Saab - Collectible or Orphan?

[happy1]

Hi,
Since you mention its a convertible I assume you are looking at a 900 or 9-3 from 1994-2002. As mentioned above in this thread there could be some issues with future parts, but you will always be able to find aftermarket parts from the internet.

It has also been correctly mentioned that this model share a lot of parts with Opel/Holden Vectra. In general the SAAB is better engineered than the Vectra.
My brother in law have owned one and put in a lot of kms with no repairs needed.

The Convertible is lacking chassis stiffness of a sedan with roof. Most other convertible 'family cars' from the 90s were like this too. Will only be noticed in pot-holes and on speed bumps in parking lots. The 9-3 still has reasonable crash safety.

I have seen a few of these late 90s convertibles for sale now for $ 3000 - 5000.
If you can pick one up for that which looks reasonable, and if you are willing to own a car that is more than 13 year old, (with all the usual problems that comes with any car of this age in warm Australia) then SAAB is no worse, or even better than many others.

From an overall maintenance cost view, getting a much newer car that comes with warranty and uses less fuel etc, would probably cost you less overall, and be more predictable and trouble free. These days you can buy a 2005 BA Falcon in good condition with less than 150.000 kms for approx $6000. That car would run for years with very low maintenance cost. Probably the cheapest motoring you could ever find. You could spend $20.000 or more on a newer, smaller, more stylish car, which should have no surprises, and could satisfy your partner's wish of driving something 'special'. The cost per month/year of some of the newer cars isn't too bad if you consider all the repairs of an older one.

Based on this I wouldn't say the SAAB 9-3 is poor value for its looks and user value if you find one for $ 5000 or less. However just be aware of the servicing cost of a car that is almost 15 years old. For example the engine will need rebuild to get fresh rubber seals. The cooling system will need to be renewed, leaking power steering, faulty airconditioning, electrics, etc, and many other things potentially going wrong at this age of a car.

Also a comment to one of the posts above; I disagree that the car advice given in Ford Forum's pub is generally poor. I think some of the members have a lot of car experience and gives generally good advice. If you asked a SAAB forum, they would probably already be biased from owning a SAAB, and it would be such a small forum you would not get any responses. Anyway, good luck hunting for a new car. I'm surprised how much car prices has dropped for 6 - 8 year old cars lately. Definitively many bargains out there if you want something else than a 3 year old Barina/Fiesta/i20. Cheers