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Thought I would share my experience with my 2004 9-3 SS Linear Model. And everything I have learned along the way.
I bought it in 2010 with 80k miles on it. At 90k miles my water pump went, so it was ~ a 500 repair. Thankfully it uses a timing chain which has proven sturdy/good with these 4cyl turbos so its nice not having to worry about timing belt replacement in the long run.
At 100k 1 of my heater hoses started leaking, this was a cheap and easy repair. At 120k the plastic coolant reservoir tank developed a small crack so it was another cheap and easy repair.
Other than those few minor things, its proven to be an awesome car. Always a pleasure to drive and its quite fuel efficient with the 5sp manual, which I would highly recommend unless you manage to find a 6sp, but theyre harder to find, were only made on certain years.
My Central Integration Module (CIM) went at 125k and this is a somewhat weak point electronically in this car. It was a $600 part with 2 hours of labor, so it cost me a little short of $900. This is an electronic unit right behind the steering wheel that all the components plug into. The car ran fine, but I lost function of my ABS and Trac control.
Having a Saab independant mechanic is really important if you want to have a good car for a while. Dont take it to some random car shop, they will cause so many problems with these cars.
My saab mechanic says that the 2.0 turbo on these 9-3ss is such a bullet proof long lasting engine, may be one of the best out on the market. And for sure these 9-3's had far less problems that BMW's and Audi's of the same era.
They definately are modern, and for an '04, I am still quite impressed how "techy" this car is, much more advanced than some new cars.
\Long story short, get one! with a manual shift
posted by 12.71.39...
, Sun, 22 Dec 2013 21:28:14
, Mon, 23 Dec 2013 06:22:52
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