My Car History - Saab 9-3 2.8T V6 Aero
Discussion
Thought I'd post a bit about my car history including my latest and most recent purchase on here.
1st car 2002 Seat Arosa 1.0S bought at 30k miles sold at 80k miles. 2008 - 2013/14
Got this when I was 17 and my parents wanted me to have something to learn in. For various reasons it took me a while to pass my test so it was a couple of years before I could drive it on my own. It was slow but very reliable and I went all over in it, it also held sentimental value as the car that I finally passed my driving test in. Had it for over 5 years before I sold it to someone in the next village for their kids to learn in. From the DVLA check it looks like this was scrapped last year.
2nd car 2004 VW Bora TDI 130 owned from 155k to 200k miles - 2013/14 to 2016
After having the Arosa for a few years, I was no longer a student and with my insurance going down and me travelling a fair bit for work, I decided I needed a change. I decided something with the TDI 130 engine in would fit the bill. I was planning to go and look at a late high spec Bora the next day for a fair chunk of money and asked someone in the pub who had one about how their's had been. They told me their's had been fine but was going to the scrap yard as it had a noisy gearbox, a dented wing and the MOT had expired and they'd just got a company car. Offered them scrap money and went and picked it up the next day.
Needed new front tyres for the MOT and new rear lights as the lenses were cracked and that was it. The wing was also only £50 from a breakers in the same colour. I drove it around for a few months until the noisy gearbox and flywheel got on my nerves and a friend who had an A4 making a similar noise had his gearbox blow up 200 miles from home. At this point I treated it to a new clutch and DMF and a gearbox from a breakers and it transformed the car and it felt much quicker than a friend's lower mile 150 version (i have my suspicions it had been mapped but never got it checked). However over the next year or so I had a few other things go (steering rack, pas pump, intercooler, boost hoses, aux belt etc.) and after a winter of hard-starting culminating in the car breaking down and being recovered I sold it to a friend spares or repairs. Annoyingly he changed the £50 injector wiring loom and had another 2 years trouble free motoring out of it before selling it on. The DVLA data site says its still about.
2006 Ford Focus 2.0 Titanium - Owned from 110k to 115k - Owned for 3 months in 2016
After selling the Bora, I decided to buy a mint looking focus titanium from a used car dealer. It seemed to fit the bill, it was top spec and had similar power to the Bora but with less miles, it would hopefully be a bit more reliable. It felt fine on the test drive but after driving it for a few days, I noticed it felt really sluggish for a 2.0 and was really thirsty even for a 2.0. I'd driven a similar aged focus with the same engine before and it felt completely different. I changed the spark plugs and replaced the completely black air filter which improved things somewhat. Then a day after the warranty expired, the oil light came on going round a roundabout so I pulled over and put 4 litres of oil in it to get home. Long story short, it was burning a litre of oil every 250 miles. Thankfully the garage I bought it off were brilliant and gave me a full refund. Unsurprisingly the car didn't last much longer after this. Don't have a photo of this one.
2003 Ford Focus 2.0 Ghia - Owned from 100k to 140k - 2016-2018
After the other focus went back I was in desperate need of a car to get to work. The plan was to buy a banger to last a few weeks whilst I looked for something else. There was a cheap focus on Gumtree that seemed to fit the bill. I went to look at it and it had rotten arches, barely had a panel that wasn't dented or scraped, the interior was a right state and the clutch pedal was rock hard. However I urgently needed a car for the next day and after some negotiating I got some money off the asking price and got a car that I was expecting to last a few weeks whilst I found something else.
As it turns out it was brilliant and I ended up keeping it, it had fsh from a garage I used to work at and other than the clutch it drove like new. Over 40k miles and 2 years all it had was tyres, a fuel pump due to hard-starting, some front discs and pads which were cheap and easy to fit and a couple of coolant leaks fixed.
