zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Buying
/
For $4,800, Gear Up With This 2003 Saab 9-3 Arc
For $4,800, Gear Up With This 2003 Saab 9-3 Arc-August 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:10:03

Today's contender will require some fancy footwork owing to its six-speed stick. You'll have to decide if that rare option, and its relatively low miles, ensures its price isn't the same old Saab and dance.

Our fun and games were rudely interrupted yesterday when the object of our attention - the - was unceremoniously sold before most of us could weigh in on whether its price was a deal or not. That didn't stop the pluckiest of you from doing so anyway, because that's just how you roll. Hopefully the new owner was able to drive away for less than the asking, seeing as that Tiger was striped with a 76% Crack Pipe loss.

The seller of today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe Tiger claims to be Sunbeam rich and cash poor.…

Hey, remember Saab? You know, funny cars designed by airplane engineers and featuring spunky two-stroke triples and a penchant for rally wins and inspiring the phrase Carlsson på taket? No? Well, how about eclectic cars with wrap-around windscreens, backward engines originally sourced from Triumph, and their ignition switch between the seats? Still not ringing a bell? Okay, how about the Saabs that were little more than thinly veiled Opels with GM Ecotec engines? Ah, there we go.

The Saab 9-3 of the past decade eschewed much of the uniqueness that made its pre-GM ancestors so damn quirky and endearing. That's not to say these weren't good cars, in fact they're probably some of the best that GM's stable had to offer during the Aughts.

This is an upper-level Arc model, which means it should rock the 207-bhp B207R. That's a 2-litre DOHC all-aluminum four, fitted with a Mitsubishi turbo. Backing that up is the car's starring player, a 6-speed F40 manual. That option was removed the following year so its presence here, along with the upscale trim level, makes this an interesting, and relatively unique Swede.

Overall it's pretty stock too, the ad noting a cold air intake as the sole mechanical mod having been made to the car. That's a bit of kit that perhaps could be reversed if you don't go in for intake noise.

Visually the car looks to be in pretty good shape both inside and out, with the ad claiming but a few scratches in the paint here are there - but nothing major. There is also a Euro front end according to the ad, which eliminates the front side marker lights. I don't know if that's a mod that's impressive enough to get you laid by a Saab groupie however, but there it is.

The seller says everything works, and that the Cooper tires still rock sufficient tread. The car has done 96,000 miles, or about 8K a year, which isn't bad. Also there an add-on roof rack available if you happen to know the secret handshake - hint, it's the one that include money.

The 9-3 has always been a little bit more Opel than Saab, but there is still the key between the seats and the fact that it was built in Sweden to give you the sense of tradition. This one, with its energetic engine and buffet of gears transmission looks to be a pretty good - and is pretty unique - but is it worth $4,800?

What's your take on this 9-3 for four-eight? Is that a price that should have a new owner dancing with joy? Or, does that price seem shifty?

You decide!

Washington DC , or go if the ad disappears.

H/T to Charles Van Someren for the hookup!

Help me out with NPOCP. Click to send a me a fixed-price tip, and remember to include your Kinja handle.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Buying
Someone Understands the Importance of Using Just the Right Picture When Selling a Car
Someone Understands the Importance of Using Just the Right Picture When Selling a Car
When you’re selling your car, there’s nothing wrong with picking—perhaps even curating—the pictures you use to best display the vehicle you’re selling. That’s what I like so much aboutfrom a guy selling his 1985 El Camino. Yes, the in main picture of the car it’s currently on fire, but he’s...
Aug 27, 2025
At $8,500, Could This 1981 Chevy Malibu Wagon Bring Home the Canadian Bacon?
At $8,500, Could This 1981 Chevy Malibu Wagon Bring Home the Canadian Bacon?
Today’s Malibu comes with a crate motor and wood panelling. Let’s see if this Canadian wagon also has what it takes to make it an addition to your family tree. Have you ever seen the third movie in the Halloween series, the one that’s called Halloween, Season of the Witch?...
Aug 27, 2025
Just in Time For the Holidays, Jaguar Is Giving Massive Discounts On the XF Sportbrake
Just in Time For the Holidays, Jaguar Is Giving Massive Discounts On the XF Sportbrake
Hello friends! Are you currently coming up with a holiday shopping list? I’m about to simplify that task for you right now because Jaguar is offering some huge discounts on the . Pick up one for a friend or family member, or just treat yourself. We like wagons here on...
Aug 27, 2025
The 1,000-MPH (?) Bloodhound Supersonic Car Can Be Yours for the Price of a New McLaren
The 1,000-MPH (?) Bloodhound Supersonic Car Can Be Yours for the Price of a New McLaren
The project that’s spent aiming for a 1,000-mph land record is dead, after it wasn’t able to get a large enough investment to keep going. That means the supersonic car has to go, and it’s all yours for about the price of a lame, measly supercar. The choice here is...
Aug 27, 2025
Thousands of People Paid Nearly $100 for a Ferrari Scratch-and-Sniff Calendar
Thousands of People Paid Nearly $100 for a Ferrari Scratch-and-Sniff Calendar
You might think of as a car company, and if you did, you’d be wrong. It’s so limiting. Ferrari should also be better known for its other materialistic conquests, like this $100 scratch-and-sniff calendar it convinced thousands of people to buy. Just think about this, critically, for a second: Ferrari...
Aug 27, 2025
The 2019 Porsche Macan Handles Better Than a Crossover Has Any Right To
The 2019 Porsche Macan Handles Better Than a Crossover Has Any Right To
On the tight and viciously twisty Mallorcan mountain roads, I watched the leading me handle a hairpin with more ferocity than a mid-size crossover has any right to. It leaned heavily into its suspension and from the outside, it looked quite precarious. But, as we were keeping up with it...
Aug 27, 2025
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved