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the saab dealer offered me 3700 for my car. the honda dealers have offered a little more, if i buy a honda. my choice for 30k and my car is a new accord or subaru or the one year old/rental saab.
Had the car for 1 week, taken it camping. Talk about storage room.
Performance on single lane highways in Ontario is unbelievable. Passing cars was never a problem. Power to spare.
Wanted a BMW 323 at first, but cost about 10K more than the 9-3 with the same features. No way Bimmer is 10K better car. Plus rear wheel drive in winter is just awful in Ontario.
So far no regrets, but then again only 800 km and my other car is a Sunfire.
Unfortunately, every new discussion is placed in numeric order, based on the date the discussion was created, so new discussions are on the end of the list. When you logon, your posts are already in numeric order.
You can reorder your own list by clicking on Last Post which is at the top of the topic list. This displays the post in order of the date the last post was added. If the Saab discussion stays as active as you think it will, you'll probably find it on the first page once you re-order.
I hope this is helpful.
carlady/host
Thanks for the explanation and the tip.
rfellman,
re: "Edmunds Menance Strikes.. blah, blah, blah."
get a grip.
What's a realistic price for the 9-3 or the 9-3SE in relation to the invoice price? Any thoughts on leasing vs. buying - based on your personal experience? How likely am I to get a good trade in value for my 95 Honda Civic from a Saab dealer? What the story with the tires -- are they good or not in snowy weather?
I'm based in Northern New Jersey (no jokes, please), so if you have any good or bad dealer stories, please share them.
I leased a 9-3 for seven months before crashing it out in the CA desert near Death Valley. I flipped the car several times and crawled out of the wreck with no more than some abrasions to an arm and a lot of stitches above the eye.
Saab's are really good cars in some very specific areas. The engine is really fun do push through its paces. There are very few engines near the 9-3's price range that give its fun to drive factor. The turbo engines are well thought out and worked on over a number of years. The suspension is not.
Safety for a Saab definitely exceeds anything from Japan or the U.S. in its price range. Volvo is Saabs only contender but then they are usually several grand more.
There are a couple of areas that Saab's are not so good at and that is in the area of long term resale value. They are a great car to own and drive but they tend to be brutally punished in the resale market. If you plan to purchase one after your Honda you need to realize and accept the trade-off your accepting.
Saabs do not depreciate well and you need to make your decission accepting the added fun to drive factor and their uniqueness over a Honda. These are not cars for the masses, although Saab probably wishes they were. They have tremendous cargo capacity near almost any wagon you'd choose but with an engine that'll beat the pants off most any other stock sedan.
Generally speaking Saab dealerships are independents that wouldn't have much use for your used Honda. It really isn't their kind of market. I'd get there quote on your car but I'd bet you'd do better just to sell it yourself first. The Saab dealerships I've visited here on the West Coast really only sell used Swedish cars or Europeans.
Best Wishes on Your Trek!
Saab is a great car for you.
Bummer about the 15% PST/GST, though.
He paid $36,341 after taxes for an 9-3 with CD, Leather and Sunroof. This price is also after a $2,000 rebate with a GM Visa Card.
So... (Pre-Tax Price - $2,000 Rebate) * 1.15 Canadian Taxes = $36,341 After Tax
Solving for Pre-Tax Price before tax and the rebate gives us: $33,600. I am assuming this is close to invoice (i.e. that GM offers its suppliers invoice price), although invoice could be a little lower if GM is trying to squeeze some contribution out of these sales. Alternatively, GM could be selling this below invoice, but still above their cost.
This car lists for $37,320 in Canada (Car, sun, CD, Leather, delivery, air tax). This implies that dealers receive $3,720 above invoice (before any additional rebates) - about 10% of MSRP.
Interesting.
Cheers
This seemed interesting so I checked out GM's web site and did see a GM Visa Card, but did see a GM MasterCard. However the MasterCard application says that the rebate is not applicable on Saturn and Saab purchases/leases. The Visa does however? One bummer I saw even if the rebate could be used on Saab purchases as well is that you can only earn up to $500/year (for up to 7 years before the credits start expiring) so the most I could save since I plan to purchase this year is $500 (and only if I put $10,000 on it prior to purchase of the car).
