2002 Saab 9-3 consumer reviews

This is a very good car, with an excellent reliability record and outstanding safety record. When you can get a $ 40,000 car for $ 7000, 11 years old, that's worth using Cars.com every time I need a vehicle----for myself, my business, or anyone in my business. Thank you CARS. com !! SCE. In the Biz.

I went to Saldutti Vehicle Re-marketing, Met Tony, the owner. Great guy, he showed me the the Saab I was interested in. The interior was in excellent condition. all power package was in working condition. the paint was in good condition with a few minor chips. Tony pulled it out so I could take it for a ride. I was purchasing this car for my daughter, and I wanted to make sure she would have a safe car to drive. I had asked Tony all he knew about the car and to my surprise he was honest. I already checked the car out and everything he said was fact no games and no hard sale. The car ran a bit rough but it was an easy fix, with proper oil and high octane gas. I took it to my saab mechanic and he informed me I had a really great car. The O2 sensor needed to be replaced, I fixed that and had the oil change, and had the car completely detail. My daughter was so happy with her new car. I got it for a great price and an addition 425.00 for the oil, gas, detail and sensor, not a bad deal. When and if I need another car, I will call Tony Saldutti first. Ask the right question and he will always give you the right answers.

This car has been fine so far for the most part. For a 10 year old car with a turbo engine, the gas mileage is really good. I've been filling the tank every 2.5 weeks for my short commute. The car is very comfortable to ride in, and the sound system seems good enough. One big complaint: Saabs have a known problem with the neutral position safety switch, which we failed to detect prior to purchase (thanks to a sleazy dealer). Basically, the switch doesn't reset properly when the car is turned off, so until the engine completely cools, the car cannot be restarted (usually ~ 1 hour). This can be fixed, but it is rather expensive (>$600 for the part alone). My advice: if you're looking at a used Saab, drive it fast enough and long enough to get it hot, then shut it off and try to re-start it 10 minutes later. If it doesn't start, you're going to have an expensive repair.

All I can say it they sure design a fun vehicle that is a pleasure to drive. Very good excelleration & top notch fuel milage that is no found in most cars. WE LOVE IT

I bought this vehicle used when Saab was on the verge of extinction. I always wanted this car when I graduated from college. This is a very intelligent design providing balance in luxury, performance and utility. Great brakes, fun to drive 5 spd, easy to maintain and inexpensive replacement parts. Gets around well enough in the snow. I have no idea why saab moved away from the hatch design when they should have kept perfecting it and perhaps increased the size by about 6 inches in length and 4 - 5 inches in width. This is the car the Prius was modeled after. Saab just needs to innovate and provide more mpg with performance. That said, my 2002 SE gets very good gas mileage in relation to the performance. The styling never gets old. The rear trunk is cavernous. With seats down it holds as much as any mid-sized suv. If saab were to make a slightly larger version with updated performance say 240 hp and tune the suspension firmer, with similar interior fit and finish / safety features and keep the car in the high $30s / entry $40s, I would buy that car all day. Saab is under rated but they need to go back to be unique and purpose built versus trying to be like every other european manufacturer.

I purchased my 9-3 SE convertible ('02) a year ago and am incredibly pleased with it. Gas mileage can easily exceed 34 mpg. It's a reliable vehicle with extraordinary performance (turbo charger works beautifully for passing on the freeway). Seats are incredibly comfortable. Enough trunk space for 2 or 3 suitcases. I'm never buying another brand! Downsides: Watch out for the crazy check engine/airbag/whatever else lights! They often come on for no reason whatsoever, and if they're on for a reason, it can set you back (just like with any car). It's a little small, but I'm 6'3" and fit just fine. I personally recommend the manual!

