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Saab 9-3 Coupe (2002 and earlier)
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Comments
Those "quirky features" are selling points. Just look at the phenomenal success of the starter button in the Honda 2000 and you get some measure of how satisfying the motoring public finds it to have something "different" about their car.
In an age of increasing standardization and jelly-bean cars, daring to be "different" in a safe, tough, fast, utilitarian car like a Saab is a safe bet.
The Saab is an engineer's car; the Hondas and Toyotas are accountant's cars.
Damn the price. Who gives a rat's butt? The car is all.
Sure, the 9-3 is vastly improved over the 900, but that can also mean had a lot of opportunities for improvement. I've found plenty of deficiencies, from too-easily broken headlight switches, to pain-in-the-*** foglight bulb servicing, to 3 major "drop the motor" repairs.
Sure, the 9-3 is fairly unique in its practicality & versatility, but that's mostly because of its hatchback design, not its brand. Good highway cruiser, yes. Good interior room, yes. Flexibility from its huge hatchback, yes. Ridiculous markup on CD player and speakers, yes :-). Never leaves you stranded on the side of the road, no.
And therein lies the rub. Overall, I've loved the design of my Saab and what I can haul around with it, but I've been dissatisfied with the car's mechanical reliability. As such, I'm willing to forgo that utility for something that I can once again trust to take on my ~400 mile/day business roadtrips.
-hh
GM is definitely running a price penetration marketing plan in a heavily competitve market with 9-3s that are building a reputation for Maytag repairman/Toyota reliability.
Then, the Epsilon chassis will come out with SVC engines, a variety of body styles, GM parts availablity and make those damn autowriters write something other than "hoary" or "dated" about the car. For too long it has languished behind the Bimmer and never had the capital of the Volvo.
Watch and see what GM does with the car. My bet is it's in for a long run with $3.8B committed.
I was stranded once with my '79 900T so I know all about that. My damn windshield wipers didn't work and I needed a long tow in the snow. Once, with my '71 144S Volvo, I dropped a U-joint at 75mph finishing a cross-Canada (Halifax-Edmonton) run so I didn't mind that too much.
Joshuah 1- Thanks for info on test drive. I have written Volvo S60 off- not even test driving it- it has essentially a nonexistent back seat- worse than the old Audi A4- which is pretty small. Volvo's redesign was a real shame in my opinion. Although I don't have kids yet I need a back seat that I can at least transport 4 adults on a short trip with me driving- and with the S 60 I could not do that. I literally could not fit behind the drivers seat with the front seat adjusted for me. My father in law has an S70 and while a fine car I agree it definitely does not have the fun factor that Saab has. Do you have any comments on reliability- I would love know. Emails like Huntzinger's can make a car shopper nervous.
Has anyone out there heard about factory to dealer incentives or financing deals for May? Saabusa.com does not have info yet.
I am looking at the 9-3s for about $24. The 0% would just be a nice to have :-)
Thanks.
The 9-3 I see here is around 30K (auto/leather/heatedseats/etc)
I wish the illumination fairy had visited the power side-mirror control switch and the power-seat memory button. The latter you can do by feel, but the mirror switch needs some visual cue.
Oh, I guess a one-button "all up/all down" feature would be nice for the sunroof and windows, but not too much of a bother.
Otherwise it's all good. Spent $100 for the rubber floor mat for the hatch area--now its basically a small truck bed. VERY comfortable seats (I'm 6' 2"), I don't miss the arm rest cuz I usually have two hands on the wheel.
And how much fun is it to drive? I'm seriously considering selling my '69 Mustang ragtop I've had since 1982.
I just bought a base 9-3 with everything for 430/month- 5 year loan at 0%. I don't know your situation so maybe leasing is better for you, but if you're looking at monthly payments as determining factor, you can get a pretty good deal till end of May due to 0% financing. We were able to put quite a bit down however, or else our payments would have been higher. I leased my last vehicle and was not too thrilled with leasing- didn't like mileage restrictions and got kind of screwed on residual value. Just my 2 cents. Good luck.
Coz I am selling my house right now and it might take as long as two, three months to close the deal. After I have read many posts on this site about the Saab 9-3, I finally convert myself
from Audi A4 to a Saab 9-3.
Would love to hear more post about Saab 9-3!!
Thanks guys!
Avalon- Can you even compare it to a Saab? If you were looking at a Saab and wound up with an Avalon, it sounds like you were not sure what kind of car you wanted or needed in the first place. They are two completely different cars. Probably the closest comparison for the Avalon would be the VW Passat. The Passat has a cavernous back seat but is nowhere near as fun as a Saab. While the 9-3 has in my opinion the most back seat room in the sports sedan class, it is a SPORTS sedan, NOT a FAMILY sedan. If you need to fit two teenagers in the back seat on long trips, its not for you. I can comfortably fit three average size adults on a long trip VERY comfortably, but if you need to fit four it si tight. That is typical of this class of cars. ALthough with the Saab you get a huge trunk- somehting no other car in its class can match. Also, before I ever bought an Avalon I would have checked out the 9-5.
