wombats3

I've narrowed down my search between an '04 TSX and either an '03 or '04 Saab 9-3 Arc. Any thoughts on this? The Saab is about $3,000-$5,000 less than the TSX with similar miles, but I want to make sure the car will be reliable.

Thanks for any comments you may have!

MarbleGT

The Saab is one of the fastest depreciating vehicles on the market, their reliability also struggles. Do yourself a favor and go for the TSX with more standard equipment.

"Saab.....not born from jets!"
-Jeremy Clarkson

LuvMyTSX

Yeah....another vote against the Saab. I hear bad stories about their reliability and also have heard it's hard to find parts for them.

wombats3

Oh, and the TSX is Certified. It's listed at $21,900 but I'm hoping to get them down closer to $19,000. About 40,000 miles.

LuvMyTSX

Nice, I'd definitely go for that one.

jwood_06TSX

I have heard bad things about the earlier Saab's but not much about the most recent years.....

As for the certified TSX, i traded in my 04 5AT non nave and they gave me $17k for it and then tried to sell it for $22,300 and i think it ended up selling for $19,900 but that was with a big accident on it so you should be able to talk them down a little. Mine had the exact same mileage on it too!

wombats3

That's good to know. Thanks!

jwood_06TSX

Although, if you could get your hands on a 2002 Saab 9-3 Viggen, then you may want to consider it

They only made them for a few years but they increased the engine size from 2.0L to 2.3L and turboed it among other things and it had 230HP!!

dalieu

i don't remember how it was in 2004, but in 2007 Acura is ranked 4th for reliability by Consumer Reports, beating Lexus!

http://aboutacura.blogspot.com/2007/...gher-than.html

My vote is for the TSX...

wombats3

jwood, why did you trade in your '04 TSX? Were you happy with it?

jwood_06TSX

I was VERY happy with it however, after i got hit and there was $12k worth of damage done to it, it just wasn't the same. The body shop did a pretty good job but there was just a lot of little things that i saw leading to other things and i knew it would bother me. The door didn't fully line up, the wheel stuck out farther on one side than the other, there were new rattles, etc. So i went to my dealership at the end of jan (when they were trying to make quota and also contacted them via internet) and ended up getting the $17k for mine and buying a brand new left over 06 for $24,890 OTD....i couldn't beat that!!!

The 06 does have a few little things are nicer than the 04 (see my thread of the comparison and many others) but you will be happy with the 04. Just make sure you test drive it!!

wombats3

Thanks. I drove the car a few days ago and loved the way it handled. Probably the best manual transmission I've ever driven.

SHYUperman

iTrader: (1)

yea... definitely go for the TSX, you're just going to have headaches with the Saab

jernut

I test drove lots of cars when I was looking recently. Of what I drove, I liked the Saab the best. With the TSX being number two. What turned me away from the Saab was the reliability. GM took over Saab 100% for the 2003 year. Before that they were just partial owners. In 2003 right after GM took over, the Saab 9-3 what rated the 5 least reliable luxury car on the market. Land rover had the top three spots followed by the VW Toureg then the 9-3.

If you are ok being in the shop a lot then I say go for it. The turbo motor is very nice and the interior is nice while also being unique.

here is the video for 2006 and Saab is still number 5

aznboi2424

iTrader: (10)

for me reliablilty is almost the number one factor in buying a car, next to price, then looks and power. TSX is a honda, you know it will last forever. Saab is made by GM, enough said.

BacktoAcura

I just bought an '04 TSX after considering a Saab 9-3, 9-5, and BMW 3 series from the same year. I loved the look of the Saab, and the 9-5 is very spacious, but here are some of the reasons I didn't go with Saab:

1. Reliability, every mechanic I talked to said to stay away from them as they consistently have more problems with them than other vehicles.
2. Understeer is still prevelent in the 04's compared to the TSX and BMW.
3. Handling is nice at low speeds, but at higher speeds, it's not as stable as BMW or TSX
4. Fuel economy is not as good as TSX or BMW.
5. GM product now...
6. Parts more expensive than other two.

therefore, although I love the look of the car, the practical side of me had to go with the TSX for long term reliability and dependability.

That's my $.02

ninjamyst

The Saab 9-3 Arc is a piece of crap. At least get the Aero. Took my old 99' Saab 95 to a mechanic once, and they almost refused to take a look at my car. They said Saabs are poorly designed and very difficult to fix. Also, after GM took over the company, their reliability went to hell. The interior is sooooooooooo ugly and cheap. Please get ANY other car beside the Saab. You will regret it.

sodazman

My brother's got the top of the line Saab 9-3 Aero and he's done 25,000km in it.

Problems so far:
1. Worn brake pads and damaged caliper
2. Auto transmission screwed up, didn't want to shift, had to replace whole gearbox
3. Excessive vibration inside the cabin from about 10,000km, turned out to be faulty engine mounts
4. Front alignment was off from stock, car kept pulling to 1 side

I know i won't buy one....

07civic07tl

My best friends dad has a 03 saab 9-3 arc and I think it looks great his has 17in sport wheels and other options and if it came down to looks I would pick the saab. But since they have had theirs it has been the dealer about one-two times a month for problems. the saab brakes put out alot of dust so for now he gave up on cleaning it and is just waiting for its lease to end. He said its the worst car he owned his company car taurus has never has one problem but his 35k saab has problems every other week. And is only worth about 16k now. I would go with the acura or alot of other cars before you risk it with the saab. But if I didnt know about all his problems the saab would be on my list of cars one day because I think it looks great.

jesuswalks

the refresh is coming real soon on the saab. Also the interior is crap-tastic.

Trident

I was a Saab owner and am now a new TSX owner.

I loved the Saab, most of the time. And frankly I miss it. Right off the top it is faster and more responsive than the TSX. If you care about that, then buy the Saab.

If you are willing to give up a bit of torque and performance, then I feel the TSX will pay off big time in the long run. The Saab was a costly car to repair and while mine wasn't terribly unreliable it did run into some issues. The worst was a seriously flaky electrical system that developed a mind of its own.

At this point, I still miss the Saab (huge trunk and quick), but I am more than happy with the TSX.