9-3 Sport Sedan with 1.8L and 122 HP.

It's an Opel engine they have put in this car......

Yes, but Saab use their own engine management system. I have heard som reports of people who have had a test drive, and they say the engine is much more peppier than expected and not at all like the same engine in the Opel Vectra.

Depending on the price and availability, it might be a reasonable car to consider buying.

In the winter, a more powerful car is not always preferable. In the hands of a novice teenage driver, you want a strong, safe car - but one that is not fast. The old 8V Classic 900 is a good example of a strong, slow car.

"ma_twain" skrev i melding news: snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com...

No problem, when the price is right. We have a tax-by-HP system here, so

9-3s with bigger engines are too expensive for their market segment.

"Tore" skrev i melding news:bpf5hu$1krb0h$ snipped-for-privacy@ID-188551.news.uni-berlin.de...

No problem, because the price is right.

in article snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com, ma_twain at ma snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com wrote on 19/11/2003 14:07:

I for one welcome the addition of a non-turbo to the Saab line-up, but we've been here before a month or so back and I got shot down a bit for my apparent acceptance of a GM engine in a Saab!

I have to disagree with your comments about the "old 8V" though - I've had an '85 900i and loved it. It ran on thin steels with 185/65R15s and was supreme in snow - even snow-ploughs tried to get into my tracks :)

It wasn't that slow off the line either and I got 125 MPH out of it. Sure, against a Saab turbo it fell behind, but caught up without too much of a problem around the speed limit. We can only really comment when we actually see the car and get an opportunity to drive it. Nice move Saab! That said, the V6 didn't do too well, eh?

Paul

1989 900 Turbo S

Paul Halliday wrote: :: I for one welcome the addition of a non-turbo to the Saab line-up, :: but we've been here before a month or so back and I got shot down a :: bit for my apparent acceptance of a GM engine in a Saab!

Paul, the problem, as staed before, isn't the fact that it's a GM-engine. All the new turbo-engines derive fram the same GM-engine (Also used by Opel/Vauxhall 2.2-litre). The problem is, that this is a 100% Opel-engine, only diff. is the engine-management.

:: much of a problem around the speed limit. We can only really comment :: when we actually see the car and get an opportunity to drive it. :: Nice move Saab! That said, the V6 didn't do too well, eh?

My fears are, that this "new" Opel-engine will end up like the V6 -give Saab bad kredit.

Cheers!

in article 3fbbbe42$0$29406$ snipped-for-privacy@dread15.news.tele.dk, Henrik B. at saab@tdcadsl_nospam_.dk wrote on 19/11/2003 19:02:

Okay. I'm interested - what engine management is used? Is it necessary, or is that Saab's "improvement"? A wise man once said, "you can't polish a turd", but a wiser man said, "you can, but it gets very messy" :)

Very possibly so, but we'll have to see. Saab do have a *very* long history of 4 cylinder turbocharged engines and that does seems to be their strength. Do remember that this car is the bottom end of the Saab market though and the V6 was supposed to be the prestige end. We'll have to wait and see...

Paul

What V6? What bad kredit? AFAIK the two 3.0L V6 engines in the 9000 and 9-5 has been solid and reliable engines.

Saab just has to sell a car of this type. The German tax systems limit at 130hp, the insane car taxes in Denmark and Norway, etc, all make this car important for Saab.

in article snipped-for-privacy@approve.se, Goran Larsson at snipped-for-privacy@invalid.invalid wrote on 19/11/2003 19:49:

The one Saab has just dropped from the 9-5 range. Presumably this was the one we also saw in the Opel/Vauxhall Vectra. In a Saab shell, it did not sell as well as GM executives expected :)

This is precisely the market that I heard this car was targeting.

There is another market that is growing in popularity and concern, certainly so here in the UK. If Saab introduced the bi-fuel system that can be found in the current Opel/Vauxhall Vectra 1.8i (presumably the same engine we're talking about here), I'd be very tempted indeed. I've seen a lot of LPG conversions on 9000s, but the C900 does not _seem_ to be a popular candidate. Volvo have done this for a few years now and it just galled me that Saab haven't offered it yet, what with their "eco" reputation.

I must say though, it makes a change and gives me smile not to see "UK" or "Britain" in the same sentence as "insane taxes" :)

Paul

This engine has been very reliable. It was dropped because GM shut down the production. A new gloal V6 engine will soon be available from GM.

The engine block was most likely also available in a Vectra, but the strengthened version with turbo was only used in the 9-5.

It sold well in its intended market, the US.

I don't know much about the car tax situation in the UK, but comparing car prices seen on UK TV ads with car prices in Denmark has made me believe that compared to Denmark the UK can not have insane taxes on cars.

Goran Larsson wrote: ::: My fears are, that this "new" Opel-engine will end up like the V6 - ::: give Saab bad kredit. :: :: What V6? What bad kredit? AFAIK the two 3.0L V6 engines in the 9000 :: and 9-5 has been solid and reliable engines.

In generel the GM V6-engines, used by Saab. The lack of chaines is a concern - look at hov many engines Opel have had to replace under warranty, 'cause the belts broke before time - costs for Opel and bar reputation with the customers.

Opel diesel engines. It's not 8 month ago, I was overtaken by a pretty new

9-3 TiD on the motorway - and the engine blew up right in fornt of us, after it had passed (headgasket, head or whatever). The whole freakin' motorway was covered in smoke - had to make a emergency-braking. I'm NOT impressed.

:: Saab just has to sell a car of this type. The German tax systems :: limit at 130hp, the insane car taxes in Denmark and Norway, etc, all :: make this car important for Saab.

As Saab wants to be a prestige-brand, they shoot them selves intheir foot, introducing a Saab on the danish market, being cheaper than even a Toyota Avensis.

Cheers!

I drove an 1986 8V for 16 years. I currently drive a 1990 900S and a

1993 SPG - all 5 speeds. The 8V is slow compared to the SPG, but you would expect that. However, you had to work very hard to get the front wheels to spin on snow cover roads with snow tires because of two reasons: the traction of the snow tires and the lack of power. This made it a great car for driving in the winter, it was hard to lose control on acceleration.

Tue, 18 Nov 2003 19:33:07 -0500, skreiv ma_twain :

No, in the 4-door SAAB 9-3 SS. The engine ar 16V, and come from Opel. Standard transmission are 5 speed. Wonder if 6 speed are option...