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Saab 9-3 Coupe (2002 and earlier)

533 messages,  Last post on Nov 20, 2006 at 3:24 PM

You are in the Saab 9-3 Forum.

What is this discussion about? Saab 9-3, Coupe, Convertible

Messages Page 12 of 55

#102 of 533 VOB lccalvert 1999 by ryman2

Apr 20, 2001 (1:13 pm)

VOB: Thanks for info. I live in DC area also and have been regularly checking VOB and International Saab in Falls Church to keep tabs on inventory. We are looking to buy in Sept/Oct but might consider earlier if great deal. Let me know if they are willing to do SE for around 28,000 and if that includes 0% financing. If you can get that it sounds awesome. I am keeping my eyes peeled for dark blue/ beige leather interior. When I visited VOB this week it seemed like sunburst green and silver were the two most popular colors on lot. I hope you find one you like.
 
We are also thinking of doing European delivery, although I want to make sure it's not huge price difference. If anyone has done Euro delivery, could you let me know how your experience was and if any hidden charges.
 
Thanks to everyone for all the great info on site!

#103 of 533 lccalvert shopping at vob by saabgcf

Apr 21, 2001 (4:10 pm)

We also went to vob this week looking for a 9-3 convertible and spoke to James Walton. We love the car and we are willing to share information to get the best deal for all. We have not gotten into really sitting down to crunch numbers yet. He says the couldn't possibly sell it for less than 500 over invoice. That's as far as we've gotten. We plan to check out International tomorrow. Do you have any more information? Would love to here from you.

#104 of 533 Is my car ok ? by r34

Apr 22, 2001 (1:45 pm)

Sometimes when I started the car, I heard some "boiling water" noise (similar to the engine noise of a small boat). Is it normal ? Is it actually the nosie from the turbo/turbo cooler ?
 
Also, I saw a small amount of grey smoke coming out of the exhaust when my wife started the engine.
 
My car is only 850 miles.....

#105 of 533 to r34 by vigorous1

Apr 22, 2001 (4:56 pm)

Starting the car will not activate the turbo. You can tell when your turbo "spools up" from your turbo guage, at speed.
 
I cannot identify with your noise. Check it out when you replace your oil after the break-in period. At that time, the dealership will look things over.
 
Alternatively, take your inquiry to Saabnet.com and ask around. There, you will find the single most tuned-in Saab (or any auto) community online. Saabers are the most inclined to use the net of any auto owner at 86% when last measured. This is a very tight community of interest. Many have owned Saabs for years and are just getting used to the 9-3/9-5. Saabers are among the most loyal car owners anywhere, with a super-high re-purchase rate. (Second most loyal of the Euro-car owners after Porsche according to Cartalk.)
 
Our '99 9-3 puffs out a very thin cloud on start-up. This is supposed to be one of the cleanest-burning engines on the market.
 
This car works like a charm after 47K km (30K miles) and still "puffs" at startup. I have to think it has something to do with the clean-burning system this car has.

#106 of 533 Test Drive by ryman2

Apr 22, 2001 (11:12 pm)

Test drove a base 9-3 at International Saab today in Falls Church, VA. Had not driven a Saab since 900 series. What a wonderful car the 9-3 is. I have read a lot of reviews on different websites and discussion groups about the turbo lag problem. While I respect everyone's different opinion, I have to say that I found it unnoticable. To anyone who is scared off by reading such posts discussing turbo lag, don't be scared off. Go test drive one. I think the only people who may have a problem are the extreme high end sport car junkies for whom every split millisecond counts. For the average person who wants a fun, quick, responsive car, I think the car satisfies all those needs.
 
The amazing thing about the 9-3 is its practicability and versatility. I also read some web sites that complained about having to live with Saab's unique features day in and day out. On the contrary, I found Saab's unique features to be its strongest selling point. The hatchback rocks and provides as much if not more USEFUL capacity than my Jeep Cherokee. The seats- aaahhh!- what to say- they are the most comfortable and most beautiful looking seats I ever have sat in. Better than the Audi A-4 and Mercedes C Class in my opinion. And for the cost conscious, you get all the adjustment variety in the manual seats of a Base model without the added cost of power seats. Finally is interior space. For a car with relatively small outer dimensions, it feels quite spacious and roomy inside. The headspace is amazing due to Saab's "older" design, and the backseat has an amazing amount of room. I'm 5-10 and 195 and the car fit me like a glove. With the driver's seat adjusted for me, I still had room to sit comfortably behind the driver's seat. And because of the deep footwell on passenger side, you can bring the seat up pretty far to allow a very tall person to sit in back and still have plenty of leg room up front. I have to admit though, the stereo speakers are pretty bad. They do an adequate job for listening to the radio/CD, but try to crank them and they get very staticy. If you want to play music loud and cruise, upgrade the speakers- $500 to upgrade to SE speakers in Saab's catalogue. Last thing, for those who like center armrests, oddly there is one in back seat but not in front seat on base model. BUT, Saab catalogue has two different kinds for 43 and 75 bucks which dealer can install.
 
Re price- I dealt with Ron at International Saab near DC. Real nice guy- try to deal with him if you go. We didn't get down to nitty gritty, but the factory to dealer incentive is still available in DC and is $4000. There is also 0% financing, but you can't use both dealer incentive and financing- one or the other kids. Still, either one is good price. It pays to work your numbers on Edmunds monthly calculator to find out which is the better route- for me I think if they still have the dealer incentives when ready to buy, they will be way to go since interest rates are so low right now and my wife has a credit union. Do your homework before you buy and I think you can get this car for a real steal. Good luck to everyone.

#107 of 533 international, the way to go by saabgcf

Apr 23, 2001 (5:58 am)

you'll probably say we could have done better, but we got the convertible at invoice with the o% financing and a few extras. saab is allowing a 2.2% holdback, which allows the dealer to go straight to invoice. the 0% is over 5 years -- you really can't do any better than that anywhere! (we could have bargained for a bit more--couple of hundred maybe, but over 60 mths, the difference would have been negligible. anyhow, i believe the dealer's allowed to make a few bucks too.) servicing through 30,000 is free. bob martin was very easy to deal with. this is the third saab we've gotten at international and they always seemed easier to deal with than VOB. they do replacement cars for repairs and servicings.

#109 of 533 more on international by saabgcf

Apr 23, 2001 (6:02 am)

by the way, the break even on the 0% vs the $5,000 credit (with 7.5%) on the car is about a $4,000 down payment (0%) vs a $10,000 down payment $5,000 credit). just depends how much you want to put down on which is the better deal.

#110 of 533 International by ryman2

Apr 23, 2001 (8:58 am)

Thanks for the info. It will help me a lot when my time comes. I think you got a good deal. I agree with you, International has seemed much more friendly and helpful. I am glad you mentioned the loaner cars for repairs- I didn't know about that but it is a really nice perk, especially when you only own one car.

#111 of 533 to ryman2 by vigorous1

Apr 23, 2001 (10:58 am)

You hit the sweet spot.
 
Those "quirky features" are selling points. Just look at the phenomenal success of the starter button in the Honda 2000 and you get some measure of how satisfying the motoring public finds it to have something "different" about their car.
 
In an age of increasing standardization and jelly-bean cars, daring to be "different" in a safe, tough, fast, utilitarian car like a Saab is a safe bet.
 
The Saab is an engineer's car; the Hondas and Toyotas are accountant's cars.
 
Damn the price. Who gives a rat's butt? The car is all.

Messages Page 12 of 55

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