looked at a '99 9-3 se today. details will be wanted i'm sure. it was lemans blue with 15" 3 spoke wheels (don't like, but they'll do) and a black interior.
looked to be in good shape. little rust in some paint chips on the hood, but i think if i were to get rid of the rust (idea for that kind?) and do touchup it would be fine. one headlight was chipped and two of the grilles from under the bumper were gone. assuming they weren't lost in an accident, there's really nothing about their absence hurting the car. oddly enough though, despite being an se, there was no inlay on the dash and it didn't have ACC. steering from lock to lock seemed fine while parked (i didn't have time to test drive today), and the dealer claimed that the serpentine and battery were new (which they looked to be). all pretty good, right?
but on to some potentially serious issues i found. first off, i saw oil on the engine block. not much, but some. there was also some present in the plug for the distributor (DI motor). the oil itself when i looked at the dipstick looked dark and almost sticky. potential sludge? i'd hope that an oil change and then being careful about heat-ups and cool-downs would help prevent that. lastly, i don't even know how to describe what the car did when i took it to 3000rpm. it just did this odd kind of stall thing when i let off the throttle (though it didn't truly stall). i can't describe it, but maybe it should be expected when the car has been sitting in the cold.
am i overreacting to certain things? maybe. but with the last couple saabs i've looked at being in horrible shape in terms of cost for repairs, i'm getting much more strict in my search as time goes on. i want to get this right in terms of getting one that will be reliable.
You are better off in paying a professional to inspect this car- he should know what is vital, what is important, and what is trivial AND what it would cost to bring up to someones standard (yours, his, the states, mine).
He may charge $100, so you must do your own until a half decent vehicle is seen...I am sure books have been written on this subject...
A shame you are working with a dealer, IMO, dealing with a private owner is better.
Give this car a good road test, it does not seem to be that bad; remember the history, and the completeness of the car.
ACC ? Fine when new, when old - deduct for having it :cheesy:
AVOID.... Sounds like a problem car. Like EW said, avoid buying from a corner garage, go to a reputable dealer if you're willing to pay a premium for a premium quality car like I did or buy privately but have the car inspected either way.
my budget is $5000 right now. it's a living hell looking for saabs in indy on that kind of budget, but i plan to have every one i like looked at by my mechanic.
the good thing about this dealer is if this car doesnt work out, he has anohter 9-3 with 82000 miles on the lot! that one of course is outside my budget, but if it's in much better shape than the one i'm looking at, i might consider.
It all kind of depends on where he lives. Upstate NY--I have found--is a terrible Saab market, while New England is amazing.
The used car gamble is always just that. I was incredibly lucky when I bought my 9-3--especially in regards to how little I checked into things. If you can buy off someone who really knows Saabs, that is a huge plus--of course. Strike up a conversation about DICs or something.
As far as sludge...I thought this was not really a problem with the t-5
yea. my mother will probably drive the car tomorrow. same as with the last one i saw since she's owned about 7 saabs, so she's the one to judge whether or not the car is worthy of being checked at our shop. at least the dealer was familiar with the shop (road tested saab for any of you indy people, great place).
I live in CT, and you can't drive by 7 cars without one of them being a Saab. I got my NG900 for $1900 a month ago off craigslist. Give that a shot!
Be patient, I found mine 20 minutes after I had my heart set on a maxima I had just looked at, and there she was =]
My point is that you need to take your time in finding a car. I know how it feels to not have your own car, or to drive a car you don't like, but take your time; it will pay off!
oh trust me, i'm taking my time. the past 3 months has been a mass of calls and go-sees. each car i turn down, i get more careful. for 5 grand though, i have rather high standards. i say, as long as there isn't rust compromising the body or chassis, the drivetrain is stable, it was cared for, and i can replace parts that aren't necessary for my safety or the operation of the car, then it's good.
if my mother likes this car though, i'm not looking forward to making the call to indy saab to ask if they have service records on this thing. i'm expecting an interrogation about why we no longer take the aero there. well...when you blame brake issues on the tires that we didn't buy from you:evil:, then we take the car somewhere else!
FYI, the car in question is most likely not an SE either. ACC, wood, and 16" wheels where standard on a '99 SE. You can verify this with the VIN, but I would bet that its an S not an SE.
For 5k you should be able to find a pretty decent ng900 or a higher mileage 9-3, it sure is hard to be patient though
yea i was confused about the lack of acc and power seats. however, the car is a turbo. -shrug- is there some other turbo model in the us that i don't know about? i'm doubtful.
yea i was confused about the lack of acc and power seats. however, the car is a turbo. -shrug- is there some other turbo model in the us that i don't know about? i'm doubtful.
Yeah, every 9-3 in the US is turbo charged. The S just doesn't have as many options, they are also only 185hp. Where as some '99 SE's (HOTs) are 200hp. After 2000 all SE's are 205hp, with the S still being at 185hp.
ah now that is interesting. i'm glad to know that now since i'm more familiar with the different models of the c900 and ng900. regardless, the 9-3s is still a good car i'm assuming? maybe i should tell the dealer about that as not to throw anyone off. especially since that might give me an edge in discussing the price.
yea i was confused about the lack of acc and power seats. however, the car is a turbo. -shrug- is there some other turbo model in the us that i don't know about? i'm doubtful.
I dont see why you really need power seats. Im fine without mine. I mean, all you need is to move the seat once (unless you are still growing) and then you would never have to worry about it again.
i finished growing ages ago. anyhow, no one else would ever be able to drive the car, so i'd be fine after getting settled. just out of curiousity though, are the connectors still present to give power to power seats?
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