Saab 9-3 Aero Estate
Discussion
I bought this a few weeks ago. Very unexpected purchase but a pleasent one. So far. Myself and my fiance bought our first house recently. Love having a driveway, garage, hose etc. Stayed in a top floor flat until now. I had been kicking about in a 2007 1.4 Focus. Great condition but didn't do a thing for me.
I was going to treat myself and get a Golf R estate but they seemed to be holding value well and good ones sold quickly. I then briefly thought about a Audi all road estate and a 159 Sport wagon.
I seen the Saab online and didn't even consider one. Viewed then purchased. Private sale but chap hadn't long bought it from Hagstrom Saab.
It's done 89k, fully stamped up book. Unexpected. Then absolutely chuffed with the condition. Drives lovely too. My first auto. Feels a lot of car for the money. Paid under £2k. Sold the Focus for £1300.
Was difficult paying the Dvla a rather large sum of money for the road tax. My man maths justification is that I've saved a lot not buying a £20k Golf R. Fuel should also be interesting.... very early days of ownership.
Anyway its different. Great for tip runs and buying stuff for the house. I also think they look fantastic.
Any current or ex owners with thoughts on (eeek) fuel consumption would be useful and any other feedback.
Nice to have a car I want to clean as well!
I was going to treat myself and get a Golf R estate but they seemed to be holding value well and good ones sold quickly. I then briefly thought about a Audi all road estate and a 159 Sport wagon.
I seen the Saab online and didn't even consider one. Viewed then purchased. Private sale but chap hadn't long bought it from Hagstrom Saab.
It's done 89k, fully stamped up book. Unexpected. Then absolutely chuffed with the condition. Drives lovely too. My first auto. Feels a lot of car for the money. Paid under £2k. Sold the Focus for £1300.
Was difficult paying the Dvla a rather large sum of money for the road tax. My man maths justification is that I've saved a lot not buying a £20k Golf R. Fuel should also be interesting.... very early days of ownership.
Anyway its different. Great for tip runs and buying stuff for the house. I also think they look fantastic.
Any current or ex owners with thoughts on (eeek) fuel consumption would be useful and any other feedback.
Nice to have a car I want to clean as well!
Ran a manual saloon for 4 years or so.
Get it remapped by Noobtune if he's still going, 250bhp 370Nm off the top of my head for a couple of hundred quid!
Got 27.6 MPG no matter what i did so if you're getting around that in an auto you're doing well.
They also respond well to a vectra v6 front brake upgrade and bilstein B5s.
Brilliant engine the B207R, still miss mine
Get it remapped by Noobtune if he's still going, 250bhp 370Nm off the top of my head for a couple of hundred quid!
Got 27.6 MPG no matter what i did so if you're getting around that in an auto you're doing well.
They also respond well to a vectra v6 front brake upgrade and bilstein B5s.
Brilliant engine the B207R, still miss mine
Gorilla Boy said:
They also respond well to a vectra v6 front brake upgrade and bilstein B5s.
Brilliant engine the B207R, still miss mine
B4 or B6? Brilliant engine the B207R, still miss mine
These seem to have a bit of a following now.. A mate has a diesel which just keeps going, nearing 200k now. Had to replace the inlet manifold a couple of years ago. One with big power is an excellent sleeper.
I had a dog of a black 9-3 saloon 1.9tid I paid £500 in January 2020, and I bloody loved that car.
I have very fond memories of that car, especially a long drive from Kent to Cornwall on empty lockdown roads.
It was a lovely change from my weekend car that I cherish, where with the Saab the bodywork was already so bad I didn't feel bad kicking the back doors shut with muddy boots if my hands were full.
It just did everything well, not the 'best' at any one thing, but just soldiered on. Only issue I had in the 2 years was an alternator needed replacing. Not bad for a 150k mile £500 shed. I replaced it with an Alfa Guiletta and the main seal shat itself within a month, silly purchase that.
Really regret selling that car, so much that I'd like to get another facelift ttid version to waft about in.
I still annoy my partner by shouting SAAB! whenever I see one.
The night mode that turns off most of the cluster was extra cool too.
Edit: I've owned a MK7 Golf R since the Saab, and I'd have the Saab back over the Golf
I have very fond memories of that car, especially a long drive from Kent to Cornwall on empty lockdown roads.
It was a lovely change from my weekend car that I cherish, where with the Saab the bodywork was already so bad I didn't feel bad kicking the back doors shut with muddy boots if my hands were full.
It just did everything well, not the 'best' at any one thing, but just soldiered on. Only issue I had in the 2 years was an alternator needed replacing. Not bad for a 150k mile £500 shed. I replaced it with an Alfa Guiletta and the main seal shat itself within a month, silly purchase that.
Really regret selling that car, so much that I'd like to get another facelift ttid version to waft about in.
I still annoy my partner by shouting SAAB! whenever I see one.
The night mode that turns off most of the cluster was extra cool too.
Edit: I've owned a MK7 Golf R since the Saab, and I'd have the Saab back over the Golf
Edited by Deerhound93 on Tuesday 21st February 11:52
Car looks great OP and I stand by my view that the estate looks way better than the saloon version!