However just before Christmas 2017, the clutch finally gave up although thankfully it went outside a local garage that had a loan car. After that was replaced, the coolant leaks got substantially worse with the car overheating a couple of times and being patched up, the exhaust was knackered, the emissions weren't great and when it started overheating without leaking any coolant a week before the MOT it got sold to a banger racer. Was gutted to see it go knowing it had met its end after it had been such a good car.
1999 Alfa Romeo 166 3.0 V6 Super - Owned from 85k to 93k 2016-18
With the focus proving to be a reliable workhorse and there being no point selling it, I was open to the idea of having something a bit more fun and stylish for weekends. I'd always loved Alfas and always wanted a Busso V6. I'd been put off by their reputation for reliability in the past but with it being a second car I wasn't too worried. There had been a 166 locally for years that as a teenager I thought had looked and sounded awesome. Speaking to the owner at the pub one night by chance it turned out he had parked it up after it had failed its MOT, it was also due a cambelt, and had a couple of other issues to sort. As a result, it was going to be scrapped. I offered scrap value and picked it up a couple of weeks later.
I spent a lot of time and money getting it ready for the MOT and getting it ready to use on weekends. Got it all sorted and back on the road and it was then plagued with electrical issues that I spent most of 2017 trying to sort. Got these sorted and back on the road and had big plans for it ie. sorting all the cosmetic stuff and fitting an LSD. I used it as a daily for a couple of months after getting rid of the focus until I got something else and it then developed a misfire which I spent a lot of time and money trying to sort. I then booked it in at a garage to have all the cosmetics, the misfire and a couple of other issues sorted and the LSD fitted. It was then at a mates garage for a few months but due to issues beyond his control, the work wasn't done. I got it back by which point I'd lost heart and was offered something else so I ended up selling it to an Alfa enthusiast to finish off.
2017 Skoda Citigo - Bought early 2018 at 5k miles, sold late 2019 at 36k miles.
After getting rid of the focus and with the Alfa for weekends, I decided to buy something sensible and reliable for work and after the arosa had been so good and Skoda offering some cracking deals, I decided to take a Citigo for a test drive. My main concern was that like the Arosa, it wouldn't be refined on the motorway but on the test drive it was fine so I ended up buying it. Other than a cracked windscreen and getting a stone caught between the disc and pad, it was faultless and a really good car. However with my other car having issues and the Skoda not being good for long journeys after 18 months I decided switch to 1 car and traded the other car and the Skoda in for something else.
2008 Saab 9-3 2.8T Aero V6 - bought early 2019, sold late 2019 105k to 113k.
I'd always quite liked Saabs when I was younger as my uncle had had a few 900 turbos and later aeros. However, I kind of lost interest a few years ago when my dad had a poverty spec diesel one that he'd had a few problems with. However, my brother bought a mint 9-3 aero v6 with every possible extra on it from a Saab specialist in early 2018, which I did really like. My brother ended up getting a new job with a company car so the Saab came up for sale. I liked the look of it and it was really comfy and went like stink so I decided to buy it after losing heart with the Alfa. It was a nice car but developed a fair few faults over the few months I owned it and after spending around £1000 trying to get them fixed with little success I had enough and wanted rid of it. After being messed about a lot when trying to sell it privately I traded it in for 2k less than I paid for it a few months earlier (over 3k loss with the work done on it during my ownership) and got the Mercedes below. I wasnt quite as sorry to see the Saab go as I was the Skoda.
2014 Mercedes C220 SE Executive Coupe Auto - bought late 2019 on 60k
After the issues with the Saab It got to the point where I hardly used it. This also meant I was using the Skoda for long journeys and whilst the Skoda was a good car, doing long journeys in it every weekend became tiresome rather quickly. I decided I was going to get rid of both cars and go back down to 1. I started looking at focus
and mondeo titanums but ended up finding a Mercedes with sensible mileage from a respectable local dealer for not much more money (been there before and hes been spot on). The mercedes is an auto and I'd not had one before but I got along fine with it on the test drive and the more I drove it the more I liked it.
