Saab 9-3's: Are They Reliable? 

My Saab never let me down I own a 2007 saab 2.0t stick and I gotta say it’s the best car I owned fast , reliable, a lot of truck space , overall just a great car , as a matter of a fact I’m on the highway in Florida driving it right now I just love this whip 💯

I can personally vouch for the OG 9-3's reliability! My old one had almost a quarter of a million miles on the clock and still running strong as ever

“Are Saabs reliable?” (Coolant light comes on) This was my life with both of mine.

My 2007 9-3 never left me stranded on the road. It is currently in the shop with mechanical and body work getting its yearly maintenance worth the money and time to keep up to date and a lot of people don't know how great these cars are. keep it up with the content.Thumbs up

I purchased my current 2010 9-3 in 2012 with 17K miles on the odometer. Almost exactly seven years later with 102K miles on it I have only ever had one mechanical issue of the radiator fan not switching off when it should. Making only one repair in seven years is pretty damn good for any car, knock wood.) Lots of Saab love here! 👍👍👍

My 08’ 9-3 is very reliable. Got it with 182k miles added about 4 miles in the past 7 months and she’s still treating me well. No major issues ever since it’s first repairs from when I purchased it like new battery, fog lights etc. Still a long way to go. Looking forward to a paint job and modifications next 🤞🏽 This is my first car too

I've had a 1 owner 43k 9-3 2ttdi for nearly three years now and it's spot on so far and drives lovely when opened up. 👍

Hi, looking at 9-3s rn in Germany. I’m the only male in the family without a Saab. We got a 9000 cse 2.3t in the multi-layer midnight blue which resembles the oldest, but most loved one in the family. As a daily driver, I‘m looking into 9-3s. Father drives a 9-5 pre-goggles, 1st facelift, you call it a linear of the ‚Gen 2.1 phase‘ plus some extras. He bought the 9000 in '97, and gave it to my eldest brother, still running. Another brother drives a 9-5 full spec aero with goggles and towbar. His wife drives their first born around in a 9-3 station wagon. My wife’s not happy with Saabs sadly bc she‘s the real Petrol head… Alfa or no change of car. That‘s why I didn’t dare to get a Saab yet. The main reason we’re so fond of Saab: My grandparents crashed a Saab 9000 once (which my father bought for them to replace their Merc w124) and destroyed a tractor with it without severe injuries. If it wasn’t for the 9000 series at least one of my grandparents would have been dead 5/15 years before their time. My grandparents kept saying when I was a child: Visit us, drive in the Mercedes with grandpa Now it’s my parents saying to my daughter and nephews: Visit us, drive with the Saab

*Stability control failure* _Contact Saab Dealer_

Still driving my 2004 9-3 convertible with just 87,000 miles on it. It's in great shape and fun to drive (standard). I still get many compliments on it. My 3rd SAAB convertible. Love em.

Had an OG 9-3. constant issues with the A/C, heater core, motor mounts, suspension, sunroof, power windows, vacuum lines, water pump and SID. Why do i still want another saab lmao

Hey, I'm just on the last stretch of a 6.000 km tour in 11 days from Denmark to Spain in my 2000 9-3 with a 2 litre n/a engine; 314.000 km on the clock. 14 km to the litre. Spins smooth. It's a hatchback or 5-door.

I bought my 9-3 in May of 2017 and with 91,000 miles (now 174,000) and outside of maintenance and re-wiring the front left headlight and replacing the license plate light piece, I have had no issues. I agree that my Saab 2003 9-3 Linear has been pretty reliable. The more I drive it, the more I love it. It has been my favorite car to drive that I have owned.

Seasoned 9-3 owner here. Never left stranded by any of the 3 9-3s I owned. But they did need constant maintenance, the kind that I wouldn’t have gotten if I’d been driving a Mazda or Toyota.

i have owned 3 saabs ng900 og9-3 ng9-3 tuned them all to more than twice the factory horsepower and abused them as daily drivers and none of them have ever broken or left me on the road (exept once when the alternator belt snapped but was my bad for not changing it on time) :D

With 209,000mi, currently, on my 2007 9-3 2.0T, I would say yes! I’ve owned it since about 59,000 miles.

