Date: Mon, 05 Feb 2007 18:47:39 GMT From: - Bob - <uctraingnospamanet.com> Subject: Re: Buying a SAAB
On Mon, 05 Feb 2007 06:27:40 -0500, "Oscar79" <mdking1979nospamo.co.uk> wrote: >Hi...I am thinking of buying a SAAB 9-3 around the 98/99 model. I am from >the UK and would like to know any bad points about them ie cost of parts, >fuel consumption, resale value etc etc. Can you please offer any advice, >good or bad to help my decision. Much appreciated. Thanks Model info - A'98 is the last year of the (new generation) 900, popularly known as the NG900. The NG900 was introduced in '94 and most of the bugs had been well worked out by 1998. In 1999, Saab introduced the 9~3, which was really just a revision of the NG900 (to the point that about 90% of the parts still exchanged directly). Either model is well refined. I don't know of any "big changes to the model" differences that would cause me to stay clear of the '99. The one major difference in 1999 was that they went back to a hydraulic clutch instead of a mechanical clutch as in the NG900. The manual clutch gets a bad rap but the only real issue is that the $50usd ($125 installed) cable wears out every 50K miles. Otherwise, the mechanics of the cars are so similar as to lack distinction. If you are looking at a convertible, I believe the top went hydraulic also in 1999 but I may be off - it might have been 2000 for that. Each year was a fairly well worked out model with all of the TSB's from the preceding years incorporated. I would not have any year specific concerns about either. If you would like, I can list a few "things to look for" for either model. It would help if I had some idea of the number of miles (range) you are looking at. Mileage will depend on which motor you get and how much you like to feel the turbo push, but all of these models tend to get 22-25 city, 27-32 highway. There were some non-turbo models which do about the same. Most of us average around 25-27 mpg depending on our driving mix, ambient temperatures, and style. Parts are as reasonable as any car these days. Labor is more in the US than more common cars - mostly because th dealers charge more so the indy's think it's OK to stay just a few bucks below dealer prices. Resales tends to be lower for Saabs - or looking at it another way - they tend to lose value after the initial dealer sale. The reason is that any car of a particular quality and refinement costs a certain amount to produce. So, Saabs sell for prices similar to any other comparable car when new. However, Saabs tend to be a bit "cultish" in the used market- so there's less demand, That means they seel for lower prices used - which is good for a smart guy like you who is buying used. After the initial depreciation off the lot and through the first couple years, they depreciate fairly normally. Bob
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