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Comments
Is OnStar for 2 years from when the service begins, or when the car goes into service. And are there 100 or 200 free minutes with it?
I've only seen two 2003 9-3's on the road. Another reason to love the car. It's different!
I am working with a sales person on the configuration I want. I'll report back in a few days with options and price.
I saw my 3rd 9-3 on the road last week. That's in a period of over 3 months. We are definately an exclusive group! I'll let you all know what my dealer says about radio and armrest. Also, I'm wondering if Saab has yet deveoped a rule-of-thumb regarding oil change intervals. The manual is very vague. It looks like you're supposed to wait until the trip computer tells you its time to change oil, based on an algorythm that looks at miles and speed. Cool technology, but hard to plan for...
Finally, to add fuel to the gas mileage fire, I've consistently been getting about 26 mpg. My 9-3 has a 5 speed manual. How's everyone else doing?
Keep up the good work everyone. We're getting more info from these postings than from anywhere else.
---***Mooselook***---
I probably missed this in the manual, but after you reset the Trip Computer, does the MPG indicate cumulative mileage since the last reset, or just a reading for the last X miles?
200 free minutes of onstar telephone.
always fun to spot a 93Ss on the road: saw three just today.
Big Daddy: I saw those convertible photos a few minutes ago and am impressed. Saab has always done the small convertible sedan better than everyone. The new one is really going to turn heads.
As for the trip computer, check the manual - you can clear just one item, or if you hold the clear button longer, it will clear all of the functions (I do this whenever I fill up).
You may be seeing more 9-3's soon, buried in the news about February auto sales being down was a comment that Saab sales were up 33%.
Comments?
Still have yet to see another 9-3 (new body style) here in the Phoenix metro area.
Dion
So, I hope that my dealer is just uninformed. We'll see.
---**Mooselook**---
MPT (Miles Per Tank) = Obviously there is some fuel left over when I fill up, but I'm getting under 300 miles per tank, which seems a bit low. Then again, my commute to work and back is 10 miles on back-roads (some lights, but low [50 MPH] speeds)... so not exactly the best for economy.
Arm-rest = I took my car in for the 30-day / 1000 mile check-up and they gave me a loaner. The loaner was a brand new 9-3 (light interior and midnight blue paint). The arm-rest was leather, looked OK, but kind of dirty already (car only had 300 miles on it!)... I have the dark interior, so maybe it won't look so dirty if I order the leather arm-rest. Also, I'm glad I got cosmic blue. To each their own (no offense to those of you with midnight blue), but I wasn't really happy with the midnight blue paint, even in the half-day I had the car.
Locks = Turns out there is a rod that is messed up in my rear driver-side door. They are going to replace it, but have to order the part from someplace.
Locks 2 = I asked them to enable the "rolling lock" feature so the door locks and unlocks automatically when you drive off / remove the key. Turns out they can't do it because there is a bug in the software. He said it should be fixed "someday". Anyone else hear this?
Lights = I had my lights re programmed (as well as the alarm arm/disarm, so it beeps). One thing I was told was that if I go back to "normal headlights" I will entirely loose the use of my fog-lights (and I did). How messed up is that? Did anyone else re-code the lights? I just hate having the lights on when I'm sitting in the car (say, in front of a friends house waiting for them to come out). I'm glad I can turn them off now. It would be nice to have my fog lights back... kind of an odd-ball trade, eh?
Other Stuff = The loaner car they gave me was a semi-stripped 9-3. It had 16" wheels and a moon roof, but the "basic" air conditioning (I have the fancy one) and basic radio (again, I have the fancy one). It also had an automatic (I have the manual) and the regular suspension (I have the sports suspension). As much as I initially thought (when shopping around) the Knight Rider looking A/C and radio were overpriced, I am glad I got them. It makes the car look better, and are easier to use (plus dual-zone makes my girlfriend happy). The A/C is a definite improvement (functionally). The radio just looks cooler (no functional improvement).
