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Hey volvoguy, taking a peek on the other side of the fence? Just poking fun, I came over from Audi. The Vector was the predecesor to the Aero model in name only, so I have the car you test drove (assuming it was a loaded car with the 6 speed manual). If you dig around a little on this board you will find a lot of discussions regarding people's opinion of the new 9-3, or 9-3 SS (Sport Sedan) as it is sometimes called. I'll give you my opinion as well, but facts are always better up front. As I know nothing of the Volvo you are interested in, you compare the two on your own.
>Lots of the cars have had door rattle issues, my own included. The dealers are aware of the problem, as is SAAB itself. I would be surprised if it was still an issue in a 2004 model (mine is May 2003), but there are several how-to sites that show how to fix it yourself if you into that kind of thing. My doors no longer rattle.
>The 300watt 13 speaker stereo (standard on the Aero, I think) is definitely worth the upgrade from the 150watt 7 speaker option. In addition to the dash, center, door, and rear package tray speakers, you get dash tweeters, rear package tray tweeters, and rear package tray 6x9's with a dedicated 150 watt amp. The sound improvement is considerable, but it was not spectacular to begin with. If you still want more, several people on this board have modified their systems (Vivek and myself included) and would be more than happy to help.
>The manual transmission can be clunky and somewhat difficult to get into low gears in cold weather, as mine is. I have seen posts discussing some type of fix available, but I guess I do not consider it much of a problem. I baby the car when it is cold, so speed shifting is not required. Once the engine has warmed for 5 minutes or so, everything is fine. I do not own an automatic, so I can't comment on that.
>The 210 hp engine is not going to win you many drag races, but it is much more than adequate for the rest of your driving. There are some performance upgrades available, if that is your thing. With a stock engine, I get 20-23 mpg around town and I consider myself a very aggressive driver. On the highway, I easily get over 30 mpg with average speeds around 80 mph. The rest of the car more than makes up for the little but extra power the engine could have had. Handles great, and brakes are very, very good for standard equipment.
>The car has one of the most advanced electronic control systems available. This means you need to keep several things in mind if plan on getting one of these vehicles. If you have no plans to ever modify anything in your vehicle, then don't worry about it. But if you are even considering something down the road, you need to know that lots of things just will not be compatible with your vehicle. You can't use a standard OBDII scan tool because the vehicle runs the CANbus protocol. You can't add a normal CD changer or an audio storage device because all the audio modules are connected with optic cables. Other people have run into the same kinds of issues. There are work arounds for most things, but I would not use the words cheap or easy to describe it. The market just has not quite caught up to this vehicle yet.
Now for my opinion, I love my car. It is not perfect, but I have honestly never found that in an automobile. They are compromise by definition. I plan on keeping it for a while, which is not something I have said for the last few new cars I've owned. All my friends like my car, male and female, and I see people rubber-necking to get a better look everywhere I go. The ride may be a little firm for some, and you do feel damaged roads, but it is what I expected and wanted. I like the layout and color scheme of the interior and it is very well appointed, but everyone has their own tastes, so I'll leave that to you.
Let it be said that it is not a car for everyone. But if you want a true sport sedan, you should consider it (notice the word "sport" in front of sedan). If you want a car with advanced features that will terrify some and fascinate others, you should talk to your bank about financing options. If you are trying to decide between a Volvo and this SAAB, stop reading this post and go buy the SAAB.
Niteman
'03 Vector 6spd
posted by 198.208.15...
, Sat, 21 Feb 2004 20:38:41
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