Yes, at 140 kilometers per hour. Once I was going to Nurburgring at night and went faster on the german autobahn and suddenly the speedometer lighted up. Scared me to death the first second. 🙂
Fun fact: Saab convertibles those days were actually manufactured in Finland. The only car factory in Finland was specialized in convertibles, makes full sense for a near-artic-circle car factory :D
If memory serves, if you set the gearbox to reverse and remove the key, the gearbox locks in reverse as an anti theft measure (comparable to steering wheel locking when the lock is on the column). This is why it beeps until shifted to reverse.
Correct. While most other manufacturers used steering wheel locks as an anti-theft measure Saab went with the gearbox version locking it in reverse. The thinking being who would ever want to steal a car you can only drive backwards or first have to break the gearbox. It also, like Doug pointed out, had the purpose of forcing you to put the car in gear when parking it to act as a safety if you ever to forgot use the parking break.
I drive 9-3 and yes this is correct, however you should not be able to even take out the key from the ignition unless gearbox is in reverse and ignition is in locked position. Ignition lock is busted in this one.
The primary reason for placing the key where it is, was a safety feature. In the event of a crash if thesteering coloumn goes into the cabin/driver, the key can go into your leg. Although you are correct in that it was also a highly effective security feature. This is why we loved Saab's attention to detail and engineering. Sorely missed.
8:06 you can even see where someone had difficulty finding the ignition that isn't there, jabbing and scratching the key along the steering column housing
Called it 3 months ago! A 900 Aero or 99 Turbo should be next. or at least a 9000 Aero or 9-5 Aero. Its a bit of a shame Doug picked this particular example, being somewhat non-original and in pretty neglected condition but its nice to see Doug enjoying it nonetheless and I understand the struggle to find a great one. I'd bet he would've formed a better opinion having driven one for a longer period of time and having a better condition example, especially with the cupholder in the dash, which appears to be broken on this car. The ignition also appears to be broken on this car. The key shouldn't be able to come out unless the car is in reverse. The beeping without the key is a result of that and it should be fixed before things get worse. Just a couple corrections so people don't go around telling the wrong story on these: Literally everywhere in the promotional and historical material for this car, they mention the SAAB 37 Viggen fighter jet, which this car is inspired by. You see, SAAB was (and continues to be) primarily an aerospace and defense company. Also in the literature, these are referred to as "9-3" instead of using the superscript 3 (presumably because its a pain to teach lots of people how to type a superscript 3), not to be confused with the 93 model from the 1950s. These wheels are 9-3 SE/Aero "Double Y" wheels, not Viggen wheels. The Aero trim level was always around, even in this generation. It was a step below the Viggen, but had this same body kit. It was known as the SE Sport in some markets during this generation. The 90 was a low budget, low production, transitional model between the 99 and 900, which we did not get here in North America. Nowhere does Saab mention that 90+000 is 90,000 (or 9 cubed, equaling 729). The rear position for the dome light rocker switch is for the rear dome light. Not only is the ignition in the center console for knee protection, It's also there because legacy Saabs used it to lock the shifter as an alternative to having to lock the steering wheel. You can blame any torque steer this car has on the push to make Saabs more normal (as with the 9000 in 1984) and profitable to keep the brand from going under, which it almost did in 1989. That and the fact that, thanks to GM's 50% (1989) and subsequent 100% ownership (1998) of Saab, this car is loosely (and I mean very loosely) based on the GM2900 floorpan which included the transverse FWD layout. Some older Saab loyalists complained about this at the time, but we'll be thanking Saab for making these more normal as they age and have to be repaired. Older Saabs used a driveline that eliminated torque steer by placing the engine longitudinally in reverse (and slanted at about 45 degrees) with the output at the front of the car, going through a chain drive down and back into the transmission, centered under the engine, allowing for equal length drive shafts to the front wheels. These DOHC H series engines are some of the strongest gas 4cyl engines ever made. H series equipped Saabs have proven themselves as the easiest to own and maintain, while also being the most durable. You can approach 400hp in this car with stock internals and many people have. There are heavily modified versions out there making several hundred or more. Doug says this car will never play in the league with the M series and the AMG cars but I guarantee these are stronger in other ways. Having owned an E46 myself, I can confirm these are better made, and usually wont need the engine opened up til well over 200k miles. Something you can't say about most BMWs of the same era, as a certain C&B employee has proven.
