Which Saab model should I buy? / Bringing the old car back to life

[Burnsside42]

320i is a sharp looking entry BMW - does it have the I4 Turbo motor?

[nordwulf]

I've also just bought a new car, which couldn't be a Saab since the factory closed. It should be here in August. It's a BMW 320i, 6 speed manual.

Very nice! Are you doing European Delivery again and pick it up in Munich?

[rpiereck]

Congrats on the BMW! Reviews I read about the 320i say it's the best deal on a Bimmer right now.

[Dave T]

320i is a sharp looking entry BMW - does it have the I4 Turbo motor?

Yes. It is my attempt to buy a 2013 Saab 9-3, which doesn't exist. It has a 2.0-16 turbo, just like a Saab would. The folding down rear seat is not standard but I am getting it as an option. Better than a 9-3, changing settings, like door lock settings, can be done by the owner and a visit to the dealer for a Tech II is not needed.

Very nice! Are you doing European Delivery again and pick it up in Munich?

Yes. It is my best attempt to replicate a new Saab. Picking it up in Trollhattan South, aka Munich , which is also trying to replicate picking up my 9-3 in 2005. Even with airfare, the cost will be less than the regular invoice price for buying at a dealership. This is also because I am paying more than $1000 less than the published European delivery price and also not staying too many days at a hotel.

Congrats on the BMW! Reviews I read about the 320i say it's the best deal on a Bimmer right now.

Its acceleration is plenty fast and as long as it is not slow, handling is more important to me. The 320i probably handles the same as a 335i. If I regularly drove on the Autobahn, maybe I might want a 335i but in the U.S., the top speed makes no difference.

[Dave T]

Now the quest is to fix up this 1999 9-3. Brought the car to the shop already to get some work done. I've started to do some work myself, mainly cleaning and routine maintenance. I brought it to a body shop to inquire about a dent but they recommended a paintless dent removal business since they only replace parts and paint them.

Now is a race between bringing this car to tip top shape and the arrival of the BMW. Perhaps I should give the BMW a name, but not Emily or Corinne, but something like "Nine". Nine could be a play on words. "Is it a Saab?" "Nein" (No, in German). Nine is also a common number in Saabs (except the 600; even the Sonett was the 97).

[Dave T]

I've now had the car for a week. It hasn't died yet!

I'm now planning an effort to bring the 1999 9-3 back to life. I've made a list of things to do and will prioritize them. So far...

1. emissions test and title the car. Passed and done.
2. have valve cover gasket replaced. Done
3. wipe down interior. Smells too much like air freshener. Done once, needs repeating. Plan to sprinkle some baking soda then vacuum the car.
4. untwist the twisted seat belts and get the buckle to face the correct way. Done
5. replace the brake fluid. Done
6. replace key fob battery. Done. Error message is now gone.
7. replace wiper blades before I go deaf. Done
8. order headlight wiper blade to replace a missing one. Ordered.
9. inspect air filter, remove and vacuum it as well as the air box. Done
10. change the oil and oil filter. To be done in about 24 hours.
11. has a small scuff that a clay bar might remove. Has a dent in the hood that paintless dent removal might work, according to an auto body shop that I went to. Planned.
12. replace the car battery with a newer one that is in my soon to be totaled 9-3SS. Planned
13. various easier maintenance items, like changing the spark plugs, coolant, etc. Planned
14. various cosmetic stuff. I probably will not replace the emblems, which are now silver. Give it a good wash and wax. Soon.
15. probably change the DIC and keep the current one as a spare. One shop says it needs a new one. They also said the oxygen sensor should be changed.
16. broken right fog light. Lower priority to fix.
17. SID pixels are half out. Hmm.
18. SID message says to service alarm. Hmm.
19. Maybe look for snow tires and wheels. Unsure which car will be the winter car. The new 320i? Or have all seasons on that and the best snow tires on the 9-3, which could be used in the once or twice a year snowfalls here?
20. Maybe new shocks and springs?

[nordwulf]

14. various cosmetic stuff. I probably will not replace the emblems, which are now silver. Give it a good wash and wax. Soon.

That's the first thing I replaced on my car after I just bought it. I couldn't stand the sight of those ugly silver discs.

[Dave T]

The car is black so silver gives it contrast. With a silver car, I agree. On the other hand, mistreating a car is like mistreating a horse so maybe I will look for emblems. Stickers? Probably not, but maybe. A genuine emblem. More likely. The emblem is different sized from the 9-3SS.

[Dave T]

I now declare my new 1999 9-3 operational. I'm not sure what such declaration means but it passes my standard as a running car. The car has been tested so that I have reasonable confidence that it can be driven regionally, not just close to home. Enough maintenance has been brought up to date, like the oil and brake fluid. The car doesn't overheat. The oil leak is fixed.

The next phase is to see if I want to keep the car long term or just temporarily. I tend to favor long term though I should have bought a lower mileage car if that was the goal. On the other hand, if I just put 2,000-4,000 miles per year that won't wear out the car more than its current condition. The longer I plan to keep it, the more I'll fix cosmetically. I might try to have paintless dent removal for one medium sized dent on the hood (did someone pound it with a fist?) and a door ding.

Within 6 months, I'll have to decide which car will be the winter car. Since Seattle has mild winters, one car will get snow tires and the other will keep the all season tires on. Eventually, the new not-a-Saab car, tentatively nick-named "Nein" (sounds like "nine"), will get summer tires and winter tires but that might not be for a few years.

[Burnsside42]

BMW = RWD or AWD?
RWD I'd run as the nice weather car. Saab + Snow tires = great winter car.