Saab (specifically the 9-3) how good are they?
Discussion
I had a test drive of a Saab 9-3 yesterday - specifically a "9-3 AERO 210 BHP AUTO" (2005, 118k miles)
The auto box seemed to clunk a bit in between gear changes, and there was generally quite a lot of noise (road noise or wheel bearing) from the front end.
So I've ruled this one out (it was in shed territory at £1495)
But what specific issues should I be looking for on these? (manual or auto)
I note that the sills have plastic covers - are they prone to rusting under these covers?
What other issues?
Thanks.
The auto box seemed to clunk a bit in between gear changes, and there was generally quite a lot of noise (road noise or wheel bearing) from the front end.
So I've ruled this one out (it was in shed territory at £1495)
But what specific issues should I be looking for on these? (manual or auto)
I note that the sills have plastic covers - are they prone to rusting under these covers?
What other issues?
Thanks.
Its not far removed from a Vectra of the era so the road noise and clunky auto changes are probably normal.
You are probalby best looking at e39 528i if you want a sheddy auto cruiser. Did you know the manual version was quicker 0-100mph than an Escort Cosworth, and the auto wasn't actually far behind?
You are probalby best looking at e39 528i if you want a sheddy auto cruiser. Did you know the manual version was quicker 0-100mph than an Escort Cosworth, and the auto wasn't actually far behind?
I used to have a 6-speed manual 9-3 turbo back in the day as a run around and commuter.
Solid reliable car from what I remember. As mentioned the audio and head unit were silly over complicated affairs, which meant if you wanted to upgrade from the dire factory speakers in the car it was a mission.
The throttle is "by-wire" rather than being physically cable connected, which meant sometimes the sensors could play up, resulting in some strange idling revs.
But apart from that mine gathered over 100k miles and didn't really put a foot wrong.
I'd recommend a manual over the auto everyday of the week - I heard the auto boxes were a bit cumbersome at best and could easily develop issues when they get old.
Solid reliable car from what I remember. As mentioned the audio and head unit were silly over complicated affairs, which meant if you wanted to upgrade from the dire factory speakers in the car it was a mission.
The throttle is "by-wire" rather than being physically cable connected, which meant sometimes the sensors could play up, resulting in some strange idling revs.
But apart from that mine gathered over 100k miles and didn't really put a foot wrong.
I'd recommend a manual over the auto everyday of the week - I heard the auto boxes were a bit cumbersome at best and could easily develop issues when they get old.
I had a 9-3 1.9tdi a few years back. I only had it about 6 months but I really liked it. Comfortable, economical, looked good and drove well.
It had about 140k on it when I sold up and despite the engine feeling a little bit agricultural, not sure if the EGR needed a clean, the rest of the car was good.
It had about 140k on it when I sold up and despite the engine feeling a little bit agricultural, not sure if the EGR needed a clean, the rest of the car was good.
The Vector Sports tend to have better spec than the Aero’s (heated seats for one) probably sat nav and I think seats are electric?
Anything up to 2007 will have fibre optics audio which is a pain and difficult to upgrade, 07 onwards has the traditional double din set up. Late pre facelift cars have the newer system & dash fitted found in the facelift cars but also the higher tax band. But tbh for the ammount of hassle I went through I’d prefer to stump up the extra tax and fit a decent system!
On the early fibre optic cars there’s a small amp under the passenger seat, this can get wet/kicked around over time and breaks. If the front dash speakers are crackling it’s a duff amp.
Front springs are prone to snapping, a nice upgrade Is eibach springs & Bilstein dampers or if you wanted to drop it a tad lower H&R springs, I’d avoid Maptun springs as they can bind.
I had some rust on both rear arches but nothing too bad.
The 6 speed manual (f40 box) is very very clunky, it’s usually down to the bush in the gearbox turret perrishing, repair kits can be had for around 20 quid. The 5 speeds meant to be better. Autos seem decent and can take a load of torque.
Can’t comment on the 2.0 but the 2.8t goes very well after a remap.
If you did want to remap it (I would) then Saabnoob on UKSaabs is your man for the 2.0 and there’s a few choices for the 2.8
Anything up to 2007 will have fibre optics audio which is a pain and difficult to upgrade, 07 onwards has the traditional double din set up. Late pre facelift cars have the newer system & dash fitted found in the facelift cars but also the higher tax band. But tbh for the ammount of hassle I went through I’d prefer to stump up the extra tax and fit a decent system!
On the early fibre optic cars there’s a small amp under the passenger seat, this can get wet/kicked around over time and breaks. If the front dash speakers are crackling it’s a duff amp.