It was a good car. I've always said it was good at everything, but excelled at nothing. Good snow car, good gas mileage, reliable, fast, fun, could haul stuff, etc. I corrupted a friend who still has two of them. I replaced mine with a '08 BMW M3, but still miss my Viggen. What sort of killed it was when I bought my '00 new, Saab was trying to compete with the euro's; so the service department really took care of you; Saab loaners, personal tech assigned, service agreements like free oil changes, winter tire storage, etc. By '03, GM really hit them hard on the service side and pushed you through like you bought a Chevy; like cattle being processed at a check-in counter. No longer remotely comparative to experience you'd get at Mercedes, Audi, or BMW.
@@MrJMS814 GM at the time gave an Opel to SAAB and told them to just rebadge it... The joke was that the Swedes weren´t happy with the looks of the Opel and stripped nearly everything away and build a completely new "Opel" to then rebadge it to SAAB...
As an American, I was in college during the mid/late 80's. Being in a "residential/urban" campus I past a few 900's while walking to class and such. I was enamored. I still hope to find a decent enough one from that era to buy and fix up if need be. Such a unique and exceptional auto company. I was very sad when the recession took them out.
Saab was all about safety, so they did not care that much about 0-100 km/h, instead they created an engine which has massive torque from 60 to 120 km/h. That is the most useful and most needed acceleration.
There is hidden cup holder in the front dash underneath the Night Panel button; you can see the little Cup pictogram 12:09. It's very nicely designed and slowly opens with a smooth spring action.
This car is all messed up. Viggens key couldn’t be removed unless it was in reverse. Someone defeated that interlock. That probably had the side effect of making the alarm beep if it wasn’t in reverse. The Saab logo on the steering wheel is not correct for a Viggen. Night panel lights up the entire speedometer if you go over 100. The spring out cup holder above the radio is broken, as is typical in all Viggens. Rear ashtray is missing. Wheels are aftermarket. Viggens only came with a 5-spoke wheel that was specific to the Viggen (as seen on the blue one in the video).
@@Wirldly the beep is a factory feature if you leave the key in. The ability to remove the key without the car in reverse is not. The ignition switch is broken. If the key comes out with the car out of reverse, the switch thinks the key is still in it and it beeps.
Sorry Doug I'm a huge Saab nerd lol. - The first model year of the 9-3 was 1998, not 1999. - The 9-3 came as a 2D vert, 3D hatchback/coupé and a 5D hatchback. - Viggen doesn't mean thunderbolt in Swedish, that's just a myth. I have never heard anyone in Sweden say that. Viggen is simply just a name. - The Viggen didn't have distinctly bigger wheels, in Europe we also got an Aero trim that came with the rims shown on the Viggen in the video. So no those are not the Viggen rims, the Viggen was actually revealed with another rim design that that was scrapped last minute due to them being unstable at somewhere around 190km/h. So they just picked out an optional rim design for the 9-3 and made them the Viggen rims. The Viggen concept the 900 SVO still has those rims, and my dad's 99' Viggen rolled off the line on a set of those rims. - Doug there is a huge Viggen logo in the seats, and also those seats were originally Viggen only also they can be colored back/blue or black/orange the instrument panel is Viggen only. So there are lots of stuff that is special and the Viggen interior is very easy to tell apart from other trims. - The center ignition is also very effective at preventing car theft as you can't rip out the wires and just start it even if the ECM is switched out for one without an immo code. And if you could you would still be stuck in reverse... Saabs were famous before the 9-3 and 9-5 came for being the bank robber's favourite car in Sweden. So a bit of engineering went into stopping that lol. - Nightpanel is kinda dynamic if you exceed 140km/h the rest of the speedo lights up. And if you are low on gas the right side of the cluster lights up. The thought is that you see just what you need to see.
Thanks for saving me typing all of this. Except for Viggen, which does mean thunderbolt or refers to a tufted duck... But as they also called their fighter jet viggen, we can safely assume they meant the thunderbolt. Also, around here I have never seen a Viggen with the cupholder above the radio. But then the Viggen's also came with Saab's audio system that is missing from this car. So that might be why they put the cupholder in. And yes, those are Aero wheels, not Viggen wheels as they would come with 5-spoke wheels as standard.
