1st Car , a SAAB?

[J-Rod]

The thing is most of the time I drive alone. So I see why the 9-3 would have an edge. The 9-5 seems (correct my ignorance, if I'm wrong) more like a Family sedan.

No, you're exactly right, it is more of a family sedan. No doubt the 9-3 is definitely the sportier option, much smaller and weighs less. My cousin drove a 2006 9-3 Aero and said it had no problems handling a turn at high speeds with almost no body roll.

[EuroDriver]

No, you're exactly right, it is more of a family sedan. No doubt the 9-3 is definitely the sportier option, much smaller and weighs less. My cousin drove a 2006 9-3 Aero and said it had no problems handling a turn at high speeds with almost no body roll.

Excellent. It doesn't bother me that the 9-5 is a family sedan. I'll just have to do more homework on the 9-5s and 9-3s, to see which one I like more. Possibly test drive them too. But I definitely will keep all you've shown me in mind. Just wanted to get some opinions from SAAB drivers themselves.

[J-Rod]

Drive them both, preferably in the same day. That's what I did. That way the other one is still fresh in your mind.

[nordwulf]

Surprisingly, there is more headroom in the 9-3. You sit a little bit lower (or the dash seems higher) in the 9-3. I owned a few 9-3 and 9-5 and the 9-3 is definitely a it sportier to drive. The 2.8T V6 engine is awesome but the 2.0T is not bad either. The 9-5 is more like a cruiser but can handle itself very well in corners. At least much better than the average family sedan.

For the 9-3, 2003-2006 have the old button-style dash. I think it looks better than the newer dash but fiber-optics makes it very difficult for audio upgrades. Some are happy with the factory audio but some want more. 2007 has the new dash but old body-style. 2008 and up has the new body-style.

2007 and 2008 model years for both the 9-3 and 9-5 have the 100K miles GM power-train warranty which can be a very nice to have when something goes wrong. The Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) program offered by Saab dealers should be on your list as well. These used Saabs will carry a 100K miles / 6 year full warranty. It adds about $1,500 to the price of the car. You didn't mention anything about your budget so it is a bit difficult to give more specific advice.

Welcome to SaabWorld!

[EuroDriver]

Surprisingly, there is more headroom in the 9-3. You sit a little bit lower (or the dash seems higher) in the 9-3. I owned a few 9-3 and 9-5 and the 9-3 is definitely a it sportier to drive. The 2.8T V6 engine is awesome but the 2.0T is not bad either. The 9-5 is more like a cruiser but can handle itself very well in corners. At least much better than the average family sedan.For the 9-3, 2003-2006 have the old button-style dash. I think it looks better than the newer dash but fiber-optics makes it very difficult for audio upgrades. Some are happy with the factory audio but some want more. 2007 has the new dash but old body-style. 2008 and up has the new body-style.2007 and 2008 model years for both the 9-3 and 9-5 have the 100K miles GM power-train warranty which can be a very nice to have when something goes wrong. The Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) program offered by Saab dealers should be on your list as well. These used Saabs will carry a 100K miles / 6 year full warranty. It adds about $1,500 to the price of the car. You didn't mention anything about your budget so it is a bit difficult to give more specific advice.Welcome to SaabWorld!

Thank you for the warm welcoming! It's been very friendly on this forum. To answer the question on price, the budget caps off at around 16k.

[J-Rod]

You can get a VERY nice Saab for $16k.

You can almost get a Turbo-X
Saab : 9-3 | eBay

[EuroDriver]

You can get a VERY nice Saab for $16k.You can almost get a Turbo-XSaab : 9-3 | eBay

Wow, what a beauty. Shame the mileage is 84k. I'm sure if the car was well taken care of, it's mileage wouldn't really matter. Not to be nit picky, but 60k miles is where I'd be comfortable. There are a lot online, their just on the the other coast haha.