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Comments
>kretch41 May 25, 2003 (7:18 pm)
>Just my two cents, but I'd take the cashback.
>You usually save more $ plus you are getting
>money back upfront as opposed to several years.
>I have a Vector, 6spd with everything but
>touring. I got it for 29,500 using cashback.
>You'll love driving the 6spd. Good luck.
Interesting view... actually, if you finance
you put very little upfront, but if you take
the cashback you have to pay everythning else
upfront. But the cashback might still be worth
more than your finance savings, depending on
your rate of return.
concerned about my 2003 9-3. Two issues in the first 1500 miles. The interior ac/heating fan was
stuck on high (even with the key out) and now
the on-star is malfunctioning. Anyone else having
annoying issues to deal with? I really enjoy driving this car, but, it's really starting to bug
me. (i needed to vent a little)
Anyone know what a replacement front ground effect costs? If it that ground effect piece is cheap than I won't mind as much :-)
Thanks
http://www.saabcatalog.com/retail/category.asp?catalog%5Fname=Saa- b+Catalog&category%5Fname=Drive9395%3A9%2D3+Sport+Sedan+Body+- Kit&Page=1
The first two times they couldn't duplicate the problem (which I'll give them because unless you drive the car every day it is really hard to notice)... this last time, however, they tightened some stuff in the door area (don't recall exactly where it was) that didn't seem to help.
I think I was able to finally locate the source of the noise... about 2-inches above where the seat belts mount to the B-pillar. If I put my hand (pressure) on that area, it stops. So that is good, hopefully the dealer will be able to fix that.
The other area seems to be in/near the sunroof. If I have the "shade" closed over the sunroof, I don't hear it, but when the "shade" is open I hear some noise. Again, easily fixed I'm guessing.
What else... low air dams (up front), even on my "cheap" Linear are an issue, but luckily, all the damage I have can only been seen when you're looking at it from on your knees. Not something I'm going to worry about. If I had the Vector, I'd be a bit more concerned. =8)
Overall, this car is low-to-the-ground (which looks great)... even the entry-level model. I parked next to a Sentra today and didn't realize how low my car was compared to some others. The Sentra looked like an SUV to me. =8)
I spoke to an XM guy the other day at a trade show and he suggested using their RF transmitter kit. It'll rebroadcast the XM signal to an FM radio station. Low tech, but it'll work. I've seen both the Sony and Delphi XM SKYFi models... the Delphi XM SKYFi is unreal... not much bigger than a wallet... and you can take it to your home, work, car, etc... even hooks into that silly looking "boom box". The idea you can take it from A to B to C is so smart. Very un-Microsoft like licensing scheme.
Take a look at the Delphi SKYFi FM Modulator to see what I'm talking about... http://www.xmradio.com/skyfi/ and click on "FM Modulator."
I still can't believe Saab has done nothing about the Linear's crappy audio system... do they even read this forum?
Consumer Reports tested a Vector and said: "Braking performance was excellent, achieving the shortest stopping distance we've ever recorded for a sedan." Comparison numbers from their test track:
9-3: 120ft
IS300: 128ft
3-series: 131ft
A4, G35, and S60: 133ft
Even beats sports cars:
Corvette: 121ft
Boxter: 124ft
Is this great braking exclusive to the Vector?
Yahoo autos reports 312mm front brakes and 290mm rear brakes for all 3 trim levels. This agrees with the top numbers someone posted from the Saab media site, but they listed different numbers for the different trims. Yahoo could be wrong about Linears/Arcs.
I went to a dealership and looked at the brakes. Etched into the metal on a Linear was "285/25" and on an Arc and a Vector was "302/28". I've no idea what these numbers mean, but the first number is in the right ballpark to be a size in mm. Does anyone who reads this board have a service manual with part numbers and descriptions?
-Karl
Oh well sorry for the rant but I really do not want to go through this type of service problems again.
Braking: I'm not exactly sure on this. I am betting the brakes are the same on all models but I have to think the 17" tires make a huge difference.
Stalling: As far as I can tell, the only stalling issues occur with automatics. I haven't had any issues with a manual.
How can this be? Aren't the TMV's averages of what people are actually paying? Are that many people suddenly paying $1500 more than a no-haggle, up-front price? Normally, TMV is less than CarsDirect's price, as it was last month for the 9-3 and as it is today for the A4, G35, etc.
And why would the TMVs rise so much since only a couple weeks ago? Reports (e.g., cars.com) are that the $2500/3000/3500 incentives are still on, despite that Edmunds no longer reports them. The CarsDirect.com prices are below invoice, and this would be difficult if the incentives were not still on.
(There is plenty of inventory in my area, BTW, so a sudden loss of supply is not the answer.)
-Karl
It's a good point that the tires make a big difference, but I'm now pretty convinced that the brake rotors themselves are also bigger on the Arc/Vector than the Linear and that t
his also makes a big difference. When Edmunds tested a Linear, it had performance tires (but oddly no sports suspension) and it did a tiny bit worse than the A4 3.0, 330i, C320. But Consumer Reports' Vector did quite a bit better than these same other models in their tests. See:
http://ksl.stanford.edu/~kpfleger/auto/performance.ps
The lesson to be learned is to avoid the mall at all costs and stick to internet shopping. Happy motoring.
