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Hi guys,
Does anyone have any experience or know any information on the reliability of Saab 9-3’s. I know they don’t make them any more but I have done lots of research and the parts are widely available since they are basically gm’s under the skin.
Does anyone know any reliability issues or if they are good or bad or if they are complicated to work on? Like that blower motor on the Acura vigor.
I know the electrics use up a lot electricity and one should replace the battery every 2-3 years instead of the usual 5-6. Also the strut bearing can make noises in the winter but is easily fixed once the bearing is replaced. Just looking to see if it would be a bad buy.
Also what kind of kilometres should I avoid. For example, a used honda with 120,000km is still good but a used vw with that much is risky.
Thanks for the help. It has been hard to find concrete information on their reliability and service complications.
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Probably your best bet is one of the specialist Saab forums.
I run a ’03 9-5 2.2 TiD estate.
What I will say is find one with a full service history. I don’t just mean a stamped up book, but receipts from either a dealer or an independent Saab specialist.
Saab even under GM ownership, managed to be more than just a badge engineered Opel (unlike Vauxhall in the UK).
Yes there’s a lot that is GM, but there’s a lot that is very uniquely Saab.
Saabs are known for being able to do galactic mileage (I’ve seen one that has done 400,000 miles and is still going strong). But they must be maintained properly. They’re turbocharged engines and regular oil changes are a must with fully synthetic oil. in an ’08 9-3, you’ll have an Opel Ecotec (GM family 2) engine or a Fiat/GM JTD diesel. However the engine management system is not the normal GM system, but instead uses Saab’s own Trionic engine management.
For most routine stuff, they’re easy enough to work on. Make sure you have torx bits and E sockets as well as a normal metric socket set and spanners.
Replace the battery when it starts to seem weak. 2-3 years is excessive. If the charging system is working properly then the only load that should be on the battery in normal use is start-up and the security system/ECU memories (this is no more than any other car). Everything else will be supplied by the alternator when the engine is running (as well as the battery being recharged from its startup load).
Find a well looked after one, and look after it, and it’ll look after you.
Oh and on the petrol engines, ONLY use NGK plugs.
Since they don’t build Saabs anymore I find that the price of repair parts is increasing quickly. They are not bad cars but parts are getting harder to find also.
The same thing is happening to Saturn. Even the aftermarket is not supplying some parts for Saturn anymore.
Recently I needed a driveshaft for Saturn Vue
and only found one and it was $2500.00The 2003 and newer Saab 9-3 (Epsilon platform) are closer to GM than the previous Saabs. The 2003 and newer units have a GM engine, unlike the older Saab H series found in 2002 (2003 convertible) cars. The older H series were known for sludge issues, but I don’t think there is anything to worry about with the newer cars. Just make sure the audio system works, as if the fiber optic cable is damaged (it goes to an amplifier under the front left seat) the audio system goes out entirely, but the directional clicker is also tied into the audio system, so you won’t hear it click, and might not notice it on.
I’ve done some work on one of these recently. I found a lot of good information and parts from these people.
Parts are not an issue in the UK. Saab’s parts division is alive and well and they seem to be competitively priced with the aftermarket. There is even still a franchised Saab workshop network.
There are also plenty of independent specialists who stock second hand and new parts.
But agreed, check on availability of service parts (include clutches, brake discs, pads, exhausts, dampers and springs in that list) where you are before buying, otherwise looking after it could get very expensive!
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