SAAB 9-3

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Comments

  • alexande1alexande1 Member Posts: 1
    What is camber steer? I looked up camber and it said something about an arch. I don't want to sound dumb but I'd like to know what it is. Thanks.
  • hunghung Member Posts: 1
    Anyone know what is a Saab 9-3 Model 325? Under dealer incentives at this site, a regular 9-3 has a $2000 incentive but the 9-3 Model 325 has a $3995 incentitive. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

    Dave
  • nsantininsantini Member Posts: 1
    This was in the paper (Wall Street Journal):
    Monthly: $289/36mo/12K miles
    Acquisition fee: $495
    First Months payment: $289.98
    Amount due at lease inception: $783.98

    Does this sound like a good deal? Does anyone have any suggestions for negotiating a LOWER monthly payment even though this deal is being subsidized by the manufacturer? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
  • lipslips Member Posts: 1
    I test drove a 9-3 a couple of weeks ago and I just loved the drive (I had never driven a SAAB before). I'm considering leasing one even though I probably can't really afford it and I'm a little
    spooked about the reliability questions so often raised in this forum. Aside from those concerns, one thing that I didn't like about the car were the narrow foot wells on both the passenger and driver's sides. Can any of you experienced 9-3 owners convince me that this is something I'll get accustomed to, or is it something that you also find annoying, or even notice???
  • nphillips1nphillips1 Member Posts: 2
    Good question. Most roads are arched or cambered(crown in the middle, decreased elevation to the left and right to allow water run-off). Camber steer is the effect of the road camber on the steering such that the car will pull to the right when on the right-hand slope and will pull to the left when on the left-hand slope. My 9-3 pulls to the left when on the left hand-side of the road, to the right when I am on the right hand-side of the road. This situation is exacerbated when braking (i.e. even greater pulls to the left or the right) such that mounting the sidewalk (left hand-side) or moving into the median or oncoming traffic (right hand-side) is a distinct possibility. This has happened to me several times at both low speed (less than 20 km/hour) and high speed (+100 km/hour). For those SAAB owners in Ontario and Quebec, this makes overtaking trucks on the 2-lane sections of the 401 between London and Montreal an interesting experience. SAAB appears to have been aware of this problem since January of this year (PIP Technical Advice SAAB 9-3, 9-5 dated 01/22/99 issued by Ulrika Ek addressing complaints regarding cars that drift to the left or the right). No solution except grin-and-bear-it is offered, as SAAB considers this normal. I have noticed a number of similar comments at SAABNET, and the technician at my dealership tells me I'm not alone in complaining about this. A correct front-end set-up (castor, toe-in etc.) makes no difference.
  • jonahdark1jonahdark1 Member Posts: 6
    The 325 is the five door 9-3, where the 323 is the three door 9-3. I believe the 355 is the five door SE.
  • marc25marc25 Member Posts: 6
    If the 325 is the 5 door 9-3 what is the convertible?
  • marc25marc25 Member Posts: 6
    So what is the $3999 Dealer incentive on. Is this $$$ in the dealer's pocket. Who's buying down the lease? Saab? We've got a negative money factor. Any insight would be greatly appreciated. My father and I are about to purchase two.
  • sgtstryker2sgtstryker2 Member Posts: 1
    I justleased a 9-3. The $3999 is on base 9-3's regardless of equipment. I leased for 36 months and got a midnight blue with biege leather interior, AT, heated seats, sunroof, and CD. The car runs great and handles quite well..much better than my VV 850T. The lease deal after the $3999 is also below market with an intrest rate about 2.8%. Probably this is the best year end deal around if you like the car.
  • vy1vy1 Member Posts: 4
    I actually did a little bit better than that. Because I am a previous Saab owner, I also got an addtional 1,000 off which I could either use to reduce the cap cost, or the down payment. I chose the down payment, and walked off the lot with automatic, leather cd moonroof for 325.00$ down( First months payment). Since it is my goal to purchase this car for the cheapest price, I will accelerate the lease payments. I also have done every thing possible to lower the residual. Money factor on present Saab 9 3 deal as per my dealer is .00110. Did anyone get a better money factor?
  • lcl77lcl77 Member Posts: 1
    I'm a first time Saab buyer, and am wondering what the yearly maintenance costs run (assuming nothing catastrophic happens --- just routine visits) for the first 5 years. Thanks!
  • jonahdark1jonahdark1 Member Posts: 6
    According to a local dealer, they can use that loyalty twice, or they can use the loyalty because of your new saab as long as you have the same address... I'd look into it if I were you. My family just used it twice and we have two brand new 9-3 SE, midnight blue cars sitting in our driveway... now we just get confused as to whos is whos....;-). (one does have grey interior and the other one has beige).
  • saabsonsaabson Member Posts: 3
    Would you mind giving me your dealers number. If I can use it twice then I'm going to get the second one right away!
  • snaabsnaab Member Posts: 74
    $194 per month. O down. O sec dep. DAMN!!!!!! That is for a 9-3 with a sunroof, cd, and heated seats. Very good deal. Verrrrrrryyyyyy good!!!
  • saabsonsaabson Member Posts: 3
    When you said "$194 per month" what were you refering to? Did you find a deal for that price? Please explain.
  • newberth3newberth3 Member Posts: 2
    We bought our 93 in October 1998 and love the car, but I'm at the point where I do not believe the car is safe to drive unless you have both hands on the wheel 100% of the time. We've taken it back to the dealer 3-4 times and they too say that's the way the car is. My wife is not pleased with this problem at all; put the brakes on and it pulls you right across the road if you're not careful. Everything else is great. Why won't Saab take care of this? They are the safe-car makers and this is not right. I've got a 95 and love it! I'm searching for answers and if I don't receive any, I am going to write to Saab this weekend and request something to be done. I've driven some other 93's, but the severe turns don't necessarily show up. My wife wants her '90 900S back.
  • vy1vy1 Member Posts: 4
    have you taken your 9 3 to an independent Saab mechanic? I test drove my 9 3 before I got it. Because of your message, I tried to obtain the same results that you described, but I couldn't. I even tried breaking extremely hard with my hands off the steering wheel, and did not have the problem you described. If you can have this problem documented by several other Saab mechanics besides your dealer, then you may have a case to return the car under the lemon law. Good Luck
  • snaabsnaab Member Posts: 74
    Saab 9-3 5-door with sunroof, heated seats, and cd.
    $194 per month for two years
    0 down
    0 sec. dep.
    $495 acc. fee

