Why are Saabs so cheap? Feel free to discuss that amongst yourselves because Shed has better things to do at the moment, like getting ready for a secret meet-up with the village postmistress this weekend for a good old-fashioned blow on the seafront. Today’s 2006 9-3 Aero estate certainly ticks the ‘cheap Saab’ stereotype box. Yes, it’s a second-generation GM Vectra-platform car, but it’s in top Aero spec, it’s got a 2.8 litre V6 motor, and best of all it has an intercooled turbo.
2006 was the first year of the 2.8 T. Running a relaxed 8.7psi of boost, the B284 turbo produced 247hp at 5,500rpm and, more usefully for midrange thrunge, 258lb ft from 1,900-4,500rpm. In the six-speed manual, which our shed is, that was enough to move this 1,600kg wagon through the 0-62 sprint in 6.7sec and on to 155mph. The 2.0 T four, by contrast, needed 12.3psi of turbo pressure to achieve its 207hp and 221lb ft.
This particular Aero estate has been in the long-term ownership of someone who appears to understand the Saab thing and who is perhaps thinking that now is the time to unload it before the next MOT comes round in November. The last one, done in May 2019, reported advisories for slight wear to the nearside front suspension, a non-excessive oil leak and a nail in a tyre. The measured and honest ad lists the car’s other known problems as well as the good stuff, which is refreshing. Included in that list is a misfire under load which the seller attributes to coil packs. He’s very likely right about that. Sometimes this issue crops up without delivering any fault codes, but a load misfire that you can provoke by booting it in sixth gear from around 60-70mph is generally better than an idle misfire because it’s less liable to be a compression problem caused by sticky piston rings.
Swapping the packs around to see if there’s any difference in the misfire should quickly confirm the coil theory one way or the other. Luckily Saab coil packs have come down from their frankly ludicrous in-period prices to around £30 a pop now for Bosch items. If no difference is detected from the coil-swapping exercise, changing the spark plugs at £6-£12 each will probably be the answer. As these have been recently changed on our 9-3 (which is handy because they’re a swine to do), the chances are it will be the coils, as yer man says.
We’re also told that the aircon works but is noisy, there’s a bit of rust on the tailgate (though the underbody is said to be clean), the CD player doesn’t, the offside rear door won’t always respond to the locking plipper, and the shark fin antenna has dropped off – which is less than a tenner if it’s just the cover, or under twenty if you include the wiring.
None of these look like dealbreakers to Shed, though fuel consumption in the low to mid 20s might be for an old skinflint like him. While we’re in that area you do need to be careful with filling up these cars because overfilling can trip a shutoff mechanism. Fuel pumps don’t last forever either. The battery is said to be good, which is nice to hear as these are a weak point on these turbo cars, mainly because the (hot) turbo is rather stupidly located right next to the battery. The coolant expansion tank suffers for much the same reason.
If you’re happy to keep the car away from high engine load situations for the time being, the only money you might want to lay out early doors in good time for winter would be for new tyres. A set of 225/45x17 Michelin CrossClimates would be £380 fitted from Blackcircles, while Kumhos or similar would be around £280 a set. Although it’s not pictured, the Thule roof rack system that the seller is throwing in is worth a few bob on its own.
This is not a 9-5. It’s Saab’s equivalent of the 3 Series, so don't expect to be able to transport large items of furniture or even larger items answering to the name of Mrs Shed. If you’re prepared to risk it for a biscuit, however, you can easily take one of these over the 300hp/330lb ft mark – and that’s just from a remap.
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