Date: Sat, 5 May 2001 04:10:06 -0400 From: "Daniel J. Stern" <dasternnopsamheadlamp.net> Subject: Considering first-ever Saab...viewpoints?
Hi, folks. I've sold a lot of E-code headlamps to a lot of Saab owners, and they all seem to love their cars. But we've never had a Saab in the family. It's new-car time for my mother, whose trusty 125k-mile-old '92 LeBaron is getting long in the tooth. She's told me her size and packaging requirements, and I am thinking a 9-3 5-door would be a good candidate. She has initially expressed dislike for the rear-end styling of the car, but I suspect she would quickly see the practicality of the hatchback, particularly since she is quite short and has difficulty gauging the position of a car with an extended rear overhang (e.g. trunk) when parallel parking. She is most assuredly NOT a performance-type driver. She's not even a particularly *good* driver. She doesn't need a huge lot of engine power (wish we could get the 150hp/47mpg turbodiesel that Europe gets!), and requires an automatic transmission. How good are Saab's current automatics? I recall hearing that Saabs prior to '93 were rather expensive to service and required service rather more often than other makes, but this is just hearsay and I haven't heard any such things about the new models. What's been the reliability/durability experience with the 9-3s? Really, just any comments, positive or negative, are appreciated. DS, prop. Daniel Stern Lighting