9-3 SportCombi vs BMW 325 Wagon? - Saab 9-3SS Bulletin Board - Saabnet.com
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9-3 SportCombi vs BMW 325 Wagon?
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Posted by RodM (more from RodM) on Thu, 23 Jun 2016 07:30:55 Share Post by Email
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After two age related breakdowns in two weeks in my beloved 98 9000CSE (idler pulley mount broke off and brake line rusted through), I am accelerating my search for a replacement vehicle. I already have a 2004 9-5 Aero wagon and would be happy with another one of those, but am having trouble finding one and the 9-3's seem more available - especially with manual transmission which I need to have.

Another alternative is a BMW 3 series wagon (E46). Anyone care to compare and contrast the two? In my mind some of the advantages of the 9-3 are:

- cheaper to buy for similar age/mileage
- I'm very familiar with Saabs and wrenching on them (do all my own maintenance) - some parts may be interchangeable with the 9-5 which is always helpful in diagnosing issues
- more power! plus easy to modify if 250HP isn't enough

Some of the advantages of the BMW:

- great chassis
- RWD makes for a better driving experience (IMO)
- not an orphan brand so parts availability should be better
- there's a good BMW indie mechanic is a lot closer to me than the equivalent Saab mechanic should I decide not to do my own work.

Thanks
Rod

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