So I just bought a 9-3 Aero Hot....

[Lexual]

....hello all, I've been a PHer for a while but just purchased my first Saab and it's my first ever turbo as well..

It's a 2001 9-3 Aero Hot, only done 85k but it didnt come with any history.. I paid peanuts for it though and it is in good shape, the old MOT's back up the Mileage.

At the moment as far as I know it needs the tracking done and it certainly feels like it needs balancing.. I've only driven it home from where I bought it and it seems to pull pretty well..

As there is a lack of history and what may or may not have been done.. can you guys give me some pointers on what I should definitely look out for and check/change that may give me serious problems if it hasn't been done?

Also, the driver seat is a little worn in the usual spots so I may look to replace that.. can anyone recommend a breakers or a Saab parts/servicing specialist? I'm in the Essex/Hertfordshire area near Stansted airport.. I know Abbot Racing aren't far but I feel they will be quite expensive!

Here are a couple of pics from the original advert..







Cheers for looking and your help

[tonyvid]

I guess the same applies as for 9-5s so...

Get, or DIY, the sump dropped and check for buildup on the oil pickup - if it's not been run on fully synthetic(it should have been) all its life it could be blocked up and will wreck the engine. Generally more of a problem on the LPT cars rather than HOTs but you have no way of checking the past. Also worth checking all the breather hoses under the inlet as these can perish.

As mentioned the other day - oil cooler pipes! They can corrode and dump their guts in a big way. They live front offside next to the base of the aircleaner and tucked into the bottom of the front bumper.

Might be worth getting the drivebelt and rollers changed as these can breakup(should be done at 60k?).

Good local indies are http://www.saabtechlimited.co.uk/ in WGC who also do secondhand spares. There is a big SAAB breaker in North Beds called Leelac who is very helpful too.

Welcome to the club

[stevoknevo]

Neo Bros are based at Waltham Cross in Herts and claim to be Europe's largest new and used parts specialist. I've just bought some winter wheels and tyres from them and the service was excellent.
As mentioned get the sump dropped and the strainer cleaned for piece of mind, approx £250 at a specialist. Plenty of guides online if you fancy tackling it yourself.
A steering rack clamp and brace are a must on these cars, you can get one from parts for Saabs for £94 http://www.partsforsaabs.com/product_info.php?cPat...
And piggyback the rear anti roll bar using a 2nd hand one from a breaker, new nuts bolts and washers. Really easy to do. They re-map easily and cheaply (£100 or less) have a look in the performance section of UKSaabs for a chap called Saabnoob.

[Lexual]

Cheers for the input guys.. very helpful stuff.. I dont have a lot of money to throw at it at the moment but I appreciate a couple of these things mentioned will probably save me a small fortune in the long run. Its at the garage now having the balancing and tracking done, discovered one of the track rod ends had sheared a bolt and was just hanging on which was a bit dodgy to say the least so thats getting replaced..

I've been on to Neo Bros already.. did a bit of googling last night and found them, just ordered a replacement front fog from them.. they did seem helpful and good service. While I spoke to them today I asked what they'd charge for a new track rod end.. £7.14 ....the garage quoted me £25 for the part! I'll be having a word with them when I go back to collect it.

I only paid £600 for the car and cosmetically in and out it is in fantastic condition apart from a couple of minor bumper scratches and two small car park dings..

I'll have to befriend someone local who's handy with the tools to try and get some of these things done a bit cheaper!

I'll post some more pics once I've given it my own sponge and bucket treatment.. thats if anyone is interested

[RadoVR6]

Wish I had never sold mine.

I would go for the steering rack brace too. Makes loads of difference. If you are planning on keeping the car a while its worth replacing the bushes to poly items. That makes alot of difference too.

I had mine about 18 months and only ever fault was the ignition pack needed replacing.

Good solid cars!

[Lexual]

Cheers, I'll look into that to.

I've had the balancing and tracking done now and it has made a good amount of difference... I still feel the steering is not as tight as it should be though.. I also had the guy at the garage have a quick look at the oil cooler pipes and he said they look like they could be on there way out.. I do have a mechanic mate, not sure what his Saab experience is but I think Im gonna pay him a visit to give it a going over.

[Job38]

Excellent purchase! (then again I would say that, as it's exactly the same as mine).
Insanely good price as the Coupes are really quite rare, I forget how many were made.

As said:

Steering rack clamp
Upgrade anti-roll bars
Poly bushes
Abbot springs
Koni adjustable dampers

Enjoy!
A rare and appreciating classic I'd venture....

[K321]

i remapped mine and it cost £50 going from 205bhp to 230

ive had mine 28 months.

you dont need to use fully synthetic oil in these cars, semi synthetic is better in older engines. its the 2.3 turbo 9-5 turbo engines that suffer from this issue.0

my bills to date over 40k miles have been this so far:
Di cassette - £200
clutch/slave cylinder - £650
front brake discs and pads - £200
engine mounts disentegrating and gearbox mount resulting in other issues - £450
4 oil changes - £180
air filter -£20
12 tyres- £350
ecu remap - £50
speaker upgrade -£50
new back exhaust - £100
faulty drive shafts which caused the car to 'shudder btween 40-55mph' have broken twice - £350
auxillary belt: bearings/belt itself - £200
rear discs/pads - £200

all prices are exclusive of VAT.



i paid £1000 for it.. and going to keep it.

edit to add- my car has over double your mileage.

Edited by K321 on Sunday 11th November 11:57

Edited by K321 on Monday 12th November 00:40

[LesKellet]

Check pulleys - should have been done at 56k.
No cambelt to worry about in these engines