Current or previous Saab owners, please help! (It would be AWESOME if you own a 2003 9-3 Linear)?

Unfortunately, you have picked one of the most unreliable model years for Saab on either the 9-3 or 9-5. That year was the year Saab redesigned the Saab 9-3 and was the first year of production. It has a lot of electrical issues and concerns and should be avoided. They were fixed eventually - I own a 2006 9-3 and now have 42,000 miles with zero issues and plan to run the car into the ground.

In addition, with the mileage you mention the turbo is a known trouble spot. Between 60K and 100K the turbo tends to need to be replaced which can cost about $600 to $800. As previously mentioned, if something does go wrong, they can be quite expensive. Saab repairs are priced like BMW's and Mercedes - a little cheaper, but not much. They are far more expensive to repair than American cars as stated, not much more than Japanese cars.

I bought mine for a good price for the gas mileage and the performance, and it has worked out well. However I researched the car thoroughly before buying and realized the quality issues started going away in 2005 and were pretty much gone by 2006. It still does not get rid of the expense of repairs, however.

Parts can be picked up in a couple of days usually. I have worked on other Saab's and usually have no trouble getting a part from third party providers or Saab's USA warehouse. Having parts on hand nearby - that is a different matter sometimes.

By the way, don't believe it when you read that the quality of Saab's are going down. According to Consumer Reports which surveys thousands of people every year, Saab's today are the most reliable Saabs ever built. Both cars are recommended in the magazine, something that has never happened previously. Engine sludge problems in the older 9-5 engine are now gone in the new 9-5 and the redesigned 2003 9-3. Ignition cassette problems have also been eliminated from both models (2010 9-5, 2003 9-3) and the electrical snafus that used to take place nearly regularly are about eliminated. So actually, quality has been improving since GM took 50% interest in 1990... it just has taken the engineers time to eliminate the majority of the design problems.

I disagree with the parts cost.

Against getting the car:

1. The 2003 is the worse year. By the 2005 model year, all the bugs were solved. 2005 models are not much more expensive. 2004 are in between

For getting the car:

1. IIHS Gold Pick for safety. Nobody wants to die but many don't think about car safety.

2. Good gas mileage. EPA of 30 mpg highway and many reports of 35 mpg is attainable.

Other comments:

1. The car has some GM parts so that cuts down the cost. For example, the oil filter is the same price as Saturn and Chevy oil filters. A battery for Saabs are standard sized so you can go to any PepBoys or Autozone to buy it (Group 48 size). For routine maintenance like oil changes and air filter changes, anyone who knows how to fix a GM car can do it. Many Saab dealers also sell Cadillac and Chevrolets, if you decide to go to a dealer (hint: usually more expensive).

I just looked up online the price of brake pads. Saab 9-3 are $60-90 for the pads. Ford Mustangs are $81-91 but there's one place for $44. A bitter pill for Saab owners is that they share the same engine family as a Saturn and Chevy. Saab bolted on a turbo and changed the engine management computer so maybe the engine is 80% GM. However, that means some of the parts are the same.

2. Having this car will usually mean that you'll go to a foreign car repair place. I wouldn't go to a general repair place, which makes it cost a bit more. However, if you like your American or Japanese car, you probably won't go to those general repair places either.

3. If you plan on keeping the car 10 years, by the 10th year, it will probably cost more to fix things. Until the first 125,000 miles, it won't be much more or more.

Usually people buy Saabs because they want the combination of safety, sporty handling (like not skidding on a curve), and don't mind having a slightly prestigious name.

Saabs have a very good internet following of people who do their own work. There are message boards that tell you how to do a brake job. Doing it and have a question and people will respond. Get a Ford and you will not see so much do it yourself tips.

As far as a Ford, a Ford Taurus is ranked safe. A Ford Mustang doesn't get those ratings.

Good luck on finding a car!

Parts for a 2003 Saab are exactly DOUBLE the cost of parts for a 2003 Lincoln Town Car. Parts for the Town Car are TRIPLE the cost of a 2003 Ford Taurus. Those aren't guesses, they are based on actual parts costs.

Saab parts are more difficult to find new and they are definitely more difficult to find rebuilt. The Saab is a very nice car until it needs repairs. Their weak spots are their electrical systems.

Once you get about 80,000 miles on them, you'd better have a really good job and a large bank account.

They look great. They drive great. But there are good reasons why they don't sell well and why they don't hold their resale value.

I know you're in love with it, but if you can't afford to fix it, you won't be in love with it for long.

They are pretty reliable as long as you 1. get it inspected at a certified SAAB MECHANIC, have them check for sludge 2. keep your OIL CHANGED, with SYNTHETIC oil...Trust me this makes a huge difference. The main issues with the '03 is that it still can have an issue with engine sludge if the oil isnt changed regularly. A certified Saab mechanic can check for sludge by dropping the pan. If it runs and drives good, its probably ok but you may have to have the oil pan and everything cleaned out periodically to keep sludge out, but dont let that deter you, they are great cars. Not to mention half the cars now days have sludge issues. Aside from that, there will more than likely be little quirks that are not serious and not expensive. and make sure you keep up with general maintenance. I have loved and driven Saabs all my life, my 1999 has almost 300,000 miles and I can count on 1 had the problems Ive had, Its been very reliable.

Let me address your concerns in order, 1st cost of repair -- In general today, ALL cars are expensive to fix at a dealer! Your options would be to find a local independent mechanic that works on saabs, visit saabnet or saabcentral to find these in your area...I found a mechanic in western mass that work on the saab racing team in FLA, very reasonable -- estimated costs can be obtained at edmunds.com a very good site. 2nd consider a maintenance contract, a very viable alternative today!

It is a known fact among saab enthusiasts that when GM took over Saab, quality of the car went down, consider buying a saab 2001 or older, it is not unreasonable for a saab to easily go over 300K miles when well maintained, If you have fallen in love with a Saab your in great company, if you want a car that get attention, fun, great handling jump in, if your just interested in reliable transportation get a civic or corolla. This is my 3rd Saab.....gas mileage has been addressed, not sure about electrical, but some things do go abit quirky.

Maintain with synthetic oil, the best is AMZOIL synthetic, 2nd is Mobil One...stick with one of these 2 with same name for oil filter.

I guarantee you that when you decide to sell, your chance of selling a saab private party is ahead of the pack of other manufacturers.

The marketing split of male vs. female drivers of Saab are about 50/50

Like Batman said, "It's the car, isn't it? Chicks love the car!"

The Saab and BMW (2nd) are documented to run the longest of any import on the market, tested at running @ 9K RPM the Saab ran straight for over 23 hours, and came do to idle normally!

Madetodatewomen