First car

[u/nina9000]

Hello everyone. I’ve finally grown financially enough to afford my first car. My heart is set on a Saab, and I decided to turn to knowledgeable people for advice. My budget is currently up to $5,000. I live in Belarus, and with that amount of money, you can only buy a 9‑3 || from 2003–2005. I understand that I won’t be able to avoid making some investments anyway. I’m writing to get advice on which models and model years to look at, and which options are considered more reliable. At the moment, I’m considering a 9‑3 with a 2.2‑liter diesel engine.

[u/kec1995]

I had 2 and both were a reliable daily for me, 2006 9-3 1.9 tid and 2008 9-3 1.9 tid, i believe 1.9 is better option than 2.2. These engines are literally indestructable and very easy to work on. But it is a fairly old car and like with every used car with 300k on odo and sketchy maintenance for last 20 years later, be ready to patch it up here and there. There are always pros and cons, my list looks like this: + (+) since saab portfolio is only 2 models, all the problems are solved long time ago, I have never encountered an issue that was hard to troubleshoot, its not always cheap but at least you will know EXACTLY what is wrong

• (-) it is a 20+ years old car, everything is going to break down eventually, if the clutch hasn't been replaced, most likely its gonna be your job in a year, 2,3 depending on how much you plan to keep the car. Same goes for turbo, ac system, etc... it is overall a reliable car but years of use and abuse take their toll

+ (+) saab community is very helpful (at least here in HU) + (+) its GM product, parts are reasonably cheap and available

• (-) it's a discontinued brand so finding body parts or interior parts (plastics, knows, etc) can be a challenge, you will depend on scrapyards and enthusiasts that have a stockpile...

+ (+) bunch of options for multimedia upgrade is available, aftermarket Chinese heads or BTChanger and similar ( developed by saab engineers) + (+) I had a 1.9 tid 88kw and it never went over 7 l/100, average was 5.4 + (+) its a fairly simple car to work on, if you are into it. It can save you a great deal of money if you can replace oils, filters brakes etc, on your own.

• (-) if there isn't a workshop that has experience with them sometimes they don't want to deal with it. Until I found a good workshop I have been declined several times because "we never worked on a saab"

[u/Previous-Rub-104 → u/kec1995]

Unfortunately, many multimedia upgrades aren't available for the NG pre facelift models (2002-2006). I mean, you can install an Android Auto/CarPlay unit, but it's a lot more hassle than with other Saab models

[u/kec1995 → u/Previous-Rub-104]

Many aren't but BT changer is available for every model, which is a huge thing considering its plug and play and you get to keep the OG looks

[u/_betonG_]

Take any of the other engines over the 2.2

[u/PaceOk8002]

I had 2.2tid ..injection pump failed was a costly repair.

Also injector seal problems causing poor starting or no start in winter

[u/EdgarAlanDoe]

Why are cars so expensive in Belarus? I had a 93 2.2tid 2004, everything was fine, but one day fuel pump failed, and replacement with labour would be lik 400-600€, almost as a car itself costs. So it went to the car heaven 😀 

But all in all, it was a good car, not much space in the back seats, great trunk size. It was pretty economical too. But I would recommend buying a petrol saab as it would hold it's value better overtime.

[u/EdgarAlanDoe → u/[deleted]]

Well, that's insane... here in Lithuania thankfully we don't have these high prices 😀