Saab 93 estate

Usel

Usel

Usel

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Joined
14 Jan 2003
Posts
1,155
I currently have a Peugeot 307 Sw hdi 90 2002 52 plate which has done 130,000 miles. It's a manual and my wife can only drive auto's so I want to sell/trade for an auto diesel estate. The car can be woefully dull it just needs to be reliable.

Budget is around £4-4.5k which includes the sale/trade of my car. So is the Saab 93 any good? looking at the 150bhp 1.9 model with around 120,000 miles on the clock autotrader has a couple in budget on 05/06 plates.
 
Prepare yourself for loads of lolz Vectra comments....



I drove both the 9-3 Saloon and Estate a fair bit, as they're pool cars at work (so obviously I was literally just an arrive & user, don't have a clue what they're like to live with!). Both manuals though.

I was actually impressed with them :). My expectations were admittedly really low due to knowing it's a Vectra in a posh frock, but yeah I liked them. Both were in the sport trim, whatever it is Saab call it.

The saloon had the 1.9D but the 120bhp version of it. This engine is hideuous, seriously. It has a massive flat spot low down, and doesn't have much puff once your out of the flat spot. Also the turbo is ridiculously noisy, first few times I drove it I kept looking over my shoulder thinking it was the siren of an ambulance.
Very good consumption though... that's why that engine was chosen as the bloke used to commute from Wales every day.

The estate had the 1.9D but the 150BHP version of it. Far far better. Nothing like the flat spot down low, and the extra 30BHP was extremely noticeable. Nothing like the turbo whine either.

Handbrake is weird on both of them, but the cup holders are quirky :cool:.


Oh and my Mum loves both of them. I don't what it is, but she called the driving position very 'lady friendly'.... whatever that means! Tried to convince Dad to swap his E60 for one :eek:.
 
Thanks for the response Westy, we had a saloon auto as a courtesy car 2 years ago (08 plate) and whilst there was nothing amazing about it it worked as it should. Thats all I need really, just a work horse, as it will be pulling trailers and having the dog jumping about in the back.

I really want to know about wether the auto boxes are made of cheese and are the diesel engines realiable once over 100k. I have no quarms with buying petrols over 100k but diesels always get me a bit worried.
 
Don't know about the later models but had two 900 Turbo's over the years. Most comfortable driving seats I've ever experienced. Apparently designed by the same guys who designed the seat for SAAB jet fighters - well you can't stop one of those and stretch your legs if things get uncomfortable can you....:D
 
Usel said:
it will be pulling trailers
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Ah... Dad tried towing his track-car with the saloon one. Was pretty naff TBH. Guess it was the combination of being FWD and having no power to speak of. It got the job done, but was nothing like the Quattro Audi or RWD 5-series were.

Think that was the first and last time he's ever towed with a FWD!
 
Well the peugeot manages ok and it's only 90bhp. I won't be pulling over 750kg anyway and will borrow the RR off my dad if I need to pull more.
 
I've got an 06 vector sport tid 150. I love it! arm chair on wheels... economical, comfortable even with my 19" bbs and lowered suspension.... Its what could b described as a drivers car...

Only slight niggle is the car tramlines badly on some roads.... but other than that! you wont regret it!!
 
[TW]Fox;17928989 said:
Chronic unreliability.
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Ah right :). Can't say I'd heard of that, and being arrive & drive I didn't give a monkeys about the reliability!


Maverick24m1 said:
I've got an 06 vector sport tid 150. I love it! arm chair on wheels... economical, comfortable even with my 19" bbs and lowered suspension.... Its what could be described as a drivers car...
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I wouldn't call it a 'drivers car' like a DC2 Integra etc is, but yeah very comfortable and wafty :).
 
Westyfield2 said:
Out of interest Iain, why?

I couldn't stand the 120BHP variant of the 1.9D and found the 150BHP variant considerably better.
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As fox said, reliability. There's nothing wrong with it in drivability terms compared to other similar engines, but they're at the bottom of the pile in reliability terms. They're the vauxhall diesel engines, which come with all the usual pitfalls of emissions control etc etc. But you won't be paying vauxhall prices to fix it, you'll be paying Saab prices.

Given how good the 2.0t is, I couldn't justify the diesel. If I wanted economy, I'd look elsewhere.
 
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