Saab 9-3 1.9 TTid 2010/11 £30 tax one - Buying advice?
Discussion
Evening all,
Need some advice, I am thinking of getting a 2010 model Saab 9-3 TTid (the cheap tax one), been looking around and prices vary alot, I have a budget of around £3.5k (160bhp Vector Sports)
This puts me bang in the middle of some "high mileage" vehicles, around £100k+.
Now I am not scared of miles, if anything it is a plus to me, a good vehicle will do the miles, but what are these new twin turbos like after the miles...?
Is it just business as usual like most modern diesels (EGR/DMF's) etc...
Same old saying "buy on condition" etc
I'm a stickler for service history and very anal when it comes to checking out the vehicle, always take comprehensive inspections before I buy.
I've really hankered for a Saab 9-3 for along time, they still look great! And prices are horrendously low, having driven BMWs all my driving life I fancy a change now..
I already own a 318d 2012 Touring, and racked 110k on this, but this is being relegated to my wife as a family wagon now, and I just need a motorway hack...300+ miles a week, more sometimes.
Any advice would be great
Need some advice, I am thinking of getting a 2010 model Saab 9-3 TTid (the cheap tax one), been looking around and prices vary alot, I have a budget of around £3.5k (160bhp Vector Sports)
This puts me bang in the middle of some "high mileage" vehicles, around £100k+.
Now I am not scared of miles, if anything it is a plus to me, a good vehicle will do the miles, but what are these new twin turbos like after the miles...?
Is it just business as usual like most modern diesels (EGR/DMF's) etc...
Same old saying "buy on condition" etc
I'm a stickler for service history and very anal when it comes to checking out the vehicle, always take comprehensive inspections before I buy.
I've really hankered for a Saab 9-3 for along time, they still look great! And prices are horrendously low, having driven BMWs all my driving life I fancy a change now..
I already own a 318d 2012 Touring, and racked 110k on this, but this is being relegated to my wife as a family wagon now, and I just need a motorway hack...300+ miles a week, more sometimes.
Any advice would be great
Edited by DailyHack on Tuesday 19th March 21:45
As long as the service history stacks up you should have no problems.
Clutch and dmf is one thing to consider, roughly £700 for new ones fitted which isnt a deal breaker but not nice to have to do this once you have bought the car.
Make sure you have a good test drive and listen for any unusual noises, especially when up to tempetature.
My 2008 Tid has 145k on the clock but it did have a replacement engine at 100k.
Its still very good and smooth mechanically though and hides its mileage well.
It is worth considering though that if its been on lengthy service intervals those turbos may be on borrowed time.
The Tid engines respond very well to remaps too if that floats your boat and did find a good one.
Clutch and dmf is one thing to consider, roughly £700 for new ones fitted which isnt a deal breaker but not nice to have to do this once you have bought the car.
Make sure you have a good test drive and listen for any unusual noises, especially when up to tempetature.
My 2008 Tid has 145k on the clock but it did have a replacement engine at 100k.
Its still very good and smooth mechanically though and hides its mileage well.
It is worth considering though that if its been on lengthy service intervals those turbos may be on borrowed time.
The Tid engines respond very well to remaps too if that floats your boat and did find a good one.
Edited by Belle427 on Thursday 21st March 07:56
Belle427 said:
As long as the service history stacks up you should have no problems.
Clutch and dmf is one thing to consider, roughly £700 for new ones fitted which isnt a deal breaker but not nice to have to do this once you have bought the car.
Make sure you have a good test drive and listen for any unusual noises, especially when up to tempetature.
My 2008 Tid has 145k on the clock but it did have a replacement engine at 100k.
Its still very good and smooth mechanically though and hides its mileage well.
It is worth considering though that if its been on lengthy service intervals those turbos may be on borrowed time.
The Tid engines respond very well to remaps too if that floats your boat and did find a good one.
Thanks for the tips, especially noises on the test drive.Clutch and dmf is one thing to consider, roughly £700 for new ones fitted which isnt a deal breaker but not nice to have to do this once you have bought the car.
Make sure you have a good test drive and listen for any unusual noises, especially when up to tempetature.
My 2008 Tid has 145k on the clock but it did have a replacement engine at 100k.
Its still very good and smooth mechanically though and hides its mileage well.
It is worth considering though that if its been on lengthy service intervals those turbos may be on borrowed time.
The Tid engines respond very well to remaps too if that floats your boat and did find a good one.
