SAAB 9-3 YM1998
February 10, 2012 in News
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Smithy said on February 10, 2012
I have a -99 Coupe, might just preserve and keep it forever.. Great looking cars with ultimate tuning capabilities.
Pacey said on February 10, 2012
Same here – that’s what I am slowly doing. Hope to keep it for a very long time – its slowly becoming a classic design and ageing very gracefully.
Smithy said on February 11, 2012
Sound like my words..
Henrik said on February 10, 2012
sweet, but I can´t help thinking my Aero -01 looks better. Does anybody have desktop pictures of those?
Peter, Sweden said on February 10, 2012
Ah, the time when SAAB seats still looked like SAAB seats. Nice!
MikeSf said on February 10, 2012
The most comfortable standard seats in any car!
Hans H said on February 10, 2012
+1
OliverH said on February 10, 2012
Had a 93 2.2 TiD. Nice car, very usefull and reliable. Is picture 1000788 from a 93 2.2 TiD 1st gen 115 hp with a beautified torque curve?
fred diesel said on February 11, 2012
The engine/car that coulda, woulda, shoulda, been brought to the US…mighta made ALL the difference!!!
Henrik said on February 10, 2012
mmm, found a bunch at netcarshow, perfect
Angelo V. said on February 10, 2012
Wow, is this the new Youngman Saab?
KoGa said on February 10, 2012
YM in the title is supposed to be MY, Model Year.
Angelo V. said on February 10, 2012
Freudian slip?
TimR said on February 11, 2012
Or maybe Year Model
MikeSf said on February 10, 2012
My 02 SE is amazing (especially in the snow)!
xelav said on February 10, 2012
Why is this “news”?
KoGa said on February 10, 2012
Because the resources page got updated with “millions” of photos?
maanders said on February 10, 2012
I think they posted it to the News category by mistake. They have been posting official Saab photos on pages by model type all day today, but they were not on the news page. (The SU crew is archiving all the official Saab media photos in case the official Saab media site goes away during the bankruptcy process.)
KoGa said on February 10, 2012
It did go away already, thankfully SU guys as well as some of us saved the photos.
leinad said on February 10, 2012
Interesting: Is this this the solution for the Gordian knot
? The 9-3 I is the only car which could be produced without GM/BAIC permission, right ? Well with the right price I think it still will find some buyers until the 9-3 III (or 900 III) is ready to take off.
KoGa said on February 10, 2012
I was just thinking about that… I would love to see an old 9-3 hatchback with updated interior! I have a 2001 one in pristine condition, I love it and would buy a new one any time
Pacey said on February 10, 2012
If it had uprated suspension, brakes, subframe bracing, rear sway bar, poly bushings, T5 cams, GS 3″ downpipe to a nice 2.5 cat back, and with full viggen body kit standard… Hell yes!!
Pacey said on February 10, 2012
That’s just a start, by the way..!
Smithy said on February 11, 2012
Updated interior, oh yes, I’ve been doing some research on who to turn to if you want to spice up your OG 9-3 – and uhh, with money you can do a lot. Which I intend to!
maanders said on February 10, 2012
That’s my first Saab. 2000 9-3 hatch, silver.
Dmain said on February 10, 2012
Me too….2000 9-3 five door imola red with tan interior.
KoGa said on February 11, 2012
I love that color combination… red, yes please!
Piet-Hein Schlimme said on February 10, 2012
just bought a MY98 900 with ‘only’ 368k km on the meter. 5 doors, black, 2.0FPT, and has the alloy wheels of the green 9-3 in the pics. she only needs a new/other turbo, struts and alternator and she’s goog to go again.
am anxious to have the first driving experience with this car!
Piet-Hein Schlimme said on February 10, 2012
gooD, that is…
mnztr said on February 10, 2012
I had one of these, I owned it for 9 years and 195K km… it was a GREAT car, If they can take this concept, refine it and make it more appealing (Mazda 6 style hatch) I think it will sell VERY well.
Steve C. said on February 10, 2012
What a nice treat to see a model and year that I owned but if this is 1998, it is the last year of the NG900, not a 9-3 based on it that came the next year.
In the US there was a great beginning-of-season offer on a 3-dr 900S that contained the same 2.0l turbo as an SE model without all the SE options. By then, they also brought back the haudralic clutch to replace the cable system.
maanders said on February 10, 2012
Didn’t the new 9-3 (following the NG900) come out in Europe in 1998 but then in the US in 1999? I seem to remember something about that.
duckhead99 said on February 11, 2012
Both the 9-3 & 9-5 debuted in early ’98 as ’99 models here in the US. Our cars, generally, were built as an early batch….shortly after summer holiday and model year change over…to get them across the pond for fall intro, and a later, second batch, usually after the first of the year. For ’98 we got the first batch of the last 900′s and 9000′s and the second batch of the first 9-3′s and 9-5′s. That’s why you don’t see a lot of ’98 900′s and 9000′s here!
