Was this facelifted SAAB the best 9-3 ever? 

2008 was a good year it seems. I have two 9-3s, one 2008 and one 2011. Sadly I can't say the same about the 2011 year modell, or at least that is my personal experience. It runs well enough but I have had to put in waaaay more workhours and money into it then the 2008, lock chests fail, powersteering fail, AC compressor fail, magnet for the belt pulley of the ac compressor fail, thermostat changed just last week (really tricky to get that one our I can say even though it is a cheap part,) and so on and so on. The 2008 has gone 260000~ km and the 2011 has gone just above 210000 km In my 2008 model, the ONLY thing I have ever changed besides new battery, regular scheduled service and the usual wear and tear parts like brakediscs and such is the wiper arm mechanism, the electrical motor for it still runs but the bushings go bad and crack after a while so the linkage arms snapp off, and bushings are consider wear and tear parts I'd say so that is the ONLY thing I have changed on a 16 year old car with quite some mileage. I love SAABs, don't get me wrong, but when I compare my 2008 to my 2011 I can't believe it is manufactured by the same company in the same factory. I,ve had a 9-5 also which I absolutely loved, still have a SAAB 90 in my garage, it was exclusive to the Finnish and Swedish markets and the cheapest SAAB ever made, it is essentially a SAAB 99 with a SAAB 900 behind and quite few of them are still around as they usually were destined to become "Folkrace" cars in Sweden once they've fullfilled their purpose as daily drivers, so I intend on keeping it just for the sake of history preservation, and taking it our for the summer to go get some ice cream :)

i drove my TX for 12 years!..was doing speedo out!!!!

Yeah it really is a shame :(

Haha, at least with Saab you know I'm not secretly working for them 😄

Sounds like a nice example. Thanks for watching :)

Awesome, always love to hear that they are reliable with high miles.

Great to hear :)

Hi Keith, ah nice one! Thanks for 'lending' me the footage :) Do you still run a Saab?

@@JJonCars Anytime! My daily is now a 2021 S60, but I still have the 9-3 as well as a 900 restoration project.

Well, I'm glad to hear you've bought one of these Saabs as they are nice cars. But that is a shame about the old Merc! I bet you weren't doing lots of miles in it, so ULEZ is probably quite unfair against modern classics like that. Enjoy the 9-3!

I'm looking at 1 right now in Au. A 2009 Just under $7k with under 100000kms on the clock. It's the auto sedan non convertible. After 5 months of ownership do you recommend me get it?

Awesome previous list of cars. You'll get back there eventually I'm sure :)

Ah nice, yeah well spotted it's Keele Uni. I am based in the Peak District and I think I just have a sort of generic Northern accent. Cheers!

Nice pair 👍

Love the 9-5, need to get one on here.

@@JJonCars Yes, I hope GM Directors rot in hell for killing SAAB 🤬

@@JJonCars Another car which I had from new, not a SAAB, but soooo good to drive was a Peugeot 405 Mi16 tuned and chipped by BRS racing.

@@venenareligioest410 I remember those, very cool cars

Mine got the bubbly-rusty rear arches too. Agreed.

@JJonCars It's an issue on the 9-3. Front wings are susceptible too, more so than I'd expect on a car built to withstand Swedish winters 😁 Still good cars though; both never failed.

Well spotted, very close to where I took the shot of the Skoda, clearly the same architecture in that little area :)

Also, the Skoda is kind of like a boring version of a modern Saab.

@@JJonCars Oh, I didn't actually notice that 😂 The front ends of these cars look kind of similar for some reason though maybe where these cars were shot also makes them look more similar...

@@JJonCars You also kind of make me want one haha

@@MartinJones123 mission accomplished 😂

True, it's nice to have some give in the steering at higher speed so it's not all twitchy

That is why i choose estate😊

What issues did you come across. Trivial as they may seem it's very interesting to know.

@@yingyangorca4124 Coolant exp tank exploded (there was a recall that the previous owner did not perform),fuel pump change, one front arm making noise, and i had to change the ECU but was my fault i broke it

I'm thinking of getting a 2009 93 vector. Looks clean enough. Has 95000kms on the clock. They want 7k for it. I've just never owned or known a Saab owner. So have no experience. I've owned an Alfa but that's as close as I can get.

Definitely! I suddenly become so relaxed behind the wheel of a Saab

Me too haha. As soon as I get hold of one it'll be on here for sure

I always found that strange that they did the interior facelift first :) So there was that crossover period where you could get the car you have. A good combo for sure

I couldnt agree more, i have an 07 2.0T (210 ponies no mods) in black with the new style interior rocking the pre facelift extrerior. Looks runs and sounds great (aggressive and stylish at the same time)...i get more looks than most other sedans on the raod. In my opinion it is also the best of both worlds. Keep on saabing

Awesome. My 2.8 was not quite as reliable, but I think some one didn't look after it

Nice one, finally someone who agrees with me about the steering 😄 Yep, really nice cars. Are there still lots of them in Sweden and a big love for them?

