Potentially buying a 2010 Saab 9-3...Thoughts?
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Might be purchasing a new 2010 Saab 9-3 Aero XWD. Any thoughts from anyone on the vehicle itself. I know that Saab is owned by Spyker and no longer owned by GM. I am more interested in knowing if it is a good car?
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The 2010 9-3 is essentially a GM design. GM didn't dump Saab far enough back for the new 9-3 to have been done by Spyker. The new 9-5, debuting soon, however (probably early next year), is a Spyker design....and Spyker says that it will heavily influence the next 9-3.
My next-door neighbor recently got rid of her old 9-3, claiming it was a money-pit, with expensive service (I don't know anyone else who owns one). Consumer Reports gives older 9-3s a relatively poor reliability rating, but the new ones (the last 2-3 years) have been average reliabilty for the sedan/wagon and above-average for the convertible. That reliabilty info, though, may not apply to the turbo AWD models, where CR doesn't have much data.
I haven't reviewed a recent 9-3, though I drove a SportCombi wagon several years ago. The wagon, of course, gives you a more-versatile, utilitarian body style. The 9-3's platform, BTW is shared by a number of other GM Chevy, Saturn, Pontiac, and Opel products.....some, of course, which have been discontinued.
As MadMax96 has suggested, I'd consider the 9-3 mainly if you got a big discount, which is possible, given Saab's weak sales and low demand for its products. Also, consider Saab's relatively spare dealer network if you need parts/service or warranty work. Otherwise, there are a number of other choices just as good or better.
My next-door neighbor recently got rid of her old 9-3, claiming it was a money-pit, with expensive service (I don't know anyone else who owns one). Consumer Reports gives older 9-3s a relatively poor reliability rating, but the new ones (the last 2-3 years) have been average reliabilty for the sedan/wagon and above-average for the convertible. That reliabilty info, though, may not apply to the turbo AWD models, where CR doesn't have much data.
I haven't reviewed a recent 9-3, though I drove a SportCombi wagon several years ago. The wagon, of course, gives you a more-versatile, utilitarian body style. The 9-3's platform, BTW is shared by a number of other GM Chevy, Saturn, Pontiac, and Opel products.....some, of course, which have been discontinued.
As MadMax96 has suggested, I'd consider the 9-3 mainly if you got a big discount, which is possible, given Saab's weak sales and low demand for its products. Also, consider Saab's relatively spare dealer network if you need parts/service or warranty work. Otherwise, there are a number of other choices just as good or better.
Last edited by mmarshall; 10-12-10 at 04:18 PM.
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I'm pretty sure the 9-5 and the upcoming 9-4X are also still GM developed vehicles for the Saab brand as they were pretty much complete before the sale to Spyker. The 9-5 sits on an Opel platform, and the 9-4X is based on the Cadillac SRX platform. They both currently also use GM drivetrains.
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I'm pretty sure the 9-5 and the upcoming 9-4X are also still GM developed vehicles for the Saab brand as they were pretty much complete before the sale to Spyker. The 9-5 sits on an Opel platform, and the 9-4X is based on the Cadillac SRX platform. They both currently also use GM drivetrains.
Doesn't matter.....we're stuck with the new design either way.
The 9-4X/SRX platform you mentioned, BTW, as I understand it, is also Opel-based. GM used Opel-based platforms for a number of its Chevy, Pontiac, Saturn, Cadillac, Saab, and even non-GM Suzuki vehicles.
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