This is the 2002 Saab 9-3 SE Convertible with the Sport package, bought used two months ago (May 2010) with 50K miles. This replaced a 1997 VW Cabrio. Waay upscale here. Despite naysayers remarks about GM ownership of the Saab brand, this car has all the Swedish character you could want, and all the GM assurance I want. Sure, it looks a little soft, but get behind the wheel with a size 11 Florsheim and the 2.0 gives a good hard kick. Good interior trim and tight extereior finish. The Sport pkge includes larger wheels and low profile tires, which give a harsher ride and allows me to wrestle the keys away from my wife with less resistance. The top is a dream, engineering-wise: tight and easy up-and-down. After 8 yrs., this car is rattle-free and suffers only a mild scramble of the SID panel, which can be fixed for under $200.

I purchased this 2002 9-3 SE hatchback after many years of wanting one, was looking for a manual transmission but ended up buying an automatic. I'm the 3rd owner of this car and bought this car from a friend with only 40K mi on it. My friend purchased the car with only 27K mi, on it, 1 year before i bought it. The first thing i noticed was the power, in SPORT mode you feel like you're riding a car with more than 205 HP, the handling, the performance is inmaculate, and it's quiky but handsome looks really captivates me. Gas mileage is good, i get even better gas milage than my previous car (a 2.0 VW Jetta), but you have to keep your foot off the gas pedal. There was a little computer issue, coordination between the engine computer and the central, but a $120 tune up fixed the problem. So far i'm very happy with it and i'm going to keep it as long as i can. Very happy with it!

Overall the car is a fantastic value. I bought it used with 52k miles on it for $8000. It has virtually every feature you could want from high quality leather, heated seats, climate control, sunroof, power everything and a nice stereo. The power antenna seems odd with the included Onstar antenna. A nuisance when you go to the car wash. Wish it had some modern features such as Sirius satellite radio, integrated ipod connectivity and bluetooth but it's a 2002 and a good motorola speakerphone is $75. It is a little tight in the front seat. could use about 4 more inches of width but the sears are very comfortable. The hatchback is so useful. I had a full dresser in the back of the vehicle and room to spare. I think Saab made a huge mistake dropping this body style and not further refining it. Now everyone from BMW to Honda are copying the format with ugly vehicles. The gas mileage is outstanding for a 2002 vehicle (32+ highway) and the turbo acceleration is great from 2nd gear on and at highway speeds you go from 70 to 85 lickety split. I think it needs new struts all around as it seems to have a lot of body roll for a small car but my other vehicles are Beemers with sport packages so I am accustomed to firmer, tighter handling cars. I may upgrade the suspension with anti-roll bars and firmer struts. Overall I think this is a great value and if Saab were to resurrect the vehicle, with some refinements in size and suspension, and market it properly I think they would do really well. It is a unique body style that just doesn't seem to age. I always like the way it looks and it is a great all around vehicle for everyday utility.

I bought my 2002 Saab 9-3 SE Hatchback with a 5-speed manual transmission about a year ago. My car has 104,000 miles on the clock and I have had no problems mechanically thus far. I have had to replace the retractable antenna which cost $15.00 online and about 20 minutes of my time. Upkeep for this car is fairly cheap if you stay away from dealerships. I have been able to source all my parts (filters, spark plugs, etc.) from CarQuest. A word of advice, use only full synthetic motor oil and NGK spark plugs. This car is absolutely amazing. Nobody believes me when I simply tell them the facts about my car. What other car has a real, quality leather interior, (with "turbo" printed on the seats) real wood grain in the dashboard, heated seats, sunroof, heated mirrors, full electric... everything, a computer that tells you things like MPG and average speed in real time, and a brilliant turbocharged engine? My car makes 205hp, will go 0-60 somewhere in the 7 second range, and has a top speed over 150mph. All the while making 34 MPG highway. And all for under $7000. The car is also very practical. The storage space is unrivaled. I have actually seen pictures of people fitting a full sized washer and dryer set in the back of thiers. Plus you get all the aformentioned perks that come with the car. The computer will even tell you what time you will arrive at your destination based on real time data. It also has interesting features such as and alarm clock and an adjustable alarm that will sound once you exceed a set speed. It is so comfortable to ride in, and handles brilliantly. It is simply a blast to drive. If you are going to purchase one of these cars, make sure the seller has substantial service records. While this car will run forever if maintained, it can be destroyed by neglect very quickly.