Saab 93

[TW]Fox · 23 Oct 2009 at 17:01

mrk said:
the steering is way better

There is no difference between the steering on an SE and a Sport.

Clarkey · 23 Oct 2009 at 18:09

MarkDavis said:
ROTFL.

You've clearly never driven one.

Either that or your previous 'car' was one of these:
http://www.klov.com/images/F/cFerrari_F355_Challenge.jpg

As for the 9-3, it a decent car.

Yeah thanks for that but I'm afraid I have driven one quite a few times. For me the steering is just too heavy, no point in it being that heavy, it doesn't achieve anything and you do not gain better feedback like that, contrary to what many might believe. I just find it cumbersome and prefer a lighter system that allows me to sling the car into a corner effortlessly. Yes, my car does this, as do all of the 90's jap cars I've driven, from before the era when steering got stupid light.
If you don't agree with me then that's fine, whatever. Let's not concentrate on the steering weight too much, I just feel that the overall package isn't quite that of the wonder-car it's so often made out to be.
The 2 litre diesel engine is truly a hateful piece of engineering, really awful to drive, this has probably tainted my opinion of the car as a whole. Maybe if I drove a 330 sport it would work as a package and I'd change my mind.

[TW]Fox · 23 Oct 2009 at 18:18

Clarkey said:
The 2 litre diesel engine is truly a hateful piece of engineering

It's actually one of the best 2 litre diesel engines on the market :confused:

Still driving that N plate Colt, out of interest?

Clarkey · 23 Oct 2009 at 18:56

Yes I do, why do you feel the need to point out it's 'N Reg' all the time?

I'm aware of how it's one of the best diesel engines. All this says to me is that ALL diesels must be hateful.

[TW]Fox · 23 Oct 2009 at 19:07

Just seems odd, from your comments it seems you have impeccably high standards.

There is of course nothing wrong with high standards but it seems at odds with your own personal choice of car.

mrk · 23 Oct 2009 at 19:07

[TW]Fox;15159550 said:
There is no difference between the steering on an SE and a Sport.

There is when turning/cornering and at higher speeds - obviously mainly due to the M tech suspension but unless we're being pedantic the /steering/ \is\ better on the Sport because of that and the steering wheel itself feels better for the obvious reasons that it's chunkier and feels more weighty.

We are on about the E46 right?

Clarkey · 23 Oct 2009 at 19:15

[TW]Fox;15160500 said:
Just seems odd, from your comments it seems you have impeccably high standards.

There is of course nothing wrong with high standards but it seems at odds with your own personal choice of car.

Conversely, maybe I just have low standards

It's possible I have just not yet reached the level of enlightenment required to appreciate a BMW. I do not think I have high standards at all, afterall, I like old Jap crap.

thebandit · 25 Oct 2009 at 13:04

Depending on which model Saab 93 you are thinking about I think you get a lot of car for the money and it will serve you very well. When my son was born we quickly realised the golf GTi hatchback was no longer going to cut it so I started looking at estates. The 93 1.9tiD caught my eye and I test drove a few. I my opinion they're great cars, if you are going diesel make sure you get the 150 bhp though as the 120 is pants. If you can get a 56-07 onwards, the dash got a facelift and is much better than the rather fussy looking older one. On the point of "its just a vectra" actually I think Saab still have a better feel than the vauxhaul but with the advantage of the wider dealer network and now much cheaper and available parts !.
In the end however, I never bought the Saab (though I still would) a friend of my brother in law was emigrating and selling his E46 330d M sport BMW for a cut down price, so I bought that. I have to say for your budget, you would be buying an older car getting a BMW but its a great car, there really is a difference in quality over the Saab. V fast, relatively cheap to run for the performance and I don't think I could live without the TV, bluetooth and built in satnav

Justintime · 25 Oct 2009 at 17:38

Clarkey said:
I'm aware of how it's one of the best diesel engines. All this says to me is that ALL diesels must be hateful.

In your opinion maybe? I know where i'd rather be if it came down to my car (320D SE) and a colt?

I much rather like diesels and am under no illiusons that the equivalent petrol engine size wouldn't stomp all over me for power and speed but for the speeds i travel and the traffic i sit in the torque comes in much handier and the in gear accleration is wonderful for overtaking etc... The fact that its quieter than a lot of petrols i've driven/heard is nice too

Thrash · 25 Oct 2009 at 20:53

Nothing has been said so far that puts me off a Saab 93, especially the year and mileage I can get for 10k. If I had another few k then yes a similar age and mileage BMW would be on the cards but I don't, so have to set my sights to suit.

Some more cars are now in the mix, such as the Volvo and Lexus and I will be looking out for good deals on these cars. At the end of the day it will be down to what's available, the deals and the test drive.

Thanks all for the input and I'll let you know what I get come December.