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I noticed an ad for a near-mint condition 9000 Aero in the paper and went down to check it out. To make a long story short, I left the dealership with the Aero plus some cash for my trade (9-3 base auto).
Driving the Aero makes me wonder what made me buy the 9-3 in the first place. Granted, the 9-3 is a very good-looking car and excellent for most things I like to do. It was really sad to watch it go. However, it is missing some things. First of all, I was tired of the automatic. A 5-speed was really necessary for me to pursue any real performance upgrades.
Then there's the handling. Despite the solid rear axle and inferior tires (just Z-rated Pilot all-seasons vs. RE730's on the 9-3), the 9000 drives unbelievably well. The suspension seems the perfect balance between stiff yet (reasonably) comfortable. A friend of mine compares the steering feel to the BMW 330Xi. Why didn't Saab apply the 9000 steering rack to the new 900?
Of course, there's one thing I'm leaving out: power. It's hard to argue with 225HP and 252ft*lb of torque coming from a 2.3L Turbo. Just for kicks, I threw in my home-made manual boost controller. There aren't words in the English language to describe how fast this car is at those pressures. There is literally more power than I know what to do with. I won't be leaving the boost controller in; it just makes me feel like I'm going to break something if I keep using all that power. Plus, I'd be shopping for front tires by next month.
Now, I'm not here to bash the 9-3 or anything. I would own both if I could afford it. I think it's a great car and already miss some things about it. First of all, I think I've given up some cargo space. The Aero is a bigger car, but the premium sound system takes up a lot of space in the trunk -- it just seems narrower. The rear seats fold down, but not very well thanks to the race-inspired bolstered seat backs. Actually similar to the problem in the 9-3, but different cause. At least I'd figured it out in the 9-3. The Aero rattles more, so I'm going to have to do something about that. (The stereo is better, to more easily drown out such noises, however.) The 9000 is also missing steering wheel audio controls and Night Panel, one of my favorite features.
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