[JonnyCrash]

Originally Posted by Hula-Hula

Okey.. so I have two cars now that im gonna choose... either the BMW 325i Touring or the Saab 9-3 SportCombi Aero... I know this is a BMW forum but you guys CAN like other cars too, right?
<snip>
What do you think..? It's the same price for both of them.. I've tried them both and like them both!

Yes. We can like other cars too. In fact, most of us HAVE other cars as well as or instead of a BMW.

That being said, and with the disclaimer that I'm NOT a licensed therapist, don't you think that by posting this question on a BMW forum you've already made your decision and are just looking for validation?

I think you may be. So take the validation we're all giving you, and enjoy the bimmer

[cosmosblau]

The Saab is garbage.
The suspension feels prehistoric, with junky plastic all around.

[petefalzzz]

If you get the SAAB make sure the road side assistance is in your speed dial... and hope that GM doesn't go bankrupt and kill the brand off the brand all together!

SAAB = POS

[Wolf359]

Saabs come with weekly appointments to the dealership (Just check jdpowers.com), they have serious reliability issues...

[Hula-Hula]

Originally Posted by Mr.Abulia

Yes. We can like other cars too. In fact, most of us HAVE other cars as well as or instead of a BMW.

That being said, and with the disclaimer that I'm NOT a licensed therapist, don't you think that by posting this question on a BMW forum you've already made your decision and are just looking for validation?

I think you may be. So take the validation we're all giving you, and enjoy the bimmer

hehe thanx for the kind words!
But I just gotta say that SAAB is totally different in Sweden.. It may be coz it's from Sweden! So I really don't understand everything that you guys say! And as you may have known I actually have a Saab 9-5 Aero, and before that I had a 9-5 SportCombi 2,3t chiptuned and before that a 9000 CSE 2.3T chiptuned.. So I really like saab and they are really fast at highway and when we drive down to Autobahn. It's because of the tourqe! But I would'nt care if I got behind a Saab in speed because I get there so much better.. and more fun.. oh well thank you everyone for your opinions

[kt157]

subaru vs bmw? hmmm....

[lux.sh]

Originally Posted by Hula-Hula

But I just gotta say that SAAB is totally different in Sweden.. It may be coz it's from Sweden! So I really don't understand everything that you guys say!

I understand what you are saying. For me, I am korean.
A dedicated one. I love my country to death. (lived half of my life in
states though, so my heart belongs to both).

In korea, korean cars have NO problems selling over there.
Despite virtually all the cars in the world being sold in korea(in case
some of you are not familar, we got everything that US gets, plus more),
korean cars(Kia, Ssangyong, SM, Hyundai, Daewoo) all sell very
well in korea, and people don't consider them as "low class" cars
as in united states.

BUT. you gotta open your eyes. U.S. market, where most of the
richest people in the world lives, competition is crazy, and standard
here is much higher. You gotta understand, most car brands always
try to penetrate U.S. car market somehow, because thats where
the money is. So these cars always get extensively reviewed,
compared with ALL these other cars in the same class that came
from all different parts of the world.

So I hope you don't get offended by mine or other posts, but we
are talking strictly in "automotive standard" talk. and Saab
doesn't do good compared to other cars in its class.

What I suggest you to do, go test drive all the other cars that are
being produced in all parts of the world. Last I checked, Sweden
is upper scale country, and should have all the right resources
for you to check out japanese/german/italian/french/etc vehicles.

Be flexible, open your eyes, and try to "feel" all the other cars.

When I drove korean cars in korea, I thought it was the best.
When I drove japanese vehicles when I came to united states, I thought it was the best.
When I recently bought BMW and start opening my eyes toward german vehicles, I realized one thing.
There is always something better out there.

If you want to stay with Saab, thats cool, if you think they make
great cars, thats good for you. Don't mean to judge you or
disrespect your opinions. Remember, you asked us for our own
opinions, and this is what we can give you.

Un-biased point of view, saab does make great cars, but there are
better cars out there. Honestly, BMW is just one of them.

[selm]

Now I don't know what resale values are like in Sweden, but saabs don't hold their value here in the US. If you say both cars are equally priced, then maybe look at one will have a lower total ownership experience including depreciation. When I did this with all the other cars I concidered, the BMW ended up having a higher selling price, but overall had a lower cost of ownership as maintenance was included, high resale values, etc.

