6th May 2009, 21:02
I had a 2001 Saab 9-5 Aero with about 98K miles on it, but I've had exactly the same experiences as the owner of the 9-3.
The looks rival BMWs, Lexus, Audis, etc. The seats are so comfortable, but the reliability is just horrendous. I made the mistake of traveling long distances with this car from TN to Mn, and got stuck 2 hours from St. Louis. I had to tow the car to St. Louis to have somebody who knew about Saabs to fix it.
200 miles later after it's fixed, the check engine light comes on. A month before the tow I spent another 500.00 on sensor problems, belts etc.
I just got rid of the headache and ending up buying a reliable 1995 Honda Prelude with over 100K miles on it. Not as luxurious, but I had no problem traveling long distances with it. Sold it and got an is300 eventually.
27th May 2009, 01:09
I just purchased a 2003 Saab 9-3 a few days ago, when I purchased it I knew there were problems, but I got the car from a used dealership for a very cheap price.. or it seemed at the time.
I bought a third party warranty and am now regretting my purchases, I wish I would have googled more information about the car. I insisted I did not want a Toyota or a Nissan, that I wanted a "luxury" car... well the radio does not work, the power mirror on my side does not work, I have three bulbs burnt out, the air conditioning gives me a headache and makes me sick, the gas gauge doesn't work it stays at empty, the LCD computer screen does not work at the bottom, it says I need maintenance and that my wiper fluid is low although it is not.
I owned a Nissan Maxima.. and I NEVER had serious scary problems like the ones listed above.. I fought and fought that I did not want a Nissan or Toyota, and now I am scared of what is in store with this Saab...
Does anyone think these problems are serious? The radio takes a CD but does not play anything, I heard the radio is connected to the rear lights and the gas fuses??
The dealership is a used one that made me sign a paper stating "as is", and my warranty really doesn't cover any of the problems I have.
27th May 2009, 07:43
01:09 - It sounds like you rushed into buying this car without checking it out thoroughly. Most if not all of these problems could have been found on a test drive.
29th Jul 2009, 14:28
I have a 2003 SAAB 9.3 with all the same problems. My radio doesn't work after charging the battery. Needs to be brought to a dealership to have the radio removed to get the codes to reset it. What!!! My list goes on and on. PLEASE if you're thinking of buying a SAAB from GM, don't!!! They all have the same problems.
3rd Aug 2009, 22:25
I posted on Feb 27th and March 10th and wanted to update again. My car has had both input and output speed sensors replaced, twice ($800 total) and the gear box malfunction light came and it's in the shop again. This time the dealer says it's my computer ($600). I also had the gas gauge sensor replaced ($450) I've only owed the car since Nov. 08. I don't know how GM didn't make any money from Saab's, the service alone is a gold mine for them. Love the car when it runs normal, but this never lasts. What a shame :(
5th Aug 2009, 16:27
I have a 2003 SAAB 9.3 with 120,000! Needless to say, I drove this car A LOT... but with all the usual problems. Right around 100,000 both drivers and passenger window regulators failed. Then the check engine light came on. When I took it to the dealer, I was told that the cold air intake had failed. Fixed for $250.
OK? Next the driver side headlight blew out. Dealer wanted like $300 to replace since it was xenon. ROFL... I changed it myself! Now that I have access to the metro I haven't driven my car in 2 months and it is in stasis. One of these days I will resurrect the 9-3 and get those windows fixed now that I'm employed. For right now, fixing it is cheaper than buying a new car!
5th Oct 2009, 18:46
I've had mine for 2 years now, and have had some of the problems, but nothing major. It's all the normal stuff like rear brakes etc. I think people are just driving to hard. Just because the logo is Born From Jets, doesn't mean you drive it like that all the time. SAAB 93 2003 LINEAR 90K and still loving it!
29th Nov 2009, 22:51
We have a Saab 9-3 and a Saab 9-5, both are 2003 models. We're absolutely shocked by all the negative posts on this site. We've been Saab owners since 1986 and have found them to be reliable, safe cars to drive.
I (wife) was in a bad accident six months after we purchased the cars. I was driving the 9-5. A woman struck me on my driver door going approximately 45 mph. Her hit was rather low but imagine the impact. My sister was in the passenger seat. Both of us got out of the car uninjured and the police were absolutely amazed. I was still able to get my cell phone out of the driver side pocket. My driver's seat was moved about two inches towards the center console. The police were sure that none of the other doors would open. But the Saab, being built like a tank, fooled them. All the other doors opened. The damage was $17,000 so it wasn't totaled.
After a fine repair job by a blue ribbon body shop, we kept the car and had no problems with it. Our two Saabs have had regular maintenance and only very few minor things happen. We don't drive them like they were "born from jets". Maybe that's why we have two gorgeous fun cars to drive! :)
28th Apr 2009, 13:29
My wife wanted a 2003 9-3 Arc, which we bought about 4 years ago. It has been nothing but a disaster. When it runs right and nothing is wrong, great car, but that only last a couple weeks.
While under warranty we were bringing the car in every third week. Here's just some of the stuff they replaced.
- Front struts twice
- Bushings in the front end at least three times
- Whole new sunroof (came off its track)
- About six times for the window sensor that kept the window from going up
- Clogged valve in the turbo (they cleaned it instead of replacing)
- Digital display replaced in the console (in the process created a short that was heard through the speakers for months - they were going to charge us to repair the speakers for the short THEY caused -- UNBELIEVABLE)
- I replaced the battery within the first year of owning it
- I also had to replace a xenon bulb, which in case you were wondering is $150 bucks.
Now it is making horrible clunking noises in the front end, and is leaking oil, and the fan in the heater is making noise and is about to go.
I could go on.
I'm not sure how many people read this, but please do yourself a favor and never buy a Saab. There are plenty of good car makers out there, this is not one of them. I am only hoping they go out of business which will prevent them from every taking advantage of another person again, not to mention the many, many hours of hardship, inconvenience and hassle going back and forth to the dealership for each occurrence.
Also, may I add these cars are way too overpriced for the headaches they cause. The dealership we went to might have made money off of us and got away with it, but at least I can vent here and have enough people read this.