2003 SAAB 9-3 Reviews from North America

I bought my first car, which was my first SAAB Linear 9-3 Sport Sedan.

Let's start off by saying why buy a luxury car if you don't have money to afford to keep up with maintenance?

You would have to invest the same with a BMW, AUDI or LEXUS, which one of them might be more reliable.

A SAAB is a driver's car. It's not a drive me until I can't spin my wheels anymore; if that's your case, get a Kia then.

I spent about 5,600$ in maintenance after purchasing my Saab 9-3 from a used dealership... Like always, those used dealerships sell you cars that are unreliable from the moment they just figure out how to get the check engine light off, until you drive off with your purchase, when the check engine light comes back on.

So my first day I bought the car, it needed regular maintenance; disk brakes, rotors, new tires, new things under the hood.

At 115,000 the alternator gave up. It cost me 600$ to fix.

An oil leak; they had to drop the transmission from the car to fix the leak, which it ran me 1,850$ for the 2 times that they dropped the transmission for the oil leaks. I decided to swap mechanics because the other ones didn't do good. Well at 100,000k miles cars tend to need big parts replaced. Just because the car costs 7,000$ or 5,000$, doesn't mean you're free of maintenance cost.

I bought it because it's a good looker and they don't look cheap. So I fixed up my car (no check engine light), kept it for one year and sold it because I liked it SO much I decided to buy a 2006 Aero Convertible 20th Edition V6 250 horsepower (0-62 in 6.9 seconds).

All you people who are looking for low maintenance cars; well Saab isn't your type of car, if that's what you're looking for. Once again, get an American car, or get a Kia if that's what you want. They are there for people to use if you just want any car... A SAAB isn't just any car... it requires much more. That, only SAAB enthusiasts understand.

Nothing wrong the first year I had the car.

Replaced both sets of brakes ($2,000) last year, and just replaced a bunch of hoses, pipes, and stuff ($900).

Sometimes it seems like a lot of money to put into this car, but I feel it's a pretty low maintenance car as long as I can keep it placated.

It's a very sporty sedan, which is a lot of fun with acceleration... But sometimes I wish the ride was a little smoother.

I love this car. The 9-3 is such a contemporary looking car, even today it still looks like a fine Swedish automobile. It's a shame Saab Automobile is gone, and I hope they are able to re-start in the future.

I often times go back and forth about if I'd buy this car again. When the engine light comes on, I loathe this car. But 99% of the time it is running smoothly, and I accelerate on the highway, a wave of happiness rushes over me.

I would buy another Saab, but I intend on either a Cadillac, Audi, or Volkswagen for my next car.

This is a great, relatively reliable car.

Power windows, CIM module and normal wear & tear - brakes, tires & battery.

Love to drive the car - it has a peppy turbo charged engine, and at the same time is fuel efficient.

The interior is very well laid out, and it has a clean European design, none of the curvy plastic.