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On a side note, I can pinpoint when this started happening. And this is going to sound odd but I had brought the car to the dealer because the passenger power seat stopped working (loose connection apparently) but ever since I got it back from the dealer, the burning smell has appeared.
Thanks!
After reading so many messages from people who have had problems, I'm wondering how many have had the kind of experience I've had.
I just wanted to share my experiences. I lease a 2003 9-3 arc with 6-speed transmission and all options. It currently has almost 10000 miles. I am quite happy with it. The problems I encountered were quite typical:
1. Stalling had to be fixed.
2. Brakes make a lot of noise while reversing.
3. One of the keys was rejected and had to be reprogrammed.
4. Driver side window would not close automatically and was re-programmed.
5. Sunroof had to be lubricated in order to make sure it closes every time.
6. Currently I hear a click while turning the steering wheel to the right.
The dealer is quite helpful and fixed most of those small problems while I waited. I am very happy with value, performance, power and style of this car. The looks is very understated and elegant, but it somehow changes into more aggressive when you see it in motion. It may be very quick if driven properly. Brakes are amazing and once saved my life on the I-95.
I wish Arc had a little stiffer suspension. Perhaps changing the tires or switching to 17-inch wheels could do. Pirellis are quite good however and even snow traction was much better than in my prior car (97 protege ES).
I am also quite happy with audio. It seems sufficient for listening to public radio and my kind of music (no need for heavy bass).
consumer cash on all 9-3 sedans...Linear,Arc and Aero since 12/01/04 through end of year.In addition it's not hard to find a leftover '04
Aero and take advantage of $6,000 !
I am having a rattling noise under the passenger feet area as if the muffler system is rattling, of course they couldn't find the cause.
I did have that clicking noise, they took the tires off and showed me the problem in the garage, it was some ball bearing gone bad. You may want to have it looked at, and I will find my paperwork and post solution.
So, I still have squeaky brakes in reverse, a rattling, and my key does the same thing, keeps not working. Also, my memory seats reset, and they have already replaced the switch within first month of owning it!
What is the real time to change the oil, is it by the internal gauge? I know tires about every 3-5K, but how long can the oil last? It's winter here in New England and the car was great in the snow yesterday, the traction control worked when needed, but I drove quite carefully too. Tires gripped well it seemes.
The brakes used to make a lot of nice, especially in cold weather while going slowly in both directions. Dealer probably replaced some pads and it resulted in great improvement, however it still makes noise while reversing. It happens only occasionally and only in the cold. I guess I can live with that, but it may be ambarassing sometimes. The breaks are very potent and perhaps the noise and dust are just a side-effect of that.
The steering wheel noise is a new issue and I have to call the dealer for that. The longer I think of it the more concerned I am.
My previous mazda protege had an annoying noise in the dashboard which has never been repaired. It has been a flawless car otherwise. Saab 9-3 is a much more complicated machine. I am willing to live with occasional odd noise, as long as it does not cause a major problem.
For sound quality, it's so subjective on what is "really" good sound that you should really try to listen to it yourself to decide. The 300-watt system is definitely better than the 150-watt, but that's not saying much because the 150-watt is, by my ears, mediocre, to some others, horrible.
Safety-wise, the 9-3 may have an edge on the S40 unless AWD is a boost in safety for you. The 9-3 has a clearly better IIHS side-impact score ("Good" + "Best Pick") than the S40 ("Acceptable").
Thanks for any information.
This is my first post on this discussion board and I'm hoping to get some advice on buying my very first car. I've test driven the Acura TL, Jaguar X-type, Saab 9-3 Arc, and Volvo S40 T5 (all auto trans). I've basically narrowed it down to the Volvo and the Saab. After spending hours reading postings on this site, I'm starting to feel concerned about the long term reliability of the Saab. While I was waiting in the showroom for a test drive, a gentleman approached me and said, "Are you interested in buying one of these?" I said yes and he said, "they're beautiful cars, but watch out." He explained that since he bought his car, he's had a bunch of "stupid and annoying" little problems with it, like rattling doors and squeaky parts. Basically he said it was a lot of fun to drive, but for the price, he expected it to be better built. I personally don't know anyone who has owned/leased a Saab and I only know one who has owned/leased a Volvo. She got the XC90 when it first came out, and at the end of the lease, she turned it in a bought a brand new one. She raves about Volvo. I've driven the Arc three times and I must say, it's a joy to drive and I personally think it looks much better than the Volvo. I drove the Volvo once but I was quite suprised at how much I liked it after I was done. The lower price (with a Ford X plan discont) also doesn't hurt its chances. Has anyone else out there considered these two cars, and what made you choose one over the other?
