The banner above is an advertisment - if it asks you to download software, please ignore.
Site News - 4/9 Saab Owners' Convention Day Pass Raffle | 3/26 M Car Covers (by State of Nine)

The Saab Network Mailing List FAQ
Search:

Main Index
[ Prev by Date ] [ Next by Date ] Member Login / Signup - Members see fewer ads. - Latest Member Gallery Photos
Re: Influencing Purchase
Posted by Stephen Goldberger (more from Stephen Goldberger) on Tue, 6 Nov 2001 17:40:02
In Reply to: , Kok Chen, Sat, 17 Dec 1988 12:00:00 

on the 9-3:
>the hatchback area

the hatch area is taller but not as long.  You can hold just as much stuff,
but not as long a piece of stuff.

>So, can you get a 2x4x8' in the hatch and close
>it on a 9-3?

I'm certain you can, although I haven't ever actually tried...

>Is the lip of the hatch still low, 

Yes

> the stowage compartment under the hatch 

Is much smaller than the C900.  Unlike the full width storage, the 9-3
follows the industry standard 'flat trunk floor with a round well for the
spare.'  The space to one side of the spare tire well is filled with muffler.

>  What engine does it use?

2.0 liter version of the balance shaft Saab engine.  2002 could well be the
last year for that engine in the 9-3.

>Are the suspensions on Saabs now McPherson struts?

Yes, both the 9-3 and the 9-5.  At least, the 9-3 has an improved version
over the NG900.

>What ignition system? I've not heard too many good
>things about the cassette (direct) ignition.

Current systems are much more reliable than the original issue.  Benefits
include the plug 'burn off' cycle on shut down, multi-spark on start=up,
better spark the rest of the time, no plug wires, no distributor, no cap,
no rotor.  We did a cost comparison on Turbo! and found that replacing the
DI cassette, say every 100,000 to 150,000 miles, is less expensive than the
amount people have been spending on distributor caps, rotors, plug wires.
Not to mention the occasional distributor replacement that comes with
high-mileage vehicles.

>any comemnts on the 9-5 wagon
>(including  Aero) would be appreciated, 

It's a little heavy, though not any more so than the competition.  The load
area is longer than a 9000.  I've always found the ride of the *non-Aero*
to be disappointing - the non-Aero '02 is much improved, but still I prefer
the firmer setting of the Aero (yes I have driven them...a full report will
be in NINES #255, January/February).  The 170 hp 1999-2000 LPT 4 doesn't
have enough power.  The Saab tuning kit, so far available only for the 2000
model year, should fix that.  I haven't enough experience with the 2001- on
185 hp version of the LPT.  It seemed OK in a quick check-out ride, but
then the 170 hp version did too, until I tried passing on a two lane
country road.  In terms of build quality, body rigidity, crash safety,
smoothness, quietness, everyday driving qualities, comfort and conveniece
features (like the plastic clip for toll tickets, the umbrella nets on the
'B' pillars, the chilled glove box, etc.) it's all first class.  
Stephen Goldberger, Editor and Publisher
NINES, the magazine of the SAAB Club of North America
vist our web site at http://www.saabclub.com

Posts in this Thread:
StateOfNine.com
SaabClub.com
Jak Stoll Performance
M Car Covers
Ad Available

The content on this site may not be republished without permission. Copyright © 1988-2024 - The Saab Network - saabnet.com.
For usage guidelines, see the Mission & Privacy Notice.
[Contact | Site Map | Saabnet.com on Facebook | Saabnet.com on Twitter | Shop Amazon via TSN | Site Donations]

This is a moderated FAQ - Posting is a privilege, not a right. Unsolicited commercial postings are not allowed (no Spam). Please, no For Sale or Wanted postings, SERIOUSLY. Classifieds are to be listed in The Saab Network Classifieds pages. This is a problem solving forum for over 250,000 Saab owners, so expect to see problems discussed here even though our cars are generally very reliable. This is not an anything goes type of forum. TSN has been a moderated forum since 1988. For usage guidelines, see the TSN Mission and Purpose Page. Please remember that you are not anonymous
Your address is: 3.144.86.138 - Using Mozilla/5.0 AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko; compatible; ClaudeBot/1.0; +claudebot@anthropic.com) - Logged.
Site Members do not see red text instructions, green links, and bottom of the page banners.
Click here to see all the Site Membership Benefits!