@@JJonCars I would say they're still common but not nearly as common as maybe 5 years ago. Usually the high-specced aero models get well taken care of but lower spec cars don't get the same treatment, especially since they're really cheap now when somthing expensive breaks on a linear for example most of them just get scrapped unfortunately. Also we have very much road salt in the more southern parts of Sweden during the winter which takes a heavy toll on cars, so unfortunately regardelss of brand after 15-20 years the cars simply rust away. Up north it's easier to find nice examples though since they don't use road salt there due to lower temperatures.

@@3klund95 Ah wow ok, thank you for that. Sounds very much like the UK situation!

Haha, that's footage from a different Saab I was driving. Light was on for nothing important, from what I was told. I kinda hoped there'd be more love for them in Scandinavia, but I guess it's a bit like Rover here - no body wanted old Rovers when they were 15-20 years old. No patriotism haha. Sounds like you got a bargain!

Thanks Brian. Maybe next time!

You should've gone for it. 😉 I love being in my Saab.

My one has heated seats, cruise control, etc. only thing that is maybe slightly dated is the technology in the radio etc. but you could get ones with a touch screen radio.

Can't say I did - that is interesting though. Perhaps I'm being too mean about the steering then :P

@@JJonCars there are apparently aftermarket drop links that are much better than the flimsy GM ones (that also have bad bushings). I replaced mine to get rid of a front-end clunk. Clunk was still there, but steering felt 100% better. Apparently the steering rack sometimes goes bad (!) too.

I'm completely with you there! Glad you found the vid useful :)

Saab will be quite a change from the Alfa. Both nice cars though

Oh yes, is that the little extra screen? I had that in my 2.8 :)

13th! Wow. Good to hear you're a fan of the 'newer' Saabs as well as presumably the more classic models?

@@JJonCarsbro got ignored

@@slimeballeats 😭

Depends on what you will be doing with the car. If you're doing lots and lots of miles and depend on it every day, maybe something a little more modern with easier parts availability. But if you want a cool, different and quirky car that almost no one else will be driving as a first car then I'd say go for it! If you pick one that has been cared for then it should be fine to maintain :)

I had issues with my local mechanics finding a new clutch kit. I ordered the parts online and convinced one to fit. Cost £600 labour, and about £500 for a clutch kit amd flywheel. Fitted the LUK kit and runs great. You'll find that you always need to source your own parts, fit yourself, or find a good mechanic that will fit 'ebay' parts for you.

There's a combination for everyone!

There's a Saab for everyone :) A few others have said that. Maybe I'll find a 9-3 with no play in the steering one day.

What’s wrong with 2nd gear?

@@teflondon4963 Maybe it's just that my gearbox might be on it's way out

@@einpercy825 is it difficult to get it into 2nd? Just asking because I’m looking at buying one

Me too

@@JJonCars although the Aero I had with the old dash had the most disappointing stereo in it. I think there were 3 or 4 specs for audio. Mine was poverty. Shame,because it was a beautiful looking car. And stupidly fast 😁

Are you sure you don't want a Toyota Vitz? Just joking! They are everywhere in Malta aren't they 😄 Well if you can find the Saab and it's nice then why not! Otherwise I think one of the Honda's might best on a budget as they should be more dependable :)

Oh yes, anything with a Viggen badge will do nicely 👍

Interesting - what do you prefer? I want to try the 9-5 at some point

100% :D

Yeah, the tax bands are such a shame and so pointless. I think 2006-2010 cars like these will really suffer in the future with most of them disappearing as people just won't be bothered to pay the tax.

@@JJonCars I think it may be 2007 or 8 onwards with the bigger tax band 🤔 absolutely a joke as all are ulez friendly, I would have got a later one but for that fact I think I would rather keep my 03 going as long as possible.

I'd very much like to try out that era of Saab. My dad had a 1996 900S when I was a kid and it was a lovely car.

Not true. Fake news

Care to elaborate?

I need to drive one!

9000s are sweet!

Something gone wrong with the reply there, but I stand by it 😄

😂

you meant an Open, Fiat Croma and probably some other random Alfa, most automovile manufacturer share platforms, so what? only a handfull generalist fully independent remain

Well, I've known about them since 2008, but I made the video in 2023 ;)

I don't really have the luxury of choosing specific engines :)

@@JJonCars haha sure you can! There are v6s’ 4 cyl n/a , turbos you name it. Or is it England likewise Spain where diesel’s account for more than 85% of the cars?

@@boardernut what I mean is, I am relying on kind people to lend me their cars. There are lots of petrol and diesel 9-3s in the UK

@@JJonCars keep it up I love your reviews.

Good ol' stinky diesels

Interesting. Perhaps some could see them as grandpa cars, but I personally think they're cool. But then I do tend to have an old blokes taste in cars haha

Would be prefereable with a petrol engine, I agree. But it's still a nice car

Always worth travelling distance for the right car. Sounds like a bargain! People get scared, but reality is all cars of that era aren't made any more, even if the manufacturers still exist :) (except the Fiat 500 lol)