RE: Shed Of The Week: Saab 9-3

[Jimmy Recard]

marshall100 said:

Yeah, I think I probably would. Still looks tidy for a 13 year old hack, can't be that bad to fix. Was it just the convertibles that liked to split the bulkhead?

Previous generation 93 I think

[ballans]

I had an aero estate from new in 2005. It was my 5th Saab in a row but by that time I felt all of the Saab quirks (flaws to most people) had been ironed out and it was erring towards blandness. Still had a cracking engine especially with the Irmscher upgrade which I managed to to get free from the dealer as the expensive sat nav option was absolutely hopeless.
Mine met an unfortunate end when a storm blew a large tree over effectively folding it in half. Replaced it with a BMW 330d touring which was way better.
Having said all that this shed with some cheap mods will give someone hours of fun.

[Blackpuddin]

ballans said:

hours

[Dr Doofenshmirtz]

That wheel arch rust is bothering me - I hope that isn't common?
I shall double check mine later, but I've never seen any evidence of rust at all.

[MadDog1962]

Hmmm... probably OK at around £500.

As we all know, at this level you're only one major repair from the scrapyard. It might have 12 months MoT, but it might not be around that long.

[Kitchski]

J4CKO said:

Agree with most of that, but the starting point wasnt really the problem, they over sprung it, lesser versions were a lot better, just because a car is a Vauxhall doesnt mean it is in some way Hamstrung in the handling department, they know what they are doing, perhaps not as good as Fords but they can get a car to handle.

I replaced mine for some different springs, it improved it a bit.

Agreed, the Vectra it was based on certainly didn't ride as badly. I think Saab tried to chase Audi & co, hence the moving to a 4dr 'premium' saloon as per the A4/3-series/C-Class and dropping the 5dr fastback. In doing this, they also copied the Germans by deciding make it 'sporty', and in doing so they ruined the ride completely. They also failed to make it sporty.

Otherwise, although being a Vauxhall doesn't always equate to bad handling, in the case of the Vectra (and most things made between 1995 & 2012) it did. The Vectra was a bad handler and a crap platform if you want a sporty drive. If you wanted soft, lolloping rep-cruiser, then the Vectra's not such a bad start.

I changed my springs to Eibachs....made it worse. Gave up in the end and went back to Peugeot!

[Kitchski]

nicfaz said:

Good shed, though I agree that the ride can be pretty ropey, even with a good one. Fantastic value at the moment these. The interweb contains a lot of friendly saab enthusiasts who can point you towards fixes, cheap parts and excellent value for money remaps. Assuming it's in any way straight, good choice.

That's something I missed off the 'pros' list - the owner community. They're very good, although some of the advice I received turned out to be a bit on the fictional side! But lots of friendly people, and someone has usually been there and done it, regards repairs or mods.

[nicfaz]

Kitchski said:

J4CKO said:

Agree with most of that, but the starting point wasnt really the problem, they over sprung it, lesser versions were a lot better, just because a car is a Vauxhall doesnt mean it is in some way Hamstrung in the handling department, they know what they are doing, perhaps not as good as Fords but they can get a car to handle.

I replaced mine for some different springs, it improved it a bit.

Agreed, the Vectra it was based on certainly didn't ride as badly. I think Saab tried to chase Audi & co, hence the moving to a 4dr 'premium' saloon as per the A4/3-series/C-Class and dropping the 5dr fastback. In doing this, they also copied the Germans by deciding make it 'sporty', and in doing so they ruined the ride completely. They also failed to make it sporty.

Otherwise, although being a Vauxhall doesn't always equate to bad handling, in the case of the Vectra (and most things made between 1995 & 2012) it did. The Vectra was a bad handler and a crap platform if you want a sporty drive. If you wanted soft, lolloping rep-cruiser, then the Vectra's not such a bad start.

I changed my springs to Eibachs....made it worse. Gave up in the end and went back to Peugeot!

In fairness, Saab never really nailed ride in any of their sporting cars. My 1984 900Gli rode badly, my 1990 900 Turbo 16S rode appallingly, Autocar's road test of a 900 Turbo 16S noted the ride was terrible, 9-3 courtesy cars I have driven rode badly and my 9-5 Aero rode badly too. Some non-sports models may have ridden OK, but sportier models have never been good. People underestimate the massive amount of money that the likes of BMW threw at getting cars to handle well and ride well at the same time, culminating in the E39 528i. Saab never had that kind of money.

[nitrodave]

Great shed, although it's an early, leggy one with issues. For shed money you can get a much newer, better condition and spec'd car.

I needed a good shed a year ago when I sold my beloved BMW to pay for stamp duty on a house move. Spent a lot of time lurking around and decided to get a 93 aero and found the perfect model for £1300.

For the money they are incredible and you can be fussy about spec too. Be careful as there are lots of rotters out there though. I wanted full leather, top spec stereo as you can;t fit an aftermarket unit, gun metal grey and the 5 speed manual as opposed to the 6 speed.

