dom

Hey Kewl its been awhile how's it going? How's the Saab treating you?

I didn't mean my comment in a negative way but we really just didn't head in that direction mainly because we had no idea where that direction was. We only breifly walked through the GM display and I'm sure the Saab's were buried somewhere within that huge GM family.

Actually would have been nice to sit in a 9-3 since I've never sat in one before.

And Kewl, I'm not sure I have enough room on the page to name off all the awards the TSX has won so I won't bother

93Kewl

Doing well, thanks for asking. Car is also doing well and still enjoying it. No problems to report (knock on wood). I am considering doing a PPC ECU upgrade which will boost me to 247HP and a $hit load of torque.

I just got an Aux jack installed for my stock 9-3 stereo so now I can listen to my Ipod

For anyone interested Proclip has some nice mounting options for all different types of cars. Here's the one I got for my car (Camera phone quality)

TinkySD

The only way i'd consider a 9-3 is buying one after it's a year old because it will be half price!

Welcome back 93kewl!

dom

Nice mod. ( damn I want an iPod )

So how much is the ECU upgrade going to run you? Looks like some solid gains.

ClutchPerformer

Wait a sec... I thought you hated your TSX?

ClutchPerformer

What is that between Park and Reverse on the shifter? Did Saab invent a new gear?

Dan Martin

Looks like ULTRA NEUTRAL

93Kewl

Shouldn't that be "Domn I want an iPod"?

No, that's the "press the brake" reminder light in order to move out of park. Those Swedes think of everything!

dom

You mean GM

dom

NEVER !!

I just hate my front Rotors

darth62

I like the Saab 9-3 and the Saab 9-5 a lot. But, according to Consumer Reports, the reliability of the 9-3 is "much worse than average." If I'm going to spend money on a reliablity risk, I'd probably rather go with an Audi (which I like better).

93Kewl

Designed by Swedes, financed by GM. I have the 9-3SS history book to prove it.

Aww cmon Darth, you know as well as I do anyone can get a "lemon". As for CR, the 9-3 is in it's 3rd model year, and from I can see from forums, it's relatively trouble-free. I have been lucky, a couple of problems in the first couple months (all software related) and been trouble free ever since. I would venture to say that mechanically the 9-3 is as reliable as any car out there.

For as much as I love the A4 shape (not the '05 with bulbous nose), the drive was very uninspiring (3.0) and that is compounded by the fact that the car is VERY HEAVY.

ClutchPerformer

And your rattles...

And your center console....

darth62

Anybody can get a lemon, true. But, we're talking probabilities here. The 9-3 had one of the worst reliability rating in CR's surveys. In the class, only the Jaguar X-type was less reliable. Even the more reliable 9-5 had some black spots (like electrical problems in the first few years).

If you are buying a Saab, you are taking a big chance. And, if you keep it for a while (i.e., you are not leasing), it is probably going to turn into a real problem to maintain. For that reason, I'd go with an Acura, Lexus, or Infiniti long before I'd buy a Saab. Heck, I'd go with a Honda Accord Coupe or Subarau Legacy GT before taking my chances with a Saab.

What you see on forums tells you absolutely nothing. The folks who come to forums and post problems are a very select group.

93Kewl

You guys act like you're keeping your car for 10 years.
I personally have a 4-5 year plan. 16 months so far, so good. BTW, I believe that consumer reports rating came out in 2004 and needed the '03 model body of work in order to be published. Like I said before, lots of bugs have been worked out, which I am sure the "perfect" TSX had none of in it's first year of production.

I think you will see the 9-3 come back into the "fold" to be "average" as time goes on.

Like I have said many times in the past, there must be some reason why people buy other makes of cars besides Japanese brands. It is these reasons that make this world such an interesting place to live.

darth62

If I keep a car for five years, I would still prefer not to be running to the dealer every few months to have problems fixed.

I'm not looking for the Saab, or other vehicles to have Lexus-like reliability numbers. I'm must looking for AVERAGE or even SLIGHTLY BELOW AVERAGE ratings. The numbers that the Saab got are abysmal.

I agree that the Saab's reliablity MIGHT improve. But, that remains to be seen. Right now, you've got a unreliable vehicle, made by a company with a history of making unreliable vehicles, that was reasonably bought by a larger company that has poor quality control. That isn't a very promising set of events.

93Kewl

Come on, that's rediculous.

Didn't we already prove that Saab's history of "unreliability" is just uninformed people's opinion? Actually, I forgot his profile name (I think he was banned from here - but was a very popular poster), but every bit of reliability info he could dig up showd that overall, the Saab brand is not as bad as people think. Sure, the 1st MY had issues but as time goes on, I become more and more confident of the reliability of my car. I'd still rather have a 9-3 rather than an Audi, MB, or BMW.

You can read all the mags you like. That's fine. But as an owner, who has happened to make friends with other owners, sales/service reps both online and in-person I think I just might have a little more "insight" to the ownership experience.

Believe me, if I ever do wind up going in for service "every few months" with my 9-3, I'll be man enough to post it.

darth62

1) Your car is what, two years old? Probably not even that, right? Let's see how you are doing in another year or two. I have kept all my Hondas for 5 to 8 years, and none of them needed significant work. I'm willing to bet, that in one or two years, you'll be spending quite a bit of time at the dealer.

2) So, you've some how "proved" that the unreliablity of the Saab is a myth, eh? Consumer Reports has survey data from several thousand drivers. This isn't a question of "uninformed people's opinion." To be blunt, that is ridiculous assertion. We are talking about hard data here, probably the best data available on vehicle reliability. The evidence against the Saab is fairly strong.

3) I really don't think you have any insight whatsoever into what life is going to be like with an unreliable vehicle like the Saab 9-3 over the longterm. You may be enjoying it now, but I don't think it is going to stay that way.

Dan Martin

You're right darth, he should drive his car off a cliff and buy a TSX tomorrow.

What do you want him to do? He bought a SAAB and he's happy with it. No need to argue if it's a bad car or not.

biker

I'm sure there were a few happy Yugo owners.

darth62

I don't think the SAAB 9-3 is a bad car at all. I think it is a wonderful car, in fact. I do think it is unreliable though, but that is another issue.

But, you're right, it is unproductive to have this argument. I tend to get a tad annoyed when people discount hard evidence (like CR's surveys) because it doesn't support their purchase choice.

93Kewl

Survey's are only as good as the amount of people that answer them. I for one have never been contacted for ANY car I have ever owned. Have you?

Nobody's is saying that my 9-3 or even your godly reliable TSX will never have problems. Are the chances of me having a problem more statically probable than you with your TSX? Sure. I realized that when I got rid of my CL-S and decided to buy a Saab. But don't discount that I did research too and found Saab's to be more reliable in general than the average VW, BMW, Jaguar and even MB or Audi.

That being said, I chose the 9-3 for what it offered over TSX and was willing to compromise on the fact that it wouldn't be as reliable as your average Honda/Japanese car. Hey, maybe I have been lucky thusfar and there's no reason to think otherwise. Whatever problems I did have were fixed.

Believe me, whether you are a 9-3, TSX, IS300, or Toyota Camry owner. Nobody would tolerate having to bring a car back for service every few months for very long. I will cross that bridge when I come to it - if it ever comes.


Peace.

dom