[vertiblechickmag]

I am trading my brother my 2003 vw jetta 1.8t with factory performance package, for his wife's black on tan leather 1999 saab 9-3 convertible. All i know is that its black on tan, turbo, from 99, and they paid 12g for it maybe a year or so ago. His wife didnt like because the doors were too long and her shopping stuff slid off the leather seats..yada yada. I used to have a carly 900t vert, so i jumped on it.

Few questions:
i live in a hella bad apartment complex as far as car theft and burglary goes. I know personally the locals have messed with volvos, hondas, fords, chevys, and i dont know what else. Since my car is a convertible, will it be safe if i want some ice?

Is there a significant performance difference between the 9-3 vert and hatch as far as weight, body stiffness, and overall handling goes.

Mileage is low 30k, and i do work on my cars myself. whats coming up for service.

Im a long time saab nut, and i cant wait to get into this new car. I was always suspicious of the gm saabs because its gm and i was used to fully swede made pre 94 saabs- is gm >< or = to pre 1994 saabs.

Thanks for any replies, and the performance mods on this car look like fun.

 

[nab627b]

i believe the vert is slower than the hatchback, but im not positive onthat

 

[DFroelich]

I believe the coupe is the lightest, with the sedan at ~40 lbs more, and the vert is another ~300 pounds.

 

[earthworm]

I would not want to have a nice car under these conditions.

Better a security cameraed enclosure, or as we pay for this, police protection...Or a combination of the two.

I am in a small town where it is possible for a man to have a special vehicle without too much worry...

 

[vertiblechickmag]

are saabs easily stolen.

 

[earthworm]

are SAABs easily stolen.

??

I'd be worried about the vandalism.
We are still too soft on crime; so its just a wrist slap if the thief wants your car - in a high crime area where people live in fear...
The Saab is difficult to steal, but nothing is impossible..

 

[CleveSaab]

Mileage is low 30k, and i do work on my cars myself. whats coming up for service.

You are coming up on the big one...35k IS A MAJOR SERVICE.
aLL FLUIDS EXCEPT THE TRANNY FLUID GET CHANGED, NEW PLUGS, AND NEW SERPINTINE BELT/IDLER PULLEY. (sORRY CAPS LOCK).

 

[vertiblechickmag]

You are coming up on the big one...35k IS A MAJOR SERVICE.
aLL FLUIDS EXCEPT THE TRANNY FLUID GET CHANGED, NEW PLUGS, AND NEW SERPINTINE BELT/IDLER PULLEY. (sORRY CAPS LOCK).

can i do this service myself, if not how much does it cost.

 

[20Ted]

can i do this service myself, if not how much does it cost.

Hehe - you probably could, but I doubt Cleve could!! :cheesy: Honestly, though, Cleve has come a long way from two years ago!!

Those things are all very easy DIY. Just do some searching on here, or post specific new topics on the board if you can't find the answers. You might also want to get yourself a copy of the Haynes manual for the NG900 - same exact thing with a few different minor specs, but it will still get you through the "how-tos" and "where-ares"! The only thing Haynes does NOT cover is anything to do with the convertible top :x

Have fun!! I know I have with my '98 vert - and I traded in my '02 GTI 1.8T with only 14,000 miles on it for the Saab - BEST move I ever made!! (Have had less problems with 1998 Saab over two years than I had with the '02 GTI in the first 3 months of ownership).

 

[vertiblechickmag]

well thats good to hear its very easy to dimy, ill have a busy weekend at 35k.

Im excited about this move too, i miss my old 87 900t vert. What have you done to your 98 for performance or custom?

I heard some naysayers hating on the gm saabs, but they seem ok..

 

[ragtopcav]

I heard some naysayers hating on the gm saabs, but they seem ok..

A bunch of muppets lost in the past, that's all they are.

Would it really upset you if you were told they're based on the Euro J body Cavalier? if so forget what I just put but the old 900 you've lamented about, now that really was based on a turd of a car so...

 

[CleveSaab]

Hehe - you probably could, but I doubt Cleve could!! Honestly, though, Cleve has come a long way from two years ago!!

Yeah, it would take me only 4 weekends...