Jeff
I leased a 9-3 convertible a couple of months ago for an incredible deal ($0 down, $440/month). When I say 0 down I mean 0, not even tag fees, walked in there picked it up, took off. Not bad for a $40,000 car. The trick: I had a savvy businessman negotiating for me and a smart salesman at the dealership who didn't want to loose the deal.
Anyway, I'm aware of almost all the published shortcomings of SAABs but I'm still simply in love with this car. The overall experience of getting in this baby every morning, taking the roof down and feeling the G's it produces is nothing short of spectacular.
After almost 3 months and 3,000 miles the car is getting even faster and the good brakes saved my butt more than once in near fender-benders.
The only issue: steering-since the first week of driving I noticed that I had to keep the steering wheel slightly to the left to keep the car going straight. Depending on the speed and road I was on, the phenomenon was sometimes less and sometimes more obvious. I took the car to the dealer twice. They put it on the computer and it read dead-center (twice). The SAAB specialist claimed this was a torque-steer issue which SAABs are notorious for. Incidentally as I was pulling out of the dealership another brand new 9-3 conv. just like mine pulled in with the exact same issue.
Can someone enlighten me on this please? I thought torque-steer effects are seen only during acceleration. Is this the norm for 9-3s or is there something wrong with these cars?
Thanks for your responses.
Cheers,
Vike
Or maybe I'm just looking for any reason to criticize. There was a time when I thought I just had to have a 9-3. I researched, read, listened, analyzed and finally convinced my wife. Needless to say, I'm no longer quite so smitten.
I was browsing thru the Consumer Report magazine at the store and I was surprised to see them trashing the 9-3. It seems that they all got used to the word "quirky" which I don't even know how it applies to the 9-3!!!
It seems that the car "experts" are running out of things to say and they make things up. At best they are very subjective "experts". I am an "expert" myself since I drive a lot. What counts the most is the feeling I get from the car. I don't drive at 100 mph so I don't care how it handles at 100 mph. I don't take stiff turns at bullet-speed because I don't want to die so I don't give a rats [non-permissible content removed] about the benchmarks.
I live in a very affluent city where Boxsters are the norm and I can tell you that the 9-3 with the top down is the best looking 4-seat convertible in the market. the looks I get justify that (and they're not looking at me-I'm an ugly troll!)
Anyway, for what is worth, I am one super happy 9-3 conv owner and I can't wait until the Viggen comes out in conv. in a couple of years.
Cheers
Personaly I hate the word "quirky" that the automotive press always seems to pull out to describe any Saab. Other than the stupid difference of a key mounted between the seats what are they talking about?
I read two major automotive mags from cover to cover every month and to be honest they say exactly the same sort of things about every car they review. (Now isn't that amazing!?..Huh) These writers are totally myopic and without real-life long term daily ownership experiences of the cars they so glibly review. I wonder how many years it's been since any of them have regularly driven and owned a car that was not less than two years old?
If you really want to know what the word "quirky means in automotive design you should take a closer look at some of the current French designs. Older Saabs seem to have gotten this tag word attched to them and it still sticks but for the life of me I don't really understand why.
You guys may have read a few of "THORN's" postingings on the Swedish wagons reviewed in C&D's "Luxo-Wagons Compared" article in the June issue. Needless to say, this totally inane article chose to compare equally the BMW 528i, MB's 320, Audi A6 Avant Quatro against both the Saab 9-5 and Volvo V70R AWD. Of the three german wagons only the Audi was nearly the same price as the Sweeds. The BMW and MB were nearly $10k more than any of the others.
Now what kind of comparison is it when you ask the real consumer "Would you spend $10K more for this car" if in fact they only have a set amount of dollars to spend for their car. People shop for the best car they can afford given the dollars they have to spend not becasue a review lists a $10K more expensive car as the "best."
Give me the extra $10K and I'll throw it into one of the Sweeds on after market goodies that'd guarantee to blow the doors off any of the German showroom Luxo-wagon.
They had a new Viggen on the floor...SWEEEEEET! Despite the electric blue paint, I don't know how long I can resist?!? Has anyone purchased one yet? I'm afraid to take a test drive for fear that I may have to take it home.
