Ultimate Saab 9-3 Buyer’s Guide 2024! 

I really enjoyed my Saab ownership experience. Great community and I miss my car dearly. I had an '06 9-3 Aero SportCombi 6AT (dark silver w/ cream interior). It was a peach and was extremely fun, reliable and capable. That car just ate up the highway miles like it was nothing. Got it from the original owner w/ 180k miles. It was the coolest and rarest car I've ever owned. I hope she's doing ok out there!

3:29 Just after watching this video, I spoke w/another Saaber in my town (w/a blue Viggen himself) who happened to mention that Orio is manufacturing new subframes for the NG 9-3 like you said here. Maybe a Swede can weigh in on this, but it’s a good sign overall that our Saabs will continue to receive ongoing parts and support.🇸🇪

Great commentary and insight! Thank you for the post!

I live in Europe, but I really enjoy your videos. I jumped the ship and got a 2004 Saab 9-3 with the 1.8i engine, which is basically an Opel Ecotec unit. (Z18XE) I realized that being an Opel engine it is very easy to get parts and also all the tutorials for the Opel version apply to the Saab as well. I really love my car and will start upgrading a few things in the future. 😃

I owned a 2006 9-3 and a 2007 9-3 60th anniversary edition. Loved both of them. The 2006 was totaled in an accident due to glare ice and although the damage wasn’t extensive, it wasn’t worth repairing. Due to an arthritic hip, getting in and out of my 2007 was becoming increasingly difficult. I loved the car however. It did have the soft intake valve issue taken care of by the top SAAB indie shop here in Wisconsin, The Auto Shop. It also had the ECU riser installed, the balance shaft chain guide replaced (and replaced all guides and chains anyway), front struts replaced, outer tie rods replaced, new coil packs and front brakes and rotors replaced. I sold it to my youngest son a month ago (184,000 miles on the odometer) and bought a 2021 Mazda CX-5. If it weren’t for my hip, it would have kept the 2007 until it literally fell apart or I couldn’t drive any more. I didn’t think any of the work I had done on the SAAB was unreasonable for a 17 year old car, particularly one that I thoroughly enjoyed driving.

I bought a 2003 Arc yesterday, and already looking forward to driving it more (just needs insurance lol) but it was barely ever driven by the previous owner, so there’s some stuff that needs to be cleared out. Should be getting a tech 2 with my next paycheck, after I get tires. The dealer didn’t realize it had 2013 tires on it, so I got a pretty good discount. Apart from a faulty door sensor and the expected misfire or two- it’s great!

I'm a UK 9-3 Aero (vert) owner, and my go to garage is around 20 miles away, Saab specialist, and I know breakers (at least two) specialising in Saabs, so I can get parts. Mine, is beautiful, and passed the last MOT (road safety check) with no advisories, so nothing to worry about for the next year. Mine is a Limey. There are only around 210 - 215 left on the road in the UK right now, so I'm highly privileged to be driving such a desirable car right now (and it still beats equivalent spec brand new Audi, BMW and Mercedes on performance). When the weather is good, top down and off I go with a smile on my face. Petrol engine 210Bhp from factory, but mapped to much more. This is a good, nice looking, and fast car.

One of my timing chain guides was broken at around 180000 miles so you may want to check that if you hear a clicking sound from the engine when checking out one. I have the B207R engine (2.0T). I fixed it and it's all good now.

my son just bought a 2011 9-3 XWD with 48k miles and we like you videos, good info for new Saab owners

I had a 2007 60th anniversary edition convertible as my first car straight out of high school. I ran it a little too hard one day, and burnt up the ECU. No shop near me would even touch any engine components, i had no experience with them, so with no other option, being 18 and living on my own, i eventually scrapped it to get a 2014 Ford focus. I miss that old convertible 😅 Edit: God the old plastics. I had to replace the coolant reservoir because the neck literally crumbled when I opened the cap 🤦‍♂️

Had my 06 Aero for about 9 years now, bought it as 2nd owner with just 35k miles on the clock and currently sitting at 60k miles. Only persistent issue I had was coolant leaking due to a slightly warped head from a one-off overheat. Currently just finished with the engineering work as went with a full rebuild :) Upgraded everything relative to the motor as well as a lot of brake/ suspension and exhaust upgrades. Was sitting at 390bhp before the rebuild so looking forward to when everything is assembled again in about 2 weeks :) I LOVE this car!

