Saab or BMW?

RICK..._2

Hi all.

Managed to save up a lump sum of £6,500 and looking to buy a car as I'm in the process of handing my Insignia back.

Looking at either:

'57 Saab 9-3 1.9 TiD 150 Vector Sport
OR
'08 BMW 320d SE

Most of what I have seen have been manuals with about 70k miles, FSH etc.

I've never owned either a Saab or BMW so does anyone have any advice? I think I prefer the BMW, but with winter coming up and them being RWD I don't want to end up stuck. I keep reading mixed opinions on them, some people saying they're fine in snow etc and some saying they're absolutely useless. I did see loads of them dumped at the side of the road last winter though!

I do around 1,800 miles a month so obviously reliability is my main priority.

From what I've read since Saab went bust, the price of servicing and parts has shot up, is that true? Also what are they like for holding their value?

Thanks.

skivenov

Parts availability on SAABs seems to be running between patchy (for mechanical bits) and none (for a lot of body bits). So I wouldn't touch one til things have blown over.

BMW's are marmite cars, you love them or hate them. I hate them, but I can see how people love them.

Have you tried a Mazda 6?

fivetide

If you can't drive in winter and don't put winter tyres on BMW will be useless. However, if you can drive, it'll be fine. I say that without having used one in winter but I did make it through the Scottish winter in a rear drive Merc C-Class - on normal tyres.

Been looking at a similar Saab today. Nice car. engine bits are GM. The issue is other bits that are Saab specific. Worry me a bit. Lovely motor though. Lots of toys

5t.

NeverEnough

Saabs are great - lovely to drive, but there are a few too many electrical faults for my liking - had a colleague with one that cost an absoluter fortune to keep on the road with electrical and mechanical issues, other friends seem to have had similar issues with Saabs, then I saw a brand new one burning out at the side of the M42 ............ parts and availablility Saab specific largely, expensive.

BMW- currently drive one and love it to bits, one of the nicest cars I have ever driven, no issue getting spares, main dealers generally ok, fair servicing prices on older cars, lots of independent specialists, BMW UK will give goodwill repairs more often than not on early failures out of warranty if your servicing is up to date with main dealer, unlike most other marques.

However nice a Saab is, I would get a BMW -if you look hard enough, there will be one with loads of toys, and a spare set of wheels with winter tyres means you will always be ok in bad weather.

**Patty**

If you're serious about owning a Saab, then check out Saabscene.
The key is finding a damn good independant saab dealer.

I've owned 2 now, & luckily live near an independant thats recommended & used by many saab owners in the midlands.

(for the lurkers, it's Hallam & Sutherns in Swadlincote, Derbyshire)

fivetide

Actually, just reminded by never enough. Neighbours have an older 9-3 and have had broken springs, a failed air sensor and a blocked DPF but otherwise it's been pretty ok. They used to have issues with all the digital console stuff. Dropped parts of the screen can look a bit daft. Another I know of had a problem with the steering column and on Saab, that's one of their own designs. You have to replace the lot rather than the parts like you can on a Vectra (people wrongly assume they are simply a re-badged Vauxhall)

For the BMW diesel. The big issue they had was the cars swallowing the plastic swirl flaps. As far as I'm aware BMW have refused to do anything about the issue or payout for failures (lunched engine) but you can get them removed fairly cheaply.

5t.

TrickyWicky

skivenov wrote: »

BMW's are marmite cars, you love them or hate them. I hate them, but I can see how people love them.

Well said, nail & head type of comment!

Same here, love or hate them and I hate them. Saabs I've never really held an opinion on as I always thought they looked a bit odd tbh. Having said that, a friend has one and says he has very little trouble with it. I'm more or a volvo fan myself - bullet proof mostly but they don't have the posh thing about them like saab.

cardinalbiggles

fivetide wrote: »

engine bits are GM

If its the common rail 1.9 diesel then its a Fiat engine so I would suspect you will get parts readily for them (they are/were used by GM as well)

neilmcl

For driving pleasure, quality interior, performance and fuel economy. The BMW is a no brainer.

GolfBravo

£6500 for a used Saab? Let's see:
- spare parts? Not many. Expensive.
- franchised dealers? Not any more.
- resale value? What's that?
- servicing and repairs using genuine parts? No. All Saab tooling is in China now - they are building Saab clones over there.

Why would you want to spend £6500 on a car from a non-existing manufacturer? Everyone is trying to get rid of theirs.

ventureuk

I've got two Saabs, both petrol, both mapped to 220+hp, both return 38-42mpg on the motorway, one broke a spring but show be any European fwd car that hasn't and I'll be surprised, other than consumables neither has put a foot wrong in 50,000 miles and 4 yrs.

Parts are easy to get hold of, Saab parts division is not part of the parent company and still operates, it has to anyway for 10yrs under European legislation, it is still in Sweden not China. Old gen tooling was sold to China for cars dating back to the 90's.

Saab still exists, owned by a Japanese/Chinese/Swedish joint venture called NEVS, it will become the first major manufacturer to produce only electric and hybrid electric vehicles.

Personally I'd get a petrol, no expensive fly wheels or DPF to go wrong (on any 5yr old diesel not just Saab), in fact if you look at the 2.0d BMW engine it's far from a bed of roses for reliability.

If you must have a diesel look for the twin turbo TTid, on this engine everything had been worked out, CO2 emissions were the lowest of any engine of this size and power was close to 200hp.

This guy sells nice cars.

http://www.markarnold.co.uk/index.php

Regards.

PS I have a spare set of winter tyres for one car and snowsocks for another, no snow covered road has ever beaten me, I'm in the Pennines and abandoned BMWs are a real nuisance when the weather gets cold.