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on the market for '00s in '06...i've looked, have qstns
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Posted by branyon [Email] (more from branyon) on Mon, 13 Feb 2006 09:08:17 Share Post by Email
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gang

if anyone wants to bite on a “buying a used 9-3” query

i used to play tourist on the 9000 board…but just got back from back-to-back overseas deployments, and my ’92 9kt, garaged and/or parked for two years, is asking more than i’m willing to give as i shake it out, starting w/ a serp belt w/in an inch of its life. (it still moves beautifully, that 2.3l blasting like it should). anyway

i am committed to the jump to 9-3 land—i don’t need the size of the 9-5 line, though that power is nice—and figure the ’99-00 years offer a current price-point i can handle w/out taking out a note (and: hatchback!) …

my bottom lines: manual trans., ruthless and recorded maintenance, neglible or no time as a lease or fleet vehicle, under 100k, and that i walk away w/ a general sense i can push the car another 100k. i also prefer private sellers to the dealer’s persian bazaar universe. all that limits the field…yeah, of course…but would anyone want it any other way, if this is the point where you dive in the market?

so i’ve found two contenders so far: a 2000 base at 93k w/ the right cosmetic upgrades (leather, sound sys). owners have been maint. hounds and replaced: hg, turbo, a/c compr., serp belt and pulleys, and SID. no DIC swap so far. only negatives from my once-over were: the heater control knob was very, very difficult to turn from red to blue and back…an indicator of a pervasive, expensive issue as i understand. also, they’ve used mineral oil since they bought the vehicle at 36k and don’t have oil change records prior, so it may have only gotten the infamous “recommended” interval before. i am getting an indy saabtech to check the vehicle for sludging later this week. my main issue (barring any engine issues i discover) seems to be their bottom offer of 8200…based less on market value than their desire to clear their loan. i also wonder if the hg and turbo replacement are signs that this car has been and continues to be driven meanly.

in the other corner: a 2000 SE at 89k. EX cosmetic condition, H.O.T., all that. issues: only major repairs have been a/c compressor and serp belt & pulleys, tires, brakes, he alleges and the maint. book shows…i find it hard to believe you get a 9-3 to 90k w/ just wear and tear, that you may just be looking at a maintenance time bomb. also: SID going south, and the first 15k of its life was as a lease vehicle. getting the engine checked on this one, too. a big plus: the owner has used mobil 1 every 5k (sometimes 6k, according to the records shown) since purchase. asking mid 8’s and not flinching.

these vehicles are far and away in better mechanical and int/ext condition than many i’ve also looked at in the last couple of weeks…i’ve had folks trying to blow off obvious timing chain issues, seats falling apart, etc., (the joys of shopping for the used!), but these two really don’t want to move from their bottom offers. does the low 8’s sound right for current market value of the ‘00s in good to ex condition? seems a bit steep, even for those on TSN classifieds…nada prices in the high 8’s to 9, but i always find them inflated, better for sellers and insurers. kelley ranges the base (w/ upgrades) from 6900-7400 and the SE from 8100-8800 and edmunds’ pushes both even lower. how much bargaining room should the SID buy me on the SE? what maintenance cycle issues am i looking at taking on at 90k w/ either vehicle in the next 20-30k? potential engine issues the indy may discover or predict are of course dealbreakers. fortunately, i can keep the 9kt on the road meantime, though i am becoming more eager to go ahead and move on.

…i’ve also noticed the shifting isn’t as smooth on the 9-3s as on my 9kt’s. that might just be idiosyncratic…but they still have the unmistakable saab handling (which i find totally lacking in some 900 model years), enough power and size for what i’m desiring these days, and in the looks dept. are closest to the ‘80s version of “saabness” w/out the liabilities of the NG.

BEST/branyon

’80 900gli 167k, ret./’82 900 283k, ret./’86 9kt 163k, ret./’92 9kt 127k


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