    Saw this add in a Detroit news paper
  • newberth3newberth3 Member Posts: 2
    vyl thanks for the tip. i'll try it!
  • mreinermreiner Member Posts: 1
    we own a low mileage (36000), well equipped 94 900S 5dr hatchback, automatic. we love and hate the car. great car, great drive, too many repairs (all with dealer). we were at dealer this week for routine maintenance at mechanic said that dealers have $5000 incentive to buy back'94s. Does anyone know any more details about this. We are inclined to sell our car and either buy a new saab (if incented properly) or a newer used model. any coaching would be greatly appreciated.
  • eggendeggend Member Posts: 4
    I pretty much had my heart set on a 9-3 at some point in the next year or so (particularly since i miss my old 900 nearly every day as i hunker down on the interstate in my tin-can honda)....

    but then i noticed volvo was bringing their 40-series to the states. now i'm torn between the 9-3 and the V40, which as a wagon offers many of the same cargo-carrying benefits that i like in the 9-3. both are turbocharged, both are extremely safe, and both are in the same price range (the saab actually has a higher MSRP, but i know their dealers tend to move more on price and have great lease deals.)

    i know both brands have mixed reliability histories (although i never had a problem with the two Saabs that I've owned). but i also know it's easier to get service on a volvo, since they sell so many more cars than saab.