And a second, unrelated question: I just recently started following the Saabs, so I'm not familiar with the incentives they've offered in the past. Is anyone out there who drives a 9-3 from Southeast MI, and if so, what kind of deals did you get? I've got a GM In the Driveway discount and they're offering $3000 rebate on a purchase until 1/3/05. I priced one out with the dealer, and for an Arc with sunroof, auto trans, heated seats, xenon, and metallic paint with the GM-ID discount and the rebate, it would be $32,962 out the door. I'd like to try and see if we can get it to $32K though. Do you folks think this rebate offer will come back in the next few months, or is this rare for Saab? Thanks in advance for your advice!
Welcome!
It is not rare at all. The 9-3 has been heavily discounted since the 2003 models. There isn't massive demand for it and there is plentiful supply, so incentives will continue.
It'll likely be the same way with the Volvo S40. It's a somewhat newer model so Volvo will be able to hold the price on it for a bit. But with the possible exception of their SUV, all recent Volvos have sold eventually for very deep discounts, with obvious hits on resale value.
When we got our 9-3, the S40 wasn't out yet but we looked carefully at the S60, which is still a higher model than the S40. We liked the S60, but would never buy one because of the terrible resale value and "just average" reliability. We found 1-2 year old S60's at huge discounts that seemed to be better buys.
We looked at the leases but at the time, Saab was offering big incentives on the Launch Packages with leases, whlie Volvo's lease deals weren't great.
Ultimately neither the Saab or Volvo will give you the reliability or resale value of a TL. They will provide a more European driving experience and, subjectively, more "fun," and better safety features.
One place to follow the Saab incentives is on www.gmsupplier.com. Those incentives are available to everyone.
However, my bmw just crossed 100K and i've had one small repair ( electrical,: surprise, surprise ). Had a similar experience with a saturn. So some of it had to be build issues.
So, i'd ask around and see if people are happy with the dealer's service. If they provide decent loaner cars, actually do the suggested service and fix problems right without arguing, that will go a long way toward mitigating any problems you may have.
Also, the dealer told me that if I got the Arc with heated seats, automatic transmission, and sunroof (NO xenon), the OTD price would be $31,873. Anything with a xenon he'd have to ship to him. Now I'm not sure if spending an extra $1,100 would be worth it just to get those super cool lights. Does anybody know if the aftermarket stuff is good? Should I just suck it up and take the cheaper deal, or is it really worth it to get factory installed xenon?
If you want xenons, don't get an aftermarket kit. Most of them are technically illegal, and some cause excessive glare. Get the factory xenons, which are bi-xenon projectors (low and high beam). Bi-xenon projectors are quite sophisticated and most aftermarket solutions don't give you the equivalent. E.g. a shutter is used to change from low beam to high-beam.
Personally, I wouldn't buy a vehicle that has available xenons but doesn't have them installed.
Check JD Power rating. Saab and BMW is the same quality rating and they are both stand at middle range almost every year. Which means whatever car rating under Saab will be bad. otherwise will be better.
From the road I always got blind from Bmw or Audi's HID head light. Hate them and wondering why they can't make the HID more friendly as much as Saab does. My 2003 9-3 has 35k miles on it and I am so satisfy witgh it. my other friends driving Infility, Nissan, Avalon and Volvo and all complaing thier engines problems and body.... Sound likes the reliability is about personal feeling on most case. If you care more your own car then those minor problem will be noticed earlier before the problem go bigger.
Congrats and good luck! You'll have fun driving it
I'm two years into this three-year lease and am interested in getting out of it, if possible. I have enjoyed the car very much and gotten great service from Lund Cadillac/Saab in Phoenix. However, my lifestyle is changing and I'd like to get into something different. Ultimately, I don't think leasing is for me, though I'm glad to have given it a try.
