Just wondering what are everyone's thoughts on the Saab 9-3 Aero? How is Saab's reliability and depreciation? When looking at some used Saab 9-3, dealers are asking for a lot more than I expected.

 

don't do it.

 

Try www.saabnet.com for more info. I spent more than a year there two years ago when I was looking/considering getting a 9-3 convertible (the previous generation). I ended up not for a couple of reasons- one of which was concerns for reliability and the cost to repair things.

 

In general, Saabs are priced like BMWs but suffer from MASSIVE depreciate (to a large extent, unjustly).

 

I agree. Every Saab I've been around has been a good car. Repair price is a bit high but the ones I know of haven't had any reliability issues. (brother had a 9.3 SE convert that was great and two friends had 900's over the years that seemed to do well...) depreciation is a problem and again I agree, it's unjustified.

 

Uncle had a 03 Saab 9-3 SE Convertible (Older Bodystyle) with Sport Package. Freakin awesome car - very unique and very "cool" for some reason! But the suspension must have been made out of granite, cause the car would relay every minute detail in the road. Either the stiff suspension or the stiff tires or both were to blame, but they cause the sidewall to bubble on 3 pirellies. But then again , he did have the sport package with the 17 inch low profile tires.

He paid 36 for it brandnew - the dealers had this 7k off MSRP deal going on because they were trying to move the last ones off the lot to make room for the new bodystyle, and he sold it around 18 months later for 21.5k to buy a 3.2TT Roadster

...now THAT (TT) is one nice car

 

my friend has one of those aero ones from 2000. His warranty has expired and the car costs him an arm and a leg to keep going. He has had everything from electric to mechanical failures. When the car is running right, it is a great car, but for the price, it's not worth it.

 

I was about purchasing a black brand new 9-3 Aero in 04 but I wanted a AWD car ...so I went to Audi dealer and looked for a A4

 

If depreciation is so bad, I may wait a year or two to get the 2006 9-3 with extended warranty....hehe

 

The interior and exterior styling is really slick, but the 9-3 is a reliability nightmare. Plus, don't expect them to handle well; the suspension and chassis aren't nearly up to the levels of say the TSX. The best Saab IMHO is the 9-2x: Saab styling but with Subaru reliability and AWD. When my wife bought hers they were cheaper than the equivalent Impreza, except the Saab came with leather, 6cd, heated seats, moonroof, etc.

 

I was also looking at the 9-2x when GM had the employee pricing and crazy incentives. However, I just hate hatchback and wagon styled cars so I pass on it. But I have heard mostly good things about the 9-2x.

 

I had a 2001 Saab 9-3 SE Convertible for three years without any problems. The main reason I chose that over a handful of other cars is that it was unique and very few could be found on the roads around here. At first, I was worried about the reliability from reading opinions on the web but my firsthand experience was quite different and positive. Your mileage may vary, of course.

Back when I leased mine, GM was throwing a lot of money at that car so I got a pretty sweet lease deal.

A co-worker has a 2003 Saab 9-3 Vector/Aero and she hasn't had any problems with hers either.

 

picked up a 2005 9-3 Aero for the wife this past Feb. so far we really like it. we were able to get the car at 20% off the MSRP. i recommend leasing them since their depreciation is very bad. we were able to lease it @ 398/month with no money down.

a few things that i like:
1. great gas mileage (33 mpg - highway)
2. great highway power (turbo) - the 2006 has a V6 turbo
3. the seats are the best seats (sport seats for the aero)
4. very, very safe car (based on front and side impact testing)

 

A good friend of mine leased a SAAB 95 few years ago, in terms of interior build quality, I felt it was even better than our CL, but I probably wouldn't say the same about the engine though. I did love the cup holder in the console, it is such ingenious design. My friend got a very good lease deal through GM.

Anyway, another friend bought a SAAB 93 years ago, I was car-sitting it while he was out of country. That car was like 5 years old, oh boy, was it falling apart. The 4 banger was buzzing like hell, the whole car was shaking.

Anyway, agree with rest of the board here, you should lease a SAAB, but not buying one. But except for 92X, since it is really a WRX.

 

It'd be even nicer if there was a WRX STi in Saab 9-2x trim with GM discounts.

 

The 2006 92x Aero has the new 2.5L turbo that's in the new WRX, and it's only a couple grand in mods away from STi performance. Considering GM will surely be selling the '06 92x for at least a few grand cheaper than the WRX at some point, that's an appealing proposition.

GM sold it's stake in FHI to Toyota though, so no more 'Saabarus' after this model year. Although, an STi with Lexus exterior/interior styling could be the hottest car ever made.

My wife had her 92x in for service, and they gave her a 9-3 loaner. The seats were unbelievably comfortable (Saab has always excelled here: my '86 900S had amazing seats), but the interior was falling apart and the handling was lousy. The turbo was fun, but nothing special.

 

DO IT!! I love the 9-3 aero!

 

Great looking car. My gf and I testdrove one a few weeks ago and the engine is awesome. However, it's overpriced and depreciates like crazy. Don't do it.

 

9-3-wise, I'm still partial to the old Viggen model.

http://www.forbes.com/2001/06/11/0611test.html

 

SAABs are like real cars, because they're priced like them.

The hottest SAAB in these parts nowadays isn't the GMariffic 9-3 Sport Sedan.
No sir, Metro Detroit says "what up dawg" to the 9-7X with 4.2L V8
... conveniently available with GMS pricing!

<= more likely to drive a Volvo

 

I haven't owned one, but I considered it when I bought my 2004 TL, at the time they didn't offer navigation then, which was something I wanted. If the car had it at the time, I might have picked a 9-3 Aero up. They are slick cars, and definetly more unique than other cars on the road.

 

I've owned 2 pre-GM Saabs and both were pretty good cars. My parents have owned 2 post-GM Saabs and both have had significant problems, and Saab labor rates are pretty high.

New ones are expensive, but as mentioned, they depreciate like crazy and you can get decent ones for short money if you shop around.

 

my parents owned a 9-3 and had TONS of problems with it. It was right when the new body style came out...they had to take it into the dealership with various problems almost a dozen times over a 3 month period and finally told Saab that if they didn't give us a new car we were going to burn down the dealership

 

Mehhh.. The Aero is nice looking but the interiors don't thrill me much. I've never driven one but from what I hear, the reliability isn't as high as Acura or Lexus.

Does the 9-3 compete with a TSX or a TL???

 

I looked into AERO a while back. I asked plenty questions on them. man says that they are know with electrical probs. I decline to get it. So I purchased a 04 wrx. Great ride, fast and hella fun w/ AWD in the rain.