to be decided... - What car to replace loyal SAAB 9-3

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Thu 16 Apr 2015 22:24
to be decided... - What car to replace loyal SAAB 9-3 - MetManMark

We have a 18 year old saab 9-3 which we have had since nearly new. At some stage it will need to be replaced but we are struggling to decide what to buy. We have 2 young children to accommodate, do ~6k miles a year including a couple of trips to France to visit grandparents, my preference is for petrol.

So far I have shortlisted:

Mercedes b-class. Plus points are that it is reasonably spacious and is chain cam engine. Downside is that the engine isn't very powerful.

Volvo v60. Plus points are that the petrol model is impressive. Downside is that it is a belt drive, for a big car it isn't very spacious on the inside and volvo seem to seel very few petrols meaning that there aren't many second hand on the market.

Thoughts on the above welcomed plus any other alternative suggestions people may have.

We have ~£12-15k to spend.

Thanks in advance!

Mark

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Thu 16 Apr 2015 23:38
to be decided... - What car to replace loyal SAAB 9-3 - Avant

Part of the trouble is that this size of car is sold mainly to fleets with high-mileage drivers - so most are diesels. Saab left quite a gap in the market, filled to some extent by Volvo and also by Skoda. My Octavia vRS has the Golf GTI engine and goes like a bomb; a cheaper option, if you can find one, is the 1.8 TSI which was an option with the previous (up to 2013) Octavia.

Other than that, I'd suggest something Japanese, particularly if you're going to keep it a long time as you probaby want to. Try the petrol version of the Mazda 6, Toyota Avensis or Honda Accord - all also available as estates and all have a very good reputation for reliability at least in petrol form.

Edited by Avant on 16/04/2015 at 23:38

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Thu 16 Apr 2015 23:48
to be decided... - What car to replace loyal SAAB 9-3 - Happy Blue!

At 6,000 miles pa, you can afford to have some fun. How about a Subaru Outback?

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Thu 16 Apr 2015 23:53
to be decided... - What car to replace loyal SAAB 9-3 - gordonbennet

I'll second all 4 of those Japanese suggestions in petrol form, Legacy/Outback is a seriously competent car with the benefits of a simple and robust AWD system, at that mileage you can have the 3.0 litre, but be aware that March 06 on 3.0 litre attracts highest VED band.

But if the Saab is running well i'd be inclined to keep it well serviced and run it till it breaks...which might be further away than you think.

Edited by gordonbennet on 16/04/2015 at 23:55

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Fri 17 Apr 2015 09:44
to be decided... - What car to replace loyal SAAB 9-3 - Paul Robinson

I'd nominate a Honda Civic 1.8 petrol - not an obvious choice for someone with a young family, but should meet all your needs and a similar quality to the others on your short list.

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Fri 17 Apr 2015 09:59
to be decided... - What car to replace loyal SAAB 9-3 - Trilogy

If you really like the Saab, keep it indefinitely, or perhaps look for another at the end of the production run (c.2002) that his been fastidiously maintained by one or two owners.

If you really feel you need to change it I'd suggest a Skoda Rapid/Octavia depending on what size of car you need.

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Fri 17 Apr 2015 15:56
to be decided... - What car to replace loyal SAAB 9-3 - Mike H

My Saab 9-5 Aero estate automatic, also a petrol, has now covered over 224,000 miles and is still running well, although I'm lucky enough to be able to do most of the routine servicing and maintenance myself, which keeps the costs down. The later 9-3, and the 9-5, were made up until 2010, and with a number of petrol options, so you might still find a good low mileage estate which would be well within your price range.

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Fri 17 Apr 2015 17:53
to be decided... - What car to replace loyal SAAB 9-3 - slkfanboy

Doing only 6k a year a petrol engine is the best option for you avoid those DPF issues etc. So if you kept the car 10 years you will have done 60K after that time, so if you purchased say a car thats done upto 70K it's still only done 130K. Therefore purchasing a higher milage car is not such an issue reguardless of make.

Issues around chain verses belts. I have noticed issues with any german and chains stretching due poor quality. So the belt verses chain debate is not as clear as i would like it to be.

I had a Volvo S60 amoung others and the petrol engines are fab and no too heavy on the gas. At the time I was doing 30k a year a clocked 90k on a car I purchased with 60k on the clock. The alarm speaker failed. The brakes/Disc lasted better then the 320D i had afterwards. So maintenence worked out cheaper than the BMW reguardless of what the reviews say.

A solid car and less bland than a Jap. car and much more in the Saab way of thinking if a little less exciting than say a BMW to drive.

I have a Focus and a Merc at the moment. Merc is a total solid car but I dont do the milage to these day to put that to the test.

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Fri 17 Apr 2015 18:40
to be decided... - What car to replace loyal SAAB 9-3 - corax

Issues around chain verses belts. I have noticed issues with any german and chains stretching due poor quality. So the belt verses chain debate is not as clear as i would like it to be.

And if the OP is only doing 6k a year, it's going to be a long time before the engine actually needs a belt change, so not really an issue unless it's a car where they are known to break before the change interval.

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Fri 17 Apr 2015 22:12
to be decided... - What car to replace loyal SAAB 9-3 - MetManMark

Thanks for all your replies. Part of me is thinking that checking out a Auris estate or Civic estate would be sensible (although neither really set my heart on fire). As we don't do a high milage another option would be to buy an older lexus IS. This would satisfy my desire for something well built and a bit different. Thoughts?

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Sat 18 Apr 2015 11:52
to be decided... - What car to replace loyal SAAB 9-3 - corax

Thanks for all your replies. Part of me is thinking that checking out a Auris estate or Civic estate would be sensible (although neither really set my heart on fire). As we don't do a high milage another option would be to buy an older lexus IS. This would satisfy my desire for something well built and a bit different. Thoughts?

How much space do you need? Note that the IS 250 only came as a saloon, and none had folding seats.

The previous generation had a compact estate called a Sportcross, and only came as a 3.0 auto, but it would make a nice leftfield alternative much in the same vein as the Saab. Thirsty, but extremely reliable, and you would have plenty of money left for fuel!

I was interested in buying an older Saab 93, until I looked at the Ncap rating, and it really was poor, surprising for a Saab. Crashing isn't something you want to think about, but it would niggle me if the car was weak if the worst came to the worst.

The Lexus/ Lexii are all built like tanks.

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Fri 17 Apr 2015 22:08
to be decided... - What car to replace loyal SAAB 9-3 - MetManMark

We do intend keeping the saab until it completely breaks. This year is the first that it has needed welding but they suggested that it might need some more next year. STart of the end? Apart from the heater being stuck on warm there is nothing really wrong with the car...Which is part of the reason I am worried about changing it as we have been so fortunate with this one.

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Fri 17 Apr 2015 22:06
to be decided... - What car to replace loyal SAAB 9-3 - MetManMark

I agree that the market seems to be dominated by diesels which doesn't really help. I am tempted to agree regarding Japanese cars. The saab we have I bought from my Mum 10 years ago when my Dad died. On my suggestion she bought a Yaris and although she hasn't done a lot of miles in it it has been completely trouble free. Had considered a mazda but the saloons have a really tight boot opening and the 6 estate is probably a bit bigger than we really need.

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