Saab 9-3 1.8t/2.0t or Honda Accord? (for £3kish)

MarkDavis

MarkDavis

MarkDavis

Soldato
Joined
16 Apr 2007
Posts
2,887
Location
Timbuktu
Been hunting high and low for 2002/03/04 black Saab 9-3s, ideally the 175bhp 2.0t, but its been a pain in butt to find a good condition one for £3k. I saw a really nice 2003 2.0t Sport for £2k but I dithered and it sold after a week! I've seen a v.good condition 2005 1.8t (150bhp) but it doesn't feel very fast, particularly in the mid-range, and the price seems slightly high. Not particularly keen on mickey mouse tuners, and the reputable tuner (Hirsch) seems to charge £800(!) for a remap.

Don't know much about 2003+ new shape Accords, but they should drive pretty well and be ultra reliable being Hondesque. They also look quite nice (if slightly taxi-ish) 2.0? 2.4? Diesel? What's the best engine.

Criteria:-
- Needs to be reasonably decent to drive
- Reasonably reliable / reasonable running costs
- Reasonable mpg eg. 30mpg+ average and anything close to 40mpg on the motorway would be nice.
- Comfortable on motorway / long journeys
- Not feel like a bus around town
- Would be nice if the car is a bit different from the humdrum
- Fold down rear seats would be handy
- max £3k budget

Not keen on another E46 as I've never seen one with fold down seats and I'm from the school of thought that thinks £2.5/£3k E46s that don't need refresher work done on them are like hen's teeth. A4s at the price seem to be intergalactic mileages and limited to 130bhp (2.0 or 1.9 TDI130) . Mk3 Mondeos ruled out - too bland for my liking (and I also have a banger one which I need to get rid of). Mazda 6s are too slow / noisy at this pre '55 plate budget.

What do you think? Saab or Honda?

Budget is tight because I'm house hunting / mortgage faffing at the moment.
 
Last edited:
There are other tuners for saabs, maptun and nordic are the two that are generally good apart from hirsch, abbott racing are another company but they aren't widely reccomended for ecu stuff.
 
brightside_ said:
There are other tuners for saabs, maptun and nordic are the two that are generally good apart from hirsch, abbott racing are another company but they aren't widely reccomended for ecu stuff.
Click to expand...

Thanks. The thing with Saab tuning though is that is has a negative effect on resale values. You say that you have 1.8t and it doesn't have the value of a 2.0t. You say that you've remapped and the buyer thinks you ragged it to within a inch of its life....

I've guessing the clutches are stronger as well on the 2.0t due ot the greater torque?
 
I know nothing about these but provided they are not like sub £3k E46's and all ruined, this has to be in with a shout of being the most flash for under £3k. Crap cars to spend a fortune on but seems like a solid and respectable £3k buy?
 
Not positive, more experienced on the older saabs than these. my head would say accord at this price but you will generally get more car for your money with a saab, theyre just not as bombproof as days gone by.
 
Nope the clutch is the same on both the 1.8t and the 2.0t. The 4 pot turbo petrol engines are all the same though. (B207) A stage 1 map takes a 1.8t to 210hp, 330NM with no additional hardware required. (the clutch is ok up to stage 4 which is 265hp, 370NM)

Avoid 2003 cars unless they're in very good shape as most trim/paint issues seem to occur on these. (1st batch)
 
[TW]Fox;19948843 said:
I know nothing about these but provided they are not like sub £3k E46's and all ruined, this has to be in with a shout of being the most flash for under £3k. Crap cars to spend a fortune on but seems like a solid and respectable £3k buy?
Click to expand...

It seems to be the most 'bang for buck' and a fairly solid buy at this pricepoint. They seem okay to drive - safe and solid with some poke, rather than thrilling through the bends. Maintenance and parts are still pricey, though probably not quite BMW/Merc/Audi pricey.

My only gripes are the electric assisted steering is too light and the gearchange is notchier than what you'd get in the E46. Like E46s you do get ones that have been ruined, but they attract few chavs and obviously they sold in much smaller numbers than the E46s so there's fewer of them to ruin in theory but equally fewer cherished ones as well.....
 
Hirsch is on the pricey side because they're the official tuners - warranty is preserved. On an out of warranty car, there are much more value for money alternatives as have been mentioned.

You get an awful lot of car for your money with a Saab - sadly they just don't hold their value.
 
My experience - the other half has a 2002 9-3 SE 2.0t auto Convertible.

Real world 33 MPG when driven sensibly
Cruise Control
Comfortable seats for long journeys
LPT petrol engine - you get fine motorway cruising. Some mid-range oooomph on A roads.
I had driven a hardtop manual which had more go than this one.
The confidence in the handling comes from the understeer and decent tyres.
The only major problem which was sorted was a cracked bulkhead. This can be pre-emptively strengthened.
No major costs so far other than servicing and wear and tear

Conclusion:-
A great alternative car.

Have you thought about a 9-5?
 
That 93 is the old version (similar in appearance to my 900) this is the later 2003-2008 93 saloon. Cracked bulkheads won't apply and the handling is improved. The B207 engine is stronger than the B205 used in the previous model and more economical too. (not as strong as the B204 used in the really early 93's and my 900 though ;) still more economic though)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom