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I'm currently looking for a car. I have several cars in mind one car that I'm really interested in is a 6 speed 03 Saab 9-3 with the 2.0T. It has around 96K miles and the asking price is $6,750. I've been looking at the reviews of the car and it seems a lot people have expensive problems with it. Is that true? I haven't went and go looked at it in person just yet just saw it on autotrader. Probably go look at it next week. What do you guys think?
Consider the fact that Saab no longer exists as a carmaker and no dealerships are anywhere to provide parts. Add to that the fact that Saabs have not been very reliable automobiles (cue the 7 Saab nuts who exist to dispute this claim) and you get the picture. There are plenty of much better choices out htere for that much money.
I think it shouldn't matter that Saab doesn't exist anymore because can't I just get parts from auto part stores? Unless there are some parts I can only get from a dealership?
Consider the fact that Saab no longer exists as a carmaker and no dealerships are anywhere to provide parts. Add to that the fact that Saabs have not been very reliable automobiles (cue the 7 Saab nuts who exist to dispute this claim) and you get the picture. There are plenty of much better choices out htere for that much money.
I would run away.
Yup!
As the trusted mechanic for my nephew's constantly ailing Saab said, "There is just one thing that I can't figure out about these cars".
When asked what was the one thing that he couldn't figure out, the mechanic said, "Why they make them in the first place!"
Between historically being a make with below-average reliability, and the reality that the OEM parts availability for these cars has essentially dried up, I think that the OP would have to be...very desperate for a car...if he/she buys a Saab instead of a different make of vehicle from a manufacturer that is still intact and that has a history of good reliability.
I think it shouldn't matter that Saab doesn't exist anymore because can't I just get parts from auto part stores? Unless there are some parts I can only get from a dealership?
YOu can get maintenance parts from an auto parts store. Most actual parts of the car are not sold by anybody but the dealer or a salvage yard in who knows where... if you can find one with a Saab.
This isn't rocket science. If you need a headlight, wheel, hood, fender, etc... where would you buy it?
YOu can get maintenance parts from an auto parts store. Most actual parts of the car are not sold by anybody but the dealer or a salvage yard in who knows where... if you can find one with a Saab.
This isn't rocket science. If you need a headlight, wheel, hood, fender, etc... where would you buy it?
Trust me I know I work for an auto parts store
Thanks guys for the advise I'm going to try to get something later this month when my income tax come in.
I'm currently looking for a car. I have several cars in mind one car that I'm really interested in is a 6 speed 03 Saab 9-3 with the 2.0T. It has around 96K miles and the asking price is $6,750. I've been looking at the reviews of the car and it seems a lot people have expensive problems with it. Is that true? I haven't went and go looked at it in person just yet just saw it on autotrader. Probably go look at it next week. What do you guys think?
My advice: do not buy a 2003 model 9-3!
2003 was the first year for the new bodystyle and drivetrain and it had A LOT of problems. Don't get me wrong, I like the 9-3 and have actually been looking at them myself. Go to Google and search "2003 Saab 9-3 reviews (and/or reliability)" and specifically scour the Edmunds reviews. Then do the same for 2004 and 2005. What you'll see is that the 2003 models had all sorts of issues. 2004 had fewer. And by 2005 they seem to be very reliable. If you really like this car go to Autotrader.com and Cars.com and search by maximum price, milelage low to high, and distance. Find one with the lowest-mileage, closest-to-showroom condition and pounce, even if you have to travel to get it. As for Saab going out of business, I'm not sure that's as big of a deal as it's made out to be. This model 9-3 was made under GM and has many GM parts, and besides Saab going out of business doesn't stop aftermarket suppliers.
I'm currently looking for a car. I have several cars in mind one car that I'm really interested in is a 6 speed 03 Saab 9-3 with the 2.0T. It has around 96K miles and the asking price is $6,750. I've been looking at the reviews of the car and it seems a lot people have expensive problems with it. Is that true? I haven't went and go looked at it in person just yet just saw it on autotrader. Probably go look at it next week. What do you guys think?
I had a 03 Saab 9-3 in my fleet that was purchased direct from the factory. From day ONE, it was more of a headache than the other twenty vehicles in the fleet put together.
There was never a MAJOR problem, just the small problems that give you a headache. For example, the sunroof would stick open. The lights would fail at various times. While these were all warranty issues, it was a real PITA to have to deliver the car to the dealership one every two months.
Don't get me wrong, the dealership was great. We knew all the mechanics on the staff and they knew us. They would send us Christmas and birthday cards and a fruit basket at Christmas.
The maintenance costs on the vehicle were also pretty high.
I wouldn't pay that price for that vehicle unless there was $10k sitting on the front seat.
By the way, when we sent the car to the auction, its driver delivered me the maintenance records - nearly 4" inches of receipts and maintenance records.
^ jlawrence01- you're lucky. Many of the 03's did have major problems. I forget exactly what it was, something to do with the car revving high between 2nd and 3rd gears. Many automatic transmissions were replaced under warranty.
I always liked the interior and exterior styling of the 9-3. Good handling (not great), good turbo 4 for it's time, and very good seats. Thought it looked fantastic as a two door convertable with the top down. But as much as I like it, I still would rather keep my 2003 Chevy Malibu. The major bugs have already happened and were repaired and I can easily find parts and a mechanic who can work on the car without consulting a manual first or calling for help. Too few Saabs around here. Many mechanics around here never worked on a Saab other than to change the oil and tires.
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