• Long-term owner from 2008-21

 • High performance and spec

 • Gearbox replaced in 2021

 • Well maintained with full service history

Saab was a major player in the upmarket convertible market ever since it appointed Finnish coachbuilders Valmet to whip the top off the classic 900 back in 1984. The car was an instant hit and led to a relationship between Saab and Valmet that lasted until Saab’s sad demise in 2010, at which point the 9-3 cabriolet was the Swedish brand’s best-selling model in the UK. Soft top 9-3s were made by Valmet up until then. 

This one is a high-spec Aero model with a 210bhp turbocharged engine and semi-auto transmission, with a known history. It’s being offered for sale with no reserve by its owner, who has known the car for most of its life.

 • Under 83k from new

 • Service book stamped to 78k

 • All books and good service history

 • Same family since 2008

The Saab has a history in the same family since it was bought from Saab City in London as a six-month old demonstrator in early 2008. The buyer was the vendor’s sister-in-law, who traded in her 1998 9-3 cabrio for the new model and went on to keep her next one for 13 years.

In 2021, the vendor acquired the car from her for his son to use, but his son has since moved to London and no longer needs the Saab. In his ownership (since 2021) the Saab has had another major service and the sequential semi-automatic gearbox has been replaced.

 • Charcoal leather

 • Electric roof

 • Excellent order

 • Working air con and original stereo

The 9-3 is in very good condition inside and all of the controls work as they should, including the air conditioning and the original stereo CD player. 

The charcoal leather seats wear their mileage well with only minimal wear and the carpets and door cards are in decent order.

 • Steel Grey metallic

 • Perfect power-operated roof

 • Factory alloys

The 9-3 looks terrific in factory Steel Grey metallic with a black fabric roof, which is in excellent order and goes up and down as it ought to. It’s a smart and well-presented car with no notable body damage. 

The original multi-spoke alloy wheels are presentable but with some kerbing damage all round. They’re fine from a distance, but a fussy buyer may wish to refurbish them. The tyres are all good. 

All of the panels are straight and tidy with no notable dent, just the odd scuff or stone chip here or there commensurate with the fact this is a 15-year-old unrestored car.

Also, there’s a tow bar on the rear – the vendor assures us that this was fitted simply to facilitate the fitting of a rear deck-mounted double bicycle rack with light board, and that the car has never actually towed.

 • 2.0-litre turbo

 • Semi-auto

 • BioFuel compatible

Under the bonnet, you’ll find Saab’s punchy 2.0-litre turbo engine, which in Aero form delivers 210bhp. That’s enough for pretty lively performance – 0-60mph in 7.1 seconds and a top speed in excess of 140mph. The vendor bought the car with gearbox trouble as it was slipping between ratios. The semi-auto transmission, complete with steering wheel controls, has since been replaced and it now operates perfectly, while the engine itself is backed up by a comprehensive service record.

According to the vendor it now drives without fault. The car is also compatible with any BioFuel with up to an 85% ethanol content (modern petrol is 10%), as Saab was very keen to major on renewable fuels in the late 2000s.

This is a genuine and generally very smart car presented exactly as it comes – it’s in clean, tidy and decent order, but also totally original and unrestored, so there are a handful of chips, scuffs and marks on the wheels. 

Nothing horrific – just honest and in generally good condition inside and out, while the recent gearbox replacement means one major (and common) expense that the next owner won’t have to worry about. It’s not a show car, but it’s a handsome one in very presentable order and with no known issues.