[fragra]

Ah Saab. I used to lust after the 900 but was prevented by abject poverty from actually buying one. The old Saabs were weird enough / stupid enough / fun enough / unreliable enough to prove immensely attractive to any car nut. Unfortunately, GM effectively filtered out the weird/stupid/fun and left us with the unreliable. Maybe Ingmar Kamprad of IKEA should buy Saab and restore it to it's proper Swedishness. Of course, then we'd have to put it together with that little wrench...

[Hula-Hula]

Originally Posted by lux.sh

I understand what you are saying. For me, I am korean.
A dedicated one. I love my country to death. (lived half of my life in
states though, so my heart belongs to both).

In korea, korean cars have NO problems selling over there.
Despite virtually all the cars in the world being sold in korea(in case
some of you are not familar, we got everything that US gets, plus more),
korean cars(Kia, Ssangyong, SM, Hyundai, Daewoo) all sell very
well in korea, and people don't consider them as "low class" cars
as in united states.

BUT. you gotta open your eyes. U.S. market, where most of the
richest people in the world lives, competition is crazy, and standard
here is much higher. You gotta understand, most car brands always
try to penetrate U.S. car market somehow, because thats where
the money is. So these cars always get extensively reviewed,
compared with ALL these other cars in the same class that came
from all different parts of the world.

So I hope you don't get offended by mine or other posts, but we
are talking strictly in "automotive standard" talk. and Saab
doesn't do good compared to other cars in its class.

What I suggest you to do, go test drive all the other cars that are
being produced in all parts of the world. Last I checked, Sweden
is upper scale country, and should have all the right resources
for you to check out japanese/german/italian/french/etc vehicles.

Be flexible, open your eyes, and try to "feel" all the other cars.

When I drove korean cars in korea, I thought it was the best.
When I drove japanese vehicles when I came to united states, I thought it was the best.
When I recently bought BMW and start opening my eyes toward german vehicles, I realized one thing.
There is always something better out there.

If you want to stay with Saab, thats cool, if you think they make
great cars, thats good for you. Don't mean to judge you or
disrespect your opinions. Remember, you asked us for our own
opinions, and this is what we can give you.

Un-biased point of view, saab does make great cars, but there are
better cars out there. Honestly, BMW is just one of them.

Thank you for your good answer! I am not offended, I just wanna hear what other people think about the whole thing! It's interesting! And I know the BMW is a better car.. I was totally inlove when i first drove it. And after i went to some small twisty roads I was completly "hooked" I've always loved BMW:s the most but now when saab is so expensive I can actually have a BMW... Soo.. it might be a BMW.. we're not really allowed to drive BMW as a company car but my boss has one so he can't say a thing!!!!
Thanx again for the explenation you gave me and I respect all your opinions!

[Hula-Hula]

Originally Posted by fragra

Maybe Ingmar Kamprad of IKEA should buy Saab and restore it to it's proper Swedishness. Of course, then we'd have to put it together with that little wrench...

haha that's probably the best Idea about saab i've ever heard!
But next year they plan a 9-3 SportCombi with AWD and 330 horsies! They drive them around Trollhättan(SAABs home) But again.. I don't think GM will let them build that... and they will never be a BMW Woohoo Im happy now I love BMW

[lux.sh]

Originally Posted by Hula-Hula

Thank you for your good answer! I am not offended, I just wanna hear what other people think about the whole thing! It's interesting! And I know the BMW is a better car.. I was totally inlove when i first drove it. And after i went to some small twisty roads I was completly "hooked" I've always loved BMW:s the most but now when saab is so expensive I can actually have a BMW... Soo.. it might be a BMW.. we're not really allowed to drive BMW as a company car but my boss has one so he can't say a thing!!!!
Thanx again for the explenation you gave me and I respect all your opinions!

Great. You sound like a really great person with lots of flexibility without having your mind stuck on one thing.
I see that you are man of vision, and that you will make the right choice.

Afterall, take all of our advices as just "Advices". Do not let it influence your decision totally. Its YOUR car, you test drive both, feel both cars, and consider very carefully, and YOU buy whichever one you like.

