1985-1998 [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
I have a '97 9000 Aero (bought 2 years ago) and an '03 9-5 Aero wagon I've owned from new now, and had an '06 9-3 Aero convertible several years ago. To be honest, it was traded on a BMW 335i convertible 2 years later, because there were certain aspects to it that I found disappointing. I drove all the softtop convertibles back in '05, and found the 9-3 to have the character I wanted...it also felt the most rigid when I closed the doors. Interior build quality however turned out to be very mediocre...it started to creak after about 3K miles, and the quality of the plastics on the door handles, dash, the quality of the leather all seemed to be sub-par for a car of its price. Mechanically however, it was flawless. Can't fault it in any way from a reliability perspective. My BMW dumped its tranny fluid at 613 miles from new, and stranded me on the road (freak issue, but still...)
The 9-3 was one of the safest cars to be in a crash back in '07, and was ranked as the safest convertible, with 5 stars in crash tests. Mine was a V6 with the 6 speed manual, and it was quick, but not blisteringly so. No turbo lag at all, linear power delivery...interestingly it was not that quiet in 6th gear on the highway, as exhaust noise encroached the cabin. 300w stereo was poor, and I tried to have mine upgraded, which turned into an electrical nightmare. Leave fiber optic stuff alone, I learned.
My father has a '10 9-3 Aero 1.9TTiD in the UK and it has no real improvements over the '06 I had, build quality wise. BUT...the car has been completely reliable.
The 9000 Aero seems to do a better job of delivering blistering speed once moving. I find the quality of materials in the 9000 to be better than the 9-3, but that being said, age has taken its toll on the tightness of the interior. I've been trying to solve an annoying hatch rattle for months. It IS 15 years old, so it's not as tight as my 9-5 Aero. I disagree that the 9-5 wasn't built as well. Mine 9-5 Aero is rattle free and tighter than my 9000, 10 years on. My 9-5 feels like it is in a whole other class (better) than the 9-3, but I found that GM cheapened Saab's interiors in '06, with lower quality plastics.
They are very different cars...apples and oranges...you really need to drive it to see if you like it. It should be reliable, VERY safe in a crash, and parts are plentiful now that Saab Parts is up and running.
Cheers,
Paul H.
posted by 86.128.12...
, Tue, 1 Jan 2013 10:37:43, Thu, 3 Jan 2013 06:33:18
No Site Registration is Required to Post - Site Membership is optional (Member Features List), but helps to keep the site online
for all Saabers. If the site helps you, please consider helping the site by becoming a member.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