Front springs are prone to snapping, a nice upgrade Is eibach springs & Bilstein dampers or if you wanted to drop it a tad lower H&R springs, I’d avoid Maptun springs as they can bind.
I had some rust on both rear arches but nothing too bad.
The 6 speed manual (f40 box) is very very clunky, it’s usually down to the bush in the gearbox turret perrishing, repair kits can be had for around 20 quid. The 5 speeds meant to be better. Autos seem decent and can take a load of torque.
Can’t comment on the 2.0 but the 2.8t goes very well after a remap.
If you did want to remap it (I would) then Saabnoob on UKSaabs is your man for the 2.0 and there’s a few choices for the 2.8
I had a manual 2005 9-3 Aero for a few years, 2009-2012 and eventually sold it to my dad who still has it. Mechanically it is has been utterly reliable, save for sticking rear calipers every few years. It's on 180k and still has it's original turbo, clutch, exhaust and most mechanical large items which is, frankly, unbelievable. Interior creaks and groans like nothing else but cosmetically it's held up well.
Downers is the ride quality - it is harsh, even on non-sport springs; had sports/Aero springs when I had it, they eventually snapped as per above and dad replaced with normal springs as he's getting on a bit - didn't make much difference to the ride. The road noise thing is normal. The family link to the vectra is overplayed somewhat; they share some parts and architecture but around 20% of the cars are the same; in fact the Saab is much more similar to the Cadillac BTS that they tried to sell here.
It was chipped when I bought it to give out 250bhp and I'm still impressed when I drive it whenever I'm up visiting him. I moved onto n/a V8s and turbo'd V6s after the Saab, but it still feels genuinely quick, especially when the turbo kicks in during 2/3/4th gear.
Downers is the ride quality - it is harsh, even on non-sport springs; had sports/Aero springs when I had it, they eventually snapped as per above and dad replaced with normal springs as he's getting on a bit - didn't make much difference to the ride. The road noise thing is normal. The family link to the vectra is overplayed somewhat; they share some parts and architecture but around 20% of the cars are the same; in fact the Saab is much more similar to the Cadillac BTS that they tried to sell here.
It was chipped when I bought it to give out 250bhp and I'm still impressed when I drive it whenever I'm up visiting him. I moved onto n/a V8s and turbo'd V6s after the Saab, but it still feels genuinely quick, especially when the turbo kicks in during 2/3/4th gear.
Edited by parabolica on Monday 20th May 10:11
TonyRPH said:
Yeah that’s called ICM2, there’s also icm1 which is just buttons and icm3 which is sat nav.Things get a bit complicated with the icm systems and it all depends what was ticked in the boxes. You could have just the very basic 4 speaker system (2 in the dash & 2 in the shelf) all the way up to satnav plus 13 speakers. You can also have icm2 with 13 speakers. It’s a right faff to upgrade, if the fibre optic link is broken then you woke have any radio or turn signals etc.
Really stupid set up tbh!!
I've got a 2005 9-3 cabriolet in Vector Sport trim with the 5 speed manual. I've had it three years, bought with 135,000 and it is now on 150,000 miles.
It's the 2.0 which as standard is 175hp, but I had it Noobtuned to 220hp which was under £100 and is definitely worthwhile. Gives the car much more mid range acceleration and doesn't affect fuel economy. On a run I get 45mpg, and day to day use is just over 32mpg average
It drives fine - no stiff or clunky gear changes, and doesn't shake or rattle badly. Seats are very comfortable but the leather isn't the hardest wearing and mine is quite scuffed on the bolsters. Roof takes about 25 seconds to go up or down. It's blustery in the back with the roof down but is OK up to about 80mph in the front.
It's been very reliable - so far it's needed a new exhaust back box, drop links on the front and a pair of tyres. It also had a bit of an issue with the electric windows refusing to work all the time, but cleaning the switch panel sorted this for no cost. I'm about to swap the rear shocks as one ha started to make a groaning noise which is doing my head in.
The black paint seems to rub off of the switches relatively easily so the most common used ones (e.g. drivers window, radio preset buttons 1-4) look a bit worn
Mines got the 7 speaker sound system and it is perfectly adequate for my needs and everyday use. Its not going to blow your socks off with bass though. No sat nav.
It's the 2.0 which as standard is 175hp, but I had it Noobtuned to 220hp which was under £100 and is definitely worthwhile. Gives the car much more mid range acceleration and doesn't affect fuel economy. On a run I get 45mpg, and day to day use is just over 32mpg average
It drives fine - no stiff or clunky gear changes, and doesn't shake or rattle badly. Seats are very comfortable but the leather isn't the hardest wearing and mine is quite scuffed on the bolsters. Roof takes about 25 seconds to go up or down. It's blustery in the back with the roof down but is OK up to about 80mph in the front.
