1998 SAAB 9-3 review from North America

Nothing so far.

I bought this car about two months ago to replace my 1989 Volvo 740. What an upgrade! Being a music obsessed college student I love the sound system, CD player and steering wheel volume and tuning controls.

Cargo capacity is impressive. I loaded this thing up with supplies to go back to school-boxes, bags, and the like. Everything fit, and there was perfect visibility through the back windshield. I wouldn't want to be driving around MA not being able to see behind me.

I have had no maintenance problems thus far... I was a little spooked when I read about the engine problems with oil sludge, but was reassured that my car had been taken care of properly and that ONLY synthetic oil had been used. The dealership was great, as well.

Mileage is also impressive. I recently drove from western MA to Boston (where I got very lost and added about two hours of extra stop and go city driving) and back, using only about a half tank of gas.

A few days after buying this car, once I finally got the seat adjusted, (my knees kept hitting the steering wheel, and I'm short!), I took this little car on a long drive and had a blast. It's been great so far. I feel very safe and quite glamorous driving this little beast around. And I hear that it's great in snow, so I'm not worried about the six months of winter we have coming up.

Only bad thing is insurance, as I believe that this model is a "performance" car, pretty close

to (if not actually being) a sports car. Being a young driver, my insurance is very high anyway, but this adds to it. I'm not willing to part with this car, though. It's my first NICE car.