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Comments
As a new Saab fan, are there differences between the 2 years - I have
heard that the 2003 convertible did not make as many changes as the
2004.
The pricing for the '02 is about $2000 or more less than the '03 however the
'02 has about 20,000 less miles
I guess I am wondering what are the benefits of getting the '03 model even
if it has more mileage on it - perhaps the platform or features are worth it
Any feedback will be most welcome - along with questions I should explore
in comparing the 2 vehicles
thanks in advance
jerry643
the 2003 has 60K
the 2002 has almost 45K
thanks again
Jerry643
the differences
much appreciated
I recently (2 wks ago) purchased a 2003 Convertible, drove it 500 miles from Pittsburgh when the engine blew up. This car has what is called a sludge engine and it is fairly common for engines to fail at low mileage readings ( mine had 64K). Do your homework. Goggle : saab engine failure, or saab engine sludge. I have owned many Saabs and had no problems, but certain model years are prone to this problem. Saab has extended the warranty 8 years retroactive, but, and this is a deal breaker but, you have to have every single oil change receipt/record and the changes must be done on time. If you buy a used 2003 be sure to ask about maintenance records. I am awaiting an estimate to rebuild my engine and it isn't going to be pretty.
* What color should the oil be on the dipstick? It always seems to be "black". The Saab dealer insists the oil is ok if its "black" coz TurboCharged engines always "blacken" their oil. Ive been worried about this "black" coloration for sometime.
* Manual says change when the SID says so. SID seems to indicate oil change every 8 or 9k miles. im wondering if thats a lot of miles between change. It is synthetic oil but still seems a lot of miles ...
99 9-3 SE at 130K+ the "little red bugger" came on my wifes car. It's convienently funny though how Saab never happened to send "WARNING" letters to owners of certain years about potential problems. We had just had the car in for service for the DIC and the tech retorqued the cylinder head bolts that "magically" loosen up by themselves. Two days later the oil light is on. Technician said he noticed some sludge in the valve cover and we drop the oil pan. Sure enough... SLUDGOLA!!! I have worked in automotive service for over 22 years mostly in GM dealerships and changed oil every 3K on her car. Why the hell some moronic "kolledge edumacated" engineer put the catalytic converter UNDERNEATH the oil pan on these cars is beyond me let alone with no heat shield even. I called Saab... bitched, complained, talked nice and got nowhere... I wasn't surprised. It shouldn't matter to the degree that Saab makes it out to be that your oil is synthetic, or that you change it every 3, 5 or 10 thousand miles, if it's done at a Saab dealer or in your driveway because it's the converter that COOKS the oil that is the issue... plain and simple. There are a few p.c.v. updates that can be done to help s-l-o-w the formation of sludge but the converter is still under the oil pan cooking your oil like a crock pot. Cars are mechanical marvels that require maintenence and t.l.c. from their owners... the problem with these particular Saab's is a design flaw of epic proportions and the burden of blame for this sludge issue that costs owners of these cars literally THOUSANDS of dollars falls back in the lap of Saab/GM... plain and simple. Other than this MAJOR problem and some typical eurotrash car electrical gremlins... I like the quirky little thing. BUYERS BEWARE!!! Will Saab/GM go good on their sludge problem like Toyota quietly did??? Time and lawyers will only tell.
These pix( http://www.saabservices.com/saab_engine_failure.html ) show the results of the cooking process. The large pore screen material is available at Home Depot, just cut to fit. The larger holes allow the sludge particles to pass on to the oil filter and not starve engine of oil. Frequent (3500 mile) oil changes with a good synthetic oil should avoid expensive rebuilds.
a little advice please. i've located a 2007 Saab 9-3 Convertible Anniversay Edition, CPO and only 3250 miles. dealer dropped the lot price a grand to $23,925. dealer will not budge on the price stating they just dropped the price $1000.00 on the lot. is this a good deal paying the asking of $23,925 or do you think the dealer has more room....plus, wife loves the car...
Any thoughts?
LET ME KNOW! I am in Las Vegas, Nevada , come get her, and enjoy a great vaction in Vegas!
Ciao,
Colm McDonagh, Eire
Gary - Baltimore MD
Do you know the maintenance history of the vehicle? What kind of oil has been used? How often has the oil been changed, etc.? Google "State of Nines" or "Saab Owners Club" to find an owners manual. My wife has a 2005 9-3 Arc Convertible and loves it. Almost 100k miles and no problems. You have to maintain European cars to keep from repairing them.