It's been very reliable - so far it's needed a new exhaust back box, drop links on the front and a pair of tyres. It also had a bit of an issue with the electric windows refusing to work all the time, but cleaning the switch panel sorted this for no cost. I'm about to swap the rear shocks as one ha started to make a groaning noise which is doing my head in.
The black paint seems to rub off of the switches relatively easily so the most common used ones (e.g. drivers window, radio preset buttons 1-4) look a bit worn
Mines got the 7 speaker sound system and it is perfectly adequate for my needs and everyday use. Its not going to blow your socks off with bass though. No sat nav.
TonyRPH said:
@griffin dai - very helpful thanks.
To be fair I don't make a great deal of use of the in car entertainment, I prefer to hear the car instead for some strange reason!
Ha! You need the V6 then To be fair I don't make a great deal of use of the in car entertainment, I prefer to hear the car instead for some strange reason!
Ditch the back boxes for straight pipes
https://youtu.be/k08LiGxv7XE
I've currently got a '05 2.0T Aero as my sheddy car. Since I bought it for £1900 (too much I think) back in Jan 18 I've probably spent £300 keeping it in decent nick. The bulk of that was front tyres (£120) and front discs and pads (£70) so far it's been pretty good. It's currently on 92k so plenty of life left hopefully.
I concur with other comments about the suspension - mine is awful, but I'm loathe to spend any money on it, as I'm only planning on having it another few months, probably until after the next MOT.
To be honest though, it's really grown on me, and it really can shift when that turbo kicks in. On the motorway it really munches through the miles too. And yes, the radio is pants. However it should have an aux and cigarette socket in the armrest, I've attached a bluetooth receiver to mine which makes a world of difference.
I concur with other comments about the suspension - mine is awful, but I'm loathe to spend any money on it, as I'm only planning on having it another few months, probably until after the next MOT.
To be honest though, it's really grown on me, and it really can shift when that turbo kicks in. On the motorway it really munches through the miles too. And yes, the radio is pants. However it should have an aux and cigarette socket in the armrest, I've attached a bluetooth receiver to mine which makes a world of difference.
For what was supposed to be a premium car I found the 9-3 a little cheap inside but if I were going for one it would be the 2.8 V6 which was developed by Holden in Australia (still GM) and remap it to 320bhp. I tried to keep up with one (mate's car) on the M6 in a 330D X-Drive and he turned into a dot on the horizon.
I've been bidding on a few of these lately on Ebay, I want an Aero Cab for a bit of fun.
I've always loved them since having a 55 plate Linear (basic as it comes) as a company car for 3 years, it was the comfiest car i've ever had and the shape looks great, mine had some really strange 16 in wheels with strange tyre sizes that needed ordering in.
Mine had the 4 speaker set up, it was awful, I paid nearly £500 to Saab to have an extra amp put in, it wasn't much better to be fair, that was the only let down on it.
I was young when i had it and it was my first "nice" company car, I took it to 120k and it was driven quite hard at times, it also did a few hand brake turns if i recall, only issues were the water pump pulley broke and pushed the aux belt into the engine cover, i was able to drive it still as it happened at 3am on the M42 just leaving BHX airport, i drove it to Stourbridge my then home.
I recall it used to go through headlight bulbs every few months
Other than that it was faultless, it was still going until around 170k according to the MOT database, it was the 1.9 TDI (150 BHP)
I still have the service history on excel from the lease company, here is the Amp charge lol
I've always loved them since having a 55 plate Linear (basic as it comes) as a company car for 3 years, it was the comfiest car i've ever had and the shape looks great, mine had some really strange 16 in wheels with strange tyre sizes that needed ordering in.
Mine had the 4 speaker set up, it was awful, I paid nearly £500 to Saab to have an extra amp put in, it wasn't much better to be fair, that was the only let down on it.
I was young when i had it and it was my first "nice" company car, I took it to 120k and it was driven quite hard at times, it also did a few hand brake turns if i recall, only issues were the water pump pulley broke and pushed the aux belt into the engine cover, i was able to drive it still as it happened at 3am on the M42 just leaving BHX airport, i drove it to Stourbridge my then home.
I recall it used to go through headlight bulbs every few months
Other than that it was faultless, it was still going until around 170k according to the MOT database, it was the 1.9 TDI (150 BHP)
I still have the service history on excel from the lease company, here is the Amp charge lol
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