As with many European cars, the model year intro is (or was at the time) often one year ahead of its introduction to the North American market. So what you might have had premiere in 1998, North America would get as a new model in 1999.
For most people, the 9-3 wasn't available until the 1999 model year. "2 door hatchback" and "3 door" are the same thing. One makes more sense than the other. Saab themselves said "Viggen" was chosen for their fighter jet because it means thunderbolt.
Viggen was the only 9-3 to have 17" rims from the start. The Aero in '00 had 16" and not until 2001, when the Aero got the Viggen body kit, it too got 17" rims.
this cars reverse gear lock is broken, and that explains the beeping when you open the door. saab used a reverse gear locks as theft deterrence instead of steering wheel locks. the key is only supposed to come out of the ignition when reverse is engaged. the car beeps at you because the combination of being in neutral without the key shouldnt even be possible lol
The ignition is worn out, that's why he was able to take the key out without putting it in reverse. Notice when he did put it in reverse and take the key out you hear the ignition pop up and lock. Both my 9⁵s are somewhat like this. Not because my ignition is worn but because I removed the ignition pins.
The whole car is rough. The jacking point covers are missing, the petrol cap cover doesn’t match the colour of the car, there is a hole in the right headlight, the chrome has worn off the grill, the drivers seat is very worn and the tyres are flat…
@gordonyoul9515 Wow, I didn't notice all of that. Well I did notice the jacking point cover was missing. The rest I did not, probably because I was typing a small novel about things he missed or seem to not know or wasn't correct about.
@@gordonyoul9515 And when he shows the cup holder between the seats you clearly see that the rear seat vents are loose. And the cup holder in the dash is cracked.
Fun fact…. the Saab Viggen was also a Swedish fighter jet. It was also the only fighter jet to ever achieve missile lock on an SR-71 Blackbird. So yeah, quite an impressive name to live up to!
We swedes refuse to recognize the 9-2X and 9-7X as Saabs because they aren't. Every Saab model starting with the first gen 900 and the 9000 were available in the Aero trim level in Sweden. The lower spec models differed. S, SE, CSE, linear, Arc, Vector and such but the Aero was always the top trim level. Then there were the special editions like the 9-3 Viggen and 9-3 Turbo X, and 9-5 Griffin that was originally the V6 model but toward the final year models for the first gen 9-5 it was just another trim level. I know the US models have had different trim levels but I assumed the Aero would have been around for some time. Maybe the US had the Viggen instead of Aero? It sure wasn't the same spec as the swedish Viggen though, at least not the one in this video.
Doug, the centre screen also told you to clean your tape heads and also when to change your wiperblades. The speedometer was designed to have the needle vertical at highway speeds so you glanced down and looked at position rather than read the numbers. The central ignition was also a thief preventer. You had to put the car on its side to hot wire it. Thanks for the memories.
This one is not there because it has an aftermarket radio. The cup holder always gets removed in these when the radio gets changed for some reason, I have yet to figure out. My 9³ convertible still has the working factory radio, speakers are terrible though lol
@@TheChefChroniclesno that one still had it, I put a 2 din radio in mine and lost the cup holder unfortunately, and now the "infotainment" floats around lol
Very cool to see a Saab reviewed! A bit frustrating how little effort seems to have been put in to understand the "quirks". Viggen is actually primarily a reference to the saab viggen fighter jet. The wheels are not from a viggen, they are from a 9-3 aero. The reason for having to leave the car in reverse is because it locks the gearbox in that gear as a theft prevention (you shouldn't even be able to take the key out of the ignition without doing that). The light button shows a small light because it keeps the small reading lights on. There is a cup holder that folds out right above the radio.
Nice video, nice to see a Saab on this channel again! The dome light fact at 11:50, the 'off' switch is not off, it is the rear dome lights only. Plus, the Saab gives a lot of style and originality of choice - in my eyes
the "viggen" name actually comes from a fighter jet that saab also made. you can see the triangle logo next to the word viggen looks like a top down view of the jet
My parents had two SAAB 9-3's in the mid 00's when I was around 20 years old and I remember those cars fondly. They were nice to drive and looked cool, in fact I still think it looks cool when I occasionally see one. I remember the key was this big full-plastic spaceship-looking thing that you put in the middle console and it felt cool to turn in that position.
