Used 2011 Saab 9-3 Consumer Reviews
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Love My First Ever SAAB
Disagree with reviewers - know the new one is coming but a great deal with 0.0 financing sold me. First interior - yep - radio is a generation old and was plucked from the Suburban but sound quality is good and there is a jack. No gaps in my interior - all tolerances are close and materials are good quality. Car is quick with little torque steer - steering is spot on and ride is comfortable. Brakes are superb. Gas mileage is GREAT much better than expected. I have some trips with 35+ on the highway. Would have liked power seats on the passenger side. Bluetooth is basic but works well with android phone. Headlights are good as well. Manual 6 speed can be a little notchy.
No better ragtop for the price
Love my Saab convertible. Went from a Mercedes C-class to a 9-3 Bumblebee Yellow 2.0T convertible. I miss the acceleration of the MB, but the Saab 2.0T is not off by much. The handling actually seems to be improved from the 2006 C-class, possibly due to the shorter wheel base and ReAxis feature (passive turning rear wheels). I get a lot of looks in this car, which is fun, and the subtle design bells and whistles are everywhere. For example, with the top down, either in hot or cold weather, the climate control seems to just magically adjust all of the settings for a comfortable ride - including the automated heated seats. You can tell this is a car designed by people that live in the snow
ok car for the money, very reliable!
Performance: great in snow! turbo lag is very high though Comfort: over roads freshly paved-perfect, anything else-horrid! Value: compared to other cars I have driven/ ridden around in it is not the best, seats are rock hard Fun to Drive: Oh yeah! Interior Design: great the first year it was out, but got old fast Exterior Design: they are like Chevy, they keep almost the same design for a few years, then finally get the idea that people want to see something new Build Quality: the best, except for a tank, I was behind a dump truck hauling logs (one lane road) it dropped a log 6" in diameter, I ran it over, the car suffered no damage Reliability: I can do everything at home (change oil, etc.)
Extremely reliable even after 160,000 miles!
I purchased this car new in 2010 for $32,000. I currently have 162,000 miles on it and it has been extremely reliable. The engine runs great and so far the transmission has worked fine as well. I had to replace a drive shaft at 100K miles and a wheel bearing at 140K miles. As of today with 160K miles, I do need rear CV boots, a front vacuum pump and a transfer case seal. It would cost me approximately $1,850 to repair all of those items. I don't know if I will bother spending the money to fix these issues since I have so many miles on the car. I have to say though, it has been a fun car to drive and it has never failed me. I have always serviced it as per the manufacturers specs and I'm sure that's partly why it has run so well. .... A little about me, I am 5'-6" tall and the seats and cabin room are perfect for me!
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Good All-Around Sports Sedan
Someone in review forum talking about future of the brand wrote that Saab should position itself as the $25K European sports sedan -- whether that is where the future is for Saab or not, I think it is a good way to position this model. It doesn't have a great interior compared to say an Audi A4 (my previous car), engine is not sublime, handling is OK (AWD helps considerably though I bought FWD version), brand cache is struggling and I will have to see on reliability. But after 2,000+ miles of driving, I have no major complaints. It's a good all around performer and if it doesn't quite excel in any obvious automotive review category, does enough to satisfy and bring the occasional smile.