Has anyone owned a Saab here? I'm looking for a first Gen 9-3. I've heard mixed reviews about it but I'm wondering if anyone has long term exp with one.

I had an '02. Loved the car. I had zero issues with it. Great gas mileage and a fun car to drive. 

Great car, but you are looking to buy an orphan, though it looks like Saab might soon be in business again.  Saab went belly up in 2011, now owned by  Qingdao Qingbo Investment Co, Ltd. 

Quote from: howie on September 19, 2013, 11:09:56 PMSaab went belly up in 2011, now owned by  Qingdao Qingbo Investment Co, Ltd. 

Coulda been rescued but General Motors preferred to shaft SAAB rather than allow any other auto maker access to GM (elderly) design and technology.

SAAB 9-3?  Its a GM car, under it's Scando skin it's an Opel Vectra.

Also had a 2002 9-3 that was, without a doubt, my favorite car.  Manual tranny, plenty of space with that hatchback trunk, and that 4-cylinder turbo was great. 

That said, I would never pitch it as a super reliable car.  Then again, it wasn't a lemon either.  As ungeheuer said, it's really just a GM with Saab skin.

I got rid of mine (gave to my dad's gf's son) two years ago when I moved to manhattan, probably just in time----as Howie said, company is no more and so, along with fed laws about manufacturers having 10 years of parts (or something like that), parts and repair shops may be harder and harder to find going forward.

Given all that, I reiterate that it was by far my favorite car I ever owned.

Also, He Man, you might check out SaabCentral.  Online forum for Saab fans/owners a lot like DMF.  Good resource and loyal, enthusiastic owner group.

http://www.saabcentral.com/

FWIW...I know of a great Scadinavian car repair place and they are telling Saab owners to cut a lot of vehicles loose if they get to that point because of the parts availability drying up on certain models and using a surprising number of used parts in cases where no new replacement is an option...

Yep. It's getting harder and harder to find parts for my 89 900 SPG.

Remember when Men drove Corvettes and women drove Saabs?  Sadly I do. 

Although the 900 (ie?) was a turbo beast.

Remember when men flew dirigibles and women flew balloons?

^^Not many women pioneers in balloons........  The early days killed one in seven people that flew in one.  To this day despite almost 4k hours flown in paragliders and hanggliders I still take a deep breath every time I launch a balloon.  There is something about a giant balloon, tossing ones self to the winds and hoping you got it all right enough to land someplace safe, not damage the equipment and not have to carry out 1,500lbs of gear.  I have spent an hour and a half in the air certain the hospital was going to be the outcome...  Most ladies don't like that..... 

Even today with modern balloons there are very few lady pilots.

The Saab Turbo was on Top Gear as a highly desired model, despite it not having what I would call a "manly" shape.  Saab turbos are like fat girls and scooters, Fun to ride if no one sees you 

Enough with the sexism.

Sexism and a motorcycle site?  Nooooooooo!    No offense intended ladies 

Quote from: Skybarney on September 21, 2013, 11:39:00 AM
Sexism and a motorcycle site?  Nooooooooo!    No offense intended ladies 

Your generalizations that most women are incapable and that all motorcyclists are sexist pigs is not gonna fly.

Are you getting the picture?

Duc,  Sorry my sense of humor is kinda dry.  Satire is often missed in print.  How about this for a fix? 

One of the tallest balloons in the world is flown by a highly competent lady pilot! 

Energizer Bunny Balloon 

I also hire lady crew members so sexism is not really what I do........