After 4 years of not having a car.. I got this shed :)

[Lexual]

...so after 4 years of not having a car to call my own because of travelling and living in London, I've finally got around to getting myself a motor

Woooopie I hear you all cheer!

As I had a budget of just £600 and also being a bit picky and not wanting to settle for a mondeo with 140k on the clock or other 'run of the mill' bargain cars, I'd been spending many many hours over the last couple of weeks looking for something a bit more interesting ..and so I eventually found this...



2001 9-3 Aero Hot












which I paid £600 for. Yes.


You can probably tell from the pics its in pretty good nick.. (Its actually in fantastic condition!) and with just 85k on the clock! (which is backed up)

It's my first Saab and first turbo I've owned and so i've been reading up on various forums about what common issues/problems to look out for.. such as breather and oil cooling pipes perishing and the sump getting full of gunk.. but other than just posting pics of my new Swedish model I wanted to get some feedback from any of you that have owned or currently own one and any advice you can offer me to keep her going strong! I've discovered Neo Bros who seem to be very good and helpful for parts etc... I've posted in the Saab section on PH but it doesnt get visited often..

any other pointers?

Thanks in advance and hello other Saab people out there...

Ollie.

[carlingofblack]

That looks a terrific buy... Well done that man!

[namelogin]

I can gurantee there's pixels missing off the dash computer inside :P

[the stigs dad]

Remove the sump and clean the oil pick up, these are prone to sledging. Get it remapped ASAP too!

[y2blade]

bloody lovely

[Yiliterate]

Good choice - look after it, you could get another 80-100k out of it! Enjoy...

[Mastodon2]

For £600, you really can't argue with that!

[maniac886]

Fantastic buy for £600, well done man!

[Lexual]

namelogin said:

I can gurantee there's pixels missing off the dash computer inside :P

haha.. I know this is a common occurrence but I promise you not a single pixel missing! and every single thing works as it should.. lecky seats n' all..

I think I did pretty well... my jealous mates kind of confirm it!

Cheers all, I'm definitely getting the sump dropped and replace the pipes soon, also been told steering rack brace is a must and getting poly bushes.. its looking like I'm gonna be spending another £600 on it..

as it goes at the moment there is little I can fault it on so rather do this as preventative maintenance rather than wait for something to go 'POP'

O.

[Rubin215]

Seriously good buy.

[A900ss]

Lexual said:

been told steering rack brace is a must

This is the biggest known problem on these. The bulkhead splits apart over time so do check ths by turning the wheel from lock to lock and see if your pedals move from side to side.

Good luck, looks nice.

Edited by A900ss on Sunday 4th November 08:05

[Astra Dan]

I do like that. I've been looking into a 2.2 TiD Coupé for my next car. I reckon the facelifted cars are far more likely to have a fully working display then the older ones.
Interesting mish mash of Mk3 Astra and Cavalier V6 bits on them.

[Lexual]

....and all sitting on a vectra

[martin84]

-looks at Rover 75 outside-



-starts flicking through Auto Trader-

[Astra Dan]

Lexual said:

....and all sitting on a vectra

Absolutely nothing linking that to a Vectra at all.

[Negative Creep]

Brilliant value for money. Always thought they were very smart looking cars, especially in 3 door form

[Getragdogleg]

I don't need another car but I fancy that. What utterly top shed finding OP, I salute you.

[Lexual]

Astra Dan said:

Lexual said:

....and all sitting on a vectra

Absolutely nothing linking that to a Vectra at all.

Do they not share the same chassis? or was that the 2nd gen models or 5 door?

[McClure]

Good work. I'm always looking at old Saabs wondering whether I can justify adding one purely as a motorway schlepper. And you can't sniff at £600. Keep us updated - interested to know how reliable this turns out to be.

[Slink]

it was supposed to be based on the vectra, but saab changed so much its not really a vectra any more.