    anyway, i'm curious if anyone has thoughts on the pros and cons of these two swedemobiles. (and does anyone else feel that the 40-series could really steal a lot of potential 9-3 buyers?)
  • saabsonsaabson Member Posts: 3
    First, test drive both. All the stats in the world can't replace the fit and feel of a car and your driving habits/taste. The 9-3 has more horses than the V40 (185hp vs 160hp) and yet the V40 is much louder than the Saab. I have had both Saabs and Volvos over the past 40 years and love both. In the 60's Volvo was more advanced than Saab. In the 70's Volvos were dogs (much like US cars then), yet the my 1980 Saab 900T is ultra strong. The 940 Volvo was a great car as is the S80. Now I feel Saab has perfected the 9- class and I've bought 2 new ones (see previous topics).
    The 40 series Volvo is meant to target the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, Nissan Maxima demographic. While the 9-3's are gunning for the BMW 323, Audi A4, and Mercedes c230. Which bracket do you see yourself in?
    Additionally, my Saab/Volvo mechanic told me last year to stay away from the first year of a new model for either manufacturer. Thus I held off on getting the new 9-3 and as it turns out they made some improvements for the '99 9-3 and I got a great lease deal. If you like the V40, and don't get me wrong - it is a sharp car, it may be wise to wait a year while Volvo works out the bugs of this new model.
    Also keep in mind the Saab 4yr/50,000mi. bumper to bumper warranty. I believe Volvo offer a similar warranty, but check it out yourself.
    Either way I'd take a Swede car over anything else.

    Good luck,

    Saabson
  • mluikeymluikey Member Posts: 3
    I recently drove and compared both cars. I feel the Saab had a nicer ride. I compared the carrying capacity of both vehicles (I'm a traveling salesman) and felt the saab's size was quite adequate. Also, Volvo is selling the V40
    at sticker here in Chicago but there are no 5sp
    9-3's to be had at the awesome lease rate. I'm
    gonna hold out for a 2000 9-3 and see what they
    offer. Just my .02
  • marc25marc25 Member Posts: 6
    Where are y'all finding your 9-3's? Havn't had much luck within 1000 miles. And whats with the $1000 SAAB owners discount/rebate? Where do I get the info? Please respond ASAP to:
    mgoldb@kmctelecom.com
  • pwerginpwergin Member Posts: 1
    Currently the V40 is only available with automatic transmission....made the decision easy for me!
  • tridenttrident Member Posts: 1
    I drool at the great 9-3 lease deals you guys seem to get. I'm new to US and don't have a credit history. The dealer in Houston, Momentum SAAB gave me this last week.

    9-3 base, stick,leather, sun roof, CD
    Down Payment - $9933, Per month - $126 for 36 months, 36000 miles, $15124 after lease price

    Dealer says this is what he can offer for my rather short credit history. Any comments on this is greatly appreciated.
  • chucksterchuckster Member Posts: 1
    A Dallas dealership advertised a balloon payment plan on several models of Saabs at identical terms to the more popular lease deals (same downpayment, monthly payment and balloon amount at the end of term). Has anyone got any details or pros & cons of the balloon vs the lease? I ran some numbers and it appears that the interest rate must be between 2-3% if my assumptions are correct.

    Thanks in advance.

    Chuck
  • marc25marc25 Member Posts: 6
    I'd be happy to fax anyone Saab's lease #'s for everywhere but TEXAS. CHUCKSTER - I'd really appreciate hearing what those numbers from the Dallas dealer are... Please, please post.
  • tim86tim86 Member Posts: 1
    I'm looking to buy a 94+ 9-3 but have heard mixed reports about reliability and repair costs, I'd love some first hand accounts/experiences to supplement the less personalized information.
  • khill6khill6 Member Posts: 1
    Dear TIM86, I too was skeptical about purchasing a late modle SAAB. Even though I'd owned a '87 900 S, this is a considerably different car and company. In the year since I bought the '98, I've been fairly satisfied with the car overall.

    SAABs are not cheap, their made with quality parts and the workmanship is high. Therefore, parts tend to be above average price. The competition's prices are comparable or more. That based on experience with Hondas and BMWs. My wife's car '99 BMW 323, which is slower, has less room and storage space, and the BMW has fewer standard features, and costs more.
  • pocahontaspocahontas Member Posts: 802
    Saab 9-3 and Saab Hatchbacks.


    Thanks for your participation.


    Pocahontas

    Host

    Hatchbacks Message Board

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