Lots of reminders of second cup holder, but there is one more Viggen specific quirk missing in the car interior review. The one more way to distinguish Viggen from regular 9-3 is the Viggen logo embossing located on the front seats. The regular 9-3 had the option to install Viggen seats, but those optional ones never had Viggen logo.
I bought a new 07 Saab 9-3 Aero wagon 6spd using European Delivery. I picked it up July 2, 2007. It currently has 177K miles, but it hasn't been my daily driver since 2018.
About the name 9-3, Saab already had the model 93 (1956-60), the first Saab model was the 92. Calling the new model the 9-3 was more of a connection to their heritage.
The name Viggen also come from the fact that Saab as well as a car manufacturer, is also an aircraft manufacturer and it pays hommage to it's Saab 37 Viggen multirole combat aircraft produced from 1971 to 1990
Some odd facts; The JA-37 Viggen was one of only two supersonic turbojet airplanes ever produced with thrust reverser included, so that the plane could maneuver itself completely even on the ground. The other was the Concorde. Furthermore, it's the only fighter which has been able to scramble and get up to speed in time and get up to such speed that it could get a solid lock on and feasibly take down the SR-71 Blackbird, which was "practically tested" due to a communications snag during an overpass over Swedish airspace. It has record-setting STOL capabilities, and is one of very few ASF planes - practically all others also being Swedish - capable of being refueled and re-munitioned in less than 10 minutes and being able to land on and take off from public highways. It was the first real series-produced fighter to incorporate canard wing planes and the first to carry an onboard IC central control computer and flight control system. True to type for Swedish planes, it was far from big, but the engine was the most specifically powerful for its size and weight of that whole era, and the airframe accomodated oodles of hardpoints and a practical overloading of weapons, continuing the typical characteristic of Swedish fighters of being basically "Hot Rods of the air."
SAAB-owners also frequently pay hommage to the JAS fighter jet crash-video, as they tend to use the same swearwords whenever the traditional gearbox failiure occurs.
It’s a shame this one isn’t finished in lightning blue (best viggen color) and doesn’t have the OEM viggen wheels. These “double Y” wheels were offered on the 9-5 and are a common upgrade on these 9-3’s. I’m glad he mentioned the structural rigidity from a handling perspective. The OG 9-3 convertibles are often referred to as the “wet noodle” chassis. Thankfully there are some aftermarket upgrades to improve that. The hatches are much better handling and definitely would have fared better on the Dougscore overall. I’m super excited to hear how much Doug enjoyed it overall!
I have owned three Saab 9-3s of this generation. Loved how unique and interesting it was once you got familiar with them. Plus with some simple mods and a tune, they could put out some good power. A couple things missed: -There is another cup holder under the center DIM screen. It folds out and is quite dainty. -The beep for reverse was there because the reverse gear is actually taller then 1st, which makes more resistant to roll if you parked on a steep hill. Mine actually locked the key in the ignition until the car was put in reverse when parked. -There is a "Shift Up" light that pops up in the tachometer to hep you get the best fuel economy. It also flashes right before you hit redline! -Fun fact about the night panel button: It works even if your lights are off! So you can freak out about a sudden electrical problem when you see your tach, temp, boost and fuel gauges just die! Until you realize you hit the night panel by accident...
Doug has said that he doesn't like to review Saabs because they're too quirky and the Saab faithful will correct him about every little thing. I think Saabs are fascinating.
@@bwofficial1776 Couldn't agree more 🔥they just get more interesting. As a Saab fan and owner, I appreciate Doug for making this video as more attention to the brand is always great!
I'm sure you know this Doug, but those aren't the original Viggen wheels. Viggens came with 5-spoke gunmetal wheels that were famous for bending- hence, most of them have been replaced with the Triple-Y wheels you see here.
I was going to comment the same, but it’s actually better since the stock wheels were so soft. I had one for 6 years and replacing the wheels with same size Saab wheels from a 9-5 was a great change
Thank you, that I did not know about the wheels VIGGEN 5 spoke wheels. I was going to start looking for a set to put on my 9³ convertible SE to VIGGEN conversion. Now I guess I won't be. I have seats, a 2.3 AERO engine that I took out of a 9⁵ AERO I had to get rid of for body problems and I have the body kit... which I'm surprised he didn't talk about when talking about the differences.
