Had this exact car (in navy blue) for 11 years. Never got tired of driving it. Only gave it up when someone *gave* me another newer vehicle. Sold the Saab to another enthusiast. More comfortable than a BMW (at least a 2006/325 I had for a bit). Definitely quirky or at least a different way of doing things. Some of that from the aviation heritage inherent in the original Saab company. You need to drive one at night to appreciate the instrumentation. Didn't have many problems though it was out for a couple of months when I couldn't lay hands on a linkage for the shifter. Other than that, no real problems.
Anyone considering buying one of these, I highly recommend if you can find one, based off my own experience. I bought my '06 Aero (same as this one, but with white leather interior that looks super sharp) back in 2014 with 50k miles on it and one owner who special-ordered it from the manufacturer - super lucky find. Loved it from the start, but looked into tuning it from reading up on Saab forums how "tune-able" they are. Went with VTuner (based off their great reviews) Stage 0 to start with, which is basically a flash tune that pushes it up to 320hp and just really wakes the engine up nicely. Chirping the tires going from 2nd to 3rd gear always puts a grin on my face! It also put my 0-60 time down to 5 seconds (possibly even 4.8/4.9 on a great run in good conditions). Just shows the potential of the 2.8L V6 in this thing. Passing quickly is never an issue on the highway. Definitely surprises most car-enthusiast type vehicles (bmw/mustang/camaro/audi/honda/etc) too, as this car was born to be a sleeper. Might eventually upgrade to Stage 1 or 2 just for fun. This will be a tuning car/daily driver for me for a while! There's just something about it I love! As for reliability, I haven't had an issue with it other than a couple spark plugs and ignition coils going bad. I wouldn't say it was the tune that did it, probably just regular wear and tear - pretty common for these Saabs. I plan on upgrading them all to iridium eventually anyway to maximize performance and hopefully longevity. Also, Chicago roads are killing my suspension so that'll need replacement soon too. Overall, really a great unique car that came to an all-too-soon ending. For those that love cars with character and performance and comfort, it's a great way to go. Sorry for the long post.
One other thing on reliability, every now and then there's a random electronics blip (i.e. fidgety automatic driver-side and passenger windows, a/c not working for a few starts and then deciding to work again suddenly, etc... little things). Also my fuel gauge sensor went out, so to fix it costs an arm and a leg in labor as you must remove the gas tank AND fuel pump to get to it... Saab and their innovation sometimes just doesn't add up. Maybe when I have more money to burn someday I'll stop logging my gas mileage manually haha. Until then I'll just continue enjoying doing 2nd and 3rd gear pulls and the occasional burnout.
No issues with coolant overflow or battery? I've read those to be the main issues with these. I'm going to test an 08 Aero next week which is basically the same car except a subtle difference in the body.
Ok sounds good. What I was reading about was having to replace the whole coolant tank and hoses due to overflowing because of the heat from having the V6 in such a small area. The forums recommend only using 75% of the usual amount of coolant.
I probably deleted that comment and banned the guy from ever commenting again. I have a zero tolerance for people who get toxic. I am a smaller RU-vidr so I can still keep up with the comments.
I owned exactly a 2006 Saab 9-3 Aero and man do i miss it! Whats funny is i dont know how i stumbled on a Saab but i was 18 when i bought it. The engine was wards top 10 engines in 2006. I currently own a 2001 Saab 9-5 aero and nothing like my old 9-3. Great review! Glad people still have love for the saab.
+chopper63d a lot of people do. At this point in time this video gets the most views in a day. If it continues it'll be the best watched video on my channel in the future.
I bought an 06 aero for 1k. Good deal. Had to replace the coil packs and plugs. Its quick. My saab guy has an 08 with a slightly bigger turbo and turbo housing with all the supporting mods and tune. He beats the new 5.0s like theyre standing still. Fastest car I've ever been in.
I have a '07 9-3 Aero AT, super fun daily driver car. Now building mine out with new sexy 19" rims... can't go wrong with a Saab Aero. One thing to note... DO NOT spill a drink down near the key and ignition, all it takes is one good spill which gets down where the key goes in, and your in the hole for a good $500-$1000
+smiley19881999 I read that they wanted to put the turbo in the valley of the engine, but it effectively baked the paint on the hood so they had to abandon that.
+The Dutch Texan really? would not be surprised... i don't know if the 9-3 2.8 was the fastest saab ever made, the viggen coupe(with the low weight) was definitely up there as was the 9-5 Aero's with 260PS from factory...
