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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 41 of 54

#397 of 533 vigorous by nyccarguy

Apr 25, 2002 (6:36 am)

"And for those owners switching off Saab for some other car like Prelude; goodbye and happy motoring. Chances are, you don't live close to the mountains like I do. Chances are, you don't care if your car fails to breath properly (like a Saab Turbo does) at high altitude. See you at Pike's Peak or like altitudes maybe."
 
I can't help but take that remark as somewhat of a personal attack. If you've followed this board, you'll see that I have had nothing but positive things to say about my Saab. I did buy my Saab because of the test drive I went on. I was also treated respectfully by the salesman. I love the versatility of the hatchback. The exhaust has a great note under hard acceleration. I love how the Turbo is so well engineered into the engine that it produces pretty much zero lag. My Base 9-3 never runs out of breath and always seems to be able to go faster. It is a rock solid highway cruiser. The seats are comfortable. The leather is very high quality. The steering is well weighted and communicative. The car handles well (except those damn stock tires pitch and howl way before the limits of the chassis). The heated seats are great. The AC Blows real cold and the car heats up relatively quick in the winter.
 
When I bought my Saab, I needed a FWD (or AWD) car with a slushbox. I was trying (In late 1999) to decide between a Passat V6 or Accord EX-V6. I saw the nationally advertised lease deal for the Base 9-3s at the time and went for a test drive. It was a much better car to drive than the other 2, it was more expensive, and much cheaper to lease.
 
I'm 26, live in New York City (read: not near the mountains like yourself) and don't need a 4 door car, so I opted to go for a Prelude which has been a car that I've wanted to own ever since 1992.

#398 of 533 nyccarguy by vigorous

Apr 25, 2002 (7:48 am)

No worries. You have indeed spoken highly of your experience with the 9-3 and I'm glad for that. Edmunds too often acts as a trash board so I'm fighting back. If I sound surly, that's why. No personal offence intended.
 
By the time you tire of the Prelude, wich is a spiffy, reputedly reliable car, the 9X or the 9-3X may be just what your needs then say you should have and you will return to Saab.
 
These new 9s are exciting concept cars and Saab's announced five new entries in the ensuing five years should stir the autowriters, who on the whole have not been kind to the 900s or the 9-3s.
 
I'm not a great fan of _ANY_ SUVs (except for large family or industrial use) so Saab can skip that entry as far as I'm concerned.

#399 of 533 OK by nyccarguy

Apr 25, 2002 (8:19 am)

I actually plan to keep the Prelude until I need another can and then keep it as a 3rd car. I'll definitely consider whatever the replacement is of the 9-3. I'm not a Saab Die Hard Fan, I haven't found a car to become brand loyal to. I'd definitely consider the 9-5 Wagon (Hopefully an Aero with a Stick) when the time comes that I need a Wagon. I'd rather have a sport Wagon than a minivan or SUV. No offense taken. Way too often people use the Edmunds boards for bashing. In the case of Jas28 & Huntzinger...they both have legitimate beefs with their respective Saabs.

#400 of 533 vigorous by huntzinger

Apr 25, 2002 (2:57 pm)

Saabnet.com has a great search engine. If you want, you can look it up for all the time it takes.
 
Already done. Saabnet does not substantiate your claim. Now what?
 
I don't accept the onus you put on me to look stuff up for you online.
 
In other words, you're suggesting I do my homework first. I don't want to be rude and confrontational, but had you followed your own advice, you would have found that as I had mentioned, I had already done these archive searches posted the results in direct response to your post on the "9-3 vs. C230" ... a week ago.
 
Now to resolve the actual question instead of arguing, what you said isn't archived on Saabnet. As such, could it be that you had mis-recalled the source and that it was something other than Saabnet?
 
------------
 
Frankly, I don't care about resids because I bought the (discounted) Saab 9-3 after thorough research - as a keeper and not as a trader.
 
That was my original intent too. Things change.
 
-hh

#401 of 533 I can do math... by bksward by huntzinger

Apr 25, 2002 (3:01 pm)

Nope, read my post again. 44% of $28k is $12.3... The $24.5k is the selling price on Cars Direct not MSRP.
 
Ah, you're right - I missed your part stating that the Saab's MSRP was also $28K. Sorry about that.
 
Therefore, my math is correct if the residuals are are based on MSRP...
 
Agreed. Now the only question is how the source actually did _their_ math!
 
