2008 9-3 aero

[iaiin]

Looking for a nice 5 seater (was looking at bmw 3 series & Audi a4) But WOW just seen the new shape ad on here for a 9-3 aero @ bond street motors & looks great!
Anyone know what they are like & price (realistic with haggle!)
My mate had an 04 aero which i liked but front wheel drive with 220bhp put me of but pehaps for that look i could live with it.

[i want an aero]

i'm sure a test drive could always be taken to make your mind up

[iaiin]

i want an aero said:

i'm sure a test drive could always be taken to make your mind up

thats what scares me, as soon as you walk in those dealers they just hound you.

[aeropilot]

iaiin said:

My mate had an 04 aero which i liked but front wheel drive with 220bhp put me off

I know of many modified Saab's with double that 220hp......

The key to driving them fast is smoothness, rather than aggression, use the huge torque rather than the hp....

[iaiin]

aeropilot said:

iaiin said:

My mate had an 04 aero which i liked but front wheel drive with 220bhp put me off

I know of many modified Saab's with double that 220hp......

The key to driving them fast is smoothness, rather than aggression, use the huge torque rather than the hp....

Fair enough i can get over that , what about the rest of the car, i had an old 900 turbo & loved the build quality etc, are the new ones good compared to the german stuff?

[aeropilot]

iaiin said:

i had an old 900 turbo & loved the build quality etc, are the new ones good compared to the german stuff?

Sadly...no

The GM influence means modern Saab's are not built like the old 1980's 900's or 9000's were......or rather they are built by the Swedes like they used to be, it's the fact that Gm force the Swedes to use off-the-shelf cheap naff GM bits that is the problem. It's a quality of components rather than them being poorly screwed together.

I've had Saab's now for 15 years.....I'm not sure I will get another purely on this basis.

[Prof Beard]

aeropilot said:

iaiin said:

i had an old 900 turbo & loved the build quality etc, are the new ones good compared to the german stuff?

Sadly...no

The GM influence means modern Saab's are not built like the old 1980's 900's or 9000's were......or rather they are built by the Swedes like they used to be, it's the fact that Gm force the Swedes to use off-the-shelf cheap naff GM bits that is the problem. It's a quality of components rather than them being poorly screwed together.

I've had Saab's now for 15 years.....I'm not sure I will get another purely on this basis.

To be fair, having had both a NG (or GM)900 and a "classic" 9-3 for quite some time, I've found the build quality on THOSE is actually good (I know people have criticised both for other reason - eg driving dynamics - but that is a different argument). In those cases, whilst there is a fair bit of GM in them, there is a lot of Saab input as well.

I've looked at the "newer Saabs - and tend to agree that, for example, the interiors on new 9-3s seem much more plasticy that on my own Aero. They are also MUCH heavier - the local dealer said I'd I have to have a 2.8 current model to get the same performance as my 02 205bhp 2.0 Aero. HOWEVER - the Germans are increasingly suffering from the same problem - ask Merc fans about current build quality for example!

[iaiin]

Prof Beard said:

aeropilot said:

iaiin said:

i had an old 900 turbo & loved the build quality etc, are the new ones good compared to the german stuff?

Sadly...no

The GM influence means modern Saab's are not built like the old 1980's 900's or 9000's were......or rather they are built by the Swedes like they used to be, it's the fact that Gm force the Swedes to use off-the-shelf cheap naff GM bits that is the problem. It's a quality of components rather than them being poorly screwed together.

I've had Saab's now for 15 years.....I'm not sure I will get another purely on this basis.

To be fair, having had both a NG (or GM)900 and a "classic" 9-3 for quite some time, I've found the build quality on THOSE is actually good (I know people have criticised both for other reason - eg driving dynamics - but that is a different argument). In those cases, whilst there is a fair bit of GM in them, there is a lot of Saab input as well.

I've looked at the "newer Saabs - and tend to agree that, for example, the interiors on new 9-3s seem much more plasticy that on my own Aero. They are also MUCH heavier - the local dealer said I'd I have to have a 2.8 current model to get the same performance as my 02 205bhp 2.0 Aero. HOWEVER - the Germans are increasingly suffering from the same problem - ask Merc fans about current build quality for example!