When you check 9-3 befor buying . Make sure there is no power stearing leak to engine part , its very common like author tell it in video. When you check engine oil - on oil stick must be no visual micro drops of any other liquid ( if engine get some power stearing liquid its game over). Nevery buy this sample. You find good Aero 9-3 : 1) Rebuild power stearing on fresh sealing and O rings. Use original parts. 2) Get protection on your ECU 3) Keep rust under control 4) Grab Stage1 from Maptune or Nordic Tuning (you gen more torque and better fuel economy ) 5) Enjoy with one of the best car money/joy on market. Keep SAABs on road , they are very special cars.

One more, if you can feel vibrations in the steering wheel on idle the cam tensioner in plastic is about to give up. I´ve been working for 20 years in a Saab/Gm work shop in Sweden and it has happend with a small number of cars with the B207. Tnx for sharing and i really love how enthusiastic you all are about Saab on the other side of the "pool" 👍

I bought my daughter's 2005 9-3 Linear for $1 with 222k miles. She bought it 5 years ago for $1600 with 180 miles on it. Love the car. Will be doing the ecu isolation to it soon. Would love a video on how to convert from a t to a T.

Greetings from another AZ Saab enthusiast! I had a laser red 06 9-3 aero SportCombi. It was pretty neglected before I got it and so I ended up having transmission issues and eventually I sold the car instead of fixing it. I still miss that thing, it was really fun to drive. I think I need to get a manual 2.0T next lol.

I have a Saab 9-3 turbo X if you have the 2.8 V6 and need a coolant tank pay the extra money and upgrade the coolant tank I had two of them fail back to back and the aluminum one seems to be a lot better

Make it known on the 2.8Ts right now its very hard to find power steering pumps. Other than that you hit this video head on. I owned a 2.0T for a while went FBO with it and loved it. Was easy to work on myself and was super reliable. Recently just picked up a 2.8T aero and had to go through a few things. Easy to work on myself as well just a tighter compartment. Absolutely love my SAAB and will probably end up with a few more in my possession in the near future.

Real helpful video. I've recently been looking at a 2007 SAAB 9-3 2.0t. seeing as it's the last few in my country, the urge to get it is even stronger. It has over 190k miles, but with no service history. I'm fairly new to the GM era of SAAB, what do you reckon I should look out for? Really want it for a reliable daily driver.

Had my ECU go out. Should have listened to Jacob and installed the spacer sooner. It was a very difficult to locate and expensive part to replace. Shortly after the ECU, the throttle body failed. Easier part to locate, but still very expensive. In hindsight, I think I could have done both repairs myself for a fraction of the cost. I'll know better next time. I have always loved Saabs and hope I can hang on to my 2007 9-2 2.0 ragtop forever.

my 1.8T tuned to 210hp has been a dead reliable daily for 30.000km already

what about the 1.9TTid engine ?

Was just offered to buy a 2006 Saab 9-3 6 speed manual with 90k miles and has been garage kept its whole life. Only 3500$, your videos are convincing me that this is the best bang for my buck fun daily driveable vehicle in todays economy. I think I’ll be picking it up

I bought a SAAB 93 sport combi 2011, 1.8T Biopower, last year(2023) in Sweden, and it was only 100 000km on it, but the Service book was all filled in from the start, an old lady was the first owner, and she passed away, and her husband sold it too Me, it looks like brand new outside and inside. I have put a new instrument in it( so I got the Turbo meter in the instrument), I love that shit, and its not available in the 1.8 t. The funny part is that the 1.8t and the 2.0t is the same engine 1998cc And a paintbody sealing just done, and the most important: a full sandblaster underneath the car was done, and after its painted with 2 component Zink paint, to prevent it from any future rust, and I also got a Handsfree installed working with the original buttons on the steering wheel. Why all this spending? well this is the best car I ever owned, I earlier got Volvos, Mitsubishis,Saab 95, Alfa Romeos, Audi, but this 93 SAAB Sport combi, really took my heart away, so that's why, I have also tuned it up with 65 more horsepower, and planning to get a sportcat, with better airflow exhaust system and a sport filter. The question is, should I go for a stage 2 trim? I love the car as my baby, and its the best car ever owned, Im shut I got affected by the SAAB virus............... The guy who did the Handsfree work( been working earlier on the Saab factory) told me that this is probably one of the last )# sport combis who left the factory, due to som trim details inside is not correct, they took what was available to get the last cars made ready for sale. The production lines stopped in June 2011 in Trollhättan, and this car left the line in March 2011, and it was sold in September 2012, so its a funny history on the car as well. I have a friend who owned a rather new Cadillac STS, and he told me after a drive together, that he sit better in the SAAB 93, much more comfortable, he is 210 cm long, Im just 170, but it doesn't matter we both sit better that in a Mercedes, ha ha

For the performance, they are a steal, but you have to put some thought into budgeting for preventative maintenance. Treat em like cheap performance cars and they will treat you like you bought a cheap performance car, and break on you. Keep up on maintenance like timing chain, oil changes, fluids, tstat, plugs, filters, etc...and they will keep you smiling for a long time. What other dead brand out there the best turbo tech on all their cars, has free factory parts&repair computer programs online and huge support among the fans? Not many.

