Comfortable. Practical. Not as expensive to own as people think. Safe. Designed by engineers - not salesmen.

Room on back seat should be better. To much understeering. Based on an old Opel Vectra platform. Not as practical as 900 "classic". weesling noise from windscreen during fast driving.

Please notice, price is in DKr. In USD approx. 25000. This is my 5th Saab 900/9-3. (I own a Saab 900 i-8, "Classic", 1990 to). Compared to my farther in law's Ford Mondeo, the 900/9-3 has been surprisingly cheep to own - I don't know what went wrong, as it was expected to be the other way around. The car is "friendly and forgiving" to its driver. Never surprising the driver. It offers fine comfort - especially to the driver. I fit into this car as a foot into a shoe - an experience, that I never had from other cars.

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Morris Marina 1972 Saab 900GL 1980 Saab 900 1985 Saab 900 1996 Saab 900i8 1990

The suspension is very smooth. Shifting is effortless. Tons of power after 2500 rpm's. Great gas milage. Lots of SAAB mojo. The car is serviced by SAAB at no cost for years. The AC vents are very well designed and make you wonder why it took so long for someone to come up with ones like these. The fuel tank is pretty big and gets 350+ miles per tank. Great visibility. Plenty of toys.

The steering gets a little squirrely when you really get on the gas (at low speeds). This car depreciates unbelievably fast.

This car is as fun to drive as it is to look at. It took almost a month to get used to driving the car. At first I thought the car was simply an economy car with great gas milage. I wondered what all of the performance hype was about but once I got used to driving the car at 2500 RPM and above I realized the awesome power and torque the car realy has. This car is like a great album, it just keeps growing on you.

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1991 Jeep, 1998 Trans Am, 1968 Caddy

Reliability Convertible (open top cruising) Performance (surprises many) Gas mileage Comfort (excellent support from heated seats)

Usual Cup-Holder gripe Trunk space (Big surprise on a convertible)

The more we use this car, the more we love it. Buying a used car with 80,000 miles on it we never expected it to be perfect, but it's close! It took a little detailing to bring it back the way it should be, and the A/C needed a recharge, but that was it. Okay, the top still has a slight problem (the tonneau cover never seems to open far enough at the first attempt), but it works, so what the hey! The car now has 90,000 on it, and will be ours until it dies. The car is extremely attractive, and is frequently mistaken for new (though a look at the leather on the drivers seat would stifle that belief!) It is fast (with the "sport" selection made on the box), handles well, and is extremely well put together. I have added a K&N filter which has improved both economy & performance, and other than routine maintenance, it's just been a case of filling it up! Having test driven a 900 convertible a few years back, this had since been my wife's dream car. Late last year we managed to make her dream come true. I'm glad these cars are so under-rated, it made ours affordable. Almost no-one wants to believe we only paid $11000 for it. It is difficult not goet out of this car after a drive without a smile on your face. Even with mid-forties temperatures (it was a cold winter in Florida this year) the heated seats make it fun to ride with the top down.

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Currently: 1998 Mercury Grand Marquis

In no particular order... - exterior styling: It is unlike anything else on the road. Thank God. - the hatch: I cannot say enough about the practicality of the hatch. Over the past year I've hauled lumber, dirt, dogs, bicycles, televisions, tree stumps, lawnmowers, furniture, etc...without even lowering the rear seats. I'll never own a sedan again. Never. - front seats: The supportive bolstering allows for extended trips with no driver fatigue and the standard upholstering (grippy textile fabric framed by supple leather) is a fantastic combination. - automatic transmission: Without question, this is the most flawless slushbox I've ever driven, smooth with barely-detectable shift points. - Turbo: Ahhh, the turbo. It is what separated the Saab from the others I test drove. I love this turbo. I love its steady and predictable power curve. I love its "kick in the pants" acceleration when I am passing a Sunday driver or getting a tailgator off my bumper.

In a very particular order... - cupholders: There are two. The one between the front seats (behind the driver's elbow) is ridiculously impractical. The retractable one on the dash is clever but completely useless. The first and only time I tried it, I ended up splashing Mountain Dew all over the stereo. Either use your knees or drink out of sippy cups. - center armrest: I had to order a $95 armrest from the Saab Catalog to get something that should've been standard issue. These are both minor complaints on an otherwise perfect automobile.

