New Saab owner says "Hi!"

[KC9-3SE]

Hello all,

A little more than a week ago, I said good-bye to my trusty steed of a Toyota Tercel and said hello to my newest form of 4-wheeled transportation. I am now the proud new owner of a 1999 Midnight Blue Saab 9-3 SE. So far, I've put on about 400 to 500 miles on the car(it came with about 81k).

It's a 5 speed hatch with a killer amount of cargo space! I had never owned a vehicle with this much room! I could fit about 4 or 5 bodies in the trunk alone without putting the seats down! lol j/k

I absolutely love the car. I just admire the acceleration, the sound of the turbo charged engine and the invigorating experience of rowing through the gears and showing up the snooty Civic tuners with my stock Saab.

Aaanway, I just wanted to say hello and that I hope to enjoy my time here talking about and learning more of this wonderful brand of cars. I most certainly know that I will now never go to any other brand, ever.

But I do have a question, would this '99 9-3 SE be one with the 205 hp engine or does it have the 185 hp one? Is there a way I can tell from popping the hood or checking the VIN? I'm thinking its the 205 hp version, but I would like soem info on how to make this discovery.

Aaaaaaaanyway, thanks for having me here and I'll see you around the forums!

KC9-3SE

[n1np]

Welcome!

I don't know about the horsepower, but I do know you can fit a full upright freezer in the back and still close the hatch . I owned a 1990 Tercel: that must be a shock to get directly into a SAAB. Good luck with the car and enjoy!

Ben N1NP

[boxman]

welcome to saab central

i too have a midnight blue 9-3 se turbo coupe, it really is a great colour specially in the sun

enjoy your new car

[barrylieberman]

KC-


If it says SE on the side metal right behind the front wheels, then you have the larger engine.

Enjoy!

[scanialvr]

Welcome - from what appears to be the only chick in the classic 900 forum

[SAABotaged900S]

Originally Posted by scanialvr

Welcome - from what appears to be the only chick in the classic 900 forum

Welcome KC, good luck with the new car! 185, 205, either one will eat up Civics!

Scanialvr, I believe you are not the only female user on the c900 forum, let us not forget about Escalator Guru

[DougR]

Well if it is an SE, I believe it is a HOT(high output turbo) model. Therefore it should be 200hp I think. I am pretty sure that the 99 with the T5 HOT put out 200hp, and then the T7 HOT put out 205, but I could be wrong. Either way,your T5 is much easier to tune than a T7.

[saab9-3LA]

Originally Posted by KC9-3SE

But I do have a question, would this '99 9-3 SE be one with the 205 hp engine or does it have the 185 hp one? Is there a way I can tell from popping the hood or checking the VIN? I'm thinking its the 205 hp version, but I would like soem info on how to make this discovery.

In case no one has answered your question yet (I didn't quite read the whole thread), I think the 9-3 SE is the designation for 205 HP, whereas the standard 9-3 is 185 HP.

I also have a 99 9-3, but it's not the SE ...though it's still a fun CV

[KC9-3SE]

Even though I'm now about 8000 miles from the 90k service, I have some questions.

The guy I got it from, private party sale, works as a salesman for George's Imports in KCMO. He told me the oil was a 50-50 blend of synthetic and real oil. Are the oil change intervals 3k miles or is 5k ok?

Also, occasionally, when accelerating from a stop at 2000 rpm, I hear a humming creak of some kind. I'm thinking that it has to do with the clutch and throttle applications I'm giving it to make a smooth start. Is there any particular way to make the car accelerate in that range without going to slowly or going close to or above 3000 rpms?

Also, the 30k mile interval service, what do the mechanics do to charge $700?

Other than those q's and the "groaning squeek", the ride has been very good thus far. Gas mileage seems to have hit its plateau at between 24.2 to 24.5 mpg, combined according to the SID. I'm really loving it and I hope to keep it for a long time!