Chris Carrier said on February 11, 2012
As did the 9-5. 1998 in Europe, 1999 in the U.S.
Aero1 said on February 11, 2012
I remember my first job was with SAAB working the Auto Shows here in the U.S, while I was still in College. I was at the Detroit Show when we unveiled the new version of the above 9-3 in 1994 and we had the coolest display at the show with the 3/4 cut in two 9-3 5 door with multiple tv screens playing all the information behind the car as in was on the turn table, even showed the safety features of the good half disappeared into the floor and the airbags went off and the wrecked half came up and took it’s place. We also had all the versions (except convertible) also on cool displays of the Turbo 3 door, V6′s which all were set up on fake pieces of roadway- these all turned out to be European version cars and pre production models. Nice cars and that was an awesome time!
I also tried to lease a 1999 9-3 3 door when they had the crazy $750.00 down and that was also how much the monthly payment would have been, but the car I wanted was just leased before I could get there and all that was left were 5 doors and automatics.
David-SAAB said on February 11, 2012
Would have loved to see that. It would be great if you had any pics lying around. If you do, send them to SU to publish.
Aero1 said on February 11, 2012
I have plenty, as soon as I can find them I will post them. SAAB did still had good Marketing here in the States at that time.
Aero1 said on February 11, 2012
I was also at the Chicago show, where we introduced the new 9-3 Convertible, was even chosen to be in the car for it’s unveiling at the Press Coverage, and the car was important enough to have had a story done by CNN. The car was Ruby Red Mica, with Black top and Interior.
MarkS said on February 11, 2012
Still driving my ’01 and loving it!
3cyl said on February 11, 2012
It is hard to believe how long it has been since a three or two door hard roof SAAB has been produced.
GerritN said on February 11, 2012
This car was (and still is) exactly right in many, many ways. Not too big, not too small, good handling, hatchback, should I go on? It was a huge mistake for GM not to keep this model in the portfolio. I’m pretty certain that with some facelifts it would still sell pretty well.
I was fortunate enough to pick up the last and best of this model, a 2002 Viggen. They’ll have to pry this car from my dead fingers.
RS said on February 11, 2012
Had they spent a bit more on interior materials and put a similar trunk on the NG 9-3 (plus stolen the folding backseat system from the c900 hatch) that car would have become a real winner.
Hopefully I just described the JC 900 CC?
ryanonsrc said on February 11, 2012
Yes! That is the exact car (and the green one is the exact color) that planted the Saab seed in my mind back in 2002.
It’s unfortunate that I didn’t explore the curiosity sooner, but hey: late is better than never
Markac said on February 11, 2012
3 and 5 door hatches need to live again. Until then I’m keeping my MY 99 SE HOT coupe!
LarsG said on February 11, 2012
Looks great, but why not a 9-3 MY 2012-13, with Map Tun trim to 340 Hp and 360 mm brakes as a sport model.
Olav said on February 11, 2012
Sweet! The SAAB 9-3 we first saw in 1998 is ageing beautifully. I found it even today to be a great combination of timeless design, practicallity and good to drive. Nice pics, Tim, thanks for bringing them on.
Have a nice weekend, all!
3cyl said on February 11, 2012
Agree. My daughter drives one and she hopes it will last a long time. There is nothing really like it on the market (at least in the U.S.) today.
Carlo A said on February 11, 2012
My baby ….. love ya!
Marque said on February 11, 2012
The ultimate car. I fell in love with this type, very early and my love’s been holding tight rock solid since, for many years now.
I drive two of these beauties (a coupe and a hatch), still novel, wonderful cars both, I’m taking very tender care and can’t get ever bored of them I guess, never!
Henrik B. said on February 11, 2012
And after meeting af truck, the Saab looks like this:
http://ekstrabladet.dk/112/article1703931.ece
Cheers!
RS said on February 11, 2012
The spitting image of a Chevy Camaro.
3cyl said on February 11, 2012
Your too kind to the Camaro.
CSD_ChineseSaabDriver said on February 11, 2012
What does this old Saab gallery mean?
YM to produce this?
No problem to find a market of some 30,000 units sales in China a year?
Priced at 12,000 Euro?
CSD_ChineseSaabDriver said on February 11, 2012
Not possible. BAIC already making much better looking 9-3′s.