It's done 60k, had 2 owners, has fsh and the last owner apparently sold it to the dealer as he was moving abroad. I think it has all the options except the AMG kit and the sunroof. If it proves reliable, I'm hoping to keep it till around 200k miles. I'm very happy with it so far.
.
Photo of the Mercedes below after replacing the awful looking original wheels as they were the only thing I didn't like about it.
1st car 2002 Seat Arosa 1.0S bought at 30k miles sold at 80k miles. 2008 - 2013/14
Got this when I was 17 and my parents wanted me to have something to learn in. For various reasons it took me a while to pass my test so it was a couple of years before I could drive it on my own. It was slow but very reliable and I went all over in it, it also held sentimental value as the car that I finally passed my driving test in. Had it for over 5 years before I sold it to someone in the next village for their kids to learn in. From the DVLA check it looks like this was scrapped last year.
2nd car 2004 VW Bora TDI 130 owned from 155k to 200k miles - 2013/14 to 2016
After having the Arosa for a few years, I was no longer a student and with my insurance going down and me travelling a fair bit for work, I decided I needed a change. I decided something with the TDI 130 engine in would fit the bill. I was planning to go and look at a late high spec Bora the next day for a fair chunk of money and asked someone in the pub who had one about how their's had been. They told me their's had been fine but was going to the scrap yard as it had a noisy gearbox, a dented wing and the MOT had expired and they'd just got a company car. Offered them scrap money and went and picked it up the next day.
Needed new front tyres for the MOT and new rear lights as the lenses were cracked and that was it. The wing was also only £50 from a breakers in the same colour. I drove it around for a few months until the noisy gearbox and flywheel got on my nerves and a friend who had an A4 making a similar noise had his gearbox blow up 200 miles from home. At this point I treated it to a new clutch and DMF and a gearbox from a breakers and it transformed the car and it felt much quicker than a friend's lower mile 150 version (i have my suspicions it had been mapped but never got it checked). However over the next year or so I had a few other things go (steering rack, pas pump, intercooler, boost hoses, aux belt etc.) and after a winter of hard-starting culminating in the car breaking down and being recovered I sold it to a friend spares or repairs. Annoyingly he changed the £50 injector wiring loom and had another 2 years trouble free motoring out of it before selling it on. The DVLA data site says its still about.
2006 Ford Focus 2.0 Titanium - Owned from 110k to 115k - Owned for 3 months in 2016
After selling the Bora, I decided to buy a mint looking focus titanium from a used car dealer. It seemed to fit the bill, it was top spec and had similar power to the Bora but with less miles, it would hopefully be a bit more reliable. It felt fine on the test drive but after driving it for a few days, I noticed it felt really sluggish for a 2.0 and was really thirsty even for a 2.0. I'd driven a similar aged focus with the same engine before and it felt completely different. I changed the spark plugs and replaced the completely black air filter which improved things somewhat. Then a day after the warranty expired, the oil light came on going round a roundabout so I pulled over and put 4 litres of oil in it to get home. Long story short, it was burning a litre of oil every 250 miles. Thankfully the garage I bought it off were brilliant and gave me a full refund. Unsurprisingly the car didn't last much longer after this. Don't have a photo of this one.
2003 Ford Focus 2.0 Ghia - Owned from 100k to 140k - 2016-2018
After the other focus went back I was in desperate need of a car to get to work. The plan was to buy a banger to last a few weeks whilst I looked for something else. There was a cheap focus on Gumtree that seemed to fit the bill. I went to look at it and it had rotten arches, barely had a panel that wasn't dented or scraped, the interior was a right state and the clutch pedal was rock hard. However I urgently needed a car for the next day and after some negotiating I got some money off the asking price and got a car that I was expecting to last a few weeks whilst I found something else.
As it turns out it was brilliant and I ended up keeping it, it had fsh from a garage I used to work at and other than the clutch it drove like new. Over 40k miles and 2 years all it had was tyres, a fuel pump due to hard-starting, some front discs and pads which were cheap and easy to fit and a couple of coolant leaks fixed.