Yes i know what you mean, we also have a merc ml & that is not built well .
The 2007 aero 9-3 looks stunning ! what will they hold money like & will they drive nice ? What sort of bhp are they? You said you would need to 2.8 ? Is there diffrent sized aero models?

[Prof Beard]

iaiin said:

Prof Beard said:

aeropilot said:

iaiin said:

i had an old 900 turbo & loved the build quality etc, are the new ones good compared to the german stuff?

Sadly...no

The GM influence means modern Saab's are not built like the old 1980's 900's or 9000's were......or rather they are built by the Swedes like they used to be, it's the fact that Gm force the Swedes to use off-the-shelf cheap naff GM bits that is the problem. It's a quality of components rather than them being poorly screwed together.

I've had Saab's now for 15 years.....I'm not sure I will get another purely on this basis.

To be fair, having had both a NG (or GM)900 and a "classic" 9-3 for quite some time, I've found the build quality on THOSE is actually good (I know people have criticised both for other reason - eg driving dynamics - but that is a different argument). In those cases, whilst there is a fair bit of GM in them, there is a lot of Saab input as well.

I've looked at the "newer Saabs - and tend to agree that, for example, the interiors on new 9-3s seem much more plasticy that on my own Aero. They are also MUCH heavier - the local dealer said I'd I have to have a 2.8 current model to get the same performance as my 02 205bhp 2.0 Aero. HOWEVER - the Germans are increasingly suffering from the same problem - ask Merc fans about current build quality for example!

Yes i know what you mean, we also have a merc ml & that is not built well .
The 2007 aero 9-3 looks stunning ! what will they hold money like & will they drive nice ? What sort of bhp are they? You said you would need to 2.8 ? Is there diffrent sized aero models?

Couldn't comment on depreciation.

There are a range of 9-3 engines in petrol and diesel. IIRC, the petrol are in 1.8, 2.0, and 2.8 (all turbos some low pressure "t" and some high pressure "T&quot. Aeros are all "T" but I think come in 2.0 and 2.8 options.

[aeropilot]

iaiin said:

Yes i know what you mean, we also have a merc ml & that is not built well .
The 2007 aero 9-3 looks stunning ! what will they hold money like & will they drive nice ? What sort of bhp are they? You said you would need to 2.8 ? Is there diffrent sized aero models?

They will depreciate a lot worse than an Audi/Beemer I'm afraid....Saab depreciation is pretty poor these days as a result of GM's policies, especially if you look to change every 3 or so years.

Yes, I agree the revised 9-3 does indeed look stunning, and they do drive nicely.

You can actually have a choice of three engines in an Aero now, the 255hp 2.8V6, the 210hp 2.0 4 cyl and the new 180hp sequential twin turbo 1.9TTiD oil burner.

If you were buying new, I'd go for the 210hp 2.0T with a dealer fit Saab-Hirsch upgrade to 252hp, which brings it up to the 2.8V6 for the same money...BUT with better emissions. The V6 is in the top tax bracket for gas-guzzlers in terms of CO2 as well as being a thirsty engine.

[iaiin]

aeropilot said:

iaiin said:

Yes i know what you mean, we also have a merc ml & that is not built well .
The 2007 aero 9-3 looks stunning ! what will they hold money like & will they drive nice ? What sort of bhp are they? You said you would need to 2.8 ? Is there diffrent sized aero models?

They will depreciate a lot worse than an Audi/Beemer I'm afraid....Saab depreciation is pretty poor these days as a result of GM's policies, especially if you look to change every 3 or so years.

Yes, I agree the revised 9-3 does indeed look stunning, and they do drive nicely.

You can actually have a choice of three engines in an Aero now, the 255hp 2.8V6, the 210hp 2.0 4 cyl and the new 180hp sequential twin turbo 1.9TTiD oil burner.