Wow, found another hidden Saab video on RU-vid! Great review, hope to see more of that Saab when it's tuned! The V6 is a beast :) Your production level is really high, big respect.
If not for the Hellcat review this is the best watched video on my channel believe it or not. Who would have thought? The saabstory is going strong! I hope to review more cars, and perhaps some more saabs as well. I'd love to review some of the older ones!
I remember when my dad bought an 08 Aero 9-3 in 2008. I loved that car and I always liked to pretend to drive it. Then he sold it for an 04 Wrangler and I cried a lot the night. Now we’re thinking of getting a V6 Saab again. 10 years later...
People clearly love them! Right now it is the #1 video on the channel, which I still think is crazy, because Saab people love Saab, but they also seem to dislike the GM era Saabs, which this is definitely a part of.
+Chris CC I agree! I can't wait to find out what other cars I might be able to review in the future. I was pleasantly surprised by how this Saab drove!
+petezahut93 I am going to have to agree on that after driving this one! But the price point they were sold at just put them too close to excellent offerings from other prestigious car makers.
+The Dutch Texan Yeah. The Saab 9-3 was stuck in the crossroads between its competitors and could never be convincing enough to attract those looking at Saab's competitors. Also, the other offerings weren't so great with the 9-2X and 9-7X, both of which were re-badged models and the 9-5 which was in a similar situation with the 9-3 in its own respective market.
I have a 2003 vector that I purchased from 2008. Still runs like the first day I took it out the dealer lot at 63,000. Already have 213,000 right now and I've never spent a dime on it other than oil changes (5w30) mobil1 every 5,000miles. Unbelievable! not even the timing belt or water pump. Great car!
Remember when this car was new and I was still in mechanic school. I had practition in 4 different shops and drive everything from toyota to BMW. But this new 9-3 with that 2.8t just blew my mind how good it was. It sucks that I still haven't kept my prommis to buy one 10 years later :( But I also remember what happens to that 9-3. Its first servis the neighbor town got it in and they had one stupid mechanic that just had no respect for other peoples cars. When he took it for a testdrive he pulled over at a dirt-road. when he pulls away he floor it and have full wheelspin. when he comes up on the regular road he leaves two skidmarks 10 meters and then the tires grips turning driveshafts into candy canes and the gearbox literally exploded :S He was fired after that. But poor SAAB and only 18000km
I still have my 2006 Aero 9-3x Combi!! I love it... But little things are starting to happen. I have a mechanic that specializes in Swedish cars who can't find some things. 😔. I'll keep her as long as I can... Thanks for your review. It definitely encouraged me to keep her!! My speed chime is set to 85 mph... Ha ha
I am glad it keeps the love alive! I still can’t believe that this video ended up with so many views. Just goes to show a lot of people have heart for SAAB!
@@TheDutchTexan I was just doing a search about my car, and your video came up. Watching your video reminded me of when my car was new it was the perfect car... It's still the perfect car, just older. I couldn't find a new car with all of the things that came standard with my car if I tried!! Just looking for ways to prolong her life. Ha ha
Nice review! I had a 2008 with a stage 1 tune and that wakes the engine up to 320hp/405lb ft bhp. You can leave it in 6th gear and pass everyone on the road.
+Richard Burchett my pleasure! The car and the support it has from the Saab lovers is amazing. The fact that it is on it's way to become the best performing video I have ever produced is testimony alone!
Shifters can be be fixed. I'd rather deal with any 'GM issues' before BMW sensor issue du jour. I've had two Saabs and thought I was done since they went away but this and other videos have me seeking a deal. Encouraging to hear the specs of the V6. My turbo fours had gobs of torque but now I wanna drive this!
U should have tested the 2.3L Turbo engine! I own a 2002 9-5 Aero with 250HP (automatic lol) and the 350nm dat this beast puts down onto the street is just sick. I pwned several GTIs with it and on the autobahn its just pure fun. And if u check on some 911 from 1997-2001 and realise their speccs are not that much higher (911 Carrera: 3.6L 325HP and 'just' 370nm) it is kinda sick that Saab achieved it with just a 4 cylinder engine.
Yeah... lol..having had three of these, the shifter is best left unglued... or with just a hint of blue loctite. Those that know .... know why ;) Can't wait to drive it in the am... it's an addiction. Saab 9-3's are amazing.
I probably wrote this in another comment. But I litterally can't believe that this video is on it's way to become the most popular on the channel. People love to hate on the GM era Saabs, but they sure are popular with the masses! And it really was a nice car to drive.
