Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see May lease deals!
Options
SAAB 9-3
This discussion has been closed.
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
Are we the new AMC Hornet drivers of the modern
day? You might be right! What an atrociuos
thought. I guess we may be, by the rest of the
world's standards. I sure hope not. Oh well
Dilbert let's accept our fait.
Any man who can drive a Hornet, or any other AMC
monstrosity with pride and dignity is O.K. in my
book although I might question his wisdom in
picking a marque.
I myself owned a Hornet for very brief time when
I was in college. I picked it up from a Greek
foreign student for $300 when he couldn't unload it
before he graduated and returned home. I ended up
selling it to a load of Australian guys who
arrived in town and wanted to find cheap
transportation to tour the country in.
They bought the car and did the whole tour with
only one minor breakdown that was promply fixed
before they hit the road again. The car returned
to the West Coast twice as ugly as the day it left
and the Australians were totally thrilled. How
five guys could tour the United States in a two
door Hornet is beyond me.
P.S. I shudder to think of the design genious who
came up with a car that honked every time you tried
to put anything or anyone in the back seat.
Saab sells the subwoofer kit over the net for the 9-3 for $ 500...plus install costs. My dealer claims that the OBD senses the presence of the unt and therefore it is the only troublefree option. I kind of doubt that since the head unit is a Sanyo...anybody out there done any stereo mods?
New problem: AMS Car Stereo in Mtn View says they literally cannot locate, anywhere, an aftermarket changer that will integrate with the '99 9-3 driver controls.
What's up with that? Has anybody here put in an aftermarket changer? Which one? And what is the OEM unit? Used to be a Clarion. Is it still?
The second interesting quirk is tied right back to the unrealisitic "residual value" put into the lease calculation itself. At the end of the lease, you can often negotiate a lower price from the leasing company, or alternatively extend the lease term. My accountant did the former, and my brother did the latter, with their Honda leases, and in both cases the reason they could do it was the same. The residual value in the lease was higher than the going retail price for the car, let alone the wholesale price which the leasing company can expect to receive on the open market.
Hint: When inquiring about negotiating the buy-out at the end of the lease, don't bother talking to the dealer. His interest is best served if you give the car back. He has "first shot" at the return, which he can resell, and he as first shot at selling you a replacement. Buy out or extend the lease, and the dealer is left holding the short straw.
The second reason was that we to be honest had our doubts about the Saab's long term reliability and depreciation. We do not have frist hand knowledge of oong term ownership of a Saab and what it is like, nor do we have any close friends or family that has with which we might consult so we went for the "safer" lease route to give us a chance to know Saabs better and determine if it was a brand we trusted.
I come from a family of long term car owners but I've only really experienced long term ownership with American made cars previously.
Dislikes:( VERY FEW! I'd like a functional "univeral" cup holder. The seat back adjusters are almost impossible to get your hands around. I'd like a center arm rest for long drives over an hour.
Likes:) GREAT ACCELERATION! I love the easy access that the trunk/rear storage area provides. For a car its size the 9-3's carrying cappacity is truly amazing. Thank God she didn't choose the Camery, Accord, Maxima or their higher end cousins!
Yes, I also like my 9-3 very much. Huge trunk space and lots of acceleration. Great brakes, too!
What do 9-3 owners do?
My big American V8 Durango runs great on the recommended "Cheap Stuff", I love those cheap gas prices when I'm in St. Louis. And our 9-5 runs fine on the recommended middle grade. Also, you should have no concern over buying gas from a non-major gas station. Watch when they get their gas deliveries. Don't be surprised to see a Shell or BP truck at the QT or 7-11. The only stations I'd avoid are the independent ones that look run down. There you run the risk of bad tanks that could be leaking and taking in water. I'm no expert on all this but I ask lots of questions from those who are.
Good Luck
Drew S.
I would be looking for a 3 year lease, 15k miles/year with no cap cost reduction and a maximum out of pocket of first + security. Has anyone gotton a deal like this yet?
