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Saab 9-3 Convertible

67 messages,  Last post on Oct 26, 2009 at 11:23 AM

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#57 of 67 2002 or 2003 by jb643 Oct 14, 2008 (4:29 pm)
I am looking into a 9-3 2002 or 2003 convertible.   As a new Saab fan, are there differences between the 2 years - I have heard that the 2003 convertible did not make as many changes as the 2004.   The pricing for the '02 is about $2000 or more less than the '03 however the '02 has about 20,000 less miles   I guess I am wondering what are the benefits of getting the '03 model even if it has more mileage on it - perhaps the platform or features are worth it   Any feedback will be most welcome - along with questions I should explore in comparing the 2 vehicles   thanks in advance   jerry643
#58 of 67 02/03 convertible by jb643 Oct 15, 2008 (9:12 am)
I overlooked mentioning that the mileage for the 2 cars   the 2003 has 60K   the 2002 has almost 45K   thanks again   Jerry643 Replies to this message: 208 (Nov 19, 2008 12:09 pm)
#59 of 67 Re: 02/03 convertible [jb643] by 208 Nov 19, 2008 (12:09 pm)
Replying to: jb643 (Oct 15, 2008 9:12 am) both the '02 and the '03 models are going to be very similar and i would opt for the '02 due to the lower mileage. the '04 model is fantastic and although it does cost more i def recomend trying it out before you commit to the 02 or 03. the styling used in the '04 and up convertibles was first used in the '03 sedans so all the kinks were worked out there and there are no issues w/ the '04's. your resale value will also be much higher down the road due to the more modern styling, both interior and exterior.
#60 of 67 02-03 convertible by jb643 Nov 20, 2008 (12:46 pm)
just to say thank you for your response and for clearly explaining the differences   much appreciated
#61 of 67 Re: 2003 Saab 9-3 Convertible [jeep53] by cobleighb Dec 17, 2008 (1:50 pm)
Replying to: jeep53 (Feb 26, 2007 5:35 pm) bons, I recently (2 wks ago) purchased a 2003 Convertible, drove it 500 miles from Pittsburgh when the engine blew up. This car has what is called a sludge engine and it is fairly common for engines to fail at low mileage readings ( mine had 64K). Do your homework. Goggle : saab engine failure, or saab engine sludge. I have owned many Saabs and had no problems, but certain model years are prone to this problem. Saab has extended the warranty 8 years retroactive, but, and this is a deal breaker but, you have to have every single oil change receipt/record and the changes must be done on time. If you buy a used 2003 be sure to ask about maintenance records. I am awaiting an estimate to rebuild my engine and it isn't going to be pretty.
#62 of 67 sludge & oil quality by strikeman Dec 23, 2008 (10:52 am)
Good post on the sludge problem with some engines. Had 1 or 2 questions related to this - * What color should the oil be on the dipstick? It always seems to be "black". The Saab dealer insists the oil is ok if its "black" coz TurboCharged engines always "blacken" their oil. Ive been worried about this "black" coloration for sometime. * Manual says change when the SID says so. SID seems to indicate oil change every 8 or 9k miles. im wondering if thats a lot of miles between change. It is synthetic oil but still seems a lot of miles ... Replies to this message: 530ir1150r (Dec 24, 2008 7:19 am) cobleighb (Jan 07, 2009 7:54 am)
#63 of 67 Re: sludge & oil quality [strikeman] by 530ir1150r Dec 24, 2008 (7:19 am)
Replying to: strikeman (Dec 23, 2008 10:52 am) Oil turns black soon after changing. I change the oil and filter on my wife's 2005 Arc convertible every 5000 miles, always synthetic. I also had the transmission fluid changed at 30,000 miles with synthetic fluid. We have had no problems with her car so far (50,000 miles), but a opossum did $1500 damage to the front bumper last summer.
#64 of 67 Re: sludge & oil quality [strikeman] by cobleighb Jan 07, 2009 (7:54 am)
Replying to: strikeman (Dec 23, 2008 10:52 am) The following partially explains the sludge problem.   99 9-3 SE at 130K+ the "little red bugger" came on my wifes car. It's convienently funny though how Saab never happened to send "WARNING" letters to owners of certain years about potential problems. We had just had the car in for service for the DIC and the tech retorqued the cylinder head bolts that "magically" loosen up by themselves. Two days later the oil light is on. Technician said he noticed some sludge in the valve cover and we drop the oil pan. Sure enough... SLUDGOLA!!! I have worked in automotive service for over 22 years mostly in GM dealerships and changed oil every 3K on her car. Why the hell some moronic "kolledge edumacated" engineer put the catalytic converter UNDERNEATH the oil pan on these cars is beyond me let alone with no heat shield even. I called Saab... bitched, complained, talked nice and got nowhere... I wasn't surprised. It shouldn't matter to the degree that Saab makes it out to be that your oil is synthetic, or that you change it every 3, 5 or 10 thousand miles, if it's done at a Saab dealer or in your driveway because it's the converter that COOKS the oil that is the issue... plain and simple. There are a few p.c.v. updates that can be done to help s-l-o-w the formation of sludge but the converter is still under the oil pan cooking your oil like a crock pot. Cars are mechanical marvels that require maintenence and t.l.c. from their owners... the problem with these particular Saab's is a design flaw of epic proportions and the burden of blame for this sludge issue that costs owners of these cars literally THOUSANDS of dollars falls back in the lap of Saab/GM... plain and simple. Other than this MAJOR problem and some typical eurotrash car electrical gremlins... I like the quirky little thing. BUYERS BEWARE!!! Will Saab/GM go good on their sludge problem like Toyota quietly did??? Time and lawyers will only tell.   These pix( http://www.saabservices.com/saab_engine_failure.html ) show the results of the cooking process. The large pore screen material is available at Home Depot, just cut to fit. The larger holes allow the sludge particles to pass on to the oil filter and not starve engine of oil. Frequent (3500 mile) oil changes with a good synthetic oil should avoid expensive rebuilds.
#65 of 67 2007 9-3 Convertible Anniversary Edition by headsetguru May 17, 2009 (4:33 am)
All, a little advice please. i've located a 2007 Saab 9-3 Convertible Anniversay Edition, CPO and only 3250 miles. dealer dropped the lot price a grand to $23,925. dealer will not budge on the price stating they just dropped the price $1000.00 on the lot. is this a good deal paying the asking of $23,925 or do you think the dealer has more room....plus, wife loves the car...
#66 of 67 2009 93 2.0 turbo by skinnyrtm Oct 04, 2009 (4:09 pm)
Does any one know of any engine performance chips or programers avalible for the 93 2.0 turbo.

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