Saab 9-3 V6 Aero convertible | Spotted
Summer's almost here - you'll be needing a cabrio. How about a one-lady-owner 280hp Saab?
Come this time of year, it’s hard to deny the appeal of a four-seat cabriolet. Where it’s easy to be po-faced and dismissive about two-seat sports car made into heavier, wobblier drop tops, it’s hard to care about the serious stuff when enjoying the sunshine four-up - hopefully with plenty of power and a stirring soundtrack, too.
For a long time the Swedish manufacturers plied a nice trade making big cabrios; both the Volvo C70 and Saab 9-3 made for handsome, fast convertibles that the whole family could enjoy. The handling superiority of a 3 Series mattered a whole lot less when stylish top-down cruising was priority number one.
So popular (and seemingly useful) were both Saab and Volvo that plenty remain for sale to this day, a decade or more since either were sold here. There are dozens with chunky mileages, too, neither really saved for high days and holidays; after all, who better to build convertibles that suit the winter months than the Swedish? On PH right now there are 29 9-3 Convertibles for sale with more than 80,000 miles, and plenty well into six figures. Cold mornings in a convertible are a lot more bearable with great heated seats and headlights, after all…
All of which makes this Saab pretty exceptional. Though a low mileage would be expected as one of the later cars (registered in 2011), to have covered just 15,000 miles in more than a decade is a remarkable feat. There isn’t another 9-3 Convertible for sale with anything less than 30k recorded. This one is no ordinary 9-3, either, but a range-topping Aero V6, which means 280hp and 152mph potential. Once the wheelspin has subsided, of course. Which could be a while if the Churchill tyres fitted here are on the front.
Rubber aside, the Aero looks a lovely old thing, a proper time capsule convertible with a ginormous auto gearbox lever, a screen that seems 20 years old rather than 10 and - get this - a CD player. Plus the popular Saab quirks, too, including the Night Panel, ignition between the seats and the shrinking speedo font. If the 9-3 Convertible is what you’re into - and it would seem that plenty are - then there can’t be any around better than this one.
Predictably, however, you’ll pay for the privilege. This one is for sale at £18,990, which makes it not only the most expensive 9-3 Convertible on PH, but also the third most expensive Saab overall. For those interested, the £20k 9-5 Aero is here and the 2,800-mile (!) 9-3 here. This Aero is probably only for the most dedicated of Saab fans, then, but what a lovely way to enjoy the summer months (for many more years) it ought to be.
SPECIFICATION | SAAB 9-3 AERO V6 CONVERTIBLE
Engine: 2,792cc, turbo V6
Transmission: 6-speed automatic, front-wheel drive
Power (hp): 280@5,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 273@2,000rpm
MPG: 25.7
CO2: 242g/km
Recorded mileage: 14,900
Year registered: 2011
Price new: £34,217
Yours for: £18,990
We looked at these, Volvo C70s (P1), A4s, BMW E93s and Mercedes CLKs. The Saab was by far the weakest link.
We settled on the E93 because my other half prefers a hard top, the petrol auto Volvos all hit the stupid tax bracket, as did most of the petrol auto Saabs. Audi had nothing over the BMW and the Mercedes, I am told, made her feel old.
It seems Saabs are getting difficult to value now that they're 10+ years out of production. My own 900 Monte Carlo Convertible is on Car & Classic at the moment and, to try and get some idea of its value, I researched what they'd sold for recently. Being rare, it's hard to find comparisons, but they ranged for one selling at auction 4 years ago (ie pre-Covid "madness") for £7,500, to one offered in Poland at auction with a guide of EUR15,000-17,000 to one on offer now in France for EUR27,000.
This 9-3 sounds a bit steep, but as the saying goes (and as applies to my own) - "find another". If you're a fan of the aforementioned M3 / RS4, you won't be looking at this. You have to want one, and that means it doesn't have to be the best driving car out there.
Had a long term 9000 in the US and compared to the US competition, it was just better everywhere.
It seems Saabs are getting difficult to value now that they're 10+ years out of production. My own 900 Monte Carlo Convertible is on Car & Classic at the moment and, to try and get some idea of its value, I researched what they'd sold for recently. Being rare, it's hard to find comparisons, but they ranged for one selling at auction 4 years ago (ie pre-Covid "madness") for 7,500, to one offered in Poland at auction with a guide of EUR15,000-17,000 to one on offer now in France for EUR27,000.
This 9-3 sounds a bit steep, but as the saying goes (and as applies to my own) - "find another". If you're a fan of the aforementioned M3 / RS4, you won't be looking at this. You have to want one, and that means it doesn't have to be the best driving car out there.
This looks like a nice and clean example, but it seems miles over priced though I reckon.
This looks like a nice and clean example, but it seems miles over priced though I reckon.
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