Saab 9-3 Aero (98-02) - opinions?

[Fat Albert]

Hi Hallsy, yes it was a 220 944T, but breathed on a bit by Promax to remove some of the lag, the 9 3 would spin up quicker, but you are right the 944 would just keep going through the gears...at max-chat I'd change up into 5th at around 135 leptons....and it would be straight on boost and going again...

[stevoknevo]

Hallsy01 said:

Well - it's an itch o'd like to scratch, but not sure if I'll get chance just yet - I'm more than likely going to go down the estate route.

They're as big as most estates with the seats down! I've had an NG900 (1995) and an OG 9-3 (1999) and had ridiculous amounts of stuff in the back of them from 8' x 2' flooring boards to a fridge, cooker and three kids bikes for the dump (all at once) and even a king size mattress folded in half for the dump.

Brilliantly practical cars; yes, they don't handle very well, but £20 for a 2nd hand rear anti roll bar and some nuts bolts and washers to fit, less than a hundred quid for a rack clamp and £40 quid for some outer track control arm poly bushes tightens things up nicely provided everything else is okay. It's the real twisties that they don't handle well. Some decent tyres really helps; I always go 5% up in the profile. My NG900 was the most stable car at speed that I have ever driven, and they fly with a stage one map.

Really comfy, practical like no other hatchback, fantastic heater and brilliant in the winter on the right tyres. Surprisingly economical on a run as well, 35mpg, but dire around town at sub 20mpg.