I own an 03 Vector SS and an 04 Arc Vert, both have been excellent. Only wear and tear items have had to be replaced.

My 2005 93 2.0t runs amazing except when the weather here is Wisconsin drops below 20°F. Then my HUD goes crazy telling me everything is wrong.... But everything is fine. Very frustrating. Last winter it dropped to negative 35°F and my headlights & tail lights flashed like strobe lights when i left for work. Quirky car but always reliable. Love my saaaaaab!

I've driven nothing but SAABs since 1972. Bought a 9-3 Turbo-X new in 2008. Aside from clogged injectors because I foolishly used 91 octane gas for a while, it's given me NO TROUBLE whatsoever. It gets regular maintenance and I made sure to change the differential oil a few times. Oh, I did need new front discs. This car (6 speed manual) handled as good as the day I drove it home, if not better. It's definitely saved my life a few times doing "square waves" on the highway to avoid trouble. Very much bonded to this car as I was to my first model 96 that I kept from 72-2000 (with newer models in between including 900s, 9000s, and 9-3s). I visited the factory in 2011 as they were rolling out the final 9-5...and sat in on some engineering meetings for the electric car they were working on and I got to ride in one. If I could publish pictures here of the factory I would...but there's no way. This Turbo-X owes me NOTHING at this point. I see no reason to sell it though I wish it had a few "modern" conveniences like integrated Bluetooth and a much better SiriusXM operating system. Oh, and the Bose sound system SUCKS....but otherwise

My OG 9-3 SE 2.0T Hatchback has gone 185k miles, bushings are starting to get worn but the engine is solid, I got it up to 29.5MPG but it's usually around 25MPG since I mostly drive on the highway and with the five speed it's above like 3k rpm.

I just got a 05 9-3 linear and love it. I got a check engine light other day for turbo bypass valve? Not sure what it is lol

The early NG 9-3's had a ton of issues and customer satisfaction campaigns. Not unusual after a few years for the warranty work print out to be literally a number of pages of line by line operations that were done on the car. After a few model years most of the bugs got worked out. I think a lot of the problems were GM lowest bidder parts supplier related problems, not Saab engineering. Two experiences illustrating this problem: 1) The early 9-5's NEVER had a rear trunk wiring problem. Somewhere around the '05 or '06 model, the the wires started breaking where you open and close the trunk. Just cheap wires made in Mexico that could not take the flex. 2) You know the plastic push pin rivets that hold on the top of your front bumper? For many years I never had a problem pushing the center pin down a tad, and pulling them out...always reusable. Well, somewhere around 2007 or so, if you tried that, the plastic was so brittle it would actually shatter.....on a brand new car. Talked to one of our customers who was in plastics about it. He explained the various chemicals in the plastic came in drums, and cost certain amounts, some more expensive than others. So, in cost cutting, the parts were brittle because a more expensive chemical was reduced in favor of a cheaper chemical. In short, parts supplier cost cutting, often due to GM lowest bidder pressure.

Yes, only major thing I've had to fix was the ECU. Part of it was because the car sat for over year though

My 2010 93 has 120k miles on the clock. The only problems I have had over the years have been: suspension components aging and failing, one wheel hub went bad prolly due to the failing aged suspension, fuel level sensor went bad at 75k miles and that is it. I change all my fluids regularly and the spark plugs every 50k miles. Other than these minor things the car has been perfect. I hope to keep it till at least 200k miles. It's in great shape and still rides like new

I have a 2010 1.9tid turbo edition and all that had to be replaced in past year were a couple of bushings and the alternator pulley.definitely one of the more reliable cars I've had.A bit low on power though,so had to remap it to around 200hp

Yes saab 9-3 is one of the most reliable cars on the market// a swedish saab owner

Agreed... standard wear and tear items have been replaced but nothing major in my Arc

I love my 2003 Saab 9-3... that's a sweet car,and it's reliable

I've only had couple major issues with my '03 93. The balance shaft tensioner guide snapped and the upper timing chain guide wore out. replaced both even though it was a lot of work especially for the balance shaft chain guide.

I bought an 06 Saab 93 as my first car back in September for roughly $2600 and I have put just over $3000 into repairs for the car. Every time I fix something, something else breaks. It is a very reliable car, but I’ve just gotten very unlucky with my experience of owning the car.

