Looking for a new car, not wanting to go much over £3k. It needs to be and strong, enough to pull a caravan and sit 3 in the back comfortably. Would normally be looking at an estate (replacing a V40) but have now been thinking about the Saabs, prob 2 litre, due to everyday fuel costs. They are hatchbacks aren’t they? albeit big ones. Any opinions / ideas?

you can get a 9-5 estate.

lovely, generally reliable, motors but parts when you need them are at the higher end of the market.

(still miss my ‘classic’ 900 turbo)

Does the estate work the same as the coupe? If i was going to estates, it would open a wider range. But i hadn’t considered saab estates, yest the 900 turbo was lovely, had one for a few months, but my 96 was the real classic

Bulkhead cracks increasingly common on the types you are considering (hatch)

loads here

the one thing I would say is fuel economy isn’t all that!!

I’ve got a 9-5 estate, On a motorway run I can get 35-38mpg but round town it never gets any better than 24mpg, and thats the 2.0 petrol.

the 9-3 is a hatch (at the price/age you’re looking at) and they are big. Servicing is fine if you find a good indi.

I’ve had a 56 plate 93 saloon for about 6 months, and I love it.

In 1.9 diesel (150 bhp) guise its plenty powerful and I average around 45 mpg.

Re parts/servicing, I’ve found these very reasonable from a good indie specialist (simply SAAB in bristol, others are available!). I am, however, comparing it with a massively expensive previous car.

Hth

the 93 hatch is looking better then? What is the difference between the 93 and the 95?

From memory quite abit. The 93 hatch (your taking the old hatch? as the later 9-3’s are saloon or estate) are heavily Vectra-based.

Whereas the later versions have heavily revised/SAAB-own redesigned GM floorpans.

the 93 hatch wasn’t based on the vectra thats the saloon version, They are an updated 900 just as the older 95 are an updated 9000.

This one? http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/saab/9-3-1998/?

Says the 900 was Cavalier-based(!) and the 9-3 hatch is Vectra-derived. Im sure of it.

Love my 93 Aero HOT, getting a bit old now but in no hurry to change, huge boot and fast, probably a bit too fast for a front wheel drive.

I got rid of my ’99 9-3 about a year ago (got a 9-3 estate now). I miss that car, it was great. Handling was a bit rubbish, but the turbo was fab.
Loads of room in the back, really comfortable, quiet, solid feeling, a right mile muncher on the motorway. Quite juicy – about 30mpg iirc.
Quite expensive when things went wrong, but they hardly did.
Ignition rail was the pricey one. Went at about 80K miles.

I had a black one like DezBs. Turbo started smoking at 90k so I got rid. Had just changed the brakes to get it through MOT which was £900 from an independant. Heater controls can be a problem, non-elec dials can seize. Super car though, Id have another.

I have a ’98 9-3 hatch, 2 litre turbo

+’s:
cheap
nice seats
good overtaking pace (full pressure turbo)
looks nice IMO
easy to work on (basic!)
massive hatch boot
good in the snow

-‘s:
poor economy (27mpg country & city – 32ish motorway)
handling is “interesting” – better since I beefed up the rear anti roll bar but still not a patch on anything decent
ropey stereo

overall I think they are nice cars, but then I only need to commute by car once a week, if economy is required – look elsewhere!

I’m not fixed on the SAABs but, the big hatchy boot was a winner. Who else does this? I was trying to avoid getting another estate, which is basically what i need, just the SAAB hatches seemed to give mea best of both worlds. Economy is an issue, i do about 50-60 miles mainly motorway / A-road each day. But it also needs to be big enough to pull the caravan and seat kids and stuff

Let’s face it, anything Vectra based isn’t going to be too impressive in the handling department, is it?

if i’d had a bit more money i would have gone with a skoda octavia – hatch, fast (1.8t), better economy & decent handing (apparently)

Hora is right. The 900 was cavalier based. None the less, I really liked mine. Very comfy, quiet and huge boot with the seats down (much bigger than a v40). Around town fuel consumption and parts were the down side. Check it’s had a clutch if you’re buying one.

I had a 52 plate, 93 Aero HOT, 2 door.

Acceleration was fantastic, but fuel consumption was terrible, usually averaging about 24mpg. Torque steer was….erm….exciting.

Nice car but far too expensive to run.

Now I have an Alfa 156 1.9JTD estate. Almost as quick, much nicer in the corners and 50-55mpg average.