RE: Shed of the Week: Saab 9-3 Turbo
Discussion
jagnet said:
Turbobanana said:
Escort Si-130 said:
2 out of 10, another boring dull as dishwater mobile, no wonder Saab went out of fashion and lost sales. It could have a million BHP I still do not want it.
Says the man with a Ford Orion and Nissan Cherry in his list of conquests. 
Saab were never "in fashion": they were bought by people who appreciated the engineering, innovation, safety and didn't follow the herd by buying German. Or Volvos. They lost sales because GM sanitised all of that out of them, in an excellent example of not making what the buyers want.
Right on cue; you can guarantee that any time a Saab appears as SOTW then Escort Si-130 will be along to slate both the car and Saab drivers:Saab 9-5, Jan 17:
Escort Si-130 said:
Boring car, dull as dishwater, I cant stand saab drivers, arrogant and are very inconsiderate. 1 out of 10.
Saab 9-5 Aero, Sep 15Escort Si-130 said:
Piss poor attempt at shed; this car practically is a shed on wheels!
Cant stand most Saab's, boring as f
k, horrible to look at, only decent Saab is the convertible range. This is even worse being an estate hearse mobile. Plus most Saab drivers are selfish tts on the road.
That was until we get back to Nov 2013, Saab 9-5 Aero Estate:Cant stand most Saab's, boring as f
k, horrible to look at, only decent Saab is the convertible range. This is even worse being an estate hearse mobile. Plus most Saab drivers are selfish tts on the road.Escort Si-130 said:
Good shed,even if its high mileage. Only downside for me is its in silver.
I can only assume that sometime around 2014 either a Saab Estate overtook him and he's never been able to live it down, or his wife ran off with a Saab owner.Well I live in Sweden and driven a few 9-3's, diesels, Aeros and tuned Aeros. My personal idea is that they are fun for people looking for straight line thrills, but I found all of them to be pretty awful in the handling department... unless you put a LOT of work in them. Which could be worth it if it starts out at 1300£ and it's your hobby anyway. Me, I'd much rather drive a mk1 focus even if it's nowhere near 270 alledged bhp...
I have two Saabs currently, a 9-3 convertible of the same generation as this shed and a newer 9-3 saloon. I love them and Saab generally and I'm heavily involved in club things etc. They are really good cars in my biased opinion and a tuned Saab should provoke less fear than other marques at this mileage and age.
My convertible has more than 300bhp, is an Auto and has what is known as Stage 5 engine hardware and map with lowered suspension etc. The saloon is a standard 210bhp Aero with better shocks after the originals wore out. Both are lovely to drive.
My convertible has more than 300bhp, is an Auto and has what is known as Stage 5 engine hardware and map with lowered suspension etc. The saloon is a standard 210bhp Aero with better shocks after the originals wore out. Both are lovely to drive.
Out of interest... Are there any 9-3's of that vintage without a nose badge ground off over the years?
It's like Mk2 Mondeos with duct tape on the rear bumpers. After a while, it's obligatory.
If I succumbed to temptation and bought this (not far from me...) then the first thing I'd do would be to source a new nose badge.
It's like Mk2 Mondeos with duct tape on the rear bumpers. After a while, it's obligatory.
If I succumbed to temptation and bought this (not far from me...) then the first thing I'd do would be to source a new nose badge.
In 1994 I had the misfortune to choose as a company car a Saab 2.0 Turbo coupe. Christ knows why. Probably because I was trying to break away from the BMW crowd and Mercedes' in those days came with four wheels and everything else as an optional extra.
I've had some disappointing cars in my time. But this heap of dung was in a league of its own. It required three (yes ... THREE) gearbox replacements - reverse seemed to be an afterthought on the assembly line. The brake pedal kept sticking half way on release- after applying the brakes I'd have to have to hook my foot under the pedal and push it back up. The turbo delivered an interesting OFF/ON proposition.
After a while I got used to allowing for five seconds of nothing before the car rocketed forward.
An absolute dog of a car. No wonder Saab went tits up.
I've had some disappointing cars in my time. But this heap of dung was in a league of its own. It required three (yes ... THREE) gearbox replacements - reverse seemed to be an afterthought on the assembly line. The brake pedal kept sticking half way on release- after applying the brakes I'd have to have to hook my foot under the pedal and push it back up. The turbo delivered an interesting OFF/ON proposition.
After a while I got used to allowing for five seconds of nothing before the car rocketed forward.
An absolute dog of a car. No wonder Saab went tits up.