I actually had a 9-3 estate about 7-8 years ago, I only had it for 6 months but it did get under my skin. I sold it for an E Class which admittedly was better for what I needed but it was also over three times the £1200 I paid for the Saab.
My only criticism of this was the gearbox was a bit notchy which I suspect was a linkage and on cold start up it idled badly which I think may have been EGR valve related.
Didn't stop me buying a 9-3 convertible late last year though. Another diesel, this time the twin turbo and with a map it really shifts. Again it's got under my skin and I love it. It's comfortable, quick and just interesting.
Honestly great cars and look forward to seeing more on this one!!
I actually had a 9-3 estate about 7-8 years ago, I only had it for 6 months but it did get under my skin. I sold it for an E Class which admittedly was better for what I needed but it was also over three times the £1200 I paid for the Saab.
My only criticism of this was the gearbox was a bit notchy which I suspect was a linkage and on cold start up it idled badly which I think may have been EGR valve related.
Didn't stop me buying a 9-3 convertible late last year though. Another diesel, this time the twin turbo and with a map it really shifts. Again it's got under my skin and I love it. It's comfortable, quick and just interesting.
Honestly great cars and look forward to seeing more on this one!!
I have a 9-5 estate, 2.3 LPT. Geat cars, I am on my 5th one now. Comfortable, spacious, good load/dog lugger, nice place to be, well put together. Mine is 21 years old, no sign of rust.
Recently drove 450 miles in it, average including some town driving was 34 mpg.
But that was achieved by treating the loud pedal with respect and using cruise control as much as possible, and driving dual carriageways at 65 mph, not high 70s mph.
A long stretch on cruise at 65 got me over 40 mpg, pressing on along country roads when I was late for a meeting reduced the overall result.
Where they do not do so well is as you would expect, 3 mile journeys a mix of counry roads and town driving.
By the way, you may have more bhp than me, but that top end is only accessed by revving the nuts off it.
If you drive sensibly and use cruise when you can, you can easily achieve decent mpg
A few years ago my wife had a 170 bhp 9-5 auto estate(which she still has) and I had a 260 bhp 9-5 manual aero estate.
I tested the acceleration of both without going over 5000 rpm on a familiar road from a standing start.
Both hit 70 at the exact same spot on the road.
Recently drove 450 miles in it, average including some town driving was 34 mpg.
But that was achieved by treating the loud pedal with respect and using cruise control as much as possible, and driving dual carriageways at 65 mph, not high 70s mph.
A long stretch on cruise at 65 got me over 40 mpg, pressing on along country roads when I was late for a meeting reduced the overall result.
Where they do not do so well is as you would expect, 3 mile journeys a mix of counry roads and town driving.
By the way, you may have more bhp than me, but that top end is only accessed by revving the nuts off it.
If you drive sensibly and use cruise when you can, you can easily achieve decent mpg
A few years ago my wife had a 170 bhp 9-5 auto estate(which she still has) and I had a 260 bhp 9-5 manual aero estate.
I tested the acceleration of both without going over 5000 rpm on a familiar road from a standing start.
Both hit 70 at the exact same spot on the road.
Dg504 said:
Our manual aero will do >40 mpg (according to the obc) driving like a cyclist in town and then a calm 70mph cruise.
Never measured it from brim to brim but 500+ miles on a full tank and flowing hot autoroutes one summer probably the record I can remember
I spot checked the OBC on mine after last week's journey - to my surprise, it stated 34 mpg and that was what i had done. 470 miles on 62 litresNever measured it from brim to brim but 500+ miles on a full tank and flowing hot autoroutes one summer probably the record I can remember
I took a Dame Edna 1.9 TiD from 90 to 120k in about a year and spent very little on it. I actually loved it. It was getting rather dog eared and needed a suspension refresh, probably four tyres, new brakes all round and the heater bypass valve was leaking again despite being changed by myself. It got punted to a trader and presumably (going off the MOT history) is living on after a few hundred has been flung at it.
Really underrated cars the 3's and the 5's.
Really underrated cars the 3's and the 5's.
I bought one about 7 years ago for exactly the same reasons - I was renovating a house and it made more sense than buying something nice and being precious about it. The Saab was great, chucked everything in it, ragged it, had loads of fun for not a lot of money; think I paid <£1500 for it.
It was a dog on the outside with some real crappy paint but mechanically sound (aside from the steering rack which developed a leak after a while). It saved me a fortune on van and skip hire but I do remember fuel being pretty bad. Even took my lucky missus to France on holiday in it. It was a great car, I really enjoyed it, always smile when I see one passing now.
It was a dog on the outside with some real crappy paint but mechanically sound (aside from the steering rack which developed a leak after a while). It saved me a fortune on van and skip hire but I do remember fuel being pretty bad. Even took my lucky missus to France on holiday in it. It was a great car, I really enjoyed it, always smile when I see one passing now.
Jhonno said:
Gorilla Boy said:
They also respond well to a vectra v6 front brake upgrade and bilstein B5s.
Brilliant engine the B207R, still miss mine
B4 or B6? Brilliant engine the B207R, still miss mine
These seem to have a bit of a following now.. A mate has a diesel which just keeps going, nearing 200k now. Had to replace the inlet manifold a couple of years ago. One with big power is an excellent sleeper.
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