The Orange Mane - a Denver Broncos Fan Community - View Single Post - Calling All Car Guys (And Gals Too I Suppose)

RkyMtnThunder · 03-01-2007, 12:45 PM

If you are looking at premium or sub-luxury vehicles (Infinity, Audi, etc) I own a saab 9-3 that I am pretty happy with

I got the base engine (turbo I4 210HP) For $1000 more I upgraded the ECU, now the performance is 247hp/288torque (which is a little better than a BMW 328 and quite better than the base A4 - 2 other cars I looked at).

I decided to get a certified pre-owned used because the warranty was just as good as new (100k) and allowed me to better afford the ECU upgrade.

Gets upwards 30mpg hwy. Excellent safety ratings, I pay about $55/mo full coverage insurance

Its one of the best handling front wheel drives out there which is a plus for snowy states.

Good head/leg room, lots of trunk space. Nice looking car and less common than a most sedans on the road. Lots of standard options that would have cost extra in other cars I looked at.

When I compared cars I was looking at (9-3, 328, A4) the Saab gave more car for about $5,000 less, good gas mileage, and low insurance rates sealed the deal.

but if you do go this route, I highly, highly suggest you drop the $1000 and upgrade the ECU - it makes all the difference in the world and well worth it.

03-01-2007, 12:45 PM	#10
RkyMtnThunder Perennial Pro-bowler New to the Forum Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 899 Adopt-a-Bronco: None	re: If you are looking at premium or sub-luxury vehicles (Infinity, Audi, etc) I own a saab 9-3 that I am pretty happy with I got the base engine (turbo I4 210HP) For $1000 more I upgraded the ECU, now the performance is 247hp/288torque (which is a little better than a BMW 328 and quite better than the base A4 - 2 other cars I looked at). I decided to get a certified pre-owned used because the warranty was just as good as new (100k) and allowed me to better afford the ECU upgrade. Gets upwards 30mpg hwy. Excellent safety ratings, I pay about $55/mo full coverage insurance Its one of the best handling front wheel drives out there which is a plus for snowy states. Good head/leg room, lots of trunk space. Nice looking car and less common than a most sedans on the road. Lots of standard options that would have cost extra in other cars I looked at. When I compared cars I was looking at (9-3, 328, A4) the Saab gave more car for about $5,000 less, good gas mileage, and low insurance rates sealed the deal. but if you do go this route, I highly, highly suggest you drop the $1000 and upgrade the ECU - it makes all the difference in the world and well worth it. Last edited by RkyMtnThunder; 03-01-2007 at 12:54 PM..