To Saab or not to Saab
Discussion
I've been going backwards and forwards on changing my car, it's perfectly adequate for the moment to do the shooping, stick the golf clubs in and take my wife and daughter anywhere we need to go with all the baby crap we need, albeit a bit tight in the boot. I'd quite like an estate for the next few years to futureproof so we can go away for the weekend as a family, take a few tip runs as we're still sorting out our new house, take the 20 mile each way commute 2-3 days a week in comfort on motorway or A and B roads (traffic dependent) while being relatively nice to look at. Safety and reliability with a young family is also among the list of wants.
I've looked at the dull but brutally reliable (Avensis or Accord), different (Subaru Legacy) and now investigating the Saabs. I'm open to a petrol 2.0t or the 1.9 diesel, either will work for the sort of mileage I'll be doing as the work run is mostly at either motorway speeds or 50-60 if I take the A and B roads, something in the 30s for mpg would be good (current Mazda 3 Sport does about 32-34 on average). I would be taking care of the maintenance as I'm reasonable enough to do servicing and most consumables so this reduces ongoing costs a bit but parts prices and availability are a consideration.
What do I need to look for with each engine and over what years? My dad has a 9-3 tid estate that had a couple of problems soon after he bought it a couple of years ago (injectors and turbo) but has been pretty good since and takes 6 week trips around France in the Summer quite comfortably. I would like to avoid any big bills by preventative measures, the sump draining and cambelt looks to be the basic needs along with regular oil changes.
I'm open to a 9-3 or 9-5, budget up to about £3-3.5k from a dealer for convenience.
Any help you can give would be great, don't necessarily everything spelled out, just a bit of information and pointed in the right direction of where to read more would be good.
I've looked at the dull but brutally reliable (Avensis or Accord), different (Subaru Legacy) and now investigating the Saabs. I'm open to a petrol 2.0t or the 1.9 diesel, either will work for the sort of mileage I'll be doing as the work run is mostly at either motorway speeds or 50-60 if I take the A and B roads, something in the 30s for mpg would be good (current Mazda 3 Sport does about 32-34 on average). I would be taking care of the maintenance as I'm reasonable enough to do servicing and most consumables so this reduces ongoing costs a bit but parts prices and availability are a consideration.
What do I need to look for with each engine and over what years? My dad has a 9-3 tid estate that had a couple of problems soon after he bought it a couple of years ago (injectors and turbo) but has been pretty good since and takes 6 week trips around France in the Summer quite comfortably. I would like to avoid any big bills by preventative measures, the sump draining and cambelt looks to be the basic needs along with regular oil changes.
I'm open to a 9-3 or 9-5, budget up to about £3-3.5k from a dealer for convenience.
Any help you can give would be great, don't necessarily everything spelled out, just a bit of information and pointed in the right direction of where to read more would be good.
From memory there was an issue with oil pick up? The mod was in the breather system or something, without looking on google I cannot remember the details. The years affected etc. will be on google somewhere.
Mine was modded (read fixed) by SAAB early on and I think if the oil was of the manufacturers approved (fully synthetic) then no more issues?
Get 36-40 on the motorway. bad around town though.
9-5 here, 2004. Tried the 9-3 but found it cramped. 2.3t arc (small t) but it has the oomph for a long range cruiser. Auto as well (with manual flappy things that I never use).
Excellent cup holder.
independent does my servicing (independent before SAAB went down the pan). Parts not so bad at the moment, no idea where they get them from. on 115,000 or so, garage reckons it aint even run in yet......
Mine was modded (read fixed) by SAAB early on and I think if the oil was of the manufacturers approved (fully synthetic) then no more issues?
Get 36-40 on the motorway. bad around town though.
9-5 here, 2004. Tried the 9-3 but found it cramped. 2.3t arc (small t) but it has the oomph for a long range cruiser. Auto as well (with manual flappy things that I never use).