Is there any way to turn the car in early on the purchase of a GM pre-owned vehicle ... since GM owns Saab? Any input would be appreciated. Thanks.
dion
There is a trade off to everything in life. Many Saabs are known to go 200K if maintained properly.
IMHO, car buying decisions are 80% emotional, so I tend not to over analyze it.
My two cents. Peace.
Anyway, I viewed the Saab as a somewhat 2nd tier but nice, smart alternative. (I got the car for about $100 over invoice & then I got $3,000 off that!! Can't beat that for smart. After driving the car though, I am extremely impressed. I like it a lot more than I thought I would. Screw the Bimmer. I did just as well. The car drives great. It's comfortable. Has nice level of luxury items. I get a lot of compliments about the 9-3 looking really upscale (this is w/out the stalking effect you get from folks when you have a bimmer) which I didn't really feel at the time I bought it. I'm sold now. You can't go wrong with getting the Saab.
ps. Oh yeah, the 150 watt radio needs work. It's...adequate but far from good. I been to Saabnet for answers. The system is just not set-up for deep bass so it lacks a "full" sound. The bass goes to front door 6.5 inch speakers instead of the rear speaker which is more like 4.5 inches & set-up for treble. It's an odd set-up. I think I'll treat it as a project though. Many factory stereos are good so no sweat. Saabnet confirms that all the 3.5 inch speaker have paper cones & need to be replaced first. That gonna give the system big bounce. Then I will look at getting an amplifier to power replacement 6x9 inch speakers in the rear.
I just moved from a 2000 Passat (perhaps the lowest quality car, with most reliability issues I have ever had (looks great, but reliability and operations suck). I was not even considering the 9-3 when someone suggested I try it out. Well...it surprised the hell out of me. I love it. It 9-3 handles great and has excellent power (even in the base model, its enough for me (better than my VW v6), and overall I've been really pleased...
The fact that its an awesome car without the snoot-factor or every-friggin-car-on-the-road commonness of BMW or Audi is a bonus. The good price was a clincher...
Though I will say that your price seems very reasonable.
I also don't think they allow car ads in the forums
Christian
--***Mooselook***--
Christian
Christian
Is anyone else experiencing valve tap for about 10 seconds on cold starts in the teens and single digit temperatures? My Saab dealer, who has been exceptionally good, says it is not a problem.
I am using the factory recommended Mobil 1 10W-30.
Tapping to me means no oil where it is needed and possible wear on the engine components.
8 times in service so far 2X Locking sytem failure, 1X Stability control failure, Window will not close, 2X sunroof will not close, Power steering problem - new pump etc. I have 8,500 miles and I am tired of taking this car to service almost every month. 2year lease, corporate office said that thay can not do anything to get me out of the lease but keep fixing the car. Any advice?
1/12/2005 30,191 Miles Turbo problem. No boost. Dealer repaired loose wire on pressure sensor. 1/12/2005 30,191 Miles Fuel filler cap fails, causing Check Engine light to go on. Fuel Cap replaced.
11/9/2004 27,916 Miles. Engine makes groaning noise at shut off. Dealer replaces alternator. Car out of commission for 1 week while parts shipped on slow boat from Sweden.
4/23/2004 18,500 Miles. Power steering fluid leak. Dealer replaces power steering pump and O ring. Car out of commission for 1 week while parts shipped on slow boat from Sweden. 2/23/2004 17,099 Miles. Power steering fluid leak. Dealer tightens hoses.
1/20/2004 14,703 Miles. Front brakes squeal when going slow (not using brakes). Replace pads. 8/15/2003 9,670 Miles. Clutch pedal making noise. Dealer replaces clutch assembly.
Overall, dealer service has been excellent. None of the above repairs have cost me any money and Saab has always provided a free loaner car. However, now that the "Rush" of new car ownership is a memory, the repairs are becoming an aggravation. I'm glad the warrantee covers 50,000 miles. My lease is up in November and I doubt that Saab will be on my short list of replacement cars. I think a "premium" car should provide both performance and quality and so far, the quality part of my ownership experience has been disapointing.
Anyone else who has owned a "new" 9-3 had similar experience?
--**Mooselook**--
I have an '03 Arc since 4/03 and had to take it in for some minor things early on, but it's been fine for over a year now.
Good luck with your next car