Getting ready to tackle a power steering hose. Wish me luck! :cheesy:

 

[vertiblechickmag]

A bunch of muppets lost in the past, that's all they are.

Would it really upset you if you were told they're based on the Euro J body Cavalier? if so forget what I just put but the old 900 you've lamented about, now that really was based on a turd of a car so...

cavalier, that is disturbing, ill just keep that one to myself because no one knows anything about saabs anyway-in the real world

 

[durden7]

To prevent getting Stolen

To prevent getting stolen, you could always wire in a kill-switch somewhere. Seriously, you cut one of the ignition wires in the middle and fix in a simple switch. Doesn't have to be anything fancy. Then you hide the switch somewhere under the dash or seat. You flip the switch off when you park at night.

My grandfather used to love to do this.

If someone wants to steal your car, what do they have to do? Usually they try and force the ignition with a screwdriver or one of those huge rachet type drivers I see on TV. Neither will work, if you put in a switch that cuts the power going to the ignition. Sure, they could find the switch if they really looked, but they'll probably run off scared because it would take so long to figure it out.

Just an idea for the paranoid. Writing this kind of talked me into maybe doing it in my saab...

-Durden7
120K 97 Saab 900 turbo se 2.0L

 

[vertiblechickmag]

To prevent getting stolen, you could always wire in a kill-switch somewhere. Seriously, you cut one of the ignition wires in the middle and fix in a simple switch. Doesn't have to be anything fancy. Then you hide the switch somewhere under the dash or seat. You flip the switch off when you park at night.

My grandfather used to love to do this.

If someone wants to steal your car, what do they have to do? Usually they try and force the ignition with a screwdriver or one of those huge rachet type drivers I see on TV. Neither will work, if you put in a switch that cuts the power going to the ignition. Sure, they could find the switch if they really looked, but they'll probably run off scared because it would take so long to figure it out.

Just an idea for the paranoid. Writing this kind of talked me into maybe doing it in my saab...

-Durden7
120K 97 Saab 900 turbo se 2.0L

ive heard of this, you cant lose there i guess. but im not worried about the car getting stolen, i doubt the locals know how. its the ICE i dont want to get ripped off. would cutting the vert top make the alarm go off?

 

[CleveSaab]

I'm thinking it might since there is a GLASS BREAKAGE SENSOR in the car that operate off sound. I know (first hand) simple talking will make it go off, so I'm quite sure ripping the top would too.

 

[Fast_Ed]

I tried to set off my Glass-Break Sensor one day, but it wouldnt go. Did it by leaving the windows open and setting the alarm, then sticking my head in and making noise... It would seem to me that it takes a lot of noise to set it off.

When you mentioned ICE, I thought you were talking about diamonds or drugs at first.. Silly acronyms get me every time.

The GM SAABs aren't bad. I had 4 c900's before the Viggen and had vowed never to buy a GM SAAB. They are nice cars, but material and build quality are nothing like the c900. I never had a c900 new, so it's a little tough to compare, but everything felt so much more solid throughout the car. The c900 took much more time per unit to build than could possibly be profitable nowadays.

The Vig is great, but I could certainly go for a set of non-GM accessories. But we have the best of both worlds here: Crappy GM parts at hugely inflated SAAB prices.

Sorry I'm still feeling burned from my AC compressor woes.

 

[CleveSaab]

I tried to set off my Glass-Break Sensor one day, but it wouldnt go. Did it by leaving the windows open and setting the alarm, then sticking my head in and making noise... It would seem to me that it takes a lot of noise to set it off.

See, I've had just the oposite experience. I did the same thing and it went off on the first try. I was also sitting in (my hardtop) once with the alarm on and talking a friend...we set it off twice just talking...

 

[Fast_Ed]

Wow, I'll have to give that a try when I get her back. I'll close up the window and set the alarm while sitting inside. Then I'll make some noise

 

[john tanner]

You can get alarms over here that give an audible verbel warning if anyone goes too close to the car...."step back from the car" on some alarms you can even pre load sounds into it...My mate had one on his Porche it said get back ya b$stard or i will break ya legs. Might make it more of a target though if you did this but it would be funny. Good luck with the vert and enjoy.:cheesy: