07 LGT sedan vs 06 Saab 9-3 aero wagon

Have to make the decision quick. I want a new fun-to-drive and safe mid-size car, preferrably but not necessarily wagon, less than $30k OTD. It narrows down to 07 LGT sedan and 06 Saab 9-3 aero wagon. I have tried both of them and it is a bit difficult to decide right now. Any feedback would be really appreciated. Many many thanks.

OTD price:

07 LGT sedan 5MT $27.7k

06 Saab 9-3 aero wagon 6MT $26.7k

LGT's advantages

1. AWD, feel handling is a little bit better, but I don't see many snow days anyway

2. Nice interior and dash board

3. 1 year newer

4. MP3 playback

5. SI drive, is that really useful?

9-3 aero's advantages

1. It's a wagon!!! Darn Subaru give me back LGT wagon with 5MT!

2. OTD $1k less

3. 3-year free maintenance

4. Free aero academy driving school

5. Xenon headlights

Is the 9-3 really cheaper when you add in the options that the LGT has such as heated seats, leather, sunroof, etc. etc.?

The 9-3 aero has all the options LGT limited has, such as leather, sunroof, heated seats, and 6-disc CD changer. It has more speakers and headlight washer compared to LGT. It just has huge rebate ($4.5k) and big dealer cash, guess because of sluggish sales.

This is going to be a baised poll. I'd take the LGT though. Why? Saab is FWD with 250tq and has a cheaper, IMO, interior.

I agree with the interior. Overall 9-3's interior is not bad, but some cheap filmsy plastic parts are really annoying. Although saab is FWD with 250 torque, torque steering on 9-3 aero is mininmal and I have to push hard to make front tires slip.

LGT.

Saab's GM.. be serious.

I agree with the interior. Overall 9-3's interior is not bad, but some cheap filmsy plastic parts are really annoying. Although saab is FWD with 250 torque, torque steering on 9-3 aero is mininmal and I have to push hard to make front tires slip.

The LGT has its share of cheap plastic interior bits too, mainly in the poorly built center stack & console. IMO the LGT interior's *design* is nicer looking than the 9-3's though, and aside from the center stack/console the parts are generally of good quality and fit together well.

Since AWD less important to you than getting a wagon this is a tough call. The LGT sedan finally has folding rear seats so it's useful for some bulky items, but not nearly as useful as the wagon. For me AWD was a requirement so the 9-3 wagon wasn't even in the running - I bought my 2005 5MT LGT wagon used with 17k miles on it.

Edit: Btw, I haven't driven a latest gen 9-3 myself (with the new turbo 6 or otherwise), so I didn't vote in the poll.

Based on Consumer Reports reliability guides, Saabs are below average to poor for reliability. Once the car is out of warranty, do you plan on keeping the car? If so, you should also take resale value into play and the BMW 3 series wagon might end up being cheaper if you factor in depreciation.

Subaru Legacy's and Saabs have poor resale value whereas BMW 3 series holds it value very well.

Based on Consumer Reports reliability guides, Saabs are below average to poor for reliability. Once the car is out of warranty, do you plan on keeping the car? If so, you should also take resale value into play and the BMW 3 series wagon might end up being cheaper if you factor in depreciation.

 

Subaru Legacy's and Saabs have poor resale value whereas BMW 3 series holds it value very well.

I looked at that before I bought, and is one reason why I chose a Subaru. I have an outback and it has the highest resale according to kbb. Wouldn't seem the legacy would be that far behind. Saab though is for sure.

"aero academy driving school" you're kidding, right?

Then you can be a real fighter pilot!

"aero academy driving school" you're kidding, right?

Actually all the ppl who purchase a saab car in the aero line can attend the saab aero academy's 2-day program for free. It is at Road Atlanta racetrack, and I guess it is a nice program. See http://www.saabacademy.com/

I was actually looking at the LGT Wagon vs. the saab 9-3 aero. Went with the leggy after a lot of research. AWD and reliability!!!

I would buy the new LGT wagon instantly if 5MT is available. When it comes to LGT sedan vs saab wagon, it is a tough call.

1. It's a wagon!!! Darn Subaru give me back LGT wagon with 5MT!

Well, I'd say Saab. Wagons rule. I will never go back to sedan.

Let SOA know if you buy the Saab.

Saab i you want to be in the delaership service department a lot.

Juat do some research and you will see the horror stories even with brand new saabs. Multiple warning lights that come on unexepectedly, limp mode turning on for no reason, etc.

I do have to admit that I like the look of the SAAB wagons a whole lot, but the quality is really bad.

I sat in a 9-3 at a dealership, and the interior was really nice. Too bad for the quality part of it.

GL

X

I actually looked at a 9-3 Aero SportCombi when I was going to buy a new car.

I bought the LGT. The Saab was extremely nice...and definately different (which was a plus). Performance in the Saab was good too...although it did not feel as quick (or nimble) as my Spec B.

I ended going with the LGT for several reasons.

1.) Price -- for what I got (options, etc), the Saab would have been a couple thousand more.

2.) Reputation -- I was very worried about the whole GM thing. The dealer told me the 9-3s are still made in Swedenm not in GM plants...but still.

3.) Room -- believe it or not, I found the rear cabin in the LGT to be MUCH larger than in the 9-3.

4.) AWD -- not that I need it so much here in DC, but my wife has a Forrester and when I drove that for the firt time in the snow, I was hooked.

Good luck. The Saab is a nice car. I just thought the LGT was a better fit for our needs. Plus it's really really fast.

I have an outback and it has the highest resale according to kbb. Wouldn't seem the legacy would be that far behind. Saab though is for sure.

It's true that historically, Outbacks have had good resale value but it seems to have changed with the current models. Legacys also have a much lower resale than the Outbacks...most likely due to marketing. Majority of people don't even know that a Legacy wagon even exists...they just assume that Subaru wagons are all Outbacks.

I own both and voted for the Saab. That said, if the poll was between LGT 5MT wagon and Saab 9-3 SportCombi I would have voted for the LGT. I love wagons and would prefer the uniqueness of the Saab to the blandness of the LGT sedan (just my opinion). We looked at the SportCombi before buying the LGT wagon but went with the Suby since its quite a bit larger and having two of the same car is pretty dorky. If the LGT wagon was auto only...we'd have two Saabs right now.

We had some issues with the Saab but any time you buy a car in its first model year you have to expect some electronic gremlins to pop up. I have had great experiences with Saab dealers in the Bay Area..they have gone out of their way to take care of me and my car. I haven't taken the Subaru in yet due to horror stories about dealers. I also feel weird bitching about squeaks and rattles in the LGT because its...well...a Subaru.

My wife has the 9-3 Aero sedan and she is still in love with it. I am still amazed at how well the car is designed. The look is classic and the interior is very well laid out although the radio is overkill on buttons. If you plan to do some long distance driving, the Saab is much more comfortable than the LGT. It has the BEST stock seats of any car I've driven including BMWs, Porsches, Mercedes, anything...they are incredible. The LGT seats rank among the worst.

I don't know about the new 6 cyl Aero but we do get amazing fuel economy in the 2.0T. Not sure if that's a factor for you.

Resale blows for both cars....we paid $6K under MSRP for the Saab and $5K under on the LGT so Im not that worried about it.

To the people bashing the Saab's performance, I have to assume they have not driven one. It is a surprisingly well balanced car for FWD. The passive rear steering works and adds a cool feel. Nevertheless the LGT is definitely the better performer of the two and I always prefer to drive the LGT as our Saab is a slushbox. If it was a manual...it would get used more often (5K miles on the Saab this year and 18K on the LGT!).