One odd thing... where I live it is cold (0°F today) and one thing that really sucks is that with the basic A/C you only have one setting for the heated seat: HOT! Don't laugh, I did not like it. I think I burned my [non-permissible content removed]. As I said, there is only "on" and "off". The "on" mode was way hotter than the hottest mode of my 3-temperature system. Talk about weird.
I was also unimpressed with the automatic transmission... I know the car has the same engine as mine (2.0 lower-case "t"), but it felt really underpowered and sluggish. It even sounded a bit strange (different) to me. Not sure what that means, but it made enough of an impression that I'm writing it here.
Also, I was surprised that the straight-line ride was very similar to my sports suspension package (you could feel all the bumps). However, the similarity ended there, as freeway on ramps were very odd in the loaner car (the car leaned a lot, which was to be expected).
I'm glad I got the sports suspension. At first I was a bit apprehensive, but other than a few crappy roads, it makes the car feel like I'm riding on rails. It is an acquired taste I guess.
In my previous car (Audi) you could feel no bumps at all (which was good and bad). I would have guessed that is what the non-sports suspension (9-3) should have felt like (on my loaner car) but it didn't. It felt almost the same (again, straight-line) as mine.
Just an odd thing I also noticed.
As far as DRL feature - I've heard from a number of people that you _can_ have your foglights working with disabled DRLs. You may want to ping your dealer again to get this done.
-M-
This morning, I did reset again, but it go and stop frequently so only got 18-21 mpg.
The MPG gauge is definetly a running average, the engine is still burning gas when your sitting at a light, so it makes perfect sense for the average to drop. Especially over the short term.
I did. He had an official looking piece of paper that said the fog lights won't work. And they don't. =8)
So if you don't need a vehicle until June, you probably don't need to pre-order anything. As it is, the leasing incentives are based on taking delivery by the time the incentive expires.
SIGH.
As if this wasn't bad enough, I parked my car next to a bldg for 5 minutes to drop off a package. As I ran out I heard a thump and looked up just as a small piece of ice bounced off my roof. It was a small piece but it must have made a trip down from atleast 30-40 stories up because now I have yet another scratch on my roof. You can see the inner silver finish. ARGH i'm so pissed, two weeks w/ one perfectass car then friggin two scratches in one day to kill that satisfying new car feel. It's been incessantly bothering me all day.
Anyway, I went to the dealers to pick up my plates today and asked about my rear driver's seat side lock problem, similar to code7700's. They also said it needed to be ordered- expecting recovery next week.
Falling ice you can't do much about. The worst is ice falling off of trucks on the freeway. I've been lucky so far... all the falling ice has shatted on my windshield. In some states they actually will write you a ticket if you don't clean the snow/ice off your car/truck. Too bad this isn't one of them.
As for parking, kind of late now, but I always park way out in the middle of nowhere. No one will fault you for taking up a space and a half. Not even the cops (as long as you make an effort to park way out). I know, I asked one or two. =8)
Anyhow, so far so good. My last car got all kinds of little marks from parking in the popular areas. I learned the hard way. Fact is, I'd rather have a long walk (even a cold walk) than have to fork up $500+ for a scratch or ding.
I leased a 9-3 at the end of Jan because I liked it better than the Passat and the lease incentives plus GM supplier discount made it a no brainer. Plus nobody has mentioned any serious problems on this (or any other) message board. As has been mentioned many times here, the car is great to drive.
However, I've already had to have the entire steering column replaced because of intermittent "immobilizer failures". Now the wheel is cocked slightly to the left and the car pulls, so it has to go back again. Not to mention that you can't turn the key too fast after putting it in or the car won't start. renee_etoile thinks ice is bad for ruining that new car experience, try this.