Saab has a nationally advertized "$299.00/month lease deal" but total out of pocket is over $2000.00. I am told that there are MUCH better deals out there.
total invoice: 27512
total MSRP: 29600
Cap Cost: 28312
term: 39 months
Mileage: 12k/year
money factor: 0.00072
residual value: 56%
Cap Cost reduction: $999
Acquistion fee: $250
Security deposit: $0
Total out-of-pocket including tax, 1st payment of $323.79, title and license, ac. fee and cap cost red: $1693.73
A fabulous deal? I'll let you be the judge. Was good enough for me.
TGS
I just got a 9-3 this week, after four years with a 900s, which we traded in. I didn't read anything about the sound system being upgraded from the 900 to 9-3, but my early impressions are that it sounds much better. At least one rear speaker in the old car rattled when the "right" tone of bass went through it.
We got the in-dash CD this time, as opposed to the six-pack changer last time (only cassette was aval. in dash in 1995).
The base unit comes with four speakers and provisions for two more in the front doors, which you get if you get the SE. I had a Harper Brothers cd cranked up today, and it sounded terrific.
My only complaint is a carryover from the 900. The front speakers provide virtually no bass. If you fade to mostly or all front speakers (if, say you 3-yr-old daughter is sleeping in the back), you get no bass. I thought this was unique to my 900, but now I see it wasn't.
For this reason alone, I am considering adding the two front speakers and whatever amplification they require.
But if you don't fade to front, I think you'll be very happy with the standard four speakers.
The redundant steering wheel controls are nice too, although I wish they lit up.
Another oddity: When the CD is playing the electric antenna retracts, which is fine to reduce wind noise, etc. When you switch to radio, it goes up, which is OK too except that I was switching a cd today, and when I popped it out, the thing reverted to radio and the antenna got about half way up before I put in the new cd and it started coming back down again. Too bad there isn't a delay or something if you're in cd mode.
Sorry to ramble. Enjoy the test drive.
Chris
If done properly, audio upgrades should not be a concern with a leased vehicle. A simple speaker upgrade and addition of a sub and amp can usually be done in a way that will allow you to remove them from the vehicle easily and transfer them to a new one. If you take this approach it is easier to justify the expense since you are making a more long term investment.
Another thing to consider is to have your Saab dealer install the upgrade available from them and put it in as optional equipment in the lease. I have found the higher end unit from Saab to be better than most factory systems but still short of a high quality after market system. The addition of high end speakers, sub and amp will give you a great system but you can expect to pay as much as 2 grand for the proper set up.
Drew S.
Of course I could be totally wrong but I hope someone is keeping a score card because I'm totally confussed now.
Drew S.
DRIVER CONTROLS & INSTRUMENTATION
Telescopic steering wheel
Variable intermittent windshield wiper/washer
Electronic speed control
80-watt AM/FM stereo cassette with Weather Band and CD changer controls
Steering-wheel-mounted audio controls
Stereo anti-theft lock-out code
4 acoustically engineered speakers
I would say anyone who got six speakers with a base model did very well and shouldn't mention it to his dealer.
I only have the speaker covers on the front doors.
http://www.saabusa.com/models/9-3coupe/tech/
9-3 Audio Upgrade
Expand the audio system of your 9-3 and enhance your enjoyment with this audio upgrade kit. Conversion kit increases the output and sound quality to that of the 9-3 SE. Includes a 2 x 40W external amplifier and two mid/low-range front door speakers. Dealer installation recommended.
$500.00
Seems odd to offer it if the base really comes equipped with door speakers.
I couldn't agree more! While Saabs upgraded system is better than most factory units, you won't beat the quality of many after market upgrades. The system in my Durango was soo bad, I couldn't bear it for very long. So I simply added a Rockford amp, JL Sub and 4 Rockford speakers all of which inluded seperate tweeters. I haven't replaced the head unit yet and may not since most people are truely amazed at the sound quality. If you really want exceptional sound quality, this type of upgrade would be ideal for a Saab.
For those of you looking for a more affordable upgrade, you could go with a simple speaker upgrade. MB Quart markets speaker upgrades for factory systems that is worth looking into but don't skip the sub, clarity in highs and lows are what seperates good from great systems. The Saab head units should be very good for these types of upgrades.
Drew S.
Drew, agree with the JL's and Quarts. Rockford knows their stuff, but I'll live and die by Phoenix Gold (or PPI)