Considering buying a Saab 9-3 convertible.

I test drove it today and I really liked it. It would serve as a second car Which we rarely need) and a bit of summer fun. We need the back seats and the boot space occasionally so that rules out some other options such as the forum favourite MX-5. It's the 1.8L petrol model and seems in good nick. What do I need to know and look out for?

Do I need to keep it covered in winter?
Are parts still readily available? My reading indicates they are.
Any big know issues.

I'd love to hear your experience, good and bad.

There's an episode of Wheeler dealer's where they sort one out, apparently a known issue is the bulkhead below the windscreen, it flexes and can cost dearly though it's not an expensive fix providing you install a brace (across the rear of the engine bay) before the bulkhead starts to crack. Sorry that sounds major but it looks like a cheap fix providing you are aware and sort it before it gets out of hand.

Which age 9-3 are you referring to?

I’ve got a 2007 9-3 convertible and it is basically a Vauxhall Vectra underneath. Therefore, parts are reasonably cheap and readily available. There are also a few Saab specialists still around if you need Saab specific parts. (https://www.neobrothers.co.uk/ are usually my first port of call).

Ive had 2 Saab’s, a standard 9-3 and a 2011 Aero Convertible with the 1.9 twin turbo lump. TBH you wont find a better built vehicle. The build quality was great and i never had an issue with either of them. I only kept the convertible a year but it was a great car. Snapped it up just before they went and scrapped the brand for 20K, only had 60 miles on the clock. It was a cancelled order and was at the right place at the right time, it was 6 months old when i picked it up.

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Edit…never kept mine covered over in all winds and weather, had 6 inches of snow over it and it was fine

OP - you've got me thinking about one for the summer now [emoji106]

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Originally Posted by Bravo73

Which age 9-3 are you referring to?

I’ve got a 2007 9-3 convertible and it is basically a Vauxhall Vectra underneath. Therefore, parts are reasonably cheap and readily available. There are also a few Saab specialists still around if you need Saab specific parts. (https://www.neobrothers.co.uk/ are usually my first port of call).

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It's a 2009 so presumably similar if not the same.

Personally, I would consider twice before hitting the go button.

I had two 2.0t 9-3’s, liked them both and never had any major problems or issues. I had a saloon and then the convertible. The saloon felt a lot better to drive but I know that was down to the convertible not have a solid roof. I alway heard the 1.8 was under powered, to me the 2.0t felt adequate for what it was.

The last 9-3 was a 07 car in 2014 and even then I started to notice parts were starting to dry up and specialists were limited. In the end I sold the car to a mechanic due to a timing chain rattle and didn’t want to spend 50% of its value repairing the issue.

Today I would be concerned about the electrics and mechanical knowledge of the brand. Very rare to see 9-3 on the roads. No doubt the car will look good value, but I would be too concerned if something was to go wrong. Although same could be said about any older car.

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Originally Posted by gerrudd

It's a 2009 so presumably similar if not the same.

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Yep, 2009 will be the same generation. IIRC, 2009 was also when the facelift models started arriving, so it might look like the ‘11 model above.

I find it very comfortable for motorway cruising and you will obviously have the option of dropping the roof when the temperatures warm up. Don’t expect the most dynamic of driving experiences but if you are finding the 1.8t a little pedestrian, it is easy enough to bump that up to the 2.0t levels: https://noobtune.co.uk/

Owned a 1.8t many moons ago. As said above, felt a bit underpowered but I seem to recall that there was a remap available fairly cheaply to get it up to around 180bhp.
I kept mine outside uncovered come rain or shine with no issues but I always give any soft top I’ve owned a liberal coating of Nikwax tent proofer. Lucly if you’ll need more than a bottle a year and it’s only about £10. Fantastic for allowing the water to run off rather than sink in to the material.

We contract hired one in 2005 for two years for the wife, she loved it, never got stuck in snow either. She had a tear in her eye when it went back. Great cars.

I remember a few years ago reading that a part think it was something to do with the abs was no longer available and would consign the car to the scrap yard if it failed

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Originally Posted by Michael 38

I remember a few years ago reading that a part think it was something to do with the abs was no longer available and would consign the car to the scrap yard if it failed

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That is highly unlikely for this generation of 9-3. It is all standard GM bits underneath.

My friend bought a cheap one. It's dissolving from the inside out.

Full service history is a bonus. I am a member of the Dutch Saab forum (for my oldies), but there are tons of threads about 9-3 troubles; mainly electric/electronically. Search carefully. There's a Dutch company that rebuilds these cars. Their products look good, but the owner is a pompous person.

