SAAB 9-3

[fdcg27]

I am looking seriously at a '99 SAAB 9-3 'vert.
Car is clean and looks to have been well cared for.
I can buy it for 5K, car has 110K.
Everything works, and I did enjoy driving it.
Is this a car of the sludge-prone SAAB era?
The engine seems to run just fine, but are there PCV problems with this generation?

 

[Nick R]

Haven't heard anything about SAAB sludge, but they are pretty nice cars.

 

[terminaldegree]

If that motor is anything like the one in my 9-5, then yes, it is one of the models involved with the pcv/sludge issues. This was solved somewhere in '04 with a pcv update and religious 5k oil changes with an A3 rated synthetic.

You could pay to have the oil pan dropped and check the pan and screen for problems.

 

[Market525]

Boy, I know convertibles are tempting this time of year, but I'd sure be careful on the Saab. If you haven't already, I'd do plenty of internet reading on the issues. I think from an official standpoint, the 99 you're looking at is okay.

I've read the problem models are:
9-3 2000-2004 with the 2.0L Turbo
9-5 1999-2004 2.3L Turbo

From having helped a friend with a 2000 9-3 with the sludge issue, I can say his was a disaster. Cost him a fortune. Pulling the pan, cleaning the sludge, replacing oil pump pickup, updating the PCV system, etc. got it going again ..... and heavy doses of Auto-RX kept it going .... but the car still makes me nervous.

Proceed with caution .... and I hope you have some money sat aside in case it's sludged. I recall checking for used engines when he had his problems .... they too are outrageous. And most likely sludged up as well.

If he had it to do over, I know he would pass on the "good deal" Saab he got.

 

[fdcg27]

It is very tempting.
There is a member here, BrianWC, who wrote often of the difficulties he had with his SAAB, and he is both savvy and very good under a shade tree with a wrench, from everything he has written.
The SAAB we looked at and drove is very nice.
The car was obviously well cared for.
Still, I have read enough about the baked-in PCV problems that I am really hesistant.
I like the car, but I would also like a car that I could drive without worry.

 

[CROWNVIC4LIFE]

Originally Posted By: fdcg27
I like the car, but I would also like a car that I could drive without worry.


Sounds like you should really pass on that Saab.

 

[BrianWC]

Originally Posted By: fdcg27
It is very tempting.
There is a member here, BrianWC, who wrote often of the difficulties he had with his SAAB, and he is both savvy and very good under a shade tree with a wrench, from everything he has written.
The SAAB we looked at and drove is very nice.
The car was obviously well cared for.
Still, I have read enough about the baked-in PCV problems that I am really hesistant.
I like the car, but I would also like a car that I could drive without worry.


Neat what a search for your member name will turn up! Thanks for the compliment!

Not like it matters for a year old thread, but for clarification, the only 1999 9-3 model affected by the sludgies was the Viggen (and the 9-5). The other models had the 900's carryover internals until 2000.

 

[97tbird]

I love the 'night mode' in Saabs (where you can turn off all dash illumination except for the speedometer at night)
..wish other cars had this feature.