Excellent cup holder.
independent does my servicing (independent before SAAB went down the pan). Parts not so bad at the moment, no idea where they get them from. on 115,000 or so, garage reckons it aint even run in yet......
I have a 2008 9-3 TTiD (180hp), and previously had a TID (150). If you go for the diesel I'd recommend the more powerful engine if you can find one - I find the TTiD suffers from less lag and is a bit more responsive than the TiD.
I've had mine for about 8 years now and apart from routine servicing, the only thing that has needed replacing is the alternator - a known weak point on this cars. Apart from that it has been very reliable.
Compared with the 9-5 that my dad runs, the interior of the 9-3 doesn't feel as well put together. A few more rattles and creaks, though nothing serious.
I have mine serviced by a former Saab dealer, now an authorised Saab repairer. A lot of the old dealerships are still operating like this.
Parts never seem to be a problem as the Saab Parts company (now Orio) was separated from Saab and still operates, so there are plenty of genuine parts available.
Overall, it's a pretty good car to own. Not the most exciting drive but solid, very comfortable and great for long drives, gets 50 mpg on a run (mine is Auto) and hasn't let me down.
I've had mine for about 8 years now and apart from routine servicing, the only thing that has needed replacing is the alternator - a known weak point on this cars. Apart from that it has been very reliable.
Compared with the 9-5 that my dad runs, the interior of the 9-3 doesn't feel as well put together. A few more rattles and creaks, though nothing serious.
I have mine serviced by a former Saab dealer, now an authorised Saab repairer. A lot of the old dealerships are still operating like this.
Parts never seem to be a problem as the Saab Parts company (now Orio) was separated from Saab and still operates, so there are plenty of genuine parts available.
Overall, it's a pretty good car to own. Not the most exciting drive but solid, very comfortable and great for long drives, gets 50 mpg on a run (mine is Auto) and hasn't let me down.
For the diesel the things that would be a concern would be the turbo, injectors, dpf and if there's a dmf, I suppose the normal things for any modern diesel. The petrol 2.0t seems to have been affected by the quality of breather pipes used but post 2004 cars (I think) don't have the issue. I've been trying to do the research but sometimes you need to know what the issues are before you can get some more details. Cost of belt changes and when they should be done is another thing.
Ultimately it will need to be able to cover motorway or A/B road commutes comfortably with a reasonable bit of pace, doesn't need to be chuckable as I'll either have my daughter in the car or doing a commute all to often ruined by traffic or the 40 everywhere type drivers that make things difficult. I also have a large window at the top of my stairs so something nice to look at on the drive is a bonus.
I'm guessing the earlier GM era cars are better?
Now all I need is some time and a few to come up locally, dragging a 3 month old around dealers is going to be difficult.
Thanks for the replies so far.
Ultimately it will need to be able to cover motorway or A/B road commutes comfortably with a reasonable bit of pace, doesn't need to be chuckable as I'll either have my daughter in the car or doing a commute all to often ruined by traffic or the 40 everywhere type drivers that make things difficult. I also have a large window at the top of my stairs so something nice to look at on the drive is a bonus.
I'm guessing the earlier GM era cars are better?
Now all I need is some time and a few to come up locally, dragging a 3 month old around dealers is going to be difficult.
Thanks for the replies so far.
MY 2004 onwards will have the modified evap system and updates to breathers etc. i have actually seen upgrade 6 on a '53 plate car from the factory though so check it rather than relying on MY.
a sump drop and then sticking to the recommended oils will aid longevity.
can't comment on diesels but nothing much really goes wrong on petrols. the few known problems and fixes are all thoroughly documented - UKSaabs would be definitely the right place to continue the research. check the cars for sale regularly as well - vendors on there will usually be able to give you much more comprehensive details of what they're selling than a dealer could
paul
a sump drop and then sticking to the recommended oils will aid longevity.
can't comment on diesels but nothing much really goes wrong on petrols. the few known problems and fixes are all thoroughly documented - UKSaabs would be definitely the right place to continue the research. check the cars for sale regularly as well - vendors on there will usually be able to give you much more comprehensive details of what they're selling than a dealer could
paul
Do not touch the old 3.0tid diesels no matter how tempting. I had one and have the scars. The 2.2tids are rather agricultural but quite rugged and torquey and are chain cam. The 1.9tids are a essentially a Fiat engine which is a cam belt which should be changed on schedule complete with water pump.