I had a 2005 9-3 Aero convertible. Awesome car, although the ride was shockingly hard with the roof up. I drove it with the roof down for the majority of the time.

The elements will never bother a SAAB, they're rock hard. Electrical bits can be tiring, but often a simple fuse pull will solve silly issues.

Get on the forums. The info is priceless and will save you a packet. Get a remap done, which will not only give you masses more shove, but also save fuel.

Parts are everywhere, loads of pattern parts about. There's a huge following for SAABs which will never die.

https://i.ibb.co/9Z4cwjG/IMG-5871.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/Fxph1Kv/IMG-5872.jpg

Thanks for all the advice so far. I also spoke to a local Saab specialist garage and the mechanic gave me some tips on what to look for. I'm seeing the car again tomorrow for another test drive and to check the paperwork.

If and when you take the plunge do head over to

http://www.saabtechtalk.com/forum/index.php

- some very well-informed individuals on there.

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Originally Posted by number2

There's an episode of Wheeler dealer's where they sort one out, apparently a known issue is the bulkhead below the windscreen, it flexes and can cost dearly though it's not an expensive fix providing you install a brace (across the rear of the engine bay) before the bulkhead starts to crack. Sorry that sounds major but it looks like a cheap fix providing you are aware and sort it before it gets out of hand.

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We’ve had a few through the garage with this.

Saabs are a decent value option. Most parts are GM and for the ones that aren’t, there is a decent network of suppliers. My recommendation would be Neo Brothers.

One other thing to check is power steering leaks. There’s a pipe that corrodes and is discontinued and virtually impossible to find used (as they all rust to nothing) so the only option is to have one made up. Not the end of the world but it’s a £300 kick in the nuts of it goes.

Saab 9-3s are one of those cars that are on my radar as there being an awful lot of tidy examples around given their age now.

A combination of being fundamentally sound and tending to be owned by enthusiasts I suspect.

Do it. You'll only regret NOT doing it, and the regret of actually doing it ... Will most likely be a regret you don't mind making... That's my logic anyways

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Hi

I had the older model of 9-3 convertible, a 2003, the last year before the newer model, bought in 2013 as a bit of fun for a year or 2, ended up being my daily driver for 6 years until 2019, had no issue finding parts in that time, mainly neobros

Mine was kept outside all year round, treated it to renovo soft top cleaner and reseal once a year. The one year i forgot, i started to get a bit of green appearing round the back window, but a few applications of milton and a little scrub and it soon disappeared

The bulkhead I know was an issue with my generation, not sure on the newer, but the tell tale sign was to watch the pedals as you turn the wheel from lock to lock, any pedal movement and you likely had a split bulkhead.

The other issue with the older generation, again not sure if it affected the newer, was the PCV system, took them a few goes to the the piping right, that combined with possible use of the wrong oil led to some cars getting blocked oil strainers in the sump, which was an engine killer. Fix was to fit a PCV upgrade kit (from neobros) of a new filler neck and piping, then drop the sump to check for sludge and clean out if necessary (mine was luckily squeaky clean

Engine wise, my gen had 2 power levels (other than the Aero), both the same 2.0 engine, injectors and turbo, just a different tuning map, there was the 150hp 2.0 LPT (low pressure turbo) and the 180hp 2.0 FPT (full pressure turbo), then there was the Aero with about 230hp i think, same engine again, but bigger turbo and maybe injectors. I believe the newer gen is the same, just different names, LPT=1.8t (it's still a 2L engine) then FPT is the 2.0t. You can easily remap a LPT/1.8t up to 220HP with no other changes, noobtune is your man for that for £100. Allegedly a 220hp LPT could beat an Aero off the line, due to it's smaller turbo spooling up quicker. with an Aero only catching up and passing at 50mph or so. With bigger injectors, turbos and exhausts etc, there's people happily running these engines at nearly 300hp with no issues, though probably wouldn't go that far with a convertible as it gets a bit wobbly, though there's fixes for that with subframe braces and beefed up anti roll bars if you really wanted to

^^

+1 on SaabNoob; Karl was the chap who tuned my Aero.

I was away on holidays for a few week and unfortunately the car I was looking at is now gone. I wasn't willing to buy without a more thorough inspection and the vendor wasn't willing to take a deposit to hold it, which I can understand. I'm going to keep looking, but on a positive note, I now know what I want.

My old car. Not fast, not great in corners, spent nothing on it in 2 years. Lovely ride. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...e01a72efc6.jpg


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Splendid. The presence of those old 900s on the road has completely evaporated.