9-3 annoyance...
Discussion
It is a 55 plate 9-3 Vector Sport 1.9TiD with the standard swirl valve problems.
46k miles in 3 years, mostly motorway and fairly sympathetically driven.
However...
1) Multiple swirl valve problems that the dealers never resolved, although it is admitted as a design fault - they seemed to take it out , hit it with a big hammer and re-install it, ready for the fault to re-occur 10k miles later.
2) About 500 miles ago it developed a strange noise (transmission related) at startup. Its been in for a 5 day period with a Saab dealer.
It needed: dual mass flywheel, ancillary parts to that, a new clutch (at 46k!), plus some standard changes (pads, etc). SHocking that a car with so few miles could pile up £1200+ of repairs... fortunately company lease paid, with a lot as warranty cost recovery, but still....
3) Build quality - plastic peeling off the dash, some glazed paintwork.
Oh well.
I still have a 1997 900 SE Turbo that is wearing much better, has done 98k miles and had less needed repairing in its life.
As for a modern Saab as a day to day reliable car, much as it pains me to leave the marque, I've bought a 3 year old A6 3.0tdi, which at 30k miles feels like it just left the factory. Sad, as I liked Saabs and the image
46k miles in 3 years, mostly motorway and fairly sympathetically driven.
However...
1) Multiple swirl valve problems that the dealers never resolved, although it is admitted as a design fault - they seemed to take it out , hit it with a big hammer and re-install it, ready for the fault to re-occur 10k miles later.
2) About 500 miles ago it developed a strange noise (transmission related) at startup. Its been in for a 5 day period with a Saab dealer.
It needed: dual mass flywheel, ancillary parts to that, a new clutch (at 46k!), plus some standard changes (pads, etc). SHocking that a car with so few miles could pile up £1200+ of repairs... fortunately company lease paid, with a lot as warranty cost recovery, but still....
3) Build quality - plastic peeling off the dash, some glazed paintwork.
Oh well.
I still have a 1997 900 SE Turbo that is wearing much better, has done 98k miles and had less needed repairing in its life.
As for a modern Saab as a day to day reliable car, much as it pains me to leave the marque, I've bought a 3 year old A6 3.0tdi, which at 30k miles feels like it just left the factory. Sad, as I liked Saabs and the image
Gassing Station | Saab | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff