[moogdrew]

Hi - I am thinking of buying an 05, 06 0r 07 Saab 9-3 1.9tid automatic saloon or estate and i have been told that some models of the 9-3 have problems with the bulkhead cracking.

is this just on the early ones or does this effect the years that i am thinking of buying?

Also any tips on what to look for when i am viewing would be really appreciated, and if any one knows how the performance stacks up to my old saab 9000 petrol with low pressure turbo that would be nice to know too.

Thanks

 

[baxlin]

Can't give a definitive answer, but I thought the bulkhead cracking problem was only on Verts, and MYs earlier than you're looking for.

But hopefully this will be confirmed or corrected before long.

 

[Blimpy]

I beleive the cracked bulkhead was only a problem with the older 93's, not the 93ss. Have a read through the posts in the technical forum for some of the common problems with the diesels, especially things like EGR/DPF and electrical stuff. As with any car, make sure you do your homework before you part with the cash!

 

[moogdrew]

Thanks guys - i have now bought a 2007 "07" plate Saab 93 1.9TDI auto in black (i'm gonna kick myself for buying black the first time i have to wash it in our limescaley wiltshire water!) and i can confirm that saab learnt their lesson from the cracked bulkheads and moved the steering columb back on to the sub frame for the later 93's.
Everything else seems to check out ok on the car (spent a couple of hours checking everything i could!)

Thanks again

 

[welshwizard]

Thanks guys - i have now bought a 2007 "07" plate Saab 93 1.9TDI auto in black (i'm gonna kick myself for buying black the first time i have to wash it in our limescaley wiltshire water!) and i can confirm that saab learnt their lesson from the cracked bulkheads and moved the steering columb back on to the sub frame for the later 93's.
Everything else seems to check out ok on the car (spent a couple of hours checking everything i could!)

Thanks again[/b]

The 2003-on 9-3 has nothing in common with the older 9-3 (except the 2.2 TiD which was carried over) - the platform was entirely new.

The bulkhead issue is not GM900/OG9-3 alone it's a GM2900 issue that affected Vectra A/Cavalier Mk3 and Calibra too. The new 9-3 was made on the Epsilon platform with Vectra C.