Thanks for the review. I bought my daughter a 06 9-3 Aero sedan a couple of months ago. So far it's been great, Not going to tell her how fast it can go though..
Been running & gunning with a 9-3 2011 1.9 TTiD, in the old world(Northern Europe) pushing at 170 000 miles. List of changed parts: - Runs like the clockwork, only had to change battery & front wheel bearings once. - The water pump at every 50-65k(with oil changes deliberately at 7.5k miles, to keep the soot out of the Diesel), had zero issues with it and its engine thus far. - Had it pushed from 130hp 340nm to 215hp, 440nm some years back, and not even the clutch is giving in. GM parts fail(like the rear break light connector), but the Saab parts just keeps rolling, and zero rust anywhere, regardless of salt-roads and the original stock suspension. - Once that Aero has its "uptuned tweak" done, I wanna hear all about it.
Diesels always respond so nicely to mods! And they always seem to hang on longer too, even when modified. And if the car ends up modified I will surely do an update review. Although the owner might do something else too. That is the thing with cars... constantly changing interests!
Love my 2006 Saab Aero ....quick story: driving down the hwy ..18 wheeler blows off a huge tread ...no way to avoid it..and blows off my front spoiler ....
After many mis-steps, including Saab's sale to Spyker, and GM lifting Saab's tech to transform Cadillac, NEVS, its current ownership, has weathered several storms, and is putting out 5 new electric Saab models beginning in 2017. I'm getting one, ASAP!
This review is one that got me thinking more seriously about buying a Saab even though I was contemplating it earlier. The first time I saw your video a couple months ago and today I'm just several days away from laying my hands on my own 2006 2.8 V6 Saab 9-3 Aero Sportkombi (Manual as it should be :D) that I already have paid a couple hundred bucks for in advance, just to make sure it doesn't get sold before I can pick it up. Excitement level sky rocketing ^^ I'm really looking forward to see that review after the owner does his modifications too!
At this point I am not sure if those modifications will make it on the car. But even stock it's a hoot IMHO! And the SportKombi? Always have had a weakness for estates, and estates with power? Even better! I hope you'll have lots of worry free miles!
Hi :) it's been around two weeks since I bought my Saab, I've already taken it for a test trip to polish mountains, done about 2500 miles already, this car is unbelievably well made for it's price. (Apart from the gear stick knob which also went off during gear reduction, we all know whose fault that is 😂😂) I feel like I wouldn't have reconsidered buying a Saab if I haven't seen your review(also given how poor RU-vid is when it comes to Saab related videos showing more than custom exhausts and other not so important stuff), so thank you very much good Sir :) EDIT: best thing about it is that Saab has always intrigued me but I have never driven one before, my test drive was the first ever and it was as good as I thought it would be ;)
Never had my shifter (gear stick) knob come off, guess that's what happens when you put your foot to the floor and you're changing gear, you hang on to it!
Nice review. 'Definitely GM's fault', that pretty much sums up the downfall of Saab. I've got an old '01 93 Coupe, with some engine tweaks and chassis improvements, and it's just brilliant. The power figures always deceive with Saabs, the midrange grunt makes them real sleepers. I'll be maintaining mine for as long as I possibly can, since they're now consigned to history.
Have you ever experience the " Night Panel " ? If you drive a Saab during the night, you press the Night Panel button, all panel lights are gone EXCEPT the speedometer .... there is also a mini-fridge in the glove box that can keep your beer or soda cold ! There are so much more Saab secrets for your to discover if you became a Saab owner like me ....
Ye man that explains why int went 60 mph in secong. :DD I have wrecked 9000 1995 it in second moves way quicker starting from 1500.. eaven tho it has 150 hp and its heavy
You are not completly right the 2008 9-3 Turbo X was saabs fastest car at 280 HP and 5.6s to 60. Main differences is that the Turbo X had AWD, 30 extra hp and removed torque limiter in first gear. And regarding the engine, it may have been a GM designed engine but the turbocharging was all saabs work. Very good video non the less !
+The Dutch Texan my first Saab was a 1997 900 hatchback grey silver my second Saab was 9-3 2006 red four door with a black matt hood very cool not original but nice
Fantastic car. 1 thing to say..you shouldn't just drive these cars hard whilst cold. Never go above 4k revs in any gear unless she is up to temperature.
+oba femi don't expect it to run for long, and if it does you won't hit much depreciation so you come out ahead. Just be willing to part it out when it inevitably dies!
