Saab 9-3 Aero

B

BV Horn

100+ Posts
I'm thinking about purchasing a Saab 9-3 Aero, anybody have any ideas, suggestions, advice, etc.? Thanks!
 
From my experience, do not buy a Saab.

We bought a '03 9-3 new a few years ago. Here's the abbreviated list of problems we've had.

1) Gearbox malfunction msg- Turned out to need a new transmission; had to be shipped from Sweden. 2 weeks without the car. Car was <6 months old.

2) 2 months old. Dead battery. So dead the doors wouldn't open and it couldn't be jumped. Holiday weekend. Turns out that 24/7 roadside support doesn't apply to holidays. Saab did not reimburse the rental car we had to get as they said they would on the phone.

3) Engine would die at stop lights. A recall fixed the problem.

4) A year old, we would have to add a little water to the radiator now and then. Went in for a recall and they found the radiator had several small leaks. Without the car for a week while they ordered and replaced the radiator.

5) The brake pads can only be replaced by the dealer at $400.00. I won't bore you with the problems we had as a result of the brake change by the dealer.

6) The sunroof now won't open. The dealer said it can't be fixed.

That's the top 6 reasons why I'll never buy, or recommend, a Saab. There have been way to many other small problems to list.

On the other hand, it is a fun car to drive. It replaced an A-4. It is now being replaced by another A-4.
 
I seriously looked at buying this car. In doing research, I did see a lot of problems with previous models that supposedly had been fixed in the 2006/2007 models. That was not going to put me off, but the depth of problems seen by the previous poster may make you decide against it.

I eventually decided against it because I wanted to spend half that money on something else and wound up buying a used roadster instead.

In any case, the one bit of advice I can offer is - if you do decide to buy this car, be sure to check out their European Delivery Program. It's the tits.
 
I'm pretty much the resident SAAB-lover here, so here are my thoughts. I had an '88 900t from 98-2000 and yeah, it had problems, but i loved that car to death.

Now, I have a 2006 9-3 2.0t
(as for the poster who thought they came in linear, arc, and vector, those designations were done away with a few years ago and replaced by the 2.0t base model and the aero)

I really like a lot of the aspects of my car. I love the way it looks, it's roomy, it gets 32mpg/highway & 24/city, has tons of trunk space. the dashboard is pretty sweet, i've grown to love the bazillion buttons. however, on the 08 models, they've toned it down some.
my favorite feature is the driver information display at the edge of the windshield & dashboard. it's the tits. i don't know if the new cars have them, the interior looks so different.
also, all saab 9-3s have an auxiliary input for your ipod standard.

saabs are sick safe. my insurance is way cheap. is that boring? maybe, but it's nice.

the saab dealerships that i have taken my car to have all been wonderful, doing everything i asked and more. i've been in for my 2 routine maintenance checkups at 10k and 20k miles (you only change the oil every 10k miles! pretty damn convenient), had a flat tire replaced, and had them fix my bumper which got ripped on a curb (no charge).

however, the doors rattle a bit (i haven't taken it in to get fixed, but i was assured on the phone the dealership would at no cost)
also, the interior is no match for a lexus or audi. it's nice, but not that nice.


with the aero, you're basically getting every feature in a saab that i would want. express up and down windows and sunroof w/remote opening, power everything, fog lights, xenon cornering headlights, 6-disc cd, basically the works

there is an awd aero coming out in 08 i believe, and the eary test results are insanely good. if i was in the market, that's what i would get.
 
Thanks for the tips! I test drove the Acura TSL, and I thought the ride was a little rougher than the 9-3. I guess I need to try the Audi A4 before I make a decision.
 
The statement about GM and their influence is spot on. Saab was an amazing car and company before the buyout. I would not touch the newer ones. There may be good ones in the bunch but not worth it, imho. A shame, a damned shame.

I still have my 86 900. I helped a friend change out the motor on his moms 900 Turbo Convertible as it had hit just over ONE MILLION miles. I was flabbergasted till he showed me that it was not that rare. While not common, it was not unprecedented. She had gone through a turbo earlier on because she did not let it warm up or cool down properly.

This was an 80s 900 as well.
 
I had an '02 9-5 Aero for a few years. I thought it was a beautiful car, and I loved the interior and the way the whole car was designed. The motor was a little odd, and the handling odder still. Not bad, just odd. I don't recall any reliability or maintenance problems.

What I do recall is thinking that I probably could have gotten much more car for my ~ $44K. Perhaps nothing as distinctive, but better.
 
Anyone who replaces a car (any car) with an Audi due to reliability issues is in for a bad surprise.

German cars are **** when it comes to reliability. Yes, worse than American cars. Nevertheless, VW and Audi (sister companies) take the World Championship on unreliability. Well, maybe a Chinese car company or two do worse.
 
shrug i wouldnt say that... i drove my first Benz to 600k miles with no major problems (till the very end) and now on my second with 220k... zero problems... not bad id say...
 