If you were buying new, I'd go for the 210hp 2.0T with a dealer fit Saab-Hirsch upgrade to 252hp, which brings it up to the 2.8V6 for the same money...BUT with better emissions. The V6 is in the top tax bracket for gas-guzzlers in terms of CO2 as well as being a thirsty engine.

Yes i like the 2 t there is a white one in the classified with a 1000 mile on i think its £22k, but i also like bmw & audi even though i would not buy brand new (as to dear) i cant get the new shape saab older than this!
I would love to drive them all back to back but you cant ever do it!

[marlinspike]

Depreciation is massive on Saabs compared to, say, BMW. But that is what makes them a great second-hand bargain. If you could hold off a year or 18 months you will find them at Motorpoint or Trade-Sales for a really good reduction.
edit: just looked at Motorpoint and they have 07 93 Aeros for £13 - these will be old shape I assume, but I guess the new list price would have been around £20k (not that you ever pay list price).

Edited by marlinspike on Thursday 24th January 16:47

[TUS 373]

As said above, the build quality of a current 9-3 is terrible. I had an Aero and sold it after 6 months because it was simply awful. It was full of squeaks and rattles and the interior plastics etc were just not durable. The car has about 13 onboard computers, and despite visits to various delears - I never got everything to work and the dealers did not give hoot, just adding to the wear and tear on the car.

Really, do not be seduced by one, you would regret it and lose a small fortune on a new one. Or look at a used 9-5 instead, much better IMHO.

[aeropilot]

TUS 373 said:

Or look at a used 9-5 instead, much better IMHO.

[marlinspike]

We have a 2001 9-5 estate and it is a very nice car, again, great value second hand. We had a hatchback 9-3 as a courtesy car once and I didn't think it was anything special - anyone thinking of a 9-3 should try a 9-5 as well.

[chfs911]

I have a 2008 9-3 and have managed to do 6000 miles in the first 6 weeks. The 1.9 150bhp pulls like a train and is very comfortable.

Quality appears good( my colleague is very happy with his 9-3 and he is 18000 miles and not problems).

The new look is very lean and mean and I am getting over 50mpg so happy bunny.

It does snow well, doughnuts very well and is not too bad in the twisties.

I am very happy with my choice

[RedLeicester]

chfs911 said:

It does snow well, doughnuts very well and is not too bad in the twisties.

Quite an achievement in a FWD car!

[chfs911]

You should have seen the face of the lady unloading her car at Gleneagles as I rocked up into the snowy car park and did a couple of 360s to check out the handling in the snow.

[NJH]

Biggest issue I have with Saab right now is the dealer network (mostly crap) and the cost of parts (mostly very expensive). Its depressing for example to compare the prices for parts like a Volvo S60 to my Saab 9-5. As an example specialists will do the entire set of bushes for the rear suspension on an S60 for £75. I remember paying something like £60 for each trailing arm bush for the 9-5. In total ISTR spending about £400 in total just in suspension bushes and the same again on shocks and springs (parts alone from the cheapest suppliers at the time). All 4 shocks on a S60 cost about £180 total (60ish fronts, 30ish rears). I wouldn't mind if the parts where high quality like the equally expensive Porsche parts I buy from time to time. Sadly one is expected to pay Porsche prices for GM designed crap.

[J4CKO]

I have a 2.0 T Aero 2003, BSR Remap and its quick but not a very complete car, handles ok but the ride isnt great, the trim looks ok but some of it has no place in a car that cost 25 grand new.

Have just bought a new Ford Galaxy and its a lot better built, I can have a company car if I want (currently an allowance) and I think I may just go for a new Mondeo.

mine thus far has been ok, the cd skipped but seems to have stopped (cold ?), it sometimes doesnt let me in, it was stuttering under boost but new plugs fixed that.

I had a 2001 9-3 LPT before which was better made, even though less powerful I prefered the engine, I kind of wish I had gone for a 9-5 Aero.

The minute this starts playing up its company car time, I cant be arsed with worrying about cars giving agro any more, I remember the constant Dread I had when walking p to my Fiat Coupe Turbo.