I found a one owner 2006 car, 100k miles, full service and maintained regardless and it's been fantastic.

Compared to the BMW it's a bit plasticy, but you forgive that when you pay so little for it.

Had it a year now and the only thing to go was the engine balance chain tensioner. Cost £200 to put right, but I found Saab specialists - Leelac in stevenage who are brilliant and very helpful. It's a weakness on these engines after 100k miles but now it's done i have a bit of peace of mind.

Otherwise, i have loved owning it. Mine may have been remapped as it feels a fair bit quicker than 210bhp. It really flies along, crtuises very nicely on the motorway and the longer gearing on the 5 speed gives a great sense of acceleration on boost.

Pretty economical too. On a run I can easily average 40mpg and round town it's very high 20's even low 30's.

Sure the ride is a bit stiff around town and it's not the best built machine, but I can't see myself getting rid of it anytime soon.

[Dr Doofenshmirtz]

nitrodave said:

Had it a year now and the only thing to go was the engine balance chain tensioner. Cost £200 to put right, but I found Saab specialists - Leelac in stevenage who are brilliant and very helpful. It's a weakness on these engines after 100k miles but now it's done i have a bit of peace of mind.

Mine did the same also at around 100k. Although I did it myself for about £30.
One day I'll get round to dropping the sump to retrieve the broken piece ...but it's been floating around for the last 3 years/25k miles so I'm not too bothered.

[Arsecati]

Cracking shed - always loved SAAB's. And to get any shed with over 200 ponies for less than a bag of sand is a top deal in my book. Car still looks great - and even open to offers! If only my missus would let me, I'd sell my own boggo motor and get an entire fleet of sheds - imagine a different motor for every day of the month? I'd by a slightly younger Jay Leno in my own little mind!!! Hahaha!!!

[va1o]

Nice shed but are these really 8s 0-60 as per the advert? That's slower than a Golf GTD, thought the Aero was supposed to be quick(ish)...

[Kitchski]

va1o said:

Nice shed but are these really 8s 0-60 as per the advert? That's slower than a Golf GTD, thought the Aero was supposed to be quick(ish)...

Two gearchanges with a fairly dimwitted manual box and a smidge of lag in between shifts. In gear is a totally different story, however.

[stevesuk]

Kitchski said:

va1o said:

Nice shed but are these really 8s 0-60 as per the advert? That's slower than a Golf GTD, thought the Aero was supposed to be quick(ish)...

Two gearchanges with a fairly dimwitted manual box and a smidge of lag in between shifts. In gear is a totally different story, however.

Also, this SOTW is an automatic. The manual will no doubt be a bit quicker?

[j4ckos mate]

It has the wrong roof,

bargain convertible for the summer, trims not great and the key seems to fall to bits,
but its the only car id have where i wish i had somewhere to leave it and drive it every now and then

[jonwm]

I had one of these as a company car, 55 plate Linear, basic as you like, the 15inch alloys looked awful, the stereo was frankly embarrassing, but I really liked the car, it served me well, started costing the lease company some money after 100k miles but I still think the design makes them look young.

Always wanted the vector sport model

I always remember how comfy it was though

[J4CKO]

I kind of preferred the earlier model I had, I had the LPT 150 turbo and went to the 210 Aero and it didnt really feel faster until I remapped it.

It was pretty quick, I chased a Chimaera with it and it didnt pull away, the owner was on here and said the road was a bit cold or something, kept up with an Escort Cosworth, we stopped and had a quick chat, he couldn't believe i had kept up.

they arent a load of fun though, a bit wooden an two dimensional, I think the lower variants with softer suspension are preferable

[Shifty Bloke]

Nice shed, proper comfy!

[bakerstreet]

nicfaz said:

That was the previous generation, this generation has a much (MUCH) stiffer chassis. As shed noted, these are 5* NCAP.

Exactly the same car underneath. just some nice bodywork.

I owned a 2005 9-3 Vector TID. I really liked it, but it had its fare share of problems. The rear leg room wouldn't bother me now, but as we now have to move our two year old about, I'm not sure I could have one now.

Agree with everyone else, they are handsome cars, and the last revision of the 9-3 is a brilliant looking car IMO.

Worth noting that the early infomatinment in pre 2007 cars was very poor. forget bluetooth. Best you would get is an aux in cable in the centre console. Pre 2007 cars also had a fibre connected stereo, which meant you couldn't remove any of it

[Jiebo]

I bought a 2005 Vector Sport 1.9 diesel 150 for £670. DMF, clutch and cambelt just changed by previous owner. Stuck on a used DTUK tuning box for £100 and now it's running around 200bhp.

It's a bit crap. Ride is too hard, the interior quality is poor (paint is pealing off the dash buttons), the front speakers have stopped working and it has lots of electrical gremlins. But it's dirt cheap and hasn't aged too badly.

I can't think of anything that can do 35-40mpg in London with a decent amount of power when needed for £700. Plus I can leave it on any street and I don't give it a second thought.