Iam just about selling my 2009 93 estate which I bought in 2012 and never had a serious problem. It always brought me to where i wanted to go... not even large maintance issues with 220:000 km. I now get a litlle bit younger tx version (2011 with only 120.000 km on the clock. So i hope to drive again some 5-7 years with it.

Have you considered installing a Nav Screen unit in the Turbo X? Not like some after market shut but the actual Saab one? They’re a bit pricey but I think that would make a good video and be nice to have in the car

My Saab is A.) losing coolant and still not sure where/how (leak? fans?) and B.) AC leaked out from a failed hose. AC hose/recharge is easy part but I don't want to mess with it until I get a clear idea of what Saab's likely coolant loss culprit is. Just today realized with no AC the condenser fan (right side) doesn't come on so I'm wondering if that's it and I'm in a catch 22.

my balance shaft bearing spun at 300k miles on my 99. I drilled some holes in the block and tapped in some bolts to seal off some oil passages and got the genuine saab balance shaft delete for the front passages and headed on towards 400k but then someone rear ended me. My new 2008 aero is doing well though 100k now at 160k miles the only issue coolant tank.

I'm in the UK and I've owned both the petrol and diesel 2.0tid. Wrecked the petrol one last year - a shame but, hey, I survived! Service the diesel one myself and changed the starter motor last weekend. The biggest problem I had was when the powered steering dropped out shortly after buying it. It took weeks to figure out it was an 80amp fuse blown in a sneaky fuse box behind the battery (continuity test). Overall, I love this car. It's a black soft-top.

Yep, agree. I bought a 2005 9-3 Aero in Mar 2004 that now has 332k miles on it. Most issues other than usual wear/tear have been the ones you describe. Still running the original clutch and turbo too. The 2.0L has been and continues to be very solid - now going through the ECU issue though. It's outlived an '89 Accord DX 5sp, and a '96 4-Runner both of which I gave up on around 180k miles. I'd say I've gotten my money's-worth.

I've always been intrigued by these but wondered if they share a lot of common GM parts for easier repairs.

I have a 2008 93 2.0T and the motor has low compression, it wouldn’t start up all winter but when 70 degrees came around it started up again

Just bought a 2001 old generation 9-3 the other week, with 280000KM on the odometer. Will report in again some other time to see if it is reliable. Previous owner has replaced: ignition cartridge, front tire, back breaks, muffler, AC compressor, ignition lock head and so on. Some oil can be seen on the outside of the engine but doses not look like a leaking issue. Seems runs nicely. I plan to put on some new front breaks and will have it checked at a local Saab specialist place (hopefully they are good). Plan to keep it long as we only need some weekend drive or summer trips. Will try not drive it much in winter as in Sweden there is snow and salt. Maybe I can find a prosper place to do some rust protection, we will see 😅

Never had a 9-3 but was under my 9-5 aero looking for a coolant leak yesterday and noticed a CV boot had a hole in it. Gonna have it parked up for a week or so while the local Saab specialist find time for it.....thankfully I don't need it for work or I'd be driving it anyway!

Getting an injector replaced on my '06 Aero. Other than that, perfect car (granted, it only has 88k miles). The Saab shop gave me an '02 9-3 as a loaner with 184k miles. It's got a few issues, but ultimately drives pretty great for the age and mileage.

My dad just gave me his 03 9-3 but sadly it doesn’t run right now so I now have to save up probably $500 or so and put it into my new old 9-3 yayyy I do have to admit tho when we use to ride in it I’ve always loved it

B207 is totally reliable, if maintained. Chains guides at 100k and keep clean fluids. It will not break.

I have had mine 9-3 for about 2 and a half months still was on factory clutch with 120k miles but havent had an issue with it other than a radiator mount wasnt there and it loosened up the coolant hose but it was a super slow leak and now that its warm it stopped so idk

Hi I am thinking of buying a 93 v6 convertible 2007 are they reliable. Cause I don’t want to fix it my self

My opinion 9-3s from 07 and up are way more reliable all the gremlins are weeded out on the pre facelifted 9-3 in my opinion except for valves ..either way more reliable than a VW

I had the power steering pump gasket fail and the power steering fluid overflows with engine oil. Took me way too long to find someone to fix it...

