Advice

[boajoe]

Hi. New here. Seriously considering buying a used Saab 9-3 convertible (09 plate, 1.9 TiD, 60k miles). Has some service history but not full (apparently nothing after about 40k miles)
I'd be grateful for general opinion/guidance on whether:
1. It's worth taking the punt. I've read differing views about the robustness and reliability of saab's generally.
2. Is there still a sufficient network/availability of parts etc? I've asked a local (citroen!) garage AND a local independent Saab specialist - both say (perhaps not surprisingly!) that they could service and maintain it through its life.
I know very little about cars - but I do try to research what I can before taking the plunge.
Many thanks.

[Audax]

Where abouts are you in the country? Someone can advise a good local specialist, I would not take it to a citroen garage as they will not have the contacts and knowledge for how to repair certain things cost effectively and will just reach out to the saab parts network which can be expensive.

I wouldn't worry too much about a lack of history, the car I just bought has a bit of a mysterious gap although it was being serviced. However, saying that, it depends, has the oil not been changed in 20,000 miles and 10 years or is it just missing a couple of services? I think it unlikely it didn't get oil changes, you might want to take a look at the mot history online and see if that tells you anything. I would also say it really depends on the price of the car, it should be priced to reflect this and tbh if I bought it then I would be taking it to a local specialist for a full service and checkover so would want this reflected in the purchase price, I would also be looking carefully at the cars overall condition, what are the tyres and brakes like for example? Is the hood clean and bodywork shiny? What condition are the wiper blades in? Is the interior clean? That would give a good indication of how it's been looked after.

[boajoe]

Thanks Audax. I'm in the Bournemouth area. I'm going to inspect/test drive the car tomorrow. The (private) seller does seem very legit/honest - he's disclosed issues to me and has admitted that he basically never got use out of the car that he intended (he's in his early 70s). I did look at the MOT history on line - nothing overly concerned me. Failures were obviously dealt with and advisories were generally of perishable items like tyres.

[Geoff1951]

Is it the black one on Autotrader in Blandford Forum, at £4575? Car owned by mum and dad? Looks nice in the photos, but obviously that's only part of the story.   Good luck!

[boajoe]

yes, that's the one! does look tidy - hopefully the same upon inspection. It is (seemingly) quite overpriced though, so haggling might get interesting...
Then again, I've yet to find any used Saab listed - privately or trade - that is anything other than massively overpriced. I'm beginning to wonder if either the "car valuation" sites are way off or Saabs are just attracting a premium...?

[sgould]

All that I can add about pricing is that the Saab 9-3 convertible was the best selling used car in Britain in the summer of 2023.

But you will find that the cost of running car will dwarf the capital cost of a cheaper used car...

[boajoe]

Just now also seen a petrol 09 plated Vector convertible (but it's a grand more expensive than the diesel with similar mileage). I'm wondering if anyone on here has any experience of the benefits of a petrol vs a diesel (or vice versa) - aside from the "usual" things like ensuring higher mileage (and longer drives) in diesels to avoid DPF issues, heftier servicing/repair bills etc? Any particular "foibles" between Saab petrol and diesel engines of the same car variant?  Thanks in advance

[Audax]

The diesel engines (which were sourced from Fiat) are typically a bit more unreliable than petrols, usually emissions related stuff (EGR and DPF) and some of the wiring would sometimes corrode and cause issues where the wiring loom went around the back of the engine so it wouldn't be unusual to have to solder in replacement bits of wiring which if done badly would cause further issues (I have some horror stories of some cars being butchered), sometimes they will get failed diesel injectors too.

When I worked in a Saab specialist I did some comparisons based on real cars which we serviced between diesel and petrol and to really save money you needed to be doing 12k miles a year in a diesel over a petrol, more like 18k a year to really see a benefit as diesels being that bit heavier would wear out tyres and brakes a bit more quickly and cost a bit more to service. A lot of people who were trying to "save money" would get a diesel when they were doing only 6k a year and then have lots of EGR and DPF issues that would cost decent amounts of money to fix as they only did short drives. Although, that data is now over 10 years out of date.

[Geoff1951]

Hi Audax, I recall some years ago there were posts about the bulkhead in the convertible. Do you know if that was still an issue near the end of production, or was it the previous 9-3, 1998-2003?

[Audax]

That was the earlier 9-3, 2001 and earlier

[Geoff1951]

That was the earlier 9-3, 2001 and earlier

Cheers Audax.

[aerojon]

Go for Petrol..Avoid diesels..

[welshwizard]

Until Saab's demise in 2011, the 9-3 convertible was one of the best-selling convertibles on the UK market, no wonder they still sell well on the used market 13 years after.

The bulkhead issues and problems affecting B2*5 engines are issues that concern the GM2900 cars NG900/OG9-3 (engine issues won't affect cars from 1993-1999 as they are B2*4).  Newer cars (2003-on) are Epsilon chassised and Ecotec (GM/Fiat) powered so immune to bulkhead cracking and engine sludging.

Mechanically can be taken care of by a Saab specialist or Vauxhall franchise.  2006 on cars probably better bet.  Petrol better because the diesels are not ULEZ friendly.

[sgould]

The 9-3 convertible was the best selling CAR in the UK in July 2023 on the second-hand market.