Which is more reliable?

[ohmide]

I've driven both cars and the Saab definitely has more juice to it. I'll be looking for a used 04-06 A4 or a used 05-06 9-3. Both cars are pretty low in terms of reliability from what I've read. My benchmark is a 94 Civic DX and a 06 Civic EX. I'm feeling the need for a fancier car and I don't want to drive another boring Honda that everyone has. I do live in a snow-area, so the more practical choice would be to get a Subaru, but yeah...no nice leather seating in a WRX.

So has anyone actually "owned" either of these cars and can vouch for their undependability?
I picked models a few years past its inception, hoping that some of the quirks would've been worked out by then.

Requirements:
Auto Tranny
17k ballpark

 

[sniperruff]

a used saabaru WRX wagon

 

[Blackjack200]

I thought the A4 has AWD as well?

I've been looking at used Saab's because they depreciate so fast, it looks like you can get pretty decent ones on the cheap. So yeah, two responses so far and neither from a Saab or Audi owner. Sorry.

 

[ultimatebob]

Oy. This question is like going into the AV forum and asking if the Monster Cables or the Extended Warranty is the better deal at Best Buy. There is no good answer to give that you'll want to hear!

Anyway... I have a 2003 A4 with 91,000 miles on it. It was reliable for the first 50,000 miles.... and then it tried to kill me with some freak "gas pedal position sensor" glitch that caused the car to get stuck at full throttle while I was driving. Naturally, I had to foot the bill for that since the warranty JUST expired.

Since then, I've been charged $500 to have the radio fixed and $150 to have the change tray... er... "Credit Card Holder" replaced. The Xenon headlights cost up to $800 each to replace if they malfunction, and the timing belt will set you back $1,600 if you want it done at the dealer. They'll start hounding you about replacing it around 70,000 miles.

The Audi's with Quattro are good in the snow, though.

 

[Summitdrinker]

wow a Audi owner who is honest.........................

not what you want to hear but if you want a reliable car that has low repair cost, you's best buy a american car or maybe a japenese car

 

[dirtboy]

Which is more reliable, an Audi or a Saab?

LMAO

They both have very poor reliability...

 

[imported_Shivetya]

I don't own either but we hav a Saab 9-3 owner in our department who would never ever go near another Saab again...

 

[ohmide]

Ah, thanks for the comments guys. Yes, I was mainly seeing if there were any real-life stories from the horse's mouth and there indeed seems to be.

 

[DougK62]

I'd say avoid them both, although I favor the 9-3 out of those two. You might consider looking at the 9-5, they seem to get better reviews.

 

[krunchykrome]

Both are unreliable cars....but if I had to choose, I'd go with the Audi, just because of the AWD. I'd be scared to death though to buy a used Audi or Saab with no warranty.

 

[Dman877]

How about a used 325 or 330xi?

 

[ayabe]

Originally posted by: sniperruff
a used saabaru WRX wagon

:thumbsup:

I'm very sad that the shaggin' wagons aren't going to be made anymore.

Sleepers for sure.

 

[TheSlamma]

Originally posted by: dirtboy
Which is more reliable, an Audi or a Saab?

LMAO

They both have very poor reliability...

QFT

 

[SpeedEng66]

I have a 05 arc 93

so far so good @ 20k miles
little things bug me about the car
little creaking noise (the car is pretty stiff)

I test drove a 05 1.8 a4 before purchasing the 9-3

the inside is nicer, nice seats,better radio unit/sound (9-3 lacks bass)
performance was alittle lacking
ride was good
road noise is about the same (maybe a hair quieter in the a4)
price was more than the 9-3

so I picked the 9-3

any q's lmk

 

[Dr. Detroit]

I have an '06 9-3 Aero.

The 9-5 is a Consumer Reports rated "good" for reliability. The chasis & motor is in its 9th year so all the bugs have been worked out.

The 9-3 gets poor review due to the '03 model. This was the first year for the all new 9-3 and the car had lots of bugs. Usually nothing major but lots of bugs. People consider the '06 to be one of the finest years as they dropped the 175HP engine and all 4cyl models came standard with 210HP. The Aero V6 Turbo comes with 250HP.

SaabCentral is a great place to poke around and see what problems others are having.

Saab does have free scheduled maintenance the first 3yrs/36,000 miles and comes with a 4yr Warranty.

I would price out a new '07 9-3 Linear as the rebates are $4K+ right now which means with dealer incentives you might get it to $22K new.

I paid $22K for my '06 Aero with 12K miles on her 2-months ago.

Things I love about my car. Great Hwy mileage, Night Panel, Xenon headlights, large trunk and roomy rear seat. Really cheap auto insurance due to its safety record.

The '08 9-3 is a redesign year so the dealer will have a tough time in selling the older models and are due to arrive at US dealerships in mid October. Expect dealers to aggresively price the '07s to move them.

 

[Auric]

The VW/Audi 2.0L TFSI is quite peppy, especially combined with the Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG) and offers good fuel economy. Also, the Electronic Stabilization Program (ESP) meets AWD half-way for traction control sans added weight and friction (and thus fuel consumption).