I've owned my 2006 2.0T Combi for a little over three years. I'm now at about 77,000 mi. Only major repair so far has been a water pump replacement. The a/c evaporator has a very slow leak but getting the system re-charged every year or so gives me cold a/c at far less cost then replacing the evap. Just have to see how long it lasts. The car did strand me once but that was completely my own fault as the ancient battery finally shorted a cel and died....should have replaced it before that happened. I do get a check engine light from time to but it's always the code for the gas cap and it goes out on it's own after a number of start/stop cycles. I also now have the fuel level sending unit problem when the tank is full...no big deal there either.

I got a 04 9-3 aero ive had it for 3 years and it hasnt left me stranded #saabstrong

Hey... with the fuel pump CEL.... want to do a step-by-step instructional on how to replace the fuel pump????!!!!

I have a 2006 9-3 vagon with b207 engine and it has been reliable sometimes has had some minor problems but i fixed all on myself and i am 17yr old from finland so not bad😁 9-3 is best winter car it starts everytime even -30 'C and it can go everywhere i want it dosent care about how mutch is snow in the road. And thanks your videos they helped me fixing and maintane my saab👍 And sorry my bad english i hope you can understant what i wrote🤣

That sounds about right a good reliable car will crank up and get you to and from even with a light or 2 on

Hi! Perhaps you can help me out! While station in Germany, In 2005, I bought a 2005 Saab 9-3 AERO, direct the manufacture's in Sweden with US Specification. Once before the check engine came light on ( this may been around 2007) at that time there were still several Saab dealership's still active in Germany. So I took it the dealership that it was delivered to in Mainz Germany, and I was told it was a gas cap issue, easy fix, so I always made sure that the cap was closed securely. Fast forward, Jan 13, 2020, my check engine light came on again, A company called 2 Nut's and a Bolt, located in Savannah GA. that specialties, is with Saab and other European Models, is where I took it. They have some maintenance/minor work on my Saab the past, they have has my Saab since Jan. 13 2020, I've paid $1100.00 on an Engine Sensor that I was told, is what was needed. I still don't have my Saab back. Any recommendation or suggestions would greatly appreciated. Because I was deployed a lot, the car still has just over 72,000.00 miles on it. Any help would greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance! Myron O. Cofer SFC/E-7 US Army (Retired) myron.o.cofer@gmail.com

i just found a saab 9-3 with 84,000 miles on it for $8995, should i pull the trigger?

I almost always ONLY drive stick. But what do you think of these in auto with the "manual mode" ? There's a super clean 2011 in red for sale here at a former saab dealership. 53,000 miles. Is it worth it? Being auto that is?

First 9-3 I had was an 2003 2.0T Aero, Can't recall it ever breaking down on me or any niggles in the 3 plus years I had it, currently drive a 2010 180bhp diesel twin turbo (turbo edition) had it over three years now and no problems whatsoever, its the perfect all rounder of performance and economy, I doubt there is much out there if anything than can match its figures for both.

Im buying a 2008 saab 9-3 arc Its in great shape. my mechanic tried to talk me out of it. Is it hard to get parts. Im in san jose ca.

Awesome and Reliable

For the past two years I have been very happily driving around with Low Coolant :)

What do you think of the '04 arc? I might buy one with 119k miles for $1600. Its in good condition.

For myself definitely the Dame 9-5 Vector has been overwhelmingly more reliable than my pre facelift ng 9-3 Arc

I wouldn’t say the most reliable but she’s never left me stranded and I’m picking away at improving all the problem areas. Now just to fix the rear turn signals randomly deciding to stop working

Im about to get my drivers license, should i go for the more cheaper hatchback or the sedan?

