Newbie with a 2007 9 3

[Shrug]

Picked up a 2007 9³ 2.0T with only 42,000 miles on it last week. I flew to Seattle and paid $2,300 to the elderly son of the original owner who himself doesn't drive anymore. The deal seemed too good to be true, but was brokered by a co-worker I trust, so I cashed in some miles and flew up from Dallas with cash in hand. The owner bought it brand new for almost $33,000 USD when he was 70 years old and barely drove it over the years. He had every dealer oil change and maintenance receipt in the owner manual folder. The interior is literally showroom condition and rear floor mats were still in plastic. The passenger side had been keyed, reportedly by an angry woman who lived in the complex. Otherwise, the body is in excellent shape and all the electric switches function properly.

I checked the fluids, tire pressure, etc., paid the son, and hit the road back to Texas. The only issues I experienced were warnings that the left marker and right position indicator lights were out during the start-up self diagnostic. I also noticed the rear passenger fog lamp was out...after I figured out where they were. Oddly enough, there are no front fog lamps. I've never even heard of rear fog lamps. None of these are inspection items in Texas, but I wanted them to work. I replaced all three bulbs in a hotel parking lot on my way home from Seattle in about 30 minutes for $6 in bulbs.

Driving 2,300 miles gave me plenty of time to figure out the quirky European cabin controls and Saab features. I plugged my portable Sirius satellite radio in to the stereo aux jack and discovered the stock stereo is pretty lame. Counting grills, there appears to be six speakers; possibly seven if the grill in the center of the dash has a driver beneath it. I was amused by the fact that the rear deck sports stylish 6x9 speaker grills, but the rear deck speakers themselves are tiny, round, crappy full range drivers. I'm pondering a full sound system replacement versus just the rear 6x9s.

Being careful to be consistent with speed, I noticed a difference in gas mileage using high versus low octane gas; significant enough to warrant the difference in price for 16 gallons. The drive home was problem free, quiet and smooth. I found the suspension stiff as I drove through the mountains, but not a nuisance. I'm super happy with the purchase.

I researched the 9³ extensively on this forum before flying up and am very appreciative of the information here and for the contributors' expertise. I'm looking forward to making my own contributions.

[nordwulf]

Thanks for the introduction and congrats with your new Saab. That really sounds like a deal too good to be true but sometimes they are just like that. The nice thing about the 2007 is that they have the new interior and audio system so shouldn't be too difficult to upgrade.

Are the scratches where it was keyed repairable? It sucks to have something like that on any car but it's still better than a major mechanical problem.

I am sure you are aware we always enjoy seeing pictures of Saabs so hopefully you can post a few. Welcome to SaabWorld!

[Shrug]

Thanks, Frank. Such luck isn't common for me. The owner passed away in November and none of the siblings nor their kids wanted the car. I'm not sure how the $2,300 price was derived.

The paint scratches look more like screwdriver than key. The car was kept in a retirement community and the offender didn't drive. The marks aren't that noticeable unless you look close. Despite being ten years old, this is the nicest vehicle I've owned, so I might look into touching up the paint. I had to chuckle when I saw the dinky speakers under the rear deck.

Photos attached.

[Digger]

I spent all weekend getting rid of stone chips, scratches and buffing out my black Saab and now that I've seen your engine compartment, I'm going to have to go out and detail mine. So darn you for posting that picture and congratulations on one very well priced purchase.

Body shop will want to paint the whole fender and your scratches do look bad, but they are fairly easy to repair. A good scratch and stone chip guy can make this repair and usually for about a quarter to a third the price of a body shop painting the panel, never completely invisible but good enough that you have to know where to look to find it.

If you have a steady hand and a good high speed buffer, get yourself a little bottle of matching touchup paint, a box of flat toothpicks and you can make those scratches disappear. Don't use the brush that comes with the bottle, way to hard to control. Use the pointed tip of the toothpick to fill in the smaller scratch marks, chew up the flat end just enough to soften up some wood fiber and use it to dab in the larger gouges and take your time filling in where needed until you reach paint level. Better to do a dozen small paint adds that to lay down way to much the first time.

[nordwulf]

Wow, that does look very nice.

The large holes are for the bass speakers that are part of the Bose® Centerpoint® Surround System. More info about the audio system can be found in this thread: http://saabworld.net/showthread.php?t=26948

[Shrug]

Wow, that does look very nice.

The large holes are for the bass speakers that are part of the Bose® Centerpoint® Surround System. More info about the audio system can be found in this thread: http://saabworld.net/showthread.php?t=26948

Thanks. That's good info. I'll likely install a moderately priced sound system. When not on the road, I work from home and bought this car as a driver for my frequent trips to the airport (80 miles) and occasional office run (70 miles). My '92 Chevy pickup has almost 300,000 miles and needs a rest. I have no interest in a CD player, so something with a USB port, an aux jack for my Sirius radio, and reasonable power for clear sound will suffice. I need to measure those rear bass holes and see if they're truly 6x9.