**--Mooselook--**
1) I am his uncle and 2) it really does not apply to SAAB.
Just to make sure I read your one statement correctly:
The discounts on these makes is slightly less than GMS. For Saab, the employee discount is equal to the "dealer net" (Dealer Invoice amount less Dealer Reserve, Expense Reserve & less Supplemental Advertising (if applicable)).
That I should be able to receive discounts that would be close to what the GMS plan would be. The discounts you are referring to would that be the manufacture to dealer. Beside that discount if that is the one you are speaking about are there any other discounts that I could possibly secure.
I also would like to thank you for both your prompt response and valuable information. My goal is to hopefully reduce the overall cost of a SAAB ARC to something that I can afford.
Thank you.
also find out if I clean it more often. week after week then it's easier to cleaned than let it stay for a month. Thanks.
And, from all I can tell, the comfort close will not be programmed in the US for safety/legal reasons.
GM discount: $3359-
Cap Cost: $25536
Purchase: $425.60
(assuming 60 months/0% through SFS)
Lease: ~ $330
(36 months/15000 miles per year through SFS)
The car is cheep but where you'll get hit is insurance. While on the Saab it is a little less, it's not really noticable. Being that your only going to be 16 your going to get slammed. It would be safe to add around $200-250 to the monthly payments for insurance.
PS - For the lease, I used the money factor and residual numbers for June.
GM dsicount: $3223
Cap Cost: $24697
Purchase: $278.28
(assuming $8000 down, 5 years/0% through SFS. Cap Cost: $16697)
Lease: ~ $320
(36 months/15000 miles/year through SFS)
$8000 down on this lease would not work beacuse you are not able to put more than 25% down. The above lease is figured using the June MF and residual numbers with nothing down. In general, you NEVER want to put money down, especiall when lesing. In a lease, if your car is stolen or totaled in an accident, any money that you have put down is lost. Your insurance company doesn't cover it and it is not covered by gap protection. You should keep any money you would like to put down in the bank (where it collects interest) and use it as you need it. Keep in mind whenever you put money down, you have to pay taxes on it up front. I don't know how much taxes are in your state, but here in Michigan they are 6%. If I were to put $8000 down, there would be $480 already due at signing.
When you use the GM employee discount, you do not have to negotiate the price of the car - because you are already getting a fairly low price but also because the dealer has to give you all current incentives. Saab's recient incentives (ending 6/30) for leasing were $1000 on Linear and $2000 on Arc/Vector. To my knowledge, Saab has not yet realsed current incentives for purchasing/leasing for July nor their residual and money factor numbers.
"Ans Saab has a rebate would this still be avaliable in 2004 if not do they do it yearly?"
Saab realses their inecntives on a month to month basis. Sometimes they have no incentives, sometimes the inecntives are pretty good. If your not getting your license until 2004, I would wait to start figuring out what you can and cannot afford. Remember, new models are brought out at the start of the new year, and prices can either go up (usually the case) or go down on current models. Some models could disappear altogether. The 2004 9-3's are comming this fall and the price will increase. In your case, you may also want to look into Oldsmobile. This is supposely the last year of the phase out and by late fall, pretty good discounts should be offered. Also, you could look into getting a PEP car (if whoever in your household recieves the GM discount is a direct employee of GM).
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I've had my car in at least twice for this, and they can never seem to fix it. The last time I was there, I went for a drive with the tech... he heard all the noises, but still couldn't fix it.
The three places I hear noise are: (1) Both doors, seems to be coming from where the lock "indicator" pops up through the plastic, (2) from within the B-pillar, from about 1-inch above where the seat belts a attached, and (3) the sunroof slide/cover (when it is open, I can hear a rattle, when it is closed, no rattle).
Really drives me nuts. I even got more angry when the cheap rental car I had last week on a business trip (Pontiac Grand AM) had less rattles than my car does!
Another thing that drives me nuts is the radio (other than just the poor quality)... if I am listening to talk radio (AM radio specifically [yet another place the Pontiac Grand AM beats out the 9-3) there is a pronounced "buzz" that comes from the speakers with certain people's words... as if the cheap speakers are hitting their limit. Ironically, music sounds OK (or shall I say "just fair", as it is fair at best) when played on the radio. I know it isn't the radio station, I tried 5 or 6 different AM stations, all have the same problem.
I wish these guys would fix this stuff. The radio is just so bad. Plus, I can't even get XM as far as I know. I'd love to get it, but there is no way for sound to get into the system (other than via an FM re-transmitter, which is a bad idea). And then, even if I did use the re-transmitter, the audio quality would most likely sound just "fair" due to the poor quality of the audio system.
Argh.
Tell me about it. Howard Stern's deep voice make the rear speakers buzz like crazy. And this is with teh 300W system. I have an appointment ina a week and a half