I’m new to Saab I just got mine probably a month ago it was sitting all winter so I’m not surprised there’s some problems I’ve got some rattling in the the vscuum pump not a big deal and I’m having Mis fire ive read that I need to replace the coil packs bcz the engine was shaking and didn’t know that I needed a specific type it’s taken me about a week to find the right ignition coils after spending close two hundred dollars on some ignition coils but I like the car and bought it with a tune and still have great gas mileage I love the car and don’t plan on getting rid of it imma fix it up and hope it last me and pray that the coolant doesn’t leak 😂😂

I owned three 9-3 (viggen -99, SE -99 and aero -01) and atm i own a 9-5 aero -01 and the only major issue i got problem with is rusty suspension bone in the front that i had to change on the -99 SE but i also live in middle of sweden and we use alot of road salt here on the winter that eats up our poor saabs :(.

I have a 07 saab 93 aero I just purchased it has the 2.8 turbo how do I tell which motor is in it I guess there was 2 different 2.8s

I have only had 9000s and 9-5 Aeros. I am currently looking at a 08 9-3 Aero.

Every MOT I seem to have to sort the CV Boot, apart from that its reliable

2007 9-3 2.0T with the dreaded intake valve problem. 49k miles, SRS airbag module problem, 3 of the 4 door lock actuators not working, fuel level sender doesn’t work, turbocharger needed to be rebuilt, fuel pressure regulator failed (allowing ton of fuel into intake manifold).

Shane Essex : my sister owns an o8 ' TDI 1.9 .. it has a long history of not starting sometimes until I fitted an extra noegative earth strap and it fixed the random dead start.. I'm yet to clean the factory earth body connections.. the sump plug on the motor is seized so the engine oil still hasn't been changed since the car was purchased KMs in known but she owned the car for over 3years and her son all so drives the car often driving it fairly hard as young lads do .... It just resenly clicked 300 000 KMs .. I can honestly say no other car with this mileage would ever . ever.. be able to cope as well as this SAAB .. seriously tuff stuff! Legitimate

I have 9-3 Convertible 14 years old, still drives smooth and most comfortable drive I have experienced.

Have 2005 Saab ..110,000 km's and steering system locked ... pulled circuit breaker and it unlocked .... why any advise and speculation when his may happen again ? Is this an indication that a "reboot' will do the trick again next time ... going to lock up when outback ?

I looked up the plate to your SAAB and apparantely it belonged to a Skoda Kamiq from 2019 until it was exported in 2022. Found it a bit funny haha (Swedish plate btw)

Good video

I've owned 3 Saabs. A 1996 900s, a 2001 95, and a 2006 93 2.0t.......They were pretty reliable cars, but also had irritating problems. The 900 engine died at 216000 miles from a bad chain combined with extreme cold. I loved the 95 but it had problems with the ignition cassettes, which could leave you stranded. Also the automatic climate control switch didn't work because of cheap plastic parts that would break. I finally had to jerry rig it with a little lever to manipulate it manually between heat and cold. The 93 was great. Only a few minor but irritating problems. It developed a leaky oil pressure sensor which dripped oil even after being replaced. I loved the 93. It was fast and never let me down. It had other damn problems though that were a pain in the ass. The blower motor cabin fan would freeze every morning when temps got below 25 degrees at night. A bad design kept letting moisture get passed the cabin air filter which was a pain in the ass to unfreeze or replace the filter for that matter. Usually self corrected after 15 minutes of driving and freezing your ass off before it would start working. The audio system failed when the amp under the driver seat failed due to moisture. Not well thought out. I had to bypass the fiber optics and eliminate two speakers to get it going again rather than spend $600 for a new one. And oh yes....since every sound in the car ran on fiber optics, when the amp went so did the blinker signal sound! Cheap plastic parts in the electric windows meant early failure. And there were constant warnings and lights about steering lock failure. I sold it when I moved and the new owner got about a year out of it before it had a head gasket failure at around 190000 miles. I enjoyed my Saabs despite the little irritating things. But frankly they would be too much of a burden now that I'm older. I'm more concerned with absolute reliability. Honda or Toyota all the way. I have a Pontiac Vibe which is a Matrix with a Pontiac badge. It's fun to drive, loads of cargo space, and because it's basically a Corolla wagon, it's dead reliable. No more Saabs or BMW's for me thank you very much.

