1994-2002 [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
Somebody else mentioned the UK Consumer's Association membership poll first published in UKCA's "Which?" magazine. There, the 9-3 finished #1, tied with two Mazdas and and a Nissan for NFF (no fault found - 100%) after two years. This was the '99 9-3 and the Which? article, which got picked up by BBC, The Guardian, and The Scotsman is traceable here using search terms like UK and #1.
My problems have included normal wear and tear on the brakes, which BTW are superb. But instead of just doing pads, I did pads and rotors. I was a little surprised as, rule of thumb, we should be getting two sets of pads/1 set - rotors, but as the car had gone 33K miles, 90% of it city driving, I suppose I should not have been.
The other problem is well known; the heater rheostat knob is fixed to a weak unit and the unit should be replaced in whole, not just the knob.
Other than that? Look under the front bumper at the plastic spoiler running across the front end of the car under the engine. Like other chin spoilers, this has a tendency to catch on ramps and split off from the plastic housing. I caught it at inspection and asked for it to be fixed. The mechanics took a hack saw to it and evened out the split off parts. I insisted on a new one and got it. It split again. I should have stayed with the hacksaw job.
When I noticed a tiny (invisible to the looker unless you looked up from under the grille) bubble in the chrome on the grille and pointed it out to the mechanic after 35K miles, they replaced it, no questions asked, saying the car should be perfect.
When I picked up the car and interviewed the mechanics, they told me not to expect any problems and if, after two years, this is all I have to show for the experience, then I think you can safely say Saab 9-3s are reliable based on this testimonial. [NB; the word 'testimonial' is based on the ancient forms of extracting truth where (you guessed it) the truth-teller grabs his vitals with the left and raises his right hand before he speaks.]
When I did my original consumer research, Saab 9-3s in the Lex Auto Leasing fleet of cars (biggest in the UK), problems were becoming fewer every year since 1996 until in 1998, the only problem of any significance was a standard tranny fix of some repetition. Saab had shown the largest improvement of all EU cars that year, finishing 6th overall in least-cost fixups at Lex. It was trending up. '99 was due to get even better with Saab advertising 1000 small items they had done over.
Over at Car Talk, you'll find Saab 9-3 surveyed in the most expensive repair group for '99. I figure this is the brake rotors and pads coming home with the stats as the figure of $350+/- looks quite familiar.
I've done my own oil changes and spark plug changes. Next, is the coolant and maybe even the brake fluid. I put in an air filter at about 45K and noticed right away a slight improvement in mileage.
The fit and finish are impeccable and the car (black) still presents "as new" if I put a half-day into it. The materials on the interior are very, very easy to clean (leather seats are recommended) and we have no rattles. I did tighten down the red cover hatch for the plugs with the tool that comes in the tool kit in the trunk one day, noticing another immediate improvement in the gas mileage. These scews may work loose. It took a minute.
Biggest load carried was about 8 large garbage bags full of leaves with the back seat down. If this kind of cargo-carriage thing won't sell you on a Saab 9-3, try stowing a wheelbarrow or a couch. Then again, you may want to try it (uphill and downhill) on a snowy, narrow, rutted road with lots of Explorers, Cherokees, QX4s, Lexii 4X4s, Bimmer X-vehicles and what-have-you. Try hard; try very, very hard not to gloat.
That evening, after the car is clean again, take your date to a nice, fancy restaurent and watch the German car-guys try terribly hard not to steal a look at your most beautiful Swedish lines. Reliably, you'll catch them looking.
posted by 65.11.10...
, Tue, 11 Sep 2001 03:50:34
, Mon, 10 Sep 2001 00:40:18
, Sun, 9 Sep 2001 23:42:34
No Site Registration is Required to Post - Site Membership is optional (Member Features List), but helps to keep the site online
for all Saabers. If the site helps you, please consider helping the site by becoming a member.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
