RE: Shed of the Week: Saab 9-3 Aero
Discussion
Scottie - NW said:
These are a pile of s
t.
My brother had one from when it was 3 years old, a 52 plate.
The handling was appalling, it felt like there was no connection between steering wheel and road, no feedback at all.
Every few weeks a different error message appeared on the warning system, it never ran out of ways to give new warnings you had never heard of.
Needed expensive components replacing regularly.
From the forums this seemed typical.
Very little to recommend it
Along the same lines as a contemporary Golf then...?t.My brother had one from when it was 3 years old, a 52 plate.
The handling was appalling, it felt like there was no connection between steering wheel and road, no feedback at all.
Every few weeks a different error message appeared on the warning system, it never ran out of ways to give new warnings you had never heard of.
Needed expensive components replacing regularly.
From the forums this seemed typical.
Very little to recommend it
Bought one of these 3 years ago for shed money, 130k and now nudging 165. The only things that have gone wrong are a rear brake caliper - these seem to be famous for it - and exhaust front pipe which I knew about when I bought it. Now has a hole in the radiator which is rad welded up, if it passes the next MOT I might replace it. Parts are plentiful and usually cheap.
Stereo is crap on the base 4 speaker system but upgrade is pretty easy DIY.
Massive boot, comfy seats, its a good family and general load shifter. Interior build quality is patchy and if I'm honest its getting a bit tired now, mechanically and cosmetically. I have a growing sense of impending doom just around the corner. I'd have another but feel like a change. Maybe a Mazda 6.
Stereo is crap on the base 4 speaker system but upgrade is pretty easy DIY.
Massive boot, comfy seats, its a good family and general load shifter. Interior build quality is patchy and if I'm honest its getting a bit tired now, mechanically and cosmetically. I have a growing sense of impending doom just around the corner. I'd have another but feel like a change. Maybe a Mazda 6.
I owned an aero anniversary estate for four or five years. In that time I did around 60,000 miles and outside of consumables all it needed was an LED board replacing in one of the rear lights and two front springs. I absolutely adored that car, I had only bought it as dog transport but it ended up outliving several 'fancy' cars we owned. Best £6.5k I ever spent on a car.
I often wonder why they moved from 3dr/5dr/Wagon (earlier cars/Vectra B based) to 2dr/4dr/Wagon (03 onwards Vectra C based) - at a guess it's "a boot is a prestige car thing - see BMW etc." concept, it doesn't make the car as useful, sadly.
They ARE much nicer inside than the earlier cars, they still share all the issues like "lack of people with experience/diagnostics" and a "diminishing pool of parts". Any run-in with ECU problems (usually starts-out with battery drains) will be an unpleasant time which will eat the rest of your £1500 budget quickly
Hey ho - drive it til it breaks - my only real question is "why sell at that price?"
They ARE much nicer inside than the earlier cars, they still share all the issues like "lack of people with experience/diagnostics" and a "diminishing pool of parts". Any run-in with ECU problems (usually starts-out with battery drains) will be an unpleasant time which will eat the rest of your £1500 budget quickly
Hey ho - drive it til it breaks - my only real question is "why sell at that price?"
406dogvan said:
I often wonder why they moved from 3dr/5dr/Wagon (earlier cars/Vectra B based) to 2dr/4dr/Wagon (03 onwards Vectra C based)
I did a little research on this and apparently it was stiffness (fnar fnar!). They wanted a stiffer bodyshell and they couldn't achieve that with the hatchback body.. Apparently.. 
Currently on my 10th Saab (9-5 Aero) but my 9th was one of these in 2.2tid form. it was an early 53 plate but had only done 42k (bought off my uncle who had it 11 years).
It was an expensive lesson in what happens when you buy an old, complicated car that's put together to GM standards.
Be very careful. 9-5 like last week is a much safer bet imho.
It was an expensive lesson in what happens when you buy an old, complicated car that's put together to GM standards.
Be very careful. 9-5 like last week is a much safer bet imho.
I’ve got one of these. Bought as an interim car three years ago and has grown on me massively.
I can’t warrant spending money on something else as it does everything i need.
It’s done numerous golf trips across the country with 4 sets of clubs in the boot.
I can leave it anywhere and treat it terribly but that’s why I can’t part with it.
I’ve spent £400 on it during th last 3 years and paid £900 for it. It passed it’s last mot with one advisory and is currently on 180k.
It’s currently parked half way up a hill that I couldn’t ascend last night due to the snow.
Assuring to know that it will start later on when I feel like rescuing it!
I can’t warrant spending money on something else as it does everything i need.
It’s done numerous golf trips across the country with 4 sets of clubs in the boot.
I can leave it anywhere and treat it terribly but that’s why I can’t part with it.
I’ve spent £400 on it during th last 3 years and paid £900 for it. It passed it’s last mot with one advisory and is currently on 180k.
It’s currently parked half way up a hill that I couldn’t ascend last night due to the snow.
Assuring to know that it will start later on when I feel like rescuing it!
Great shed this week. I ran a 06 manual black 9-3 Aero with all the toys for 4 years and it was faultless. I also had mine remapped and the slightly underwhelming 0-60 in 7 seconds doesn't tell half the story. As with all turbo Saabs the 60 - 120mph acceleration is where their strengths lie.
Yes the interior was a bit plasticky but you can forgive the car as they were and still are amazing value for money.
Most of the service parts were GM so easy enough to get hold of.
Yes the interior was a bit plasticky but you can forgive the car as they were and still are amazing value for money.