@@TheChefChronicles Good thing you didn't do that! A lot of people consider the 3-piece BBS RK wheels that came on the '02 9-5 Aero to be the most desirable Saab wheels. Those would look great if you can find a set.
He isn't as involved as he used to be, that's for sure... just the fact that he films his vids in his depressing concrete basement instead of outside like he used to (but he still films the outro outside to make appealing thumbnails)
I have had a number of Saabs. When my 900 SPG died, I bought a used 1996 900 Turbo. It was a fairly nice car to cruise in. I loved the night panel mode as I worked evenings. However you are 100% right on the torque issue. Where my SPG generally stayed straight while accelerating, the 900 Turbo would rapidly search for the nearest curb. It was a great car on the highway, but not as tossable as my old SPG. You also missed a quirk. When you had the trunk open, if you noticed the two straps that seemed to be supporting the convertible top mechanism, you could pull up on them and hook them into the D-rings. This would compress the top upwards, opening up more trunk room. Just remember to undo it before using the top again.
The Saab 90 was actually the successor of the 99 (1968-1984), to be the cheapest car in the line-up and it was made between 1985-1987. It was a partsbin-special: 99 front-end and 2-door 900 rear. It was my first car. The Viggen name was borrowed from a Saab fighter jet. There were quite a few of the Viggens at the Saab Festival, by the Saab Museum in Trollhättan this year, many of them blue coupes.
The point of placing the "fasten belts" light there is firstly to alert you that someone isn't fastened, but also to alert a police officer traveling behind you that there is people without their seat belts fastened in the vehicle. When you drive behind a SAAB in the dark you can actually see it. Pretty cool imo.
These cars were designed to be faster than a 911 in the mid range. I had a black 9-5 Aero wagon and it was one of the most beautiful wagons ever created in my opinion. I miss that car immensely.
Yeah, but for about USD $600- you can buy a six point chassis brace and steering clamp from Taliaferro/Genuine SAAB that eliminates the torque steer and the cowl shake. The car becomes tighter than a drum and goes straight when you floor it.
I’ve owned a Viggen in every configuration (currently own the rarest Monte Carlo Yellow 5-dr hatch). It’s a very underrated car. Unique, comfortable, and extremely rare (more so than an Integra type r) One thing Doug missed was the torque limited first 2 gears. The car really shines on the highway and the seats are exceptional. Thanks for reviewing!
Except if you're 2 meters tall and you have an S40, but I still love my car. I just barely fit in, but I fit and doesn't make me uncomfortable, it's just shocking how little space you have when you realize it.
Those wheels are not the original Viggen wheels. The original ones are notoriously soft and would bend out of round. Many Viggen owners replace them with other wheels (Saab or otherwise). I certainly did, as well as going to a wider 18” wheel.
Thanks Doug! For a Swede and an enthusiast like me, i just love it. I own a OG9-5(-01, 30000 kilometers(18 641.1358 miles)), with custom e85 tune etc. It was sad to see GM handle that brand so bad. Again, thanks and love from Sweden you all! edit: The _Viggen_ is named after the Swedish airforce "fighter/combat aircraft" ; Saab 37 Viggen. There is also a _Gripen_ logo of some SAAB cars, came thru the merge with Scania(the truck brand), "inspired" by our combat aircraft ; Saab 39 Gripen.
I had non-Viggen 1999 model. He missed the in-dash cup holder that blocked controls when you had a cup in it. And the ability to collapse the storage are for the top (when the top is up) that gave you a full sized trunk. He was on point about the turbo lag.
I'm a classic 900 loyalist, I have three of them! But, when when those are in the shop, my mechanic has loaned me various 9-3 cars, including a Viggen, and I can say that these are a wild drive! There's something fun about the torque steer, ha.
The door beeps with the key out because if its not put in reverse, then take the key out the ignition is not fully locked, same as not putting an auto in "P". It's called reverse lockout. Therefore, it can't be put in neutral and rolled away, as well as locking the transmission to keep it from rolling if the parking brake was not applied. If the key is coming out without being put in reverse it means your ignition is worn. The fasten belt sign is there to make it reminiscent of the fasten belt sign in planes and jets, it also resembles the fasten belts sign of planes and jets as SAABs slogan was once "born from jets". I myself own 2 of the first phase 9⁵s, a wagon and sedan, both AEROs and both manual. I also own this generation of 9³ convertible. I've also owned 4 9000s of various years all turbo 3 of them manual. Been driving these cars since I was 16, I'm now 42.