Also, while Avalon may have more power in terms of HP you also have to look at power to weight ratio, amount of torque and number of RPMs that torque kicks in and how the torque powerband works- is it even, does it peak at high RPMs? And I'm sorry, there is NO match in terms of handling, which without good handling power is useless. Everyone talks about superior workmanship and reliability of japanese cars- I'm not sure what the talk is about. I personally think that japanese cars just have never rid themselves of the 70's econobox feel, no matter how pricy they make them. And they seem to have the same reliability as any other car that is properly maintained. I know lots of people who own japanese cars, lots who own European, and lots who own American. Everyone seems to have some problems and everyone seems to have good experiences. I think that aside from the few models out there that have documented histories of problems, most people base their beliefs on quality and reliabilty on impressions rather than facts. You want facts- check out Consumer Reports latest ratings for reliability of 9-3 since 1999. It has been well above average. I am glad that the Avalon works for you, but it sounds like the Saab did not work more because it is not the right type of car for your needs, rather than b/c of any inherent problem with the Saab itself. When the kids grow up and you're not comparing cars based on the back seat, try the Saab again- I'll bet you won't buy an Avalon then.
As for handling, I totally agree that the Saabs are far superior to an Avalon or other similar vehicle.
On the base, the incentive is $4300 or 0%, as others have said already. It ends on 5/31, and my salesdude wouldn't comment on whether it was going to be around after. The incentive has come down in recent months, so I'm not too sure if it's worth the chance of it falling more, or them cancelling the 0% rate.
One thing that I was kind of upset about was that they don't make the 3-door with the pop-out rear windows anymore. That was a really great feature of my old car, and really helped with airing out the car (for reasons that I won't go into here).
Has anyone installed aftermarket leather? I'm thinking of that, as the color options don't seem too exciting, especially with a steel gray exterior. My concern is Saab honoring the warranty on the side air bags with aftermarket seat covers, though I talked to an aftermarket leather place, and they said that their covers use the same kind of tear-away seams as the factories.
I realize that the reliability isn't the best overall, but I hope that most people realize that they're not getting Toyota reliability when they get these. If they want it, they should get a Toyota, though buying an Avalon seems a little extreme. Guess it's a tradeoff, though I'd like to see Saab make more of a concerted effort to improve.
One more thing, I would also venture to guess that none of you Saab enthusiasts have ever test driven a 2001 Toyota Avalon, which I ended up purchasing over the Saab. Therefore, you really aren't qualified to compare the vehicles. I on the other hand have driven both vehicles and can assert that they are both excellent cars in their own right. I certainly do not judge someone for choosing the vehicle that is right for them. If you look at my original posting, #115, its intent was to provide pricing and incentive information on the Saab. I have accomplished that mission and now, I will bid you all farewell.
I have linked this discussion into that folder, but it will always reside here in Hatchbacks.
Looking forward to meeting everyone!
KarenS
Host
Owner's Clubs
In case you didn't know, www.saabnet.com is a great source for this kind of info.
Invoice = $25,170
Leather = $ 1,175
Sunroof = $ 1,001
Heated-
Seats = $ 392
Dest. = $ 575
Total = $28,313
Minus - $ 4,300 Incentive
My Price= $24,013
Just a tip, never negotiate a sales price based on the sticker price. Always negotiate based on the invoice price minus any rebates or incentives. Good luck.
I am leasing a 99 9-3 and a few days ago I suddenly had serious difficulty getting from one gear to another. Within minutes, it became impossible to change gears at all. I pulled over and restarted the car and drove home without a problem. The next day, I barely got the car out of my driveway before it got stuck in reverse, lost power, and died.
Yikes.
I had the car towed to my local dealer, Saab of Charlotte, and they later told me that the problem was a master cylinder. Today, they told me that the problem was the clutch itself, and this was not covered by warranty. They would check it for "hot spots" to see if te problem was my driving or a defective clutch. If it turns out to be my fault, the new clutch will be 700.00.
Yikes, yikes.
Truth: I don't drive aggressively and I've been driving a stick shift for more than a decade and have NEVER had to replace a clutch. Anyone have some advice? This is certainly disheartening! The car has only 15000 miles!
I used to own a '83 900s, so I know how unreliable Saabs were. From reading recent reviews, they have cleaned up their act (of course, the chassis is from the period when dinosaurs ruled the earth!), so I wouldn't get the "I bought a lemon" paranoia.