Most of the service parts were GM so easy enough to get hold of.
Edited by Canningmister on Friday 2nd March 13:49
Jimmy Recard said:
J4CKO said:
the Swedes trying to ape the Germanic thing
They did a good job of the car itself but were left with a limited budget for interior fixings and Sporting Saloon owners used to the German offerings dont expect the handbrake trim to come off when they take their seatbelt off or the glove box button paint to scratch off the third time they use it.
I had an earlier 9-3 LPT and I preferred it in many ways despite it handling like an elderly obese Labrador on a parquet floor, it wasnt trying to be sporty, the 9-3 SS Aero was and it missed the mark, they made it fast and corner reasonably well but it missed out on being enjoyable.
Does that go anyway to explain ?
J4CKO said:
Instead of doing their own thing, which worked well, comfy seats, not overly stiff, flexible turbo engines, not too showy but still smart, they tried to do a sort of German Sports Saloon, it looked the part but the ride was dreadful, a lot of S line Audis were as well but this was a step worse, plus it didnt have the really rather good interior, it looked ok but paint came off surfaces , bits fell off and it creaked like a galleon on the high seas.
They did a good job of the car itself but were left with a limited budget for interior fixings and Sporting Saloon owners used to the German offerings dont expect the handbrake trim to come off when they take their seatbelt off or the glove box button paint to scratch off the third time they use it.
I had an earlier 9-3 LPT and I preferred it in many ways despite it handling like an elderly obese Labrador on a parquet floor, it wasnt trying to be sporty, the 9-3 SS Aero was and it missed the mark, they made it fast and corner reasonably well but it missed out on being enjoyable.
Does that go anyway to explain ?
I was questioning how Swedish is not Germanic They did a good job of the car itself but were left with a limited budget for interior fixings and Sporting Saloon owners used to the German offerings dont expect the handbrake trim to come off when they take their seatbelt off or the glove box button paint to scratch off the third time they use it.
I had an earlier 9-3 LPT and I preferred it in many ways despite it handling like an elderly obese Labrador on a parquet floor, it wasnt trying to be sporty, the 9-3 SS Aero was and it missed the mark, they made it fast and corner reasonably well but it missed out on being enjoyable.
Does that go anyway to explain ?
Germanic
d????man?k/
adjective
1.
relating to or denoting the branch of the Indo-European language family that includes English, German, Dutch, Frisian, and the Scandinavian languages.
I test drove a Saab 9-3 convertible of similar vintage. some years ago. The plastics felt really cheap and flimsy - the indicator stalk felt like it was going to come off. The seats also creaked and flexed and it torque steered awfully. My first and last experience in a Saab.
It's a shame as I have goodwill for the brand.
It's a shame as I have goodwill for the brand.
I'm on my second SAAB I've got an '08 plate 9-3 TTiD AERO that I cant fault it has a stage one map 225bhp and 480nm and most of that is developed from 2000rpm so for my 75 mile daily motorway commute it's just about perfect.
It handles ok but it's no hot hatch just a great mile muncher.
My previous one was a '10 plate 9-5 2.3T Aero Estate, which had a Stage 3+ NOOB map which gave it 306bhp and 472nm, I had a DO88 intercooler kit, Bilstein B12 kit with Eibach springs, it was fully polybushed and had improved brakes and on several occasions embarrassed all sorts of exotic hatchery from GolfR's Focus ST's and the like in a straight line it was silly quick once above 50mph it's in gear times where unreal,lt had the best seats that I've ever sat on and for three years with that tune never missed a beat, I have a pal that has an '02 plate 9-5 that has a verified 460bhp and 540nm and it's utterly bonkers....
Wish I still had my 9-5...... SOB!
It handles ok but it's no hot hatch just a great mile muncher.
My previous one was a '10 plate 9-5 2.3T Aero Estate, which had a Stage 3+ NOOB map which gave it 306bhp and 472nm, I had a DO88 intercooler kit, Bilstein B12 kit with Eibach springs, it was fully polybushed and had improved brakes and on several occasions embarrassed all sorts of exotic hatchery from GolfR's Focus ST's and the like in a straight line it was silly quick once above 50mph it's in gear times where unreal,lt had the best seats that I've ever sat on and for three years with that tune never missed a beat, I have a pal that has an '02 plate 9-5 that has a verified 460bhp and 540nm and it's utterly bonkers....
Wish I still had my 9-5...... SOB!
Aes87 said:
Had one of these years ago. Looked good kerbside. Handled and had some poke. Cabin stylish but not as well put together as a beemer (I always thought that Saab would still be around if they had picked up on their build quality). Best Saab I ever had was an absolutely beautiful 9-5 Griffin, which I sorely miss. Never saw one again, and now drive beemers. Would rather drive a nice old school Saab..
Last Saab I owned was a 9000CDE. Really nice car, fantastic seats and the best dashboard shape and layout on any car, before or since. Also a nice smooth balance shaft 2.3 motor, only issue I had was ignition cartridge, very few around now, totally underrated cars.James Junior said:
I test drove a Saab 9-3 convertible of similar vintage. some years ago. The plastics felt really cheap and flimsy - the indicator stalk felt like it was going to come off. The seats also creaked and flexed and it torque steered awfully. My first and last experience in a Saab.
It's a shame as I have goodwill for the brand.
You can blame GM for that. The proper Saab's (classic 900, 9000, 99's) were well built and strong. The only GM car I ever bought was a vx chevette, rest assured my first and last experience of that brand!It's a shame as I have goodwill for the brand.
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