I've had three SAABs, and loved them. The last one turned me off of them due to all of the repairs and expensive maintenance. Too expensive to own.
 
UPDATE: in the issue of full disclosure, my saab died yesterday.

it's NOT battery related (that i could tell) since we tried to jump it, and the lights still work.

essentially, the car goes crazy when i try to start it, and won't turn over, but will make the gauges flutter.

saab's roadside assistance has been... tested... by the compounding problem that my car is at the bottom of my underground parking garage with a 7ft clearance and tight ramps. the tow truck they sent last night (knowing there was a 7ft clearance) was a flatbad--roughly 9ft tall. not gonna cut it.

today, they called another company--these guys wanted me to "attach my car to a friend's SUV or truck and winch it out of the garage so they could load it onto a flatbed." NOT GONNA HAPPEN.

to saab's credit, when i called back and told them this was not acceptable, they agreed and are finding another company to get it. one that will bring a "snatch truck" to extract it, and then load it onto a flatbed for the trip to the dealership.

this has been a headache for sure.
 
My advice is don't ever buy a SAAB. I purchased a new 2004 9-3 Aero with a 6 speed MT. This vehicle saw the shop 26 times in the first 30K miles of ownership - yes you read it correctly TWENTY SIX times. They replaced the trans twice - the ECU twice - just about every drive component in the front end - the dash has a rubberized coating that peels off like a burn victims skin. I had all kinds of electrical problems such as the doors unlocking themselves while driving. Several times when I went out to start the car the sunroof and or windows were open - some fully some partially. This is only the high points of my SAAB experience. My best advice would be to go to a SAAB dealer and hang around the service area and listen to some of the tales of woe that most of the owners have to tell to their service advisor. The funny part of it is that most will never tell you the truth in a typical social type setting. A lot of the owners are a real strange group - almost like a cult - they pat each other on the back while reassuring each other that they didn't buy a real POS. They seem to forget that it's a car and not a life. Check out some of the SAAB specialty forums and see how they treat owners who tell the truth ...... and that my dear forum members is my SAAB SOB Story. fuzzyE
 
For the new or American Saab's you are so right. Leave it up to the piss poor American companies to mess up a great car. Sad, as I stated in an earlier post above.

GM screwed those cars up in a massive way when they took over. It bugs me when they talk about the jets in their commercials. No you tools. When they were all Swedish they were rooted in jets and technology. Now they are typical American crap which is pale in comparison to cars from many other nations. Ugh.

Sorry you guys have had bad luck with the new ones. You had to be a putz or just flat out not take care of your older one back in the day. They went forever more often than not. And as somebody said, they are sick safe.
 
SAAB ownership to some people is like some sort of an addiction - a lot of the owners have no life other than the one they have with their car - quirky cars = quirky owners. Like I said before just go to the various Saab only forums and you will get a good insight into this rather unusual subculture. One of the so called "forums" out there opens with the premise that " SAABs are reliable cars" - the facts say otherwise. Speak out against his personal delusions and he will ban you from "HIS" forum - so much for freedom of speech I guess. The whole bogus fighter jet thing is in my opinion a real scream - granted the company was started by a group of aerospace engineers - however the key word here is WAS - and that was a long, long time ago - past glories are in the past - you cannot live a retro life. GM got into SAAB as a part owner a long time ago and presently has 100% ownership. They most likely got involved with SAAB because they wanted some of their technology - things like the 9-3 floorpan are now or were being used on the Chev Malibu, Opel Vectra, and a few others that don't immediately come to mind. They also wanted their nameplate - just look at the 9-7 aka Chev Trailbazer and the 9-2 also known in these here parts as the SAABARU - surely the powers that be at GM have one hell of a sense of humor. Present day SAABs are nothing more than a collection components from various countries - the auto transmissions are made in Japan by Aisan - engines have various countries of origin. The myth of once a SAAB owner always a SAAB owner passed about the same time Chevy and Ford men switched their alliances. I have 3 friends or coworkers that have had really bad experiences. #1 has a 9-5 that is a company car - he hates it and is tired of all the trips he has to make to the service department - he will celebrate on the day that he gets rid of it. #2 also had a 9-5 that gave him so much trouble that the dealer gave him one heck of a deal on a new 9-3 Aero - only to have a repeat performance - he now has a Volvo - not perfect - but a whole lot better - his 3 years of SAABing are now over. #3 has a troublesome 9-3 and now drives a Cadillac CTS - again not perfect - no cars are - but a whole lot better. I myself bought a 2007 328Xi some 17 months and 32K miles ago and have had 2 trips to the dealer other than for scheduled maint. They replaced all 4 of my run flat tires because of a ride disturbance. The other was to replace a rear brake light assembly. Again not perfect - but within reasonable expectations.... and that fellow forum members is another chapter of my SAAB SOB story. Ed
 
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