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I finally parted with my black on black 97 aero and upgraded to a black 2007 9-3 aero with the ivory leather both autos.
I know that many posts come up wanting a comparison between our 9000's and the newer Saabs.
Here are my thoughts...
1997 aero auto 110K with upgraded td04 turbo full 3 inch JT exaust and K&N drop in and 17 ronals
Pluses
- better seats (hard to beat these ever)
- more instant power at all speed ranges
- better hwy ride on rough sections
- solid interior
- hatch
- no speed limiter
- got lots of looks and comments
- excellent auto tranny perfect shift points for the motor and excellent feel on upshifts and downshifts
- more useful info on the info display
Minuses
- 11 yrs old and always needing something or 5 somethings
- fair bit of body roll compared to 9-3
- no glovebox
- headlights not the best
- seeping oil from a few spots
- trq str on spirited starts (part of the fun though)
- exhaust a bit too unrefined for my wifes taste
- bit rough and unrefined at idle
2007 9-3 aero 2.8 v6 turbo 14K
Pluses
- great styling gets lots of looks / comments
- excellent handling... reactive rear steering makes a huge difference
- very smooth linear acceleration
- no trq steer
- beautiful interior I absolutely love the ivory leather
- bose stereo is decent (lacks bass though)
- feels new and has no issues so far
- exterior door handles feel refined and have a nice movement/action
- huge glove box
- low front spoiler looks great
- excellent zenon headlights .... what a difference
- very smooth and quiet motor I almost don't know its running at a stoplight if I have the radio on
Minuses
- very smooth linear accelleration (I miss the hard hitting trq of my 97)
- when performing spirited driving the throttle response and power delivery feels unconnected from the true power of the motor. Signifigant trq resriction especially in 1st gear
- exhaust is a bit too refined for my taste
- I expected better fuel economy in the city (about the same as my 97 though)
- interior door handles feel cheap (really cheap) and the plastic pcs actually move in your hands
- front spoiler is so low that is should be added to the 30K maitenance list
- the 6 speed auto feels very electronic (hard to explain)... I prefer the not electronic feel of my 97 4 spd auto
- the abundace of sensors and electronic components just waiting to fail scares me a bit but hopefully I wont see this for several yrs.
Overall I am happy with the switch and I think my performance complaints will be rectified by a bsr ppc stage 1 upgrade. A louder intake and sportier exaust note would also make me feel a bit more connected to the performance of the car (upgrades over time I guess).
As with the 9000's the 9-3 has a few yrs to be avoided 2003 autos especially
I absolutely love driving both cars.
Moving to a 9-3 was a big decision... I actually sought out some lower milage 9000's initially but they all needed something or several somethings fixed as well.
If I did my own wrenching and had time to work on vehcles I likely would have kept the 9000. My time is taken up with 3 kids and work etc. and it feels great knowing that I have so many new components that won't need replacing for several yrs.
Hats off to the 9000 board ! The depth of knowledge and passion of the contributors is incredible. The posts and contributions on the 9-3 board have less passion for sure and the depth of knowledge will take many years to catch up.
The 9000 was definately ahead of its time and I applaud those that will be keeping them on the road for many years to come.
Feel free to email me with any questions
Thx
posted by 142.165.7...
, Sun, 25 May 2008 12:24:14, Sun, 25 May 2008 09:47:41
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