AUTOAUTOPSY - have you had opportunity to review diesel engined Saab 93s? In Europe the 1.9 diesel, TID and TTID models, is probably the most common engine. The HP options offered range from 120hp to 200hp. I have a 2006 Saab 93 1.9cc 150hp TID Vector Sport. Owned it since new and have done 140,000 miles - no reliability issues. Only once in 18 years did 'David' let me down with a fuel injector problem which was covered by the Saab warranty in 2008.

Nov 2024 will be my 20th anniversary with my NG 9-3. Still remember when I took delivery vividly.

I just bought one of these, my locks are acting weird. Car don't wanna lock with key and when I lock it manually it unlocks the driver door over night o by itself. Really irritating, other than that I really enjoy the car

What was third source for parts you mentioned? I know esaabparts and eeuroparts but didn't get the other.

North Carolina Saab 9-3 Combi owner here. Bought mine new in '06. Except for three free dealer oil changes I've done all the maintenance myself. Have a spacer for the ECM and run it w/o the beauty cover for heat control. 96K miles and no leaks, burns no oil. Had a problem with the steering lock once when the battery went dead. Agree a Tech2 is important. New battery and the Saab stays on a tender when not used. Very reliable but the paint is a mess. GM must have sold Saab a boatlad of awful white paint. Don't worry Saab On!

i live in poland and i think bout getting 2008+ saab 93 but i dont know if i should take b207 engine or the 1.9 tid

How Much is it

This was unexpected, my sister just told me she is very interested in buy a (NG) 9-3. Edit: As someone coming from Volvo’s, being reminded that they put the ECM on the engine where it gets cooked is such an odd choice, I know some Volvo’s have control modules placed in questionable locations, but still.

do a same style video with a 9-5 facelift

Keep Going ! Thank You ! Just because of you I am still fighting our 3 Saabs ( 2000 93 hatchback 4 door,auto/2007 95 /2008 93) .Just turned 65 🤓! Your subscriber for quiet few years now.St.Catharines,Ontario, Canada

So where do you take a Saab for service/ maintenance now that Saab’s defunct? Volvo dealership?

Where can I get an open intake heat shield for a 2008 9-3 2.0t?

if you don't mind, what was the mod that got your car backfiring

As a young ish bloke 30 I love my Saab I always love the look on people's face when they expect me to be a middle aged man just another example of how stereotypes can be wrong 😂😂😂

There is good information but lot of missing. Front subframe is problem, but rear subframe/axle beam is bigger problem. It also rust like hell and always top bumerang mounts will rust off from subframe or lower control arm mount sidewalls rust through. Rear wheel arches always rust and if not fixed fast, will rust throught fast. Timgin chain is big problem on both 2.0 and 2.8. 2.0turbo it will last max around 250 000Km (150 miles?) and 2.8 it always have been failing under 200 000Km, seen lot of them fail on littlebit over 100 000Km. LP9 or first year of 2.8 single-row chain is littlebit better but newer B248 dual-row chain is just joke, it is very fracile. Also lot of major engine failures or damages are caused by locking power steer pumps on B207, which are run directly by intake cam. Pump axle shaft seal fails and engine oil will be mixed on pump chf11s hydraulic oil and it will cause pumps lamels to fail and pump will lock up. Timing will jump and almost every case also the intake cam will snap in two pieces. Should be monitoring color of power steering oil. Very easy to fix, seal will cost around 1€/$ on basic seals selling hydraylic company. Seal measures is 17x30x7mm. Also both of motors are known to consume lot of oil.

Is it easy to enough to get new engine abd transmission on these if needed?

My dad has this one literally might be the only one left in nc with this car I’m wondering the value of it in the future

I was wondering if a 2.8L v6 fit in a 2003 saab 93 engine bay

2010 9-3X Sport Combi here. Bought the wagon with the key fobs not working for door functions. They both start the vehicle when inserted into the center stack. We tried the program method that is out on videos on YT. First try, one of the fobs worked for about three lock/unlock cycles, the stopped. The other fob has never worked for the doors. Any ideas? Do we need a Tech II and proper software to try to program the fobs? I find it odd that they will work for the ignition, but not the doors? Esp when again, one of the fobs worked for a few lock cycles. Thank you for any assistance.

Do the timing chains on these cars have a specific lifespan or are they built to last as long as the car has been serviced when it needs it?

The cars were made in Sweden, city Trollhättan not in the US , just saying 😏