5k: Late Model Thorsday: 2006 Saab 9-3 Aero 6-spd
No Thorsday is complete without a posting of something from those Scandinavian madmen; today’s is a quick look at a late model Saab 9-3 Aero. We picked this 9-3 because recently it looked like Saab was in a death spiral and would soon join great defunct auto brands, but recent news articles (like this one on autoblog) claim that 9-3 production has started again this week in Trollhättan thanks to Saab’s new Chinese owner — NEVS. Anyway, don’t bother looking for a Saab dealer in North America as they have been turned into strip malls, but pick up this clean 2006 Saab 9-3 Aero
for sale in Santa Monica, CA for $6,700 buy-it-now on ebay.
The 9-3 was built on GM’s global Epsilon platform (Opel Vectra, Cadillac BLS) and is handsome sedan in a clean Audi-like sense, but it still maintains key Saabness. Quirky, born from jets…whatever, this Saab is powered by a 2.8 liter turbocharged V6 mated to the front wheels that puts out 250 horsepower.
See a better 6-spd late model daily driver for cheaper? email us here: tips@dailyturismo.com
Cool car and I've always thought the modern Saabs are good looking cars, but what about reliability? Will it be any worse than anything else from the General?
The place in Santa Monica where I have the major services done on my Volvo (stupid HOA in my 'hood doesn't allow me to wrench in my driveway) had 2 come in on one day with a broken "whatever controls the door locks" (but not the trunk) module. Both resulted in lockouts and the only way to access the cabin was through the boot and folding down the rear seats… primarily because the owners didn't realize there's a metal key hidden inside their "transponder" fob thing.
Also to note: the 2.8l turbo V6 isn't regarded as Saab's finest hour as far as powertrain longevity is concerned.
Were I in the market for a Saab made after the Classic 900 era, my choices would be either the 98-2002 Viggen or any 9-5 Aero wagon with a manual gearbox, in that order.
I read somewhere that Spyker found the money and is gearing up to restart SAAB production. Not holding my breath, but the thought is pleasing.
It's already started again, but Spyker is out and NEVS (a Chinese owned concern) is in. They say that for now, new SAABs will only be available in Sweden and China.
The turbo V6 is powerful, but poor on fuel economy, esp. with the XWD models. I was not aware they also had reliability problems. A few 9-3 Sportcombis with 2.0T, XWD and 6-speed left the factory but these are hard to find.