I've had two Saabs. One 05 9-3 TID 150 saloon and one 05 9-5 Aero Estate. Both of the interiors are cramped and lack storage space. However, the boot space was excellent on both.
Whilst you may think the cup holder looks great, its actually quite flimsy. I used to use the one by the handbrake.
The 9-3 was a bit of problem child from the moment I bought it and interestingly it was £3395, which was OP's budget. I took it from 120k to 178k and I recon it was close to needing injectors at that point.
If you want a 9-3, try and get the facelift cars, which have a much better interior (but still cramped). The early cars have a fibre connected stereo that is impossible to change.
The 08 onwards cars are basically the same cars underneath but with a new front and back end. I'm told the twin turbo four pot is a nice lump and it was pretty advanced engine when it was launched. Not many people were bolting a pair of turbos to a four pot back in 2008 (maybe BMW with the 123D?)
I think the last gen 9-3 is a stunning looking machine and real triumph of car design and I will own one at some point, but oinly in estate form as I have a bog dog and wife who keeps threatening me with a second child
The 9-5 Aero was bought for shed money and was a fantastic car. 200k on the clock and it went pretty well for something that was 12 years old with that mileage. Once again, they are let down by the ancient interior. However the seats were very comfortable and everything still worked
Whilst you may think the cup holder looks great, its actually quite flimsy. I used to use the one by the handbrake.
The 9-3 was a bit of problem child from the moment I bought it and interestingly it was £3395, which was OP's budget. I took it from 120k to 178k and I recon it was close to needing injectors at that point.
If you want a 9-3, try and get the facelift cars, which have a much better interior (but still cramped). The early cars have a fibre connected stereo that is impossible to change.
The 08 onwards cars are basically the same cars underneath but with a new front and back end. I'm told the twin turbo four pot is a nice lump and it was pretty advanced engine when it was launched. Not many people were bolting a pair of turbos to a four pot back in 2008 (maybe BMW with the 123D?)
I think the last gen 9-3 is a stunning looking machine and real triumph of car design and I will own one at some point, but oinly in estate form as I have a bog dog and wife who keeps threatening me with a second child
The 9-5 Aero was bought for shed money and was a fantastic car. 200k on the clock and it went pretty well for something that was 12 years old with that mileage. Once again, they are let down by the ancient interior. However the seats were very comfortable and everything still worked
I'm holding off the search for a little bit, I may have a bit of extra money coming my way in a couple of months that would allow me a bit more flexibility in what I'm looking for and where. If everything comes together I would be quite tempted by a 2.0t wagon I think, there are a few other options but for one that gives me a bit of power, practicality and a bit different it's in the top 3 when I go looking properly.
I saw this on Autotrader on the weekend, on the face of it I think it looks ideal, low miles, by the pictures looks in decent exterior condition, service history, later model so no issues with the breather pipes or stuck with the stereo;
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...
I saw this on Autotrader on the weekend, on the face of it I think it looks ideal, low miles, by the pictures looks in decent exterior condition, service history, later model so no issues with the breather pipes or stuck with the stereo;
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...
I popped onto the forum and seen this post. I'm sure you won't be allowed to post links on the forum but I am selling my 2.2 TID Vector Saab just now - it's in the Pistonheads classifieds section and it really is a great car - the Vectors have a great spec level.
