18th Aug 2004, 16:30

One of maybe 3 owners of 9-3 in Indonesia. I bought it coz I liked the SAAB iconoclast concept plus I knew the technical details.

Car is great when racing uphill, plenty of torque. Good feel of the road. Leans out a little when cornering hard--my previous Audi A4 was steadier, but then it's a smaller car. Problems: door rattling, still can't be fixed. The computer gizmo understates fuel consumption. Passenger seat can't be raised/lowered--wife complains coz it's too low.

It's NOT a sports car, like my A4. But in terms of trade off with interior volume, for taking people, etc. it's better.

Sitting in the back as passenger is not so comfortable primarily because on bumps the passenger feels the shocks.

On the whole, fantastic value, an understated image. It is very enjoyable to drive personally... there is a communication with the road which other cars deaden.

7th Sep 2005, 05:19

I bought a 3 year old 2001 Saab 93 last November. I get a puff of black smoke from exhaust when it has been standing for one hour or more. Has anyone else had this problem? Also, I have just had problem with Engine Malfunction Light coming on and car cutting out. No apparent reason given for this.

Love the car though. Just want to get it right before warranty is up.

29th Sep 2005, 16:01

My Saab 93 with only 25k's is throwing a huge cloud of white smoke upon start-up. This happens every time the car is not used for more than a couple of hours.

I took the car to an authorized shop, where I was told that the problem was caused by a turbo failure.

Given the low k's on the car, I called SAAB trying to appeal to their good will in fixing the car, since the cost of the repair amounts to 15% of the total value of the car.

The car is in Mexico, where the warranty is good for only 1 year.

So far neither SAAB Mexico nor the Dealer have done anything.

6th Apr 2006, 04:20

I simply love this SAAB 9-3. It's reasonable quiet (even when compared to todays latest and greatest competitors). The turbo generated torque is one of the greatest features of this car. Just shift it down from 5th into 4th gear to overtake on the highway and it will easily go and go and go and... well, you get the picture. And it's very nice to even get the extra power when doing 150 km/h or so.

The only thing that really bothers me is the low quality knob of the heating. It has broken off for the fourth time now in two years - okay, my dealer happily provides a new one for nope every time, but I wished someone in Sweden would wake up and took a good look at it. SAAB however boldly refuses to redesign the radiator control stating the model is out of date and it's cheaper to provide new knobs than fixing this designflaw. It is fixed in the newer 9-3 sports sedan, the convertible and the estate though.

Other than that, it's a comfy car, good for long-distance traveling at high speeds. In the city, fuel consumption is too high for today's standards and the large turning circle makes it somewhat difficult when parking in tight spaces.

11th Jul 2007, 00:59

Ben Sykes

London.

I bought a SAAB 93 2.0t five door 2001 model. It drives like a sportscar, cruises comfortably at 135mpg, acceleration is a wheel spinning experience, quite wasted on the 55 average age of most SAAB drivers.

With a family though, every one gets car sick in the back, the leg room is cramped in the back. SAAB advertise in the UK that they also make fighter jets? (make the engines at least), well the SAAB 93 feels a bit like that, great for the driver and appalling for every one else!

Also the car is smoking from exhaust on start up, which I have been told is the turbo £900 to fix on a car worth £3K is infuriating as car has gone 37000 miles, but that's cars.

Would I buy another one, maybe with leather if I did not have kids and I was over 55, convertible looks a great option though.