Im looking at buying a new used car…the x type and the 9-3 are both in my price range, i have always liked both and i no that the x type is based on a mondeo and the saab a vectra, so i presume running costs can be low for what they are. But id like some people who have experience with running costs and servicing for these cars to advise me? including how practicable they are for bikes etc.

My dad owns a 9-3 – it has had a couple of annoying troubles that should not happen (windscreen motors electrical problem, bonnet hinge) and the local garage tell me they think he made a mistake because they are vecras and they see a lot of them come in with problems… Saying that he had a Mondeo diesel (obviously related to the x-type) and that had a lot of auto gear-box problems… The mondeo was the nicer to drive though!

yeah…not going for an auto so im not to worried about that, just go for the engine bits that has most common components….so a 2 litre diesel…my dad has one and its a great all round car…but its not special.

I wouldn’t consider the Saab FWIW. At least the jag looks nice and drives nice, and I imagine that it is cheaper to run but hopefully somebody will be able to tell you that with some experience 🙂

I inherited a company car, a manual X-Type diesel. By the time I’d ‘rowed’ for a week, I gave it back and touch the cash option.

I’m sure it would be fine as an auto.

Jag is a mondeo, and the saab is a vectra, same running bits more expensive bodywork and price.

Id go for a mondeo.

why did you row for a week after being given it?

The jag is based on the mondeo but having driven both for a bit I’d say it’s substantially less nice in every way. You’ll get a lot more mondeo for your money too. In terms of running costs engines, box etc are all the same as the mondeo with the same problems/costs.

Given your starting post, I’m guessing you want the “known quantity” of mainstream running gear, but in a slightly niche-y package, so you know that a Mondeo is the best answer, but don’t want what everyone else has?

I have a 150 bhp diesel 9-3, and I love it. Quick enough, 46 mph (according to the trip computer, so not perfectly accurate), and still going very strong, with everything working as it should after 93k. Plenty of independent specialists around to keep maintenance costs down. It should say enough that I’ll be changing it very soon, and another 9-3 is very much on the list.

I have a 57-plate 9-3 estate with a 1.9TD engine. I like it. I’ve had it 18 months without any problems to date. only one service so far while I’ve had it (the dealer I bought it from serviced it before I picked it up), and that at a local independant so it wasn’t that expensive.

just before the warranty ran out, the local Saab dealer rang me and said “bring it in and we’ll check it over, anything that needs doing under warranty is better done now than after it expires”. Turned out it needed a new steering rack, so I’m glad that got done under warranty.

Boot is bigger than my last car, an 04 plate 320d tourer; performance is on a par with the beemer, as is the fuel consumption, about 42mpg overall. If you live nearer the motorways & do less urban miles, you’d get better mpg than I manage, as I have to get through Leeds/Bradford in the rush hour. Leather heated seats, satnav & bluetooth phone connection are nice extras.

Car was 2 years old with 32k miles when I bought it, I paid £13k for it, compared with £27k for brand new same model. So if you’re buying privately, don’t buy nearly new unless you can handle the depreciation hit.

When I was looking for what eventually became the beemer, I also looked at X-Type and A4. Couldn’t find a diesel X-type estate for test drive so I walked away from that. the only A4 diesel estate I could find to test had sport suspension (i.e. NO suspension to speak of). I hated it.

The beemer was a nice car but (a) too expensive to buy, realistically, and (b) the boot wasn’t big enough for me.

Both the Saab and the BMW boots are big enough for biking, provided you don’t mind taking the wheels off or dropping the seats. If you want to keep the wheels on the bike & put it in the boot without dropping the seats, you need a mondeo

not owned either, but in the space aspect, as everything we get is measured in terms of moving the GF’s harp, I can say that the 9-3 is surprisingly big, in fact, just big enough for a full size harp. X-type has big rear arches that fouled the harp.

In the end it was a mondeo 130, cheaper to buy and run, drove pretty good with plenty of guts (not as much as the Saab, but that was a more powerful spec). If I could choose again, I think it would just be for the 2.2 ST TDCi Mondeo.

I’ve got a 56 plate 9-3 TiD (150bhp) Vector Sport saloon, which I’ve taken from 2k to 93k miles. It has the most recent dash but the “older” styling.

I’ve had two problems outside of routine servicing – around 50k, the alternator failed on the A55 which resulted in an AA tow home. Fixed next day under warranty.

At 65k the water pump died, so the engine temp’s went off the clock. Where did it go? Yup, on the A55 again. Saab paid 50% of the bill without me even asking. AFAIK the water pump failing or seizing are is a reasonable common issue with this engine, so seen with Vectras and other cars which share the GM/Fiat engine.

No plans to change at the moment – I have a servicing plan in place to cover up to around 120k miles. I’ve been very, very happy with the service from my local Saab dealer and they are open to haggling on prices. When I need new pads & discs, they matched an online Saab parts specialist for the bits.

It’s still a good car IMHO, eats miles which is good for work where a day might include 6+ hours of driving and is an enjoyable drive when going XC.

A bike fits in the back with both seats down and the wheels off. I’ve got a tow-bar for a proper rack, so use that more. The heated front seats are great for the drive home after a cold, soggy winter ride.

Had a 9-3 estate and loved it. Somehow a bike rack on the roof looked right in a way it doesn’t on a beemer. If you can find one, the twin turbo diesels are quick and very economical. I used to regularly get over 50mpg from mine which had 180hp (manual gearbox).

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12965295

Not good news for saab,

I liked my Jag. It was a nice place to be. It had nice toys and drove nicely. It was nice.

BUT

The boot was tiny – I couldn’t get any bikes in there without significant dismantling.

And servicing is appallingly expensive.

I have a Mondeo now, and whilst it makes me feel all common and dirty driving it, it does make more sense as a bike carrier.

where did you service the jag?