no local place has the full tech2 scanner for saab that allows resetting of the operating parameters which govern when the limp - home is triggered.

If you get any used SAABS, I would highly recommend replacing all vaccuum lines and engine/transmission mounts ASAP. If the 2.0 or 2.3 make sure all oil changes have been done on time and with full-synthetic.

Tech 2 clone from Aliexpress for ~$250-$300. Software for free from several web pages. A laptop running Windows XP with a serial port is the best to use. All else involve patches and creativity.

I enjoy my 04 Saab 93 Aero convertible. But, it's not been a zero maintenance vehicle either.

I wanted to bring this one back up to see if anyone has more input on these. I was reading somewhere that the 2.0T is basically the same engine as was used in the Cobalt SS, HHR SS, Sky, Solstice. Is that true? If so, could you use the same tuning software they do? I know those Eco motors made some stupid hp when tuned.

I have one... specifically a 2006 9-3 2.0T "sport combi". I bought this one used from a family friend with 150k on it and I just rolled over 180k a week ago.

The 9-3SS line with the 4 cyl uses an ecotec engine. I think the only other turbos were the sky redline and a limited number of cobalt SS, and even then the heads are different.

If mine got smashed tomorrow, I'd probably try to find another. I briefly had an aero with the 2.0T and a 6 speed. It was more fun, but the wagon with auto makes more sense for my DD.

I ran into some audio issues in both of mine going back to the fiber optic bus. I was able to troubleshoot both with the help of Saabcentral.com. My wagon also has an issue with the fuel gauge that is fairly common, but I haven't bothered to fix.

Great cars!

Thanks! I had a '99 Saab 9-5 wagon 5spd several years ago, and liked it. For me, I'm actually looking at the 9-3 'vert, from about '06 on. I know the 2.8L turbo motor has a troublesome reputation, so I'm looking at the 2.0T. As I was digging, it looks like the Saab runs an "older" version of the Ecotec, so it's very closely related to the Sky Redline, Solstice GXP and Cobalt SS motor, but not identical. So I can't use their tuning stuff. Seems there are very limited tuning options for the Saab 2.0, but I'm not looking to do anything crazy with it, just basic tune. The one tune I could find is a "stage 0", which doesn't require any mods to the car. Takes it from 210hp to about 250 and tq from 220 to 270.

Interesting timing for this topic. There is a 2007 Combi 6 speed that just showed up right around the corner from me. It's got about 72K miles on it. They are a little dear on the price but I'd have to work with them on that. I want another stick and something I can still fit all my stuff in including my bike on occasions.

Regarding a tune... there is a HUGE community of tuners out there. Many are just guys with laptops and software called T8suite. Check out Brew City Boost. Pretty cool guys and they usually even have a black Friday deal.