Saab 9-3

I don't know a whole lot about Saabs other than one of my friends from college has one and has loved it, and a colleague said that if he had won the huge lottery a couple weeks back, he would have bought everyone in the office a Saab. My trip to the Saab dealer started off really well. I went in to ask if they'd change some dollars into quarters for the meter, and the receptionist told me to just pull the car up to the front door, give them the keys, and they'd make sure it was ready for me when I was done. Now that's service, and I hadn't even said whether I was looking at a new or pre-owned car.

After I brought my car up, I met Richard, who was probably slightly less knowledgeable about Saabs than Jack was about Infinitis, but he was exceedingly less wordy. I was only at his desk for about 10 minutes before he grabbed a set of keys and we hopped in a 9-3 2.0T. Since I don't drive a stick shift, and I don't really care about the raw power of the engine, the Aero is too much. The 2.0T gets better gas mileage on cheaper gas, and has enough power to get onto a highway without getting run over.

The inside of the 9-3 appeared slightly roomier than the G35, and the driver's seat was very comfortable. Richard explained how the Saab's rear tires turn independently of the front tires to make turning a much easier experience. He demonstrated this as I went around the turnaround to get from Comm Ave onto the BU Bridge. I was very impressed, and I've driven that turnaround hundreds of times in at least 3 or 4 different cars.

The 9-3 was a little sportier than the G35 in the way it drove, with a little less of a smooth ride. Not too noticeable though. There weren't many technical frills, but anything short of the technological masterpiece in the G35, and all I really need is heated seats and bluetooth. The trunk was very spacious, and both rear seats folded down which was not the case in the G35.

All in all, it was a very nice car, and a great experience with the Saab dealership. They have a 27 month, 10,000 mile/year lease option, which could be really attractive if the price is right, since I don't drive 10,000 miles in a year and 2 years 3 months is a shorter time to get a new car than 3 full years. Richard told me about the specials that Saab tends to have in the later parts of the months, which should be a good way to negotiate with other dealers. I told him to keep me in mind if he gets word of any specials starting in late April. He also let me know about Saab's free scheduled maintenance plan, which would cover routine maintenance and oil changes throughout the life of the lease.