About a year and a half ago, I was in the market for a smallish wagon priced around $25k. After a few months of research on the internet, I had my list narrowed down to three: BMW 325 (pricey when optioned-out, but holds value), VW Passat (nice, but everyone and his brother has one), and Volvo V40 (safe and affordable, but otherwise unimpressive). I test drove them all and was passing by the Saab dealer on the way home when I spotted the 9-3. I had previously disregarded the car as a "quirky" eight-year old design, but figured I could give it ten minutes of my time if only to use for comparison with the others. The dealer handed me the keys and said "Have fun." I wasn't expecting much and was absolutely amazed at exactly how much FUN this thing was to drive. After a 40-minute test drive, I walked back in to the showroom with a huge smile and placed my order for a steel grey 5-door with the charcoal interior and automatic transmission. I've never had so much fun with a car. This Saab is a great commuter that averages 28 MPG, offers excellent value for the dollar, allows plenty of room in back for my two dogs and camping gear, and makes me smile every time I launch it on the Autobahns. It's not for everyone, but...I guess that's the point.

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Owned: - 1984 Plymouth Horizon - 1992 Saturn SL1 - 1998 Ford Ranger 4x4 Test Drove: - 2002 BMW 325i SportWagon - 2002 Volkswagen Passat GLS Wagon - 2002 Volvo V40

How the car handles. It's a wonderful little sport sudan. I now drive it more than my wife's Mercedes.

I get some hesitation when trying to pass on the highway.

My first Saab. I talked to several dedicated Saab owners who gave good advice. Prior to purchasing, I looked at Audi A4, Volkswagen (all models),Oldsmobile, Buick and the Mini. I love the car in every way. I don['t like my lease agreement. I wanted to buy, but my salesman thought I would be better off with the lease. Bad decision. If I could get out of the lease and purchase the car, I would.

Exterior and interior styling Handling Braking Safety features

Rear seat room Minor turbo lag

This particular car would have sold for $29,775, and I probably would not have bought it at that price (I would have spent the money on an Audi A4). However, Saab is offering a great lease deal, and an $1000 owner loyalty certificate from Oldsmobile valid for any GM product made for a very reasonable monthly payment. The hatchback model which sold for several years was, in my opinion, weird looking. This totally new car is built on GM's Epsilon platform which will eventually underpin the next Chevrolet Malibu and Pontiac Grand Am. The car now sports a conventional trunk, and the styling, which is much more Germanic in appearance but still maintains its Saab identity, is very attractive. The interior, with lots of grey and black touches, has a very businesslike appearance. The display in the center of the dash at the base of the windshield which shows the time, outside temperature, radio station and other information is a well-designed touch. This car feels very poised on the road and the driver always feels in control of the vehicle. Handling is excellent, even though the steering feel is a bit light. Braking is very good, and the car has just about every safety feature known to man, from side curtain airbags to a skid-control system. Acceleration and low-end torque are very good for a four-cylinder engine, thanks to a low-pressure turbocharger. Turbo lag is barely noticeable. The five-speed automatic shifts intuitively, and there is also manual control available, similar to Audi's Tiptronic feature. The 9-3 is not quite as refined or responsive as the Audi A4, but is still a very impressive car in many respects. Highly recommended if you can get a good deal.

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Audi A4

The strengths of the car are its comfort, roominess, and both interior and exterior design.

The car is slightly noisy, and not as quick away from the light as I'd like.

I feel the car competes very well with the best in it's class (Lexus IS300, BMW 3-Series, Infiniti G35....) and because of Saabs great leasing offers, you can save $100-$300 per month over the competition. I opted for the Launch (in-dash 6 CD changer, power sunroof/moonroof, 16 inch wheels)and Touring packages (automatic dual zone climate control, bi-zenon headlights), along with heated seats and headlamp washers.

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I test drove the lexus 1S300 and the Infiniti G35

Smooth ride with more comforts than anyone needs. eg. a refrigerated glovebox.

Power outlet for the needed radar detector is not on the dash but in the console

For the money, you won't find a better car. The safety and performance features are astounding. The Linear engine could use a little more horsepower but delivers fast, smooth power that is very impressive for it' srating. The Arc and Vector editions will probably solve that problem.

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Powerful, comfortable, and spacious. New design is a plus, as the hatchback got old.

Not many.

Just a beautiful car. Powerful, comfortable, and spacious. The new design definitely makes Saab a legit contender in the premium luxury sedan market, and yes, this car is a contender.

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Volvo S60, Audi A4.

Style and look of the car. Peppy 2.3 litre 4 cyl engine. Unique dash layout. Overall reliability at high miles.

Very poor rear visibility in the convertible. Convertible top continues to malfunction. One front cup holder. Radio controls obscured by wheel. Torque steer on front wheel drive. $$ to fix.

No doubt, the 900 S is a stylish car and has that unique quirkiness that makes Saabs so much fun. I have owned the car for 3 years and found it reliable in most respects and very fun to drive. Despite some minor drawbacks with the functioning of the convertible top and some minor parts issues, it has been a reliable car and contnues to run strong at over 100 K miles.

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