However just before Christmas 2017, the clutch finally gave up although thankfully it went outside a local garage that had a loan car. After that was replaced, the coolant leaks got substantially worse with the car overheating a couple of times and being patched up, the exhaust was knackered, the emissions weren't great and when it started overheating without leaking any coolant a week before the MOT it got sold to a banger racer. Was gutted to see it go knowing it had met its end after it had been such a good car.
1999 Alfa Romeo 166 3.0 V6 Super - Owned from 85k to 93k 2016-18
With the focus proving to be a reliable workhorse and there being no point selling it, I was open to the idea of having something a bit more fun and stylish for weekends. I'd always loved Alfas and always wanted a Busso V6. I'd been put off by their reputation for reliability in the past but with it being a second car I wasn't too worried. There had been a 166 locally for years that as a teenager I thought had looked and sounded awesome. Speaking to the owner at the pub one night by chance it turned out he had parked it up after it had failed its MOT, it was also due a cambelt, and had a couple of other issues to sort. As a result, it was going to be scrapped. I offered scrap value and picked it up a couple of weeks later.
I spent a lot of time and money getting it ready for the MOT and getting it ready to use on weekends. Got it all sorted and back on the road and it was then plagued with electrical issues that I spent most of 2017 trying to sort. Got these sorted and back on the road and had big plans for it ie. sorting all the cosmetic stuff and fitting an LSD. I used it as a daily for a couple of months after getting rid of the focus until I got something else and it then developed a misfire which I spent a lot of time and money trying to sort. I then booked it in at a garage to have all the cosmetics, the misfire and a couple of other issues sorted and the LSD fitted. It was then at a mates garage for a few months but due to issues beyond his control, the work wasn't done. I got it back by which point I'd lost heart and was offered something else so I ended up selling it to an Alfa enthusiast to finish off.
2017 Skoda Citigo - Bought early 2018 at 5k miles, sold late 2019 at 36k miles.
After getting rid of the focus and with the Alfa for weekends, I decided to buy something sensible and reliable for work and after the arosa had been so good and Skoda offering some cracking deals, I decided to take a Citigo for a test drive. My main concern was that like the Arosa, it wouldn't be refined on the motorway but on the test drive it was fine so I ended up buying it. Other than a cracked windscreen and getting a stone caught between the disc and pad, it was faultless and a really good car. However with my other car having issues and the Skoda not being good for long journeys after 18 months I decided switch to 1 car and traded the other car and the Skoda in for something else.
2008 Saab 9-3 2.8T Aero V6 - bought early 2019, sold late 2019 105k to 113k.
I'd always quite liked Saabs when I was younger as my uncle had had a few 900 turbos and later aeros. However, I kind of lost interest a few years ago when my dad had a poverty spec diesel one that he'd had a few problems with. However, my brother bought a mint 9-3 aero v6 with every possible extra on it from a Saab specialist in early 2018, which I did really like. My brother ended up getting a new job with a company car so the Saab came up for sale. I liked the look of it and it was really comfy and went like stink so I decided to buy it after losing heart with the Alfa. It was a nice car but developed a fair few faults over the few months I owned it and after spending around £1000 trying to get them fixed with little success I had enough and wanted rid of it. After being messed about a lot when trying to sell it privately I traded it in for 2k less than I paid for it a few months earlier (over 3k loss with the work done on it during my ownership) and got the Mercedes below. I wasnt quite as sorry to see the Saab go as I was the Skoda.
2014 Mercedes C220 SE Executive Coupe Auto - bought late 2019 on 60k
After the issues with the Saab It got to the point where I hardly used it. This also meant I was using the Skoda for long journeys and whilst the Skoda was a good car, doing long journeys in it every weekend became tiresome rather quickly. I decided I was going to get rid of both cars and go back down to 1. I started looking at focus
and mondeo titanums but ended up finding a Mercedes with sensible mileage from a respectable local dealer for not much more money (been there before and hes been spot on). The mercedes is an auto and I'd not had one before but I got along fine with it on the test drive and the more I drove it the more I liked it.