Again, best luck to you with your future car.
And if you do decide to get the bmw e91(the new wagon), make sure to let us know and join our lovely discussions in this forum. People here are really great. Age is also diverse, and slightly older-oriented than usual young-age forums. which is good, for maturity of the board.

[Hula-Hula]

Originally Posted by lux.sh

Great. You sound like a really great person with lots of flexibility without having your mind stuck on one thing.
I see that you are man of vision, and that you will make the right choice.

Afterall, take all of our advices as just "Advices". Do not let it influence your decision totally. Its YOUR car, you test drive both, feel both cars, and consider very carefully, and YOU buy whichever one you like.

Again, best luck to you with your future car.
And if you do decide to get the bmw e91(the new wagon), make sure to let us know and join our lovely discussions in this forum. People here are really great. Age is also diverse, and slightly older-oriented than usual young-age forums. which is good, for maturity of the board.

Thank you!
I'm gonna take a last and really long tesdrive of them both this weekend to find out what best for my needs... The heart is really into the straight six.. oh man it is magic.. truly magic to rev the 2,5 litre!! and I totally agree on the matter this fiorum ROX all BMW forums and most of the forums i've ever seen!
I'm gonna post alot of pics if I get the BMW and tell you guys all about it!

[RussianM3_dude]

The only thing these new Saabs have that is "Saabish" is the stupid key next to the shifter. It's basically an American car now (not that it is intself bad, but it is just about as Swedish as Alabama meatballs).

[davinet78]

no questions about it
go for bmw

[thd13]

Saab=GM

There's your answer.

[JamieA]

I would go with the BMW without a second thought.

Saab have not made enough money for years to properly engineer their vehicles, and GM turned off the tap a year or so ago, and consequently Saab are now forced to rebadge Subaru cars to get new product out the door. The 9-3 has not set the world on fire and has tanked in the marketplace.

Go directly to BMW, don't pass go, don't collect $200

[JamieA]

Originally Posted by fragra

Maybe Ingmar Kamprad of IKEA should buy Saab and restore it to it's proper Swedishness. Of course, then we'd have to put it together with that little wrench...

I think that Ingmar and Bill Gates being at the top of the world's richest list proves that there is money to be made irritating people.

I bet they have a time-out room at Saab where you are forced to put Ikea furniture together if you have been a bad employee. Would certainly have me looking for sharp surfaces!

[findtom]

The Saab 9-3 was one of the first cars I looked at when I decided it was time for a new one. The 2006 9-3 is a pretty good value with a more powerful engine on the base model, etc...

I liked the shifter, the engine and the way it handled. I always - and still do - like the body design of the 9-3. It's also a bit less flashy then the BMW... which was a factor I considered when purchasing.

However, after driving the BMW and working the numbers on it the Saab was a distant memory. If you really look the car over the Saab really reveals itself as a GM with a Saab badge on the front. The whole GM thing must be a real tragedy for Saab enthusiasts. The BMW is just a much more "solid" car all around.


Just curious, have you checked out the new A3? It's smaller then those two cars but the new 2.0T engine is really nice. In the end my decision came down to E90 325 vs. A3.

[findtom]

BTW... in my opinion I would choose the BMW E91 over the Saab wagon based on looks alone. I really don't like the body design of that Saab.

[dmg]

They only way I'd take a new SAAB was if it was in Aero sedan form and slightly used; say a year or two or off lease to take the hit off depreciation.

Also, ever since they rid of the hatch (which was awesome in my opinion) just isn't the same; it's still a station wagon.

They are the safest things out, but reliability is gonna blow

I love SAAB's and was very impressed with how the Aero handled with great gas mileage. GM did right when they decreased the prices. I compare it as a real nice Honda Prelude.

[Casey 5]

Again I would point you to the October 2005 edition of Car and Driver "330i and IS 350 take on all comers."

C and D matched 8 sports sedans--Saab Aero 3 came in 8th out of 8. BMW 330i was 1st.

While you are looking at the 325i, I don't think it matters. Never bet on the car thatcomes in 8th in an 8 car race/comparison.

Get a Bimmer...you will be very happy you did--especially if you ever sell--your resale will be much stronger than with a Saab.