Buy your Saab in three year, tell us all about it and I'll follow in your footsteps if you don't drop out of sight.
Keep posting and don't lie about your ownership experiences. Saab is a great car but its long term reliability is not yet decided. If it is a DOG you'll let us know soon enough.
Presumably the inflation pressures have been equalized.
Great seats, fantastic handling, minimal turbo lag, and unlike an M3, you can actually take it on ski trips thanks to front wheel drive! I think a carbon fiber dash panel would look particularly good in it too. My only gripe was that the footwell is a little narrow, but trust me, I can get used to it!
In fact, I've placed an order for a blue 5 door (expected in Nov. or Dec.), and I can't wait!
Regarding the Viggen, the price sticker is $38K isn't it? That's even less than the 9-3 conv. though I can see the tire cost mounting up.
Does anyone know how many of the 1000 USA Viggens have already being sold?
9-3. Anybody know of any good lease deals? Is the SE model worth the extra cash? Anyways, Saabs Rule!!!
Here's my dilema and question:
Given Saab's relatively high depreciation rate, I could pick up a used (97 or 98) 900 se coupe for a good deal. Are the 1000 improvements on the new 9-3 really that substantial that I should forget the 900 and go for the 9-3? It won't be as loaded as the 900 se, and will cost more money.
I'm in the final stages of getting a 9-3 Convertible this week. I'm completely intrigued that you got yours with $0 down. To get my $443/mo. lease I'm paying close to $4k down. How did you get them to pay sales tax, bank lease fee ($595), not to mention car registrations fees!!
Please share your secrets and congrats on a great deal.
The 9-3 coupe base has the turbo engine your looking for. The SE 9-3 is a trim level but all 9-3's have turbo engines. The are a few goodies that you get with the SE like automatic dual climate control and always leather as well as a couple of other dodads. They say that there were a lot of other upgrades to the 9-3 over the 900 but I'm not sure I could really tell you what it means to the average driver.
For less than $100, you can make a significant improvement in sound quality.
My 9-3 conv. came in the dealership Oct. 98 and basically my dealer used that fact to lower the price. I can tell you he had to go and check with his manager more than twice and I also was limited to inventory (I was going for a red SE and ended up with black 9-3 which turns out to be better looking anyway). The key is to purchase from an area with at least 3 SAAB dealerships. SAAB 9-3 conv. is not a high-volume car and a smart dealer will never turn down a deal if they sense the competition. Once you locate such a situation it helps to reverse the rules. What we did was refuse to even show up to the dealership unless the dealer talked numbers. They both had to call back and verify we were for real-we called from a reputable company and my boss is the CEO so he had credibility. Out of 3 dealers one tried to play the "come down and we'll talk" game so he was put aside. You'd think that a dealer selling a $40K car would use different techniques than your corner Mitsubishi shop but he was in the heart of the metropolitan area so he wasn't desperate. Another tip is to opt for a SAAB-only dealership meaning they *need* to move inventory. The dealer who lost the deal was a Buick-VW-something-something-SAAB dealer so SAAB was not his priority.
Bottom line, the trick is in reversing the rules and hunt down the dealer as opposed to becoming dealer-bait. Again read these numbers: Brand new SAAB 9-3 conv. $0 down and $443/month. People hesitate to believe me but it's the truth. And what a sweet deal it is for a great car.
said they could lease me a 99 SAAB 9-5 SE.
$408 12 miles a year.
$427 15 miles a year.
No money down and tax included.
What do you think?
8000 miles later, I have another pool on my garage floor. Still oily, now a different color. Turns out this time a seal on the power steering pump went blooey. Again, good dealer service, and fixed under warranty. But I'm getting less happy.
Now, the auto climate control display is starting to go out. It works fine, but from time to time the numbers just disappear and the display simply lights up random LEDs.
Don't get me wrong, I love the car. I would just love it more if it had the reliability of my old Integra GS-R or my wife's Maxima. I have now been to the dealer three times for repairs to this car in one year -- three times more than the Max and Integra in a total of five years of ownership.
So, can I expect this trend to continue?