Description
1998 Saab 9-3 S 2. 3i 5-door hatchback.
12 months MOT.
Under 87, 000 miles.
Partial Service History.
A good, honest, comfortable and utterly dependable modern classic which is very good at wafting down the road and shrugging-off our poor quality tarmac in a way that modern cars do not. This car is fitted with the 2. 3 injection (B234i) non-turbo engine offering a refined 150bhp and 154 lb-ft.
Bought by us from a local guy at the beginning of 2025 as a stop-gap to use until our new car was delivered. We've used it far more than we originally anticipated - commuting and school-runs aplenty. I've had a number of Saab 9-3s and this has been the most dependable and is in better overall condition than the other more expensive cars I've had. For example, all of the dash pixels are present and correct, the badges are in good order, the electric aerial works perfectly and the driver's seat side-trim is not broken. The 'teddy bear-like' velour seats are so soft and comfortable that it does make you wonder why this material has fallen out of favour. The car is extremely solid - the MOT record which covers the last 20 years is rather excellent.
However, the car is not perfect:
- The heater direction controls do not work so heat always goes to the screen. The temperature and fan speed controls work fine.
- I think the screen-wash tank may have a leak - it drinks like a young farmer.
- The starter motor seems slow to retract so sounds a little alarming but works perfectly - the car has always started first-time and looking back at the service records, it’s been noisy since at least 2017 and 20k miles so obviously not a real issue. I am happy to forward a (icily) cold-start video.
- The car would benefit from a machine polish.
- The alloy wheels are a bit scruffy.
I'm the 5th owner. This car could equally be a star of 'Festival of the Unexceptional 2026' as much as an interesting and accommodating family run-around.