Edited by Belle427 on Thursday 21st March 07:56
Yeah, the one I am looking (2011 car) it hasn't had a DMF or Clutch in its history, Cambelt was done at 89k, so i presume the water pump was done aswell...but who knows. Always good to have money put aside, really that much for this, had this done on my 118d 2008, £400 wsa all done, parts sourced myself with ECP discount, are the SAABs any different?
It has quite good service history going back to 11k, where the oil like you said seems to be on the long intervals, 18k, but things like fuel filter / transmission fluid and coolant has all be changed (i suspect that was when the EGR valve was replaced around 70k)
Quite clued up on long intervals coming from a N47 engine, cars in my fleet get oil dumped every 8k, and this saab will be on a strict diet if i proceed.
Remaps, nah dont really float my boat, but good to know they can take more, which means they are super de-tuned, maybe a plus for longevity...
Looking at them though, they are hell of alot of car for the money, when compared to other marques, and they seem so rare on the roads now, i do alot of miles on the motorway network and dont recall seeing any 9-3's at all in the last 2 years, bizzare (but i quite like that)
Belle427 said:
My clutch, dmf and slave kit was £350, labour was £250 from memory as i was unable to do it myself.
Service parts are cheap enough too.
How much would a turbos cost to replace, small one and big one, worth getting recon ones if needed any, never had to replace a turbo in any diesel car...let alone two.Service parts are cheap enough too.
DailyHack said:
Belle427 said:
My clutch, dmf and slave kit was £350, labour was £250 from memory as i was unable to do it myself.
Service parts are cheap enough too.
How much would turbos cost to replace, small one and big one, worth getting recon ones if it needed any, never had to replace a turbo in any diesel car...let alone two.Service parts are cheap enough too.
I have an 08 tdi 150bhp vector
When I was looking i'm sure I was advised that the twin turbo had some plastic bit fitted to something that the single had metal ones. Flaps or something?
I know not much use without the detail but it stuck in my mind.
Mine has just ticked over 295k miles.
In that time the DPF failed at 180k - simply reached end of life.
Clutch - hasn't been changed since 69k miles. Just starting to be a bit slippy but nothign major.
Gearbox - all good.
Turbo - no issues
Bit smokey on start up these days though
Timing belt was done about 90k ago - it's due but i haven't got it done yet..... cost will be more than the value of the car.
When I was looking i'm sure I was advised that the twin turbo had some plastic bit fitted to something that the single had metal ones. Flaps or something?
I know not much use without the detail but it stuck in my mind.
Mine has just ticked over 295k miles.
In that time the DPF failed at 180k - simply reached end of life.
Clutch - hasn't been changed since 69k miles. Just starting to be a bit slippy but nothign major.
Gearbox - all good.
Turbo - no issues
Bit smokey on start up these days though
Timing belt was done about 90k ago - it's due but i haven't got it done yet..... cost will be more than the value of the car.
Belle427 said:
Yeah, that doesn't look too bad for price!Dan_1981 said:
I have an 08 tdi 150bhp vector
When I was looking i'm sure I was advised that the twin turbo had some plastic bit fitted to something that the single had metal ones. Flaps or something?
I know not much use without the detail but it stuck in my mind.
Mine has just ticked over 295k miles.
In that time the DPF failed at 180k - simply reached end of life.
Clutch - hasn't been changed since 69k miles. Just starting to be a bit slippy but nothing major.
Gearbox - all good.
Turbo - no issues
Bit smokey on start up these days though
Timing belt was done about 90k ago - it's due but i haven't got it done yet..... cost will be more than the value of the car.
Thanks mate for this, interesting insight...I am more inclined on the TTiD, as the £30 tax is just so good to have, and I also get a newer car also.When I was looking i'm sure I was advised that the twin turbo had some plastic bit fitted to something that the single had metal ones. Flaps or something?
I know not much use without the detail but it stuck in my mind.
Mine has just ticked over 295k miles.
In that time the DPF failed at 180k - simply reached end of life.
Clutch - hasn't been changed since 69k miles. Just starting to be a bit slippy but nothing major.
Gearbox - all good.
Turbo - no issues
Bit smokey on start up these days though
Timing belt was done about 90k ago - it's due but i haven't got it done yet..... cost will be more than the value of the car.
All the things you list are all diesel issues across the board especially the DPFs, always had diesels mainly BMW's - still keeping my 3 series, but quite excited to get behind a Saab as my daily, just a mega itch, nearly pulled the trigger few years on a 2005 9-3 wagon, despite what people think about them, I really like the look of them.
