2003 Saab 9-3 opinions/questions.

Txmxracer · 11-17-2010, 09:49 PM

I was wondering if anyone has any opinions about a 2003 Saab 9-3 Linear. Has anyone on here owned one and what are your feelings about it? Are there any reliability issues?

I ask because I need to sell my truck and buy a decent car. And while I was looking around, I saw one with 114,000 miles which seems to look like in decent condition for $4500. It has the 2.0 turbo engine with a manual tranny. What do you guys think? Good or bad?

Also, how would insurance be? I am a 17 year old with no prior traffic tickets.

Rtoups · 11-19-2010, 07:50 PM

My first car was a 2001 Saab 9-3 convertible. Many a good times were had cruisin' to the beach with the top down.

Towards the end of it's life I started having some electrical issues. An intermittent short would prevent the car from starting sometimes, and the top sometimes wouldn't go back up.

The most common issue with the first generation 9-3s had to do with the center console display. It was extremely common for the connector between the computer and the display to burn out, which caused pixels to go blank. I'm not sure if this problem carried on to the second generation 9-3s. Ask the previous owner about any problems they faced.

8cd03gro · 11-20-2010, 01:58 AM

I would stay away from a saab with that kind of mileage personally. . . The necessity of a rebuilt turbo is probably not far off. At least check for shaft play.

King Sun · 11-21-2010, 01:00 PM

stay farrrrrrrrrrr away as possible breh.

chopss · 11-21-2010, 01:25 PM

Saab from my experience is hard to work on. Parts are at a premium and not very reliable.

v6sonoma · 11-21-2010, 02:15 PM

Any Luxury car with high mileage is gonna be expensive to repair. I'd avoid it unless you have some extra cash to take care of anything that might happen. Turbo would be my biggest concern. You might want to check a Saab forum and see if there's anything specific to look out for.

bpeterson · 11-22-2010, 05:16 AM

saab parts 9-3 could be a great match for buyers looking for a spacious, safe and comfortable automobile with a proven safety record and a distinctly modern attitude.

Txmxracer · 11-22-2010, 07:37 PM

Alright I will make sure to stay away from this car. But what do yall think about a 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP? Is it a pretty reliable car?

Legend · 11-23-2010, 09:20 AM

The 2.0 turbo is a GM engine, it's the Ecotec LSJ straight from the Cobalt and Sky...it's as reliable as anything out there! The LSJ is a strong engine and if taken care of, would last 300K easily!

Newer Saabs are a very realiable car...more so since 2001 when they reworked their line up. I had a 2006 93 turbo (2.8 V6, not the 2.0) and it was a dream to drive...performance was very nice too! This 2.0 in a 93 was a bit underpowered but it still performs nicely!

114K is not bad at all if it's been taken care of. Check a car fax, have the dealer (one you know) pull a VIS and see if all the maintenance has been on time and regular. If so, that's a decent price in my mind.

11-17-2010, 09:49 PM	#1
Txmxracer Drives: 69 Camaro Z/28 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Texas Posts: 193 View My Garage	2003 Saab 9-3 opinions/questions. I was wondering if anyone has any opinions about a 2003 Saab 9-3 Linear. Has anyone on here owned one and what are your feelings about it? Are there any reliability issues? I ask because I need to sell my truck and buy a decent car. And while I was looking around, I saw one with 114,000 miles which seems to look like in decent condition for $4500. It has the 2.0 turbo engine with a manual tranny. What do you guys think? Good or bad? Also, how would insurance be? I am a 17 year old with no prior traffic tickets.

11-19-2010, 07:50 PM	#2
Rtoups Drives: RJT 2LT Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Palos Verdes, California Posts: 602 View My Garage	My first car was a 2001 Saab 9-3 convertible. Many a good times were had cruisin' to the beach with the top down. Towards the end of it's life I started having some electrical issues. An intermittent short would prevent the car from starting sometimes, and the top sometimes wouldn't go back up. The most common issue with the first generation 9-3s had to do with the center console display. It was extremely common for the connector between the computer and the display to burn out, which caused pixels to go blank. I'm not sure if this problem carried on to the second generation 9-3s. Ask the previous owner about any problems they faced. __________________ SoCal Camaro5 Family Member

11-21-2010, 02:15 PM	#6
v6sonoma Drives: 2010 SS RS Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Providence, RI Posts: 8,108 View My Garage	Any Luxury car with high mileage is gonna be expensive to repair. I'd avoid it unless you have some extra cash to take care of anything that might happen. Turbo would be my biggest concern. You might want to check a Saab forum and see if there's anything specific to look out for. __________________ Mods: BBK Intake, BBK LT's and High Flow Cats, Corsa Cat-back exhaust, Hurst short throw shifter, SLP skip-shift eliminator. 7/1/09 Placed order for IOM/IO int/ SS/RS 6M 9/26/09 Took delivery!

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11-20-2010, 01:58 AM	#3
8cd03gro Drives: 2005 STi corn fed Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Colorado Posts: 2,997	I would stay away from a saab with that kind of mileage personally. . . The necessity of a rebuilt turbo is probably not far off. At least check for shaft play.

11-21-2010, 01:00 PM	#4
King Sun Casual Camaro Owner Drives: 2010 Black LS V6 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Jacksonville Fl Posts: 1,090	stay farrrrrrrrrrr away as possible breh.

11-21-2010, 01:25 PM	#5
chopss Drives: 04 sentra, 2ss Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: staten island, ny Posts: 528	Saab from my experience is hard to work on. Parts are at a premium and not very reliable.

11-22-2010, 05:16 AM	#7
bpeterson Drives: Cool Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: New York Posts: 1	saab parts 9-3 could be a great match for buyers looking for a spacious, safe and comfortable automobile with a proven safety record and a distinctly modern attitude.

11-22-2010, 07:37 PM	#8
Txmxracer Drives: 69 Camaro Z/28 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Texas Posts: 193 View My Garage	Alright I will make sure to stay away from this car. But what do yall think about a 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP? Is it a pretty reliable car?

11-23-2010, 09:20 AM	#9
Legend Hello! Drives: 2008 JSB Z06! Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Texas Posts: 2,624 View My Garage	The 2.0 turbo is a GM engine, it's the Ecotec LSJ straight from the Cobalt and Sky...it's as reliable as anything out there! The LSJ is a strong engine and if taken care of, would last 300K easily! Newer Saabs are a very realiable car...more so since 2001 when they reworked their line up. I had a 2006 93 turbo (2.8 V6, not the 2.0) and it was a dream to drive...performance was very nice too! This 2.0 in a 93 was a bit underpowered but it still performs nicely! 114K is not bad at all if it's been taken care of. Check a car fax, have the dealer (one you know) pull a VIS and see if all the maintenance has been on time and regular. If so, that's a decent price in my mind.