wilf

Wouldnt bother upgrading wheels on the Aero. I've got 150 watt stereo upgrade which is fairly decent but not mind blowing sound. 300 watt is supposed to be good. From what I've read on Saabscene its difficult to get the stereos retrospectively upgraded.

Heated seats
Xenons
Sentronic has been slated in a recent car mag test.

[Edited by wilf - 10/1/2003 4:44:18 PM]

RS Grant

Ok, we have got the chance to buy one of the above with a big discount, run it privately for 6months to a year then sell it on hopefully breaking even.

What we want to know is which one will give the better residuals?

Havent seen another ST220 on the road, so will this mean that they are more desireable come re-sale time?? (Sounds silly saying "desireable" and Mondeo in the same sentance )

Are there any members who have had experience of running either of these cars??

Also, given the choice, which one would you go for??

Cheers,
Grant

wilf

Sold my P1 and picked up a 9-3 Aero SS and havent looked back.

Lots of toys, better build, nice ride, fairly decent handling and midrange performance doesnt feel any slower than std scoobs I've owned (P1 excepted). Low end torque on the Saab esp made the new 03 WRXs I tested look feeble.

dba

The 9-3 is a wonderful Q car.As Wilf says,through the gears you can catch a lot of cars out.Also with a look is a s/h Vector and take it to Abbott for a £500 remap,with the smaller lpt and increased bhp and torque its even quicker.

great seats as well (but crap stereo)

Jonto

I would go for the saab for residuals, but i think the mondeo is the better drivers car

Kane

Has 9-3 as company car for some months and thought the interior was crap. I had the leather pack/heated seats etc,etc but just didnt like it. Also had mondeo as rental car this year not impressed either really. Now have Accord - that beats them both hands down for comfort/engine/suspension. It just feels faster and classier. The 2.4 engine revs free all the way to 140mph very easy. Cruises nice, good Motorway MPG and stays with your Scoda RS's like Mr Silver yesterday very easy, unless he was a poor driver..have a look for Honda Accord Type-s or Exec.

Kane

forgot to mention - read the what car and auto express reviews - they were all put together in a test..Honda came tops...

dba

yep,ggod car the Honda,take it or leave it looks though

I tried one for the missus,and the Saab won just because it looked a bit better,hardly scientific though

but............with a turbo the Saab is only a remap away from Bug eye slaying performance

can't really lose choosing in this bracket nowadays,no bad cars about imo.It was pleasure doing all the test drives

oreA

Saab every time (cf Ford Mundano)

Which 93 Aero are we talking about? Classic 9-3 (i.e. torque-steer heaven) or the new 9-3ss.

Even the classic 9-3 can easily be modded for decent handling with a Viggen Rescue Kit from Abbott and a bit of lowering and dampening. Plenty of tuners to choose from also - taking the standard 205bhp to 250-260bhp and 305-360nm torque.

Simon S3

Evo magazine have just finished a long term test of the ST220. In 12 months and 21,000 miles it lost 10,545 in depreciation. For you to break even you must be getting on hell of a discount!

They quite liked it but a trade in value of 11,200 from a new price of 21,745 is savage.

RS Grant

Well the ST220 RRP is around 25k, we are managing to get it for about 18k... *If you are looking for new Fords in particular then let me know via e-mail (farnanson_2k@hotmail.com) and I can see what prices I get quoted*

We are running this car for 6 months then punting it on. The mileage wont be big as use the train for commuting.

We are talking about the new shape Sport Saloon 93 Aero, which will cost more to buy, but the residuals should reflect this come trade in time.

Cheers,
Grant

Reffro

40-50% depreciation in the first year on V6 Mondeo's. I'll say no more.........

dba

imo,a 6 month old 9-3 SS Vector is a better buy than the Aero,it will be about 5k less than a new Aero,with the same spec,excpt for sports chassis,two tone seats and TC.But the new Aero will have Zenons as an option where as many of the Vectors had them with a launch pack

and the Vector is a £500 remap away from being faster than the Aero,due mainly to the lpt

RS Grant

dba...

Its got to be a new car that we go for, Saab / Ford / Seat / Volvo are what this person can get with good discounts at the moment so thats what we are choosing from.

With the discount we will spend a max of 20grand which means that we are looking at UK priced cars between 25-28k in these car ranges.

It was the ST220 and the 93 Aero Sport Saloon that we ended up at after looking at the various other options.

Oh, and this car will be getting kept standard!!

Cheers,
Grant

dba

sneak it up to Abbott,no one will ever know

both great cars imo,nice choice to have

RS Grant

lol @ sneaking it up to Abbott, for a sly re-map!!

Would Sat-Nav be worth the money buying at the start to help with re-sale in 6mths time??

Thats the one option that we are un-sure of whether to buy or not...

Cheers,
Grant

dba

I'm not a fan of Satnavs in general,they don't work and cost silly money

I reckon the best upgrade is the 300w 13 speaker system.The stereo is weak in the 9-3ss,with poor base in the back

Saab are just developing a TechII upgrade to try and sort it out,

I have the Saab 18" wheels on Eagle F1s,definately worth the money!

The memory/electric seats are great also

I reckon the auto box with Sensonic is prolly a better upgrade for residuals than the Satnav

dba

I read that also Wilf,the American forums have a few guys who have had a software upgrade and its made bugger all difference to the rears.I just think its a bog standard un it and no amount of software tinkering will make it better

this site is busier than Saabscene btw

http://www.saabcentral.com/forums/index.php



I also have the 150 and its ok,just not as good as the VAG stuff

I also have the Zenons and they must be good because i get flashed all the time

and i agree with the heated seats,really great,except when you forget to turn them down!

oh,and black with parchment looks the dogs

Johnny50

Go with the Saab Grant buddy.

My dads running a 93 and loves it.
I've driven it loads and they're superb cars.

JimmyRB5PRO

How about a Leon Cupra R then?????

JDM_333

Old threads - sold a P1 for a 9-3 Aero SS - lol bet he would be looking back now! not even close to the same class (my daily barge is a 2004 Aero SS, nice car no doubt but a P1......)