 

[Vette73]

As Fmr12B said get a 04 or newwer Saab. They can be had pretty cheap and if taken care of should be ok.

I have a 96 900Se turbo with a 5 speed. I got it for $600 (last guy blew the motor). I rebuilt the motor, turbo, replaced the head, etc... and it runs well now. Still need to get a couple bugs taken care of but I still drive ti and use it as our "truck" since the corvette does not hold that much.

 

[Thump553]

I also own a '96 Saab 900 which I bought new, now has over 200k miles on it. This is the predecessor (and essentially the same thing in my eyes) as the 9-3. I wouldn't really reccommend Saab to anyone. I take care of as much mechanical as I can, but this car has a bunch of annoying features that I have been able to solve only through the aid of an online Saab forum. Some of the recurring problems:

-windshield washers continually fail to squirt-a well known problem, I was never able to remedy it. Dealer repair on this cost me more than $100 extra and only lasted a month or two. Try driving in a northern winter without being able to wash your windshield.

-electric heat seat failures. Extremely common, they put too frail of wires in the seat so they eventually break after 2-3 years. Fixable yourself if you are handy (take out seat, pull covering off, find wire break and rejoin it) but very frustrating.

-horrible clutch design. I've driven clutches since my very early days ('52 Chevy farm pickup) and this is the touchiest, worst clutch I've ever come near. I've never had to replace a clutch before this car.

-you disconnect the battery and the in-trunk CD changer won't work again unless you go through an intricate procedure of unhooking it, unplugging certain fuses, hooking everything back up in a certain order (which I found out throught the online forum). After my first nonwarranty service, the dealer tried to convince me that the unit was defective and needed to be replaced at $600 or so. I found out the truth online (and that was the last time I went to that dealer).

-Be prepared to live with oil leaks. Like old British sportcars, it's part of the nature of the beast.

On the positive side, if a recent TV commercial I saw is to be believed you can buy a new 9-3 for almost the exact same price I paid for a 900 eleven years ago. They also handle good in snow, great heat and A/C, and respectable gas mileage.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Neither

 

[Scouzer]

Might I suggest a Lada if reliability is a concern?

 

[jagec]

Originally posted by: DougK62
I'd say avoid them both, although I favor the 9-3 out of those two. You might consider looking at the 9-5, they seem to get better reviews.

Not if my uncles' experience is anything to go by. He's had a number of fairly serious electronics issues, which apparently has been enough to warrant replacing the computer and the starter motor (both times after a lot of back-and-forth between him and the dealer), and IIRC he was talking about them needing to replace the "turbo seals" too.

Granted, it's been all warranty work so far...but yikes. Maybe he got a lemon?

I've driven it a few times, and it's a sweet car...comfortable, smooth yet sporty enough to acquit itself nicely on twisty roads, and shockingly good mileage for a midweight, safe, turbo luxury sedan. If you *really* milk the gas pedal for all it's worth, you can get upwards of 30mpg on the freeway.

 

[DeviousTrap]

Originally posted by: Thump553
I also own a '96 Saab 900 which I bought new, now has over 200k miles on it. This is the predecessor (and essentially the same thing in my eyes) as the 9-3. I wouldn't really reccommend Saab to anyone. I take care of as much mechanical as I can, but this car has a bunch of annoying features that I have been able to solve only through the aid of an online Saab forum. Some of the recurring problems:

-windshield washers continually fail to squirt-a well known problem, I was never able to remedy it. Dealer repair on this cost me more than $100 extra and only lasted a month or two. Try driving in a northern winter without being able to wash your windshield.

-electric heat seat failures. Extremely common, they put too frail of wires in the seat so they eventually break after 2-3 years. Fixable yourself if you are handy (take out seat, pull covering off, find wire break and rejoin it) but very frustrating.

-horrible clutch design. I've driven clutches since my very early days ('52 Chevy farm pickup) and this is the touchiest, worst clutch I've ever come near. I've never had to replace a clutch before this car.

-you disconnect the battery and the in-trunk CD changer won't work again unless you go through an intricate procedure of unhooking it, unplugging certain fuses, hooking everything back up in a certain order (which I found out throught the online forum). After my first nonwarranty service, the dealer tried to convince me that the unit was defective and needed to be replaced at $600 or so. I found out the truth online (and that was the last time I went to that dealer).

-Be prepared to live with oil leaks. Like old British sportcars, it's part of the nature of the beast.

On the positive side, if a recent TV commercial I saw is to be believed you can buy a new 9-3 for almost the exact same price I paid for a 900 eleven years ago. They also handle good in snow, great heat and A/C, and respectable gas mileage.

The newer 9-3s are totally different beasts. The last year of the 900-esque body stlye was '02. The 03-present 9-3s are based on the new GM Epsilon platform and have almost nothing in common with the older cars.

 

[ultimatebob]

Originally posted by: Dman877
How about a used 325 or 330xi?

Or, we could try picking a reliable car for 'em