It's done 60k, had 2 owners, has fsh and the last owner apparently sold it to the dealer as he was moving abroad. I think it has all the options except the AMG kit and the sunroof. If it proves reliable, I'm hoping to keep it till around 200k miles. I'm very happy with it so far.
.
Photo of the Mercedes below after replacing the awful looking original wheels as they were the only thing I didn't like about it.
Edited by JD66 on Friday 10th April 13:41
Edited by JD66 on Friday 10th April 13:45
A remap should see around 320bhp and depending on how aggressive the tune is around 400ft/lbs. It’s night & day over standard and well worth doing.
Here was mine at JZW stage 5 but I wouldn’t use him. My engine blew a couple years ago
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Maybe look at Vtuner or Brew City Boost but theyre in the states so everything’s done via email, or Maptun who’ve been tuning Saab’s for ages or Nordic. I’d probably go for Nordic, they’ve built some monster Saab’s (check YouTube)
Here was mine at JZW stage 5 but I wouldn’t use him. My engine blew a couple years ago
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Maybe look at Vtuner or Brew City Boost but theyre in the states so everything’s done via email, or Maptun who’ve been tuning Saab’s for ages or Nordic. I’d probably go for Nordic, they’ve built some monster Saab’s (check YouTube)
They are good mile-munchers. I've still got my 2.8 Sportwagon which has been used less and less as other things arrived.
Had it since new and 11 years later it is still below 50k miles - did 1000 between last mot's
My fault entirely for not using it.
When it was three years old I had the Hirsch map put on by the dealer and it was like buying a new car again. It really pulls.
Best upgrade since the remap was getting rid of the Continental tyres and putting Goodyear Eagle F1's on -less scrabbling around when accelerating.
Enjoy it.
Only complaint is the ridiculous sat nav - touchscreen but doesn't take postcodes!!
Had it since new and 11 years later it is still below 50k miles - did 1000 between last mot's
My fault entirely for not using it.When it was three years old I had the Hirsch map put on by the dealer and it was like buying a new car again. It really pulls.
Best upgrade since the remap was getting rid of the Continental tyres and putting Goodyear Eagle F1's on -less scrabbling around when accelerating.
Enjoy it.
Only complaint is the ridiculous sat nav - touchscreen but doesn't take postcodes!!
I'm very impressed with it so far. I was gutted to see the Alfa go as I'd been planning to fully restore it and had visions of what I wanted it to look like when it was done. I was hoping it would be finished ages ago though and I was getting frustrated with the fact that it still needed a fair bit doing to get it to how I wanted it. The Saab was already in that condition driving spot on and being sorted cosmetically so although it was sad, I'm sure I made the right choice.
Its now developed a few issues which I need to get sorted. Its stutters quite badly on full boost. Had 3 new coils and all new plugs last year that I have a receipt for and just had the other 3 coils changed and its still doing it.
The radio had a few problems but the only option it didn't have from new was the sat nav. So not too bothered about that as it means I can upgrade.
Need to get the coolant temperature sensor and the oil pressue sensor replaced as the fan is on constantly and occasionally it comes up with the low oil pressure warning on the dash but it only comes on for a split second, had this checked out and the oil pressure is fine.
A cracks also appeared in one of the tail lights so need to swap that out when I get round to it.
Hopefully get these jobs sorted over the next few weeks.
I also want to get the towbar taken off the back as I think it would look much better without it.
The radio had a few problems but the only option it didn't have from new was the sat nav. So not too bothered about that as it means I can upgrade.
Need to get the coolant temperature sensor and the oil pressue sensor replaced as the fan is on constantly and occasionally it comes up with the low oil pressure warning on the dash but it only comes on for a split second, had this checked out and the oil pressure is fine.
A cracks also appeared in one of the tail lights so need to swap that out when I get round to it.
Hopefully get these jobs sorted over the next few weeks.
I also want to get the towbar taken off the back as I think it would look much better without it.