And to think I turned in a perfectly good 2000 Maxima SE for this (NO problems in 3 years). My friends tell me I should have stuck with Japan, Inc. On the plus side, it's all covered under warranty and the dealer provides me a loaner when the car is in for service. I guess Saab has 3 more years to get it fixed and make me happy, otherwise there is no way I would buy another Saab or recommend one...
It sounds like we have different trim levels too. I don't believe we can get parchment leather here.
Thanks!
Personally, I prefer a tight suspension giving me a lot of road feel. But many, probably most, drivers do not.
If you had driven the car for 15 minutes or more, you would have realized it is not for you. Then you could have spent a third of the money you saved on an amplifier and speaker upgrade and pocketed the rest.
Our 9-3 had a loose fuel pump fuse that caused it to stutter and die upon starting one day and it had to be towed. But all it required was them to push the fuse back in. They gave us a loaner convertible 9-3 and otherwise no problems at all.
BV: The 9-3 sport pkg does have some road grain noise, but it's not objectionable to me. Spend $20,000 more for a BMW 530i or get a nice cushy Camry if you prefer a smooth ride to sporty handling. The Acura TSX is a nice car, but I'd guess with an auto it'd be kinda pokey.
It sounds like we have different trim levels too. I don't believe we can get parchment leather here.
Thanks!
--***Mooselook***--
I noticed a number of 9-3's that had the 17" wheel package and the Michelin Pilot Sports, but without the sports suspension. While the tires will be a bit rougher, that gives the sporty look without the sports suspension.
I actually really like the green lighting of the Saab's dash. It's very soothing at night, without being in-your-face harsh.
While we're still on the subject of tires, though, what did folks get for their 16" tires? Mine came with Michelin Pilot HX MXM4's -- aren't Pirellis the other tire? The Pilots are good, though not as good as the (frightfully expensive) Michelin Pilot A/S tires. Dealer didn't do tire swaps, else I would have gone for the Michelin MXV4+'s. Good performance, better tread wear, less road noise, more comfortable, and actually a few bucks cheaper than the Pilots. Obviously max sporty handling isn't my priority.
DRL -- It is odd you (mooselook) were able to get "normal" headlights and fog lights. The dealer said it couldn't be done. Saab USA said, "I have spoken with tech support regarding the daytime running lights and the fog lights. The software links the two together. When you disable the daytime running lights it also disables the fog lights. When they then reprogrammed the fog lights, they came on with both the high and low beams, which is illegal in most states. So the fix didn't work. They are still trying to find a workable solution."
Rolling Lock -- Saab USA said, "I do not have any information on the rolling lock situation." Odd, eh?
General Problems -- The guy who had the column lock issues (eye90), we don't see too much of that one here. I think you just got a problem car. If I saw tons of posts online like yours, I'd be worried. But I haven't seen too many. If I think back to how many times my previous Audi was in the shop for odd stuff, my Saab is much better off. That being said, both Saab and Audi are happy to fix anything and everything. Can't say the same other (American) cars I've owned.
CD Player -- Hmmm, that is odd (bv73ms3), since I can read store purchased CDs, CD-Rs and even CD-RWs that I burn myself. I really like the idea of the 6-disc changer up front (I hate the trunk load ones, I used to only change my CDs once per month). And now that I can do CD-RWs I can make a CD any time, and when I get bored, re-write them. How cool is that?
Other Cars -- I still think the TSX is ugly. Just my opinion obviously. Also, I was out of the state on business again and rented a Maxima from Hertz (best full size car they have). Once again, I was impressed with the power of the engine, but I'm so glad I didn't by a Maxima. The fit and finish are a joke (as per one of my E-mails long ago, see "Why I didn't like the Maxima" which can be found halfway info message #668).
Of course, now that I've settled on a cosmic blue arc, I still ave to wait for one to arrive.
I also have another question, does anyone know much the GM Employee discount will be? Anything like the ~$5000 of the 93 Viggens?
Thanks,
Trav
There is a leasing forum on Edmunds that can provide a wealth of information.