-hh

#402 of 533 nyccarguy by huntzinger

Apr 25, 2002 (3:04 pm)

I'm 26, live in New York City (read: not near the mountains like yourself)
 
Oh, come on now! Its only a 40 hour drive out to Powder Creek Pass (the closest 8,000+ mt pass in the USA from where you live).
 
-Hugh

#403 of 533 just to make sure I wasn't lying to you by vigorous

Apr 25, 2002 (4:10 pm)

..hunter......and to pick up on something you said about there not being any data on the C230
at Saabnet tending to confirm my one-word
description - dull -, I went to the Saabnet
board and entered "C230".
 
There at least a dozen posts discussing this car.
 
The most amusing one I found compared it to
a Cimarron.
 
Anyway, it isn't a hatch so it's out of order
to discuss it here.

#404 of 533 vigorous by huntzinger

Apr 26, 2002 (4:39 am)

There at least a dozen posts discussing this car.
 
14 that specifically mention the car in any context whatsoever. The number of hits that used "dull" or "ugly" with "C230" was exactly zero, plus there were some other derivative mentions on threads. There's clearly more on Edmunds than there.
 
BTW, I found and read the Cimarron post. It made a good point, but the point was exclusively about marquee management and placement and nothing about looks.
 
Insofar as the rest of the posts, yes, there were a few "its ugly" posts, but all new designs get a few of these. I don't think that there's ever been a hatchback made that's not had this remark made, particularly Saab hatchbacks. As such, a Saab owner complaining about the design trade-offs necessitated by a useful hatch is dangerously close to being a hypocrite remark IMHO.
 
Anyway, it isn't a hatch so it's out of order
to discuss it here.
 
Excuse me? The "it" is the C230K Coupe, not the MB sedans. FWIW, this is a quite interesting remark to make in light of the 9-3 hatchback configuration having ceased production.
 
-hh

#405 of 533 Following the pack vs. Your Own Road by huntzinger

Apr 26, 2002 (5:18 am)

I also bought the Saab because I have a dog. Another statistic you may wish to consider is a higher percentage of Saabers have dogs than any other kind of car.
 
Does this mean that I should go out and get a dog? Ditto for my Saab neighbor across the street? Please also tell me what Designer Brand underwear I should be wearing too
 
Arf! Arf! 140 miles per hour+ top end (ungoverned) if you want and one of the fastest-accelerating cars from a running 30mph through 70mph reasonable money can buy.
 
There's far, far more to driving than brainlessly pegging the pedal for a 1/4 mile straightway.
 
For true performance driving, the biggest bang for the buck for over 99% of all US drivers today is not a bigger engine, better tires/wheels, or whatever: the biggest bang for the buck is a
professional performance driving training course.
 
Insofar as pure top end, perhaps you're in a region with the highway real estate and highway quality are such that its merely dangerous instead of insane to attempt even short sprints above 130mph. But that doesn't mean that your situation need apply to the rest of us. FWIW, how many hours of driving have you had at 130+? Or has it been just "5 second sprints" just to hit the speed, like the rest of us?
 
-hh

#406 of 533 energizer bunny strikes again by vigorous

Apr 26, 2002 (1:22 pm)

LOL. You never quit, do you?

You do not get to top end over 1/4 mile. I'm not a standing start kinda guy. Nobody should be except, pehhaps with a Viggen. I don't take the Saab to top end - ever. But if ever the highway hits me where this can be done as per Autobahn, then possibly I will, once.

I do, however, have high altitude driving to do. Lots of it. It is quite a revelation on one particular stretch (highest point of land east of the Rockies on the TransCanada Highway) just which more expensive cars do not match the Saab on that upgrade, even at 70-80 mph.

And what is there on the Prairies but long, straight, deserted (except in holiday season) highway?

One of the most impressive (unpopulated) stretches of highway in the world lies between Lake Louise and Jasper, both in Canada's national park system and ALL at high altitude.

If I had bought a Saab Viggen, which I didn't, then I would have taken the free driver training course purchasing a Viggen offered.

My dog thinks I am a genius, even if you don't.

I think the most telling comment from the Saab board on the C-merc was on obsolete technology - supercharging, even if Saab's new variable compression engine (30% better gas mileage with 30% less emissions at no loss of power) will require a supercharger.

Daimler appears happier with Chrysler than it is with MB http://dw-world.de/english/0,3367,1431_A_507058_1_A,00.html

Messages Page 41 of 54

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