The 2.2 engine is the one to go for in my opinion. Good reliable car with good mpg. It is maybe a bit noisier than the Fiat engine 1.9 but has benfits like not having a cam belt.
The 2.2 engine is the one to go for in my opinion. Good reliable car with good mpg. It is maybe a bit noisier than the Fiat engine 1.9 but has benfits like not having a cam belt.
I've had both a 2.2 Tid 9-5 estate and currently have a facelift 9-3 150 Tid Sportwagon. The first was given the engines age, noisier & not quite as economical & was changed purely on an age basis as it was 12 years old and the current one given the extra power is more spritely and a better drive as it isn't quite so front heavy/softly sprung. Ive run both for over 40k miles (having been bought at about 110k miles to start). The current 9-3 has 159k on it by the way (I've done 45k miles in 22 months) and was bought from a specialist - I change the oil at half recommended distance and my mix of town/motorway use gets an average of about 575-600 miles to the full tank.
Don't tell, but my Saab ownership has been in daily driver terms the lowest depreciation I've had in my motoring history as they're so underrated/good value to buy at the outset. As long as the cars been well maintained, don't be put off by buying one with 100k miles on it.
Any opportunity for a photo....resplendent with Convertible rims in satin black with "winters" on though sadly it wasn't clean at the time!
Don't tell, but my Saab ownership has been in daily driver terms the lowest depreciation I've had in my motoring history as they're so underrated/good value to buy at the outset. As long as the cars been well maintained, don't be put off by buying one with 100k miles on it.
Any opportunity for a photo....resplendent with Convertible rims in satin black with "winters" on though sadly it wasn't clean at the time!
Edited by MrC986 on Thursday 9th March 20:50
MrC986 said:
I've had both a 2.2 Tid 9-5 estate and currently have a facelift 9-3 150 Tid Sportwagon. The first was given the engines age, noisier & not quite as economical & was changed purely on an age basis as it was 12 years old and the current one given the extra power is more spritely and a better drive as it isn't quite so front heavy/softly sprung. Ive run both for over 40k miles (having been bought at about 110k miles to start). The current 9-3 has 159k on it by the way (I've done 45k miles in 22 months) and was bought from a specialist - I change the oil at half recommended distance and my mix of town/motorway use gets an average of about 575-600 miles to the full tank.
Don't tell, but my Saab ownership has been in daily driver terms the lowest depreciation I've had in my motoring history as they're so underrated/good value to buy at the outset. As long as the cars been well maintained, don't be put off by buying one with 100k miles on it.
Any opportunity for a photo....resplendent with Convertible rims in satin black with "winters" on though sadly it wasn't clean at the time!
Love those Wheels!!Don't tell, but my Saab ownership has been in daily driver terms the lowest depreciation I've had in my motoring history as they're so underrated/good value to buy at the outset. As long as the cars been well maintained, don't be put off by buying one with 100k miles on it.
Any opportunity for a photo....resplendent with Convertible rims in satin black with "winters" on though sadly it wasn't clean at the time!
Edited by MrC986 on Thursday 9th March 20:50
Thread revival - I recently got a SAAB for my motorway commuting work.
Having come from BMW's for the past 10 years - I was pleasantly surprised.
Yes it creaks and rattles, but not as much as you would initially with 100k+ on it.
Mine is a 2011 1.9 TTiD (£30 road tax) SAAB did some wonders with this engine to get it that low, and to say it moves is an understatement, its like a stabbed rat when you push on, really impressed.
Also, I like the fact you never, ever see them on the roads anymore.
Having come from BMW's for the past 10 years - I was pleasantly surprised.
Yes it creaks and rattles, but not as much as you would initially with 100k+ on it.
Mine is a 2011 1.9 TTiD (£30 road tax) SAAB did some wonders with this engine to get it that low, and to say it moves is an understatement, its like a stabbed rat when you push on, really impressed.
Also, I like the fact you never, ever see them on the roads anymore.
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