Edited by audidoody on Friday 22 June 23:16
I've had most of the hot Saab varietals. The real proper engineered ones to go for are the 9000 aero or the 95 aero but these 93 can be ok given the work that seems already done. You need the steering rack secured as has been done with this and the suspension links poly bushed by someone like Abbott Racing. You also need top class grippy front tyres plus a torsen diff. They are st new out of the box but actually really great with a bit of well judged tuning. Drive a bad one and you will think Saab the worst car brand ever but these are potentially long lived cars and drive a good one and you will love it. I drive a diligently maintained Abbott Racing 95 aero with 170K on the clock...It's great...In real terms it is worth less than I paid for the last service but still a great drive.
t new out of the box but actually really great with a bit of well judged tuning. Drive a bad one and you will think Saab the worst car brand ever but these are potentially long lived cars and drive a good one and you will love it. I drive a diligently maintained Abbott Racing 95 aero with 170K on the clock...It's great...In real terms it is worth less than I paid for the last service but still a great drive.I have just bought an 06 9-3 Aero Wagon auto with 42k for £3k, as a dog wagon / commuter. I had no particular desire for a Saab other than something a little different, so we will see how it goes. I may get it mapped and possibly lpg converted but other than that it will remain standard. It replaces a non-turbo blob eye Impreza so is a step up in comfort, but I grew to love the Scooby (also on lpg) mainly down to cost- the most reliable car I have ever owned. The comments here have given me more of an idea what to expect, thank you all.
My old 93 Turbo. Bought as a winter car for a stint living in Norway 2009.
Itch scratched at the time for the stereotypical architect in black polo neck and Le Corbusier spectacles.
Comfy, pretty and fast enough in a straight line with the Abbot Racing remap
But rarely gelled with it to be honest.
Even with the Abbot Viggen Rescue Kit it was never happy in the bends and torque steer was the overriding memory.
Was happy to let it go.
Every day a school day.
S
Itch scratched at the time for the stereotypical architect in black polo neck and Le Corbusier spectacles.
Comfy, pretty and fast enough in a straight line with the Abbot Racing remap
But rarely gelled with it to be honest.
Even with the Abbot Viggen Rescue Kit it was never happy in the bends and torque steer was the overriding memory.
Was happy to let it go.
Every day a school day.
S
Edited by ess on Saturday 23 June 18:09
Nice SOTW.
Oh the irony that I'm just about to sell my unmolested example (although 5 door and 53k miles) in the next 2 weeks, once my new car arrives.
Mine is the B204E engine which I think are less prone to sludge build up. I stand to be corrected but I think they are also forged engines and can take serious upgrades in power.
Mine was only a stop gap, since the kids had trouble squeezing into my GTR. That stop gap was 2 years ago and it's been utterly brilliant.
Very underrated and quick for what they are, but they are not the best handlers.
Oh the irony that I'm just about to sell my unmolested example (although 5 door and 53k miles) in the next 2 weeks, once my new car arrives.
Mine is the B204E engine which I think are less prone to sludge build up. I stand to be corrected but I think they are also forged engines and can take serious upgrades in power.
Mine was only a stop gap, since the kids had trouble squeezing into my GTR. That stop gap was 2 years ago and it's been utterly brilliant.
Very underrated and quick for what they are, but they are not the best handlers.
LOW4LYFE said:
Ugly, out and in. Hideous interior manages to look far more dated than it actually is. Always thought pretty much all Saab’s look the same too. Like a st 911.
They look no more identical than VWs of similar generations having the same general styling cues. Similar grilles, headlight and rear light designs for example.t 911.I had a couple of these. With the Konis and the Abbott racing steering brace it actually steered better than the E36 M3 I replaced it with. The ride was pretty harsh though. I got rid of the first (1999) because the strut bearings lasted 6 months - on a new car! The second (2002) was better, but the rear calipers were susceptible to rust - but it had a really cool carbon tipped exhaust which sounded great. Lastly, the mpg I got was pretty good; like 37+ on the freeway from NYC to DC. I drive a Golf Gti now and miss the space.
Saabaholic said:
Or you could just get a 9000, and do it properly and take it to 500bhp.
They dont make them like the B234R anymore. Its the swedish equivalent of the 2JZ.
Or the B204R with the 4HJK turbo bolted to the RY6J supercharger. The with the pipes and bottom end from a B678TR, you can get around 700bhp.They dont make them like the B234R anymore. Its the swedish equivalent of the 2JZ.
SidewaysSi said:
Saabaholic said:
Or you could just get a 9000, and do it properly and take it to 500bhp.
They dont make them like the B234R anymore. Its the swedish equivalent of the 2JZ.
Or the B204R with the 4HJK turbo bolted to the RY6J supercharger. The with the pipes and bottom end from a B678TR, you can get around 700bhp.They dont make them like the B234R anymore. Its the swedish equivalent of the 2JZ.
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