Yup, the Gripen started production in the mid-90ies and is still being produced and sold. The Viggen was in service from the 70ies iirc. The Viggen was a very iconic symbol of the innovative Swedish defense industry in the late cold war years.
Usually with Saab you cannot even pull the key out of the ignition unless you have it in reverse. Perhaps that is different for the US market? I notice that the ignition lock is rusty, it has probably been rained on (or flooded).
My best friend in high school’s first car was a red 9-3. Talking 1997. I certainly did not appreciate its quirks at the time. What a cool first car now that I think about it.
Well , there is another cup holder beneath the radio...and in my old 93 you only can get the key of the ingition if it is in reverse , if not the key doesn't come of.
Thanks Doug, I had decided to stop looking for a Viggen convertible, then this. I have a ‘95 900SEL Turbo convertible and it has quirks maybe not on the Viggen, or maybe too quirky to mention. For example, that’s not a loose piece of plastic hanging down below the body, that a mid-wheelbase mud flap. If you get tired of driving the passenger seat back and seat bottom can be positioned to make a flat bed. And if you leave your Saab at the airport long term parking you can deadbolt the doors with the key.
The Saab 37 Viggen (The Tufted Duck, ambiguous with The Thunderbolt) is a single-seat, single-engine multirole combat aircraft designed and produced by the Swedish aircraft manufacturer Saab. It was the first canard-equipped aircraft to be produced in quantity and the first to carry an airborne digital central computer with integrated circuits for its avionics, arguably making it the most modern/advanced combat aircraft in Europe at the time of introduction.
I don't know about the 9-3 but in the 9-5 you couldn't get they key out of the ignition unless you had the gear selector in R. Also another strange Saab quirk
@@timweber4318I worked at a tire shop for years and we got tons of saabs. For whatever reason our area the people loved them. I still park everything in reverse to this day because of that job.
There actually was an Aero version of this generation too, maybe wasn't sold in the US. The Aero had the 2.0T with 205 bhp, while the Viggen was positioned above the Aero with the 2.3T and 230 bhp from the 9-5 Aero. Fun cars to drive!
Som of the designers did work for NEVS that bought the reminds of SAAB Automobile. They designed a electric car called Emily that är very much a SAAB and if we are lucky will be produced.
Doug has now officially reviewed every random quirky car that I've owned over the years with this review. I love how this one has the missing jack point covers too. Such a pain to source those things unless you want to buy some 3D printed ones off Etsy 😄
My dad test drove one of these when I was a kid, and it was really cool! I remember how nervous the salesman was when we were going through the twisties.
The light switch between the seats have three positions. Off, in the middle. On, "Whole light" and On when you open the doors. Then when you close the door the light dims slowly off after about ten seconds. Unless you start the car, then it shuts off. Another very good thing is the night panel function. almost all the panel lights turn off, and only the speedometer is visible. Very good for your night vision. Especially in pitch black darkness.
My first car was a 9-3, but I quickly realized I needed something more fuel efficient so I bought a Mercedes W124 200D instead. Missed the night panel button so much that I made my own version of it, "blackout mode", which turned off every single light inside the car :)
I'd like to see Doug review more quirky yet underappreciated cars such as the AMC Eagle, Cadillac Cimarron, Pontiac 6000 STE, Toyota Cressida, and the Renault Fuego.
It finally came out! I remember this being mentioned in the car pod like 6 months ago where Doug just casually mentioned "I just filmed a video with the 9-3 Viggen" and I was like WHERE IS IT?! 😂
It's funny, because I realise how many things in cars I, as a swede, take for granted which americans seem not to have, from this video. And it's not just in SAAB cars. Really interesting.
I miss the SAABs I’ve owned over the years. The 9-5 Aero wagon I had was equipped with heated and ventilated front seats and heated rear seats. They still worked perfectly 15 years later. I also had a blue coupe. BTW today is my birthday. How did you know?
Doug I love that you and I are about the same age and had the same childhood car "quirks" - these were so cool back in the day. I'd love to drive (or even own) one some day. The kids won't get it, and that's OK! To the next generation :-)
