First of all, please forgive me if you read this elsewhere. I had trouble registering here yesterday dor some reason but finally got in today.
Hello everyone. I'm looking for a little advise. I'm going to go look at a 2006 9-3 2.0T SportCombi, automatic gearbox tomorrow. The car has quite a few issues as well as 180,000 miles but asking price is low and the maintenance records on mycarfax look pretty good with regular oil changes and service.
The bad parts are these. Quoting the owner, "The misfire seems to be causing a rough idle and shakiness when driving. The loss of power is worse at low speeds." "Coolant seems to be leaking from directly under reservoir. Not from radiator."
The car also has a small oil leak which he described. "The oil leak isn’t insane but will leave a tiny puddle over a few days. A few weeks of leaking in the same spot seems to leave about 1/2 cup of oil or so. It’s hard to tell the location of the oil leak honestly"
Also, the latch for the rear door is broken, doesn't latch and the supports are gone too. Driver seat leather is ripped a bit and the drivers window does not roll down.
On the plus side, he sent many high resolution pictures. The body and trim seem to be excellent in shiny black, no dents, glass is good and it has a roof rack and a bike rack included. New battery purchased today and also the tires are almost new, although they do seem to be a discount brand.
Mycarfax shows in May of 2019, the car had front axles repaired/replaced and also the rear pads and rotors replaced at a very well reviewed import indie mechanic.
In May of 2018 the car had this done to it. Sway bar links replaced, stabilizer bar link replaced and the front brake pads replaced.
In February 2018 the car got a new windshield, radiator repaired, whatever that means, thermostat replaced and coolant changed. Transmission fluid changed, power steering checked and a cabin air filter replaced.
Looks like the car lived in Florida till around 50,000 miles then it was in New Mexico for a spell. from 2012-2016. The car was then in SC for a couple of years before going to Seattle till 2018. The car has been back in New Mexico since then.
Sorry for the length of the post, I just sort of got on a roll. So, what do you Saab experts think? 750 dollars....no brainer or run away?
Thank you all for reading.
Be well.
Tony