LOW MILES 78K, 2 sets of wheels, Manual Transmission. Restore it or part it out.
Sale price: US $1.00 Make an Offer
| Condition: | Used | Year: | 2003 |
| VIN : | YS3FB45S431039588 | Mileage: | 78311 |
| Model: | 9-3 | Engine: | 2.0 4 Cylinder |
| Make: | Saab | Number of Cylinders: | 4 |
| Disability Equipped: | No | Transmission: | Manual |
| Drive Side: | Left-hand drive | For Sale By: | Private Seller |
| Drive Type: | FWD | Fuel Type: | Gasoline |
| Interior Color: | White | Warranty: | Vehicle does NOT have an existing warranty |
| Vehicle Title: | Clean | Exterior Color: | Blue |
| Safety Features: | Driver Airbag, Anti-Lock Brakes, Passenger Airbag | Body Type: | Sedan |
| Options: | Sunroof, Leather Seats |
Ridgefield, Connecticut, United States
Vehicle description
Up for auction is a 2003 Saab 9-3. It has very low miles (78,311) but is in need of a lot of work to make it road-worthy again. I will start by listing everything that is broken or needs repair. The main problem is that the electrical system causes a slow drain on the battery. I added a second battery in the trunk with an automatic isolation switch so that you will always have another battery to use to start the car but you have to actually switch the batteries when the one is dead - take the one from the trunk and connect it under the hood and put the dead one in the trunk. I spent a lot of time trying to find the source of the electrical drain but I could not find it. When a few more things broke on the car I decided to park it and was considering parting it out but I have decided to just sell it whole to the highest bidder. The car is really not drivable any more. The brakes are too rusty to be trusted and the exhaust piping is starting to fall off. So you should expect to have to tow it away. Here are a few more things that need to be addressed. One of the springs on the front strut broke so it sits a bit lower but still supports the weight of the car for rolling. The A/C is not blowing cold any more. I tried the quick fix by recharging with one of those cans you can buy in the auto parts stores but that did not seem to fix it. The driver side window switch is not working. I had to replace the window regulator (power window motor) and the connection is loose so it is stuck rolled up until a permanent connection can be made. The panel is off the door (see pic) but I have all the pieces to go back in place if/when you fix it. The two rear wheels are out of round / bent. I can"t feel it when I drive even at highway speeds but the tire shop told me they had been bent the last time I replaced the tires (4 new tires 2,000 miles ago). The headlights are cloudy and either need to be replaced or restored. There is no radio and no speakers but it still has the wiring for adding an aftermarket stereo back in. The stock radio does not work. The chin spoiler is broken (see pics). The drivers side mirror took a hit and has some deep scratches (see pic). The rear bumper does not match in color and also has a crack about 6 inches long along the top/step part (see pic). The brake rotors are badly rusted and the pads are due to be changed. All the struts / shocks should probably be replaced since the front passenger side is partially broken. The interior smells musty due to some cabin leaks and from it sitting so long. There are a couple of the light bulbs that need replacing (fog lights, tail lights). The computer reports "Low Coolant Level" but there is plenty of coolant so you need to hit the button to clear that error message every time you turn the car on. There was a slow leak in the coolant at the water pump at 50,000 miles and it is difficult to change those water pumps (over $1,000) so I added some special additive to stop the coolant leak and that seemed to do the trick. There are still a few drops that leak out over time but not enough to require frequent addition of coolant (every three months last time it was running). There are probably a few more things that have gone wrong since it has been sitting but I have had it on a charger to make sure that it does not drain the internal batteries that would render the car unusable. There are also dents and scratches here and there from a long and hard life in the wild. So I hope you have read all that to make sure you understand just how much work will be needed to get this back on the road. I"m trying to list everything I can that is wrong with the car but I have not had it looked over by a professional so there may be more that is not apparent to me. Bid accordingly. Now that you have read all the negatives. Here are some of the positives. The low miles is the main feature of this car. It has just 78,311 miles on it. I actually ran it though Carfax to confirm this but there are so few reported services that it is difficult to truly verify this. Based on the way the engine runs, the wear on the seats and carpet, however, I believe it to be accurate but this does not look like it was kept in a museum. It has spent most of its life outside and it shows. It comes with two sets of wheels. The 17" wheels have nearly new Kumho 7 tires all around (remember the back wheels are slightly bent - all 4 also have curb rash). There is a second set of 16" wheels that need new tires that will be included if the auction reaches $500. The car still starts right up when it is on the charger. The engine runs and rev smoothly. The clutch was engaging well before it was parked. Transmission functioned fine (Saab 9-3"s are known for sloppy shifting linkages and this one functions on par with those reviews). It has a sunroof that only sticks sometimes. It averages 25 MPG with a combination of around town and highway driving but they do say it should get premium gasoline. It has a clean title so this could be either a good start for a restoration or a good source of parts for another Saab 9-3. If I was a 17 year old that could borrow tools and was good at turning wrenches I would buy this and replace the exhaust pipes with a set that will wake the neighbors, throw on some coil-overs and lower it just a bit, put a thumping stereo in it and get it wrapped with some cool vinyl and when I got hot in the summer I would open the windows to forget about the AC not working. Sold As is and where is. .Please message me if you have any questions or if you want pictures of anything else. If you are local and want to come take a look at it I"m happy to set up a time. Thanks for looking!