Date: Thu, 06 Jan 2000 07:36:11 GMT From: J Hatch <zonenopsamberkshire.net> Subject: The 2000 9-3 is Awesome
Yesterday, I switched from driving a 7 year old mazda 626 (bought in 97 used) to a 2000 Saab 9-3. The kicker is I ended up on the path to buying it because of a SPAM I received a day earlier, or rather a complaint I received about a user of mine who sent out a few too many messages about his up and coming Saab used car sales. This lead to a discussion about Saab (after the ettiquite lecture), a visit to Saab's web site, and finally a call to a Saab Dealer. 24 Hours later, I was driving off the lot with a 2000 9-3, with only 10 miles on it. My first new car ;-). I had been thinking of buying a new car for a couple of years, but I have been putting it off because I couldn't make up my mind: I wasn't sure if I wanted a Jetta, a Grand Cherokee, a Volvo, a Prelude, a Land Rover, etc. After spending several hours on Saab's web site, I ended up choosing a car that is in my opinion a perfect combination of safety, performance and comfort. I've had it just over a day now (now it has about 400 miles on it ;-), and I am continually impressed with it. I can't keep up with all the features this car has on it. The visibility, especially through the rear-view->hatchback is stunning, especially in the rain, because at highway speeds the airflow makes the hatchback window completely dry. It has plenty of power, handling and good braking. It handles moderately tight curves at 60-70 mph like it's on rails. The sound system is nice, although I did like the sound system in my Mazda a bit better, as you could crank it with full base with zero audible distortion. But it does have good clarity at decent sound levels. The only complaints I have are as follows: 1) The steering is 15 degrees to the right off center when driving straight and the car has a slight pull to the right. I'll be bringing it in to be serviced after just 2 days of driving :-( 2) The d*mned "shift up" light is completely annoying and distracting. It goes against the principles of "minimal distraction" that Saab cites as a design principle. Also, if you obey the light, it has you shift into 5th gear at 40mph, and the engine grumbles and strains when you try to accelerate. I'd be interested in seeing how I can disable this. 3) Placing the car in reverse to lock the shifter in order to remove the key is a good idea, but reverse lights coming on in the process when you don't intend on going in reverse is likely to have someone eyeing your parking space in a shopping mall because they think you are leaving ;-). You'll want to shut the car off before you put it in reverse to avoid the lights coming on ( I don't believe in using the shifter unless the engine is running). 4) Here's a painful complaint: I have a weird build and for some reason, the shin of my right leg below the knee rides up against the center of the dash/console when I am driving. There is no padding here, so it gets a bit painful with a hard surface on bone. I have difficulty adjusting my posture so that my leg rests against it more flatly, instead of just on the corner. Saab, please pad this area like you do the dash or offer an accessory! 5) The rear fog lights should be intensified and realigned for use as an anti-tailgating defense system ;-). Has anyone tried this? Well, it looks like I only a few legitimate gripes and a chiliad of praises for Saab in designing such a great car. My $.02 -Jason
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