Edited by JD66 on Saturday 16th March 17:31
Edited by JD66 on Saturday 16th March 17:31
Well worth getting an obd2 scanner, I use a WiFi scanner off eBay plus the dash command app on iPhone. It’s picked up faulty coils/plugs in the past even without a CEL (could feel it misfiring under load but no CEL) Really handy and stayed in the glove box!
Sack the radio comment it’s a different system to what I had! You can change to a decent double din, some good ones out now (a nice SQ Clarion would be my choice)
Sack the radio comment it’s a different system to what I had! You can change to a decent double din, some good ones out now (a nice SQ Clarion would be my choice)
Edited by griffin dai on Saturday 16th March 19:08
Hi there, lovely car! I really like the shape of the 9-3 saloon, much more appealing to my eye than the 3 series or A4 of similar age - especially in Aero spec.
I've had my 9-3 2.8T sportwagon for a little over a year now and have been slowly getting it back up to scratch. They are great cars, and I've had my one mapped with a Maptun stage 1, its made a hell of a difference.
I've also been troubleshooting some boost/CEL issues up until recently and I narrowed it down to a faulty boost control solenoid. My car is an 06 with 95k on it so chances are with your mileage your one may be a bit past it too if its the original one.
Its a really cheap part and very easy to replace so I would recommend maybe getting this swapped out:
https://www.neobrothers.co.uk/boost-pressure-contr...
Haven't had any more CEL's since I replaced that in January!
I have a thread on my one here;
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Cheers,
Ant
I've had my 9-3 2.8T sportwagon for a little over a year now and have been slowly getting it back up to scratch. They are great cars, and I've had my one mapped with a Maptun stage 1, its made a hell of a difference.
I've also been troubleshooting some boost/CEL issues up until recently and I narrowed it down to a faulty boost control solenoid. My car is an 06 with 95k on it so chances are with your mileage your one may be a bit past it too if its the original one.
Its a really cheap part and very easy to replace so I would recommend maybe getting this swapped out:
https://www.neobrothers.co.uk/boost-pressure-contr...
Haven't had any more CEL's since I replaced that in January!
I have a thread on my one here;
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Cheers,
Ant
JD66 said:
Thanks for the feedback I'll have a look at getting a scanner and also get the maf checked out.
Try disconnecting the MAF to see if it improves. It’s a pretty common issue. It’ll be a Bosch part iirc Great cars. I had a Vectra with this motor and loved it
Edited by Jimmy Recard on Sunday 17th March 14:05
I think I'm going to go down the aftermarket head unit route. Was thinking of upgrading to the oem sat nav but fancy built in dab. The current radio cuts out sometimes. Seems to change stations when it feels like it and the aux input is loose and doesn't work. I also think the oem headunit is a bit of a pain to use.
Theres a really good independent Saab specialist locally so will book it in there when I get paid at the end of the month to get most of the issues sorted. Turns out its the same specialist both my uncles used back in the 90s and they lived a fair distance away. Theres also a guy in my village with a 9-3 Carlsson that uses them as well.
Theres a really good independent Saab specialist locally so will book it in there when I get paid at the end of the month to get most of the issues sorted. Turns out its the same specialist both my uncles used back in the 90s and they lived a fair distance away. Theres also a guy in my village with a 9-3 Carlsson that uses them as well.
Nice Saab JD! I'm now on my second 2.8t 9-3. Great engines - if a little uneconomical. As others have said it's worthwhile getting a remap done, however if your car is a manual the clutch will probably slip. I was recommended Aura Tuning on the Saab forums, supposedly with a new wastegate actuator 320BHP and 400+lbft is acheivable 
Update. The saab had been problematic, not been able to get the misfire diagnosed at 2 separate saab specilaists, kept thinking it was fixed after changing a part only for it to come back. It also developed another problem where the steering was all over the place. After spending over a grand trying to fix it with no results, I lost my love for it and decided to trade it in for a Mercedes.
Edited by JD66 on Saturday 12th October 20:11
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