Author Topic: Review your classic Saab 9-3 (M98-00)  (Read 9786 times)

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Review your classic Saab 9-3 (M98-00)
« on: 02 July 2011, 06:12:47 PM »
Thanks to Chris (Zaphod) for the suggestion.  This topic is for owners to review their Saab in their own words for the benefit of other contributors to STT who may be interested in buying or just reading your views.

We look forward to reading your reviews!

DRM

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Re: Review your classic Saab 9-3 (M98-00)
« Reply #1 on: 11 July 2011, 03:37:58 AM »
Ok.. sounds like a good idea.

I have a 2000 9-3 Convertible S, automatic transmission, no modifications.  I brought it almost a year ago, it has an almost full Saab service history and has about 160 000km on the clock, so around 100 000 miles.  Blue with beige leather interior.

It's a cracking car all in all, one of the most satisfying that I have ever driven.  I would have preferred a manual transmission, but finding manual cars of any sort in Australia can be difficult as most people prefer auto and many can only drive auto.  I have not ruled out converting it at some point in the future.  I have to say though, of all the automatic transmissions I have experienced (numerous Volkswagen Auto Group cars, Toyota, Ford etc), the Saab is the only one that changes when I would want to change gear, be it up or down.  It is without doubt the best and most intuitive I have experienced.

The car drives beautifully for its age.  It is very quick, smooth and relatively fuel efficient for a 2 litre engine.  From a driving point of view, the only downside is that, particularly with Sport mode selected, the front wheels cannot seem to handle the power of the engine from a standing start.  But since when has too much power been a bad thing? ;-)

The downsides that people are probably most interested in before a purchase:

1. Auto boxes have a problem with the neutral safety switch, also called range switch by some.  This prevents you starting the engine if the car is in anything other than P or N.  Sadly, there is a well documented fault on the Saabs that leads to it sending error messages regarding temperature to the ECU (as far as I am told), and preventing the car from starting.  It was the best part of $500 to get this fixed.  Prior to that it was a case of having a bottle of water in the boot and pouring that over the NSS if the car refused to start.  Instant remedy.

2. Cracked bulkhead.  Also a very common fault on this generation 9-3.  About $700 to get it welded.  C'est la vie.

3. SIDS - yet another well documented problem.  The solution came from the internet, as did the water on the NSS method.  The SIDS of a certain generation of Saabs are prone to pixel failure.  Of the many suggested remedies, I found the easiest to be dismantling the SIDS and putting a thin layer or reasonably firm foam over the contacts, before putting it back together.  Works a treat still, a year on.

It is sad that none of these things are particular wear and tear, rather they are common and frequently occurring problems with Saabs.  This kind of reputation will not have helped the company at all and I know many who scoff at Saab because of this kind of reputation.

However...  I love it, I am undertaking a programme of progressive replacement and maintenance to make sure it keeps going well for the next ten years as I would be sad to ever let this car go.  The next project will involve the front suspension because of some creaking coming from there.