9-3 has a cheap plasticky interior, prone to rattles etc. 9-5 much better built, solid, silent, fantastic mile muncher. I ignored this advice and bought a 130k mile 9-3 because I thought the saloon was better looking than the equivalent 9-5. Nothing went wrong mechanically but 4 years on I've just made the switch to a 9-5 because the 9-3 was cheap and plasticky and the growing number of trim rattles was starting to drive me insane. The 9-5 is a world apart. Have you considered a 9-5?
Yeah, I've heard they can rattle a little and are a little low rent, but will have to see how this one is.
I have looked at the 9-5, great cars and they do feel a little more solid, but they are just too big, this is one reason I discounted the 5 series and got a 3 series, as they are just too big to hustle around with just me in most of the time.
I have looked at the 9-5, great cars and they do feel a little more solid, but they are just too big, this is one reason I discounted the 5 series and got a 3 series, as they are just too big to hustle around with just me in most of the time.
Just as an update to this, car in question was sold before I got there, but looked at few more local to me.
Having arrived in my 2012 3 series, and driving some, my goodness they feel low rent, perhaps it's just because I have been use to driving BMW's for the past 10 years...and yes they were very rattly on the test drives, like someone above mentioned, also felt very wooden in the chassis, over bumps etc...bitof weird sensation but present on two I drove...
Little dissapointed if I am going to be honest, Saabs look dam great and the TTid has some shove, but completely dissapointed with the interior fit and and finish it's rather embarrassing for a 2010/11 car, seats were good mind.
Stepped back into my 106k 3er, no rattles and no cheapness, looks like I may have talked myself out of this...
I wish I could love Saab's I really do
Having arrived in my 2012 3 series, and driving some, my goodness they feel low rent, perhaps it's just because I have been use to driving BMW's for the past 10 years...and yes they were very rattly on the test drives, like someone above mentioned, also felt very wooden in the chassis, over bumps etc...bitof weird sensation but present on two I drove...
Little dissapointed if I am going to be honest, Saabs look dam great and the TTid has some shove, but completely dissapointed with the interior fit and and finish it's rather embarrassing for a 2010/11 car, seats were good mind.
Stepped back into my 106k 3er, no rattles and no cheapness, looks like I may have talked myself out of this...
I wish I could love Saab's I really do
Belle427 said:
I don't have many rattles on a 2008 car but my driver's seat does have an annoying creaking sound which I'm going to try and cure.
Yeah some creaks you solve quite easily, I did lie a little my BMW has the odd squeak, the wheel groans when turned every so often - re-adjust the steering column and it goes away for a few weeks, bizzarre.Anyway, finding it hard to nail a 9-3 2010, as soon as I find one and enquire in budget they are sold very quickly
Have never looked at the Saab forum before, until today. Had my 2010 one owner (me) black 9-3 Aero ttid TX Design pack serviced at 57k miles this week. I still absolutely love this car after 9 years. Nothing has ever gone wrong with it. Cruises beautifully up the motorway at 70 at 2k rpm.
Still lurking around, keeping coming back to the idea of getting one of these as a motorway hack.
My wife is looking at all sorts of leggy s
te, but seems happy to use my car now, essentially a free car for her and perfect for the little one if/when it comes along, so saving her money!
The fact these Saabs are so cheap, it's not exactly going to break the bank for me to get one, and means I get to keep my faithful E91 in the family
Math maths...maybe not.
They just tick so many boxes these saabs, they looks so good still, and if I get one on the low tax bracket I will be happy...just trying to find one locally is the issue, thin on the ground - don't really want to spend more than £3000 really for one, needs FSH and receipts for the usual things.
The search will be leading into the new year I suspect...
My wife is looking at all sorts of leggy s
te, but seems happy to use my car now, essentially a free car for her and perfect for the little one if/when it comes along, so saving her money!The fact these Saabs are so cheap, it's not exactly going to break the bank for me to get one, and means I get to keep my faithful E91 in the family
Math maths...maybe not.They just tick so many boxes these saabs, they looks so good still, and if I get one on the low tax bracket I will be happy...just trying to find one locally is the issue, thin on the ground - don't really want to spend more than £3000 really for one, needs FSH and receipts for the usual things.
The search will be leading into the new year I suspect...
Silver C6 said:
Have never looked at the Saab forum before, until today. Had my 2010 one owner (me) black 9-3 Aero ttid TX Design pack serviced at 57k miles this week. I still absolutely love this car after 9 years. Nothing has ever gone wrong with it. Cruises beautifully up the motorway at 70 at 2k rpm.
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