P0089 code when I revved over 4.5. Starting using Lucas fuel cleaner every other fill up. After a few months no more code. 2006 Aero manual

Given that the brand is dead, where exactly do you go for repairs or parts?

i have problem , door cant open outside/inside, no sound turning signals etc, stereo, speaker stock basssbox works but not the first mention, not fun to not hear the important sound from det car, parking sensor, warning beep and last ng9-3-2009, turn light left error, any tips ? mate , great videos and nice car you have_=) no big defects but so annoying cheers

I have a 2007 93 with 270800mi that I did all! Bought brand new!

My saab 9-3 aero 2008 is leaking coolant out of the exhaust. Car will not start properly. Technician says it might be a blown head gasket. Is it worth it to have this car repaired at 110,000 miles or get another more reliable car like a honda civic?

I love my 2002 !

Never had a probelm with my 03 9-3ss, the only thing i had to change was the rear upper control arm bushings

theres a 2004 saab 93 areo 6 speed turbo for sale. its super super clean and it has 145k miles. they want 4.9k for it. is it worth purchasing?

I have a 9-3 convertible on LPG (347k km) Yes the costs are significant but I've never been happier.

I JUST BOUGHT A 2005 SAAB 9 3 TURBO AND IM HAVING A PROBLEM WERE IT LOOSES POWER AN WON'T IDLE IF YOU LET IT SIT FOR A COUPLE HOURS IT GOES BACK TO NORMAL ANYBODY HAVE ANYTHING LIKE THIS HAPPEN AND WHAT WAS THE PROBLEM????

Yes they are reliable!

I just thought of a good question... You might be able to make a video on it if you can think of enough points to talk about but the question is. Would a Saab 9-3 be a good car to learn manual in? The reason i ask is because I've been interested in buying a Saab for awhile now and want to learn how to drive manual at some point... So i was thinking i could knock 2 birds out with one stone and buy a manual Saab to learn manual in, instead of buying a cheap Honda like i'm currently thinking about doing. Would it be worth it? or would potentially ruining the clutch be a costly repair compared burning a clutch on a Honda

what’s reliability like on a 1999 9-3? found one with 95k miles near me for $4k. anything I should look out for if/when I look at it?

dude - the audio is pretty intermittent here

What kind of fuel do you on these cars, Premium or regular?

Hey thinking at trading my gxp (my love ) for a 08 2.0 with 161 ,000 miles pls is it worth it I’ve heard the turbos go on these cars the guy told me The turbo gaskets have been replaced and clean . Is that a red flag 🚩 or should I go for it ?? 🤷🏾‍♂️ insight pls

Hey it's easy to find spare parts and if so its by the saab or aftermarket??

1:07 ... i looked around and thought "wtf now" lol i hate that sound

I have a 2006 93 Aero. I like it very much. It has needed service, but it's a reliable car.

hows the aftermarket parts for this cars?

Are the newer 9-3's automatic transmissions reliable?

I have an '04 Arc convertible. These cars are very nice to drive, but can have some of the issues commonly found on older high performance semi-luxury cars. The engines and transmissions are solid, which is the most important thing. What can really make these cars a pain in the ass is the electronics. Best advice I can give is BUY YOUR OWN TECH2 CLONE. You can enable/disable any system or diagnose and repair any electrical gremlin that might pop up. Seriously, it allows you to completely 'hack' the car. Mine kept randomly giving me the infamous "Stability Control" warning. Grabbed the Tech2 and used it to re-calibrate the steering angle sensor in the CIM. Warning gone. It had a theft alarm that would constantly go off. Even when disarmed! Grabbed the Tech2 and used it to disable the alarm system. Crazy alarm gone. Though annoying, these sorts of issues are nothing you wouldn't expect in an early 2000s BMW or Mercedes (which I have also owned). My 9-3 is a blast to drive and gets lots of compliments...mostly from people who think it looks cool but don't know what it is! If you don't want to put in the time and money for maintenance and/or repairs you really should avoid ANY older European car. They tend to be a 'labor of love'. Period.

I own a 2008 saab 9-3 2.0t, so far I haven’t had any problems with it but... my sun roof dosnt want to close when I open up the back of it. It takes like 30 tries until it closes all the way. No clue what’s wrong with it...

How many times a year should i do a tune up on this car. How muchl dollers would i spend

I have 9.3 180TTID aero wagon 170 000km, very reliable, never have Big problem, just change hose.