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At just over 50K miles, my 06 9-3 Aero continues to be virtually faultless. Just checked brakes,and have plent of pad remaining -- despite my somewhat spirited driving style (mostly suburban and highway). Battery failed and was replaced under warrant (same as experience with my 03 9-3). Auto ransmission seems to shift more smoothly now than when new, and the annoying "clunk" associated with quickly stopping and re-accelerating has disappeared. Whether this is a result of the transmission having "learned," the dealer re-flashing the transmission, or some of both, is unclear.
I maintain the car by the book, using factory oil change intervals. All work is performed by Uftring Chevy-Saab, the selling dealer here in central Illinois. Service department performance remains excellent.
Have had few or none of the problems reported with 9-3s -- no trim or dashboard peeling problems, for example. Mileage remains in the 20-21 mpg range around town, and 26-28 on the road. Performance remains outstanding.
Biggest issue is probably tires. The OEM Conti tires were ready for replacement at just over 23K miles, and I chose Yokohama Avid W4s for replacement. I reported on these shortly afterward, citing high performance and low noise. However, as the tires have worn, they have become slightly cupped, creating substantial road noise. I had a 4-wheel alignment done early on, and the alignment was only slightly out of spec. Tire wear is even, but exhibit a peculiar cupped or feathered pattern. I've got maybe 2/32s of tread left, so maybe another 5K miles, for a total of 30K or so on these tires.
I attribute the wear pattern to the tires being about a 1/2" wider tread than the OEMs (even though they are Saab spec size), a more aggressive tread pattern, and perhaps aggressive driving on freeway on- and off-ramps. The tires have also lost some dry and wet traction performance as they have worn, although this is not a critical deterioration.
Saab owners seeking to replace OEM tires with these Yokohamas may want to take these characteristics into account (I believe there is a new version of this tire which might be more satisfactory).
I will likely go back to one of the Conti tires for replacement, as I find these give a good trade-off in performance and noise control (there's a reason why the factory specifies the OEM tire). I am told by my dealer service advisor that the newer Conti's give better durabiliity. Pricing from my dealer is about the same as equivalent tires from Tire Rack after shipping and installation.
Otherwise, I intend to drive the car for some time yet -- unless I succumb to the new 9-5.
Hope this has been helpful,
SEN
posted by 72.34.3...
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