+oba femi Hi! The Saab in this vid was mine. That depends, is it a 9-3 or a 9-5, what motor/trans is in it? Honestly, for $800, any car that runs and drives is a hell of a deal.
O love my 2007 9-3 diesel turbo. Its not the fastest off the line, but at 46 years old, I wanna keep lateral gravity to a minimum, if you know what I mean. I ain't ready to resemble my grand pa just yet. But what the Saab gives me, is comfort, safety, reliability, decent economy (35-45 mpg) space, and enough power for my needs. When I come to choose a replacement, it will be another Saab, hopefully a 2011 9-5 sportwagon.
I really like the NG 9-3, but there's just one problem for me and that's the feel of the pedals. The zone the clutch starts biting in is too far compared to the older generation 9-3's and 9-5's and they just don't have that sturdiness. Still, I think they're really great for their value (at least here in Finland) and drive quite smoothly.
+henke103 You will get a kick out of the outtakes that will come out in a few days. I am specifically talking about 2006. I can see how it comes out confusing though!
+TheRoadDriverly No, there's other models that have over 250hp than the Turbo X. There's the basic 9-3 Aero modell who had the same engine as the Turbo X at 280hp, the NG9-5 and 9-4x with a V6 300hp engine
I thought you were reffering to 9-5 with the same engine 2007 9-5 but it dosen't have 2.8T it only gets it in 2010 and weight 1900~kg the 9-5 that has 2.3T 260HP and it actually weights a few kilos less.
Well nothing major just little stuff. Tie rods which are normal wear and tear things, rear break light socket doesnt seem to have enough spring left in it to keep contact with the bulb so every once in while ill get the rear break light malfunction notification. The wiper linkage broke on the driverside (that was kinda my fault). After i fixed the linkage the wiper motor was parking the wipers in the middle of the windshield. Alarm was going off for no reason, replaced a switch in the rear door to fix that. Secondary air pump went 2x. Was recently told i needed a transmission seal at the pass side drive axle. Sometimes when locking the car one door doesnt lock but its not always the same door. Had a clunking noise when hitting bumps a year ago and that was the tie rods, but its clunking again not sure what it is this time. Driver door sometimes wont open when im exiting the car. Driver window sometimes will act like there is an obstruction and roll down after it reaches the top. I think thats it. Had the car 2 years now has 111k miles. Dont get me wrong I love the car, its worth taking care of :)
thunderkat good to know. I'm gonna get a 2008 aero. I have owned a 94 900 auto and a 2000 93 5spd. I can testify to the fact they will definitely protect you in collision. loved them both. My first order of business will to delete the mufflers lol
+ers1027 I actually meant up to 2006 when I said to date. I understand my word choice was less than optimal... It came up in the outtakes here by the by! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-cuIR1JGAbKc.html
I flew across country for an Aero Nordic 9-3 convertible. It's fast. It's the same engine as the Cadillac STS. With tuning and a few minor changes these engines put out 400 hp easily. They are not light either. 3900lb curb weight.
The passion for even these GM era saabs is uncanny. When I shot this review I never thought it was going to go anywhere, but it ended up as the number one video for quite a while. That thing must be a riot. And also piss some people off... Total sleeper!
What part of Texas are you in? I have a 2009 9-3 Aero V6 XWD 6-Speed with an MT (same drivetrain/engine as the Turbo X the year prior) with a handful of upgrades (Stage 3 tune). I'm in Houston -- if you are in the area, let me know and would be happy to meet up and let you take it for a drive :)
+Zissou Saab I'd love to, but I am in North Texas, the Plano area! You don't know how much I appreciate the offer, if I could take you up on it I totally would!
+Clarkecars you obviously did not look at the temp gauge on the cluster, you also forget the fact that people have to drive to the filming location. This results in fluids being nice and warm, even if they sit still for a little while after to take some "glamour" shots. And at times those shots are made after the actual review.
Lol at that Automatic comment!! It's the same here in Australia, most cars on the road are Auto's here!! Manuals are pretty rare, unless you drive a "Ute". I've owned mainly Holden's which are predominantly Auto and are rare in manual.
I actually just picked up a 03 saab linear 4 cylinder turbo manual transmission. has the stage 3 tune on it. i actually raced my buddy in his v6 and beat him by about 2 car lengths. it was great we did a few pulls from different gears and i continued to pull. but i have a stage 3 tune and hardly beat him.. just think if that v6 one had a stage 3 tune oh man lol