If it is the clutch, I think you should at least get the labor free, or a % reduction in the charges. Of course, I don't think that the dealership would be legally liable for anything, but they should want you to be a happy customer. Good luck with it.
http://www.thecarconnection.com/index.asp?article=3853&sid=178&n=158
P.S.-My car is great and the dealer promised me a free detailing on my 30 day checkup because there were 2 scratches on the rear bumper. I have thuis in writing.they'll fix it, repaint it, then detail the car.and I'm getting a loaner to boot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!(they have to do that!!!)
P.S.S.-they didn't take my leased car back as a trade, wouldn't help with last 2 payments. Ubfirtunately, I have wear and tear damage which needs to be fixed before handing it back to the leasing company...........Any ideas on how to get it done as cheaply as possible.or how to get a dealer to do it.after all.they'll keep the car anyway!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have put about 10,000 miles on the car so far, almost all of them on the highway, but have had many more problems than I care to admit.
In a word, I would sum up my Saab experience as "disappointing". Here is a list of items to date that have been repaired/replaced:
1) CD player. (replaced twice). Once for excessive skipping, second time for failure to eject CD's.
2) Horn stuck in "on" position. This was due to the cover over the horn expanding when the car interior was hot causing the horn leads to make contact. (Very annoying driving down the street in 90 degree weather at rush hour with your horn blaring away).
3) AC compressor replaced at the beginning of the summer.
4) AC fan resistor replaced last week. (AC would not turn on and fan only ran at high speed).
5) Automatic locks froze up on driver side. Locks were programed at the dealer to lock automatically when the car was in "Drive" then unlock the passenger door only when the key was removed from ignition. Driver door would not unlock, could use the electronic lock to open the other doors but could not open the driver's side. Had to crawl out of my car through the passenger side until I was able to get the problem repaired.
Add to this list the wind noise, sharp pulling to the left at highway speeds, hatch cover that holds water and then drains out all over the sides and rear speakers of the car when opened, etc. and you may understand why I long for the reliability and quality of my Acura Integra again.
My only hope is that I never will be in a situation where I will need the safety features of the vehicle, (air bags, ABS, etc.) First of all I never want to be in that situation and secondly I worry in the back of my mind if those components of the car will be as unreliable as some of the others.
My personal advice after owning (2) new Acura Integras and putting almost 200,000 miles on each of them without a single mechanical issue: Think very long and hard before considering a Saab.
Thanks and let me know if you have any comments to share/add to mine.
Dan
Pocahontas
Host
Hatchbacks / Station Wagons / Women's Auto Center Boards
If you are out of warranty, time to find a mechanic (I have such a command of the obvious, no?). As far as the heat reasoning goes, this car is TWO years old, and it's not as though it's cold in Virginia, right? I couldn't put up with this crap, I don't know how any of you do. I've had Saabs (older, from the 80s) that I really liked and were reliable transportation, as long as you could put up with other things not working (I remember clearly driving in 95 degree heat in my 3 door black 900 tubro, no a/c, left window and idiot power sunroof wouldn't open--lots of fun). This is understandable in a ten year old car, but not in a $30k car that's two years old. Amazing that a marque with a less than stellar reputation gets bought by GM, who also has a somewhat different, but still less than stellar reputation, would make a lousy car, eh?
I'd say ditch it.
From my reading of the posts a good mechanic is key in the upkeep of these cars. Anyone out there know of any mechanics you would recommend in New England? I am new to Western Massachusetts, and I am willing to traveling a little ways if the service is worth it.
Also - How can I ditch the 9-3 when it isn't popular out here? And to boot, I took it to a local mechanic to have it serviced for a whopping $500 bucks. The check engine light now illuminates. Go figure. It is still under warranty for another 5k miles, but where can I have warranty work done? I called up a service only Saab establishment (80 miles from here. The service dept was so rude that I was ready to drive the car through his service shop and leave it.
I'm a little frustrated and am running out of warranty time. Any advice on getting rid of the 9-3 and/or what I should get next would be great.
Thanks
E
If you don't mind driving...take the car to a reputable Saab dealer and leave it for a week and rent a car. It won't cost that much to rent a car and at least you will get the car repaired properly. I'm in Phoenix which is a 4 hour drive from palm springs and the best service in town is at Kachina Saab. The service advisor has 17 years experience with Saabs. I have had nothing wrong with my 2001 except for a few rattles which were found and corrected. I'm sure you can find some dealer in Ca that would be closer and treat you better..but if i were you I'd leave the car for a week and give them time to fix it....fixing your Saab will cost less than buying a new car.
If you do want suggestions on what to look at if you do sell your 9-3...let me know what you look for in a car and I'll suggest some. Tell me what you like about your 9-3 and what you don't..best of luck