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I recently test drove a Saab 9-3 base model 5 door hatchback (5 speed). I was actually quite impressed with the performance. It handled nicely, has good pickup speed, and just "feels" nice. The suspension is a bit softer than I'd like, and I certainly don't feel like I could take corners the way I do with my Passat.
I was impressed with the storage space offered by the hatch. The rear seating room was a joke. Only a tiny little child could sit in the back for any amount of time. In fact, there is more rear seating space in the subcompact Subaru Impreza WRX.
The stereo looked junky, and it had only a cassette. The dealer said they'd switch it to a CD at no charge, but then it would have no cassette. Since I like to listen to books on tape, that really isn't much of a solution. I am surprised that a dual cassette/CD player isn't offered on such a high priced car...
The dealer was only too eager to make a sale. 3 year lease, 15k miles a year, for $297 a month and a $3k driveoff. These figures include the usual 8% tax, document fees, destination fees, licensing fees, etc. In other words, it is inclusive of everything. The price I believe is based on $21700 car, 1.1% lease interest, and a 40% residual (so buying at the end of term is feasible).
The thing which kept me from signing on the dotted line is that I have heard of Saabs having some pretty bad reliability problems, and Internet posters seem to reinforce this notion. I really don't have any interest in going to the shop all the time. My time is simply too valuable. As painful as it might be, I may be more inclined to get some boring Honda that never breaks down than deal with constant mechanical problems, even if it is all covered by warranty.
On the other hand, I just talked to one Saab owner who has had her car since 1988, has about 160k miles on it, and has never had a problem. Just has a mechanic give it a yearly tuneup.
So, what's the true story on reliability? Is there any hard data aside from just anecdotal stories?
posted by 66.27.6...
, Tue, 11 Sep 2001 03:50:34
, Mon, 10 Sep 2001 00:40:18
, Sun, 9 Sep 2001 23:42:34
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