The other day, I was motivating northbound on I-75 in South Florida, and saw a late-model Saab parked on the southbound shoulder. The orange tag on the windshield told me that the Florida Highway Patrol had tagged it as disabled. I hadn’t thought about Saab in a long, long time, and I speculated what was likely wrong with that blue sedan. More importantly, I wondered if the Saab’s malady would be a game-over scenario, as in the inability to source some unobtanium part. As Saabs become less common, will they ever reach collectibility status? I can’t say with certainty, but if there were such a Saab, it would probably be this 2004 9-3 Aero cabriolet. This 117K-mile example shows beautifully, so let’s dig in and see what this Aero business is all about. Tom V. gets the nod for this Champlain, Ontario find, and it’s listed here on Facebook Marketplace for CDN $8,899 (U.S. $6,300).
So, a little research indicates that the Aero designation first appeared in 1984 on the 9000 model and continued at least through 2009, when GM gave the marque the bum’s rush. The primary differences between the Aero and the more pedestrian 9-3 on which this Aero is based are suspension mods, body skirts, and leather upholstery. Power-wise, at least for 2004, there appears to be no difference. The Aero package was available on all 9-3 body styles, and Esaabparts.com states 1,452 Aero convertibles were assembled in 2004. The seller suggests, “Finish in excellent condition; this car has been meticulously cared for and never winter-driven,” and then further adds, “Finding one that is completely rust-free and has been spared the harsh Canadian winters is becoming increasingly difficult.” Yup, this Saab looks great; it’s clean as a whistle with a deep, uncommon lime-yellow finish and no sign of road rash or parking lot mishaps. It’s amazing when you consider this car’s twenty-two years of existence and 117K miles of experience. Even the fabric top shows like new.
Aero power is a 207 net HP, turbocharged 2.0-liter in-line, four-cylinder engine, driving the front wheels via a six-speed manual transaxle. The six-speed arrangement is not that common for ’04, with just 342 convertibles so equipped – a five-speed manual was still on the order sheet that year, along with an automatic. The seller posits, “The combination of the Aero performance model, 6-speed manual transmission, and convertible body style makes this a particularly appealing Saab for the enthusiast and collector.”
As goes the exterior, so goes the interior; it’s as good as new! There is some gentle wear visible on the leather-upholstered bottom rest of the driver’s seat, and that’s about it as far as use is concerned. The seller describes the environment by describing it as “well preserved, and everything works as it should.” The instrument panel, with its easy-to-read gauges, is well laid out and purposeful. This is another example of a convertible that has not spent too much top-down time in the sun.
So, a future collectible? Maybe, maybe not; it’s hard to say, though this Saab would certainly be one to nominate for that category. More importantly, considering this car’s condition, price, and equipment, I think I’d just appreciate it for its motoring fun factor; how about you?
How Swede it is! My wife loves her Volvo wagons, but we’ve never owned a Saab yet. This car looks really nice, and the color is great.
Parts availability would give me pause, but I suspect there is a strong Saab internet following, so maybe ownership would be easy and fun.
Nice writeup Jim.
Take a drive in a SAAB of this era! You will be amazed! Comfort, handling, space!
Like the old Jag ads. Grace Pace Space!
Nice solid cars if you want a convertible. Good investment for a summer run-about!
Saab or not this is one good looking car. They have a reputation of being long lasting and fun to drive. Lady across the street had a black on black convertible with over 160k miles on it with no problems. Ditched it for a Mercedes which now sits behind her house with a history of more down time than drive time.
Saab cars always impressed me as being extremely well made, like a Rolex. In researching the history of the company it seems bad decisions at management did them in, not the value of their product, which was excellent.
I am Saab to the core…..the Cross Country wagon and my brother’s 164 and C70 notwithstanding. I have 12 of them…..2 99s, 5 Classic 900s a NewGen 900 and 4 real 9.3s. Real, you may ask? Well, let me elaborate.
The 9.3 built between 1999 and 2002 (2003 for the ‘vert) was a Saab product. Yes, it shared a platform with the Opel Vectra and had more GM DNA in it than most Saabistas would like, but it had an enormous hatch and plenty of room for five people. The convertibles were built in Uusikapunki, Finland, along with the Viggen. The cars were fast, they were quirky and they had soul. They were Saabs.
The cars that came after 2002 were, sadly, not Saabs. They were more Opel than anything else. They were not comfortable to drive, the back seats were inhospitable to anyone taller than four feet, they were needlessly complicated mechanically, electrically and technologically. The convertibles were built in Austria by Magna Steyr. GM tried and failed to turn the car into a Swedish Buick….a version of the 9.3 was fitted with a Cadillac nose and called a BLS. The cars were built on on Epsilion platform…the same platform that underpinned the Malibu. GM tried to sell Malibus by touting the fact that they were built on the same platform as the Saab…..something that I’m sure didn’t set well with the folks in Trollhattan
Worst of all, the cars had zero soul. They were just cars, and not very good ones at that. I have driven every version of the 9.3 built after 2002 and offered for sale in the US and hated every single one of them. The leather was thin and wore badly. The dashboards were a riot of plastic that cracked and scratched easily. Compared to a real 9-3, there was much less trunk space. The suspensions were either so stiff that they caused kidney damage or so soft that you couldn’t feel the road.
For someone who has never driven a Saab, I’m sure that this will make them happy. But, for someone who has roots that go back to the 99 or earlier Saabs like the 93, 95 and 97, not so much.I know a lot of Saab people who dislike these cars as much as I do. I believe that it started Saab down the slippery slope to its demise in 2023.
As far as the parts situation is concerned, we can get pretty much anything for the C900s and the 9-3s in the fleet. Early C900 stuff and 99 stuff is harder to find, but it’s out there.
Most of us who have real 9-3s hang onto them until the bodies are too rusty to fix. They have aged pretty well. The ones that came later? Not so much.
thanks for model year updates. This drop head looks really nice but I was unaware of the GM “influence” that seems to be a deliberate attempt to kill the marque.
I had a 1969 96 in the early 70s and the PO was a chicken farmer who lived on a dirt road. The dirt and gravel managed to create fist-size holes in the top of the front fenders after I bought it at the Chevy dealer. Fortunately replacement fenders were easily available then. Also found a replacement tranny–bad bearings. The replacement also started to seize up and the New Britain dealer still had a real tech who rebuilt the original with a bearing kit. Wish I had kept it, but life went on…
Thanks for the info. I’ve had three and I really like them overall. The first was a 99GL Wagonback and that was followed by a mid 80s 900 Liftback (I forget the year but the following year had the harness insulation degradation problem) and my last was a green ’84 900 Turbo convertible. The only problem I had with any of them was the GL sprang a leak that allowed the engine oil to be contaminated. The Liftback got totalled at only 67k miles when a Buick made a left in front of me, which was a real drag because it was pristine, but the convertible was my favorite. Cruising with the top down cross country in it was a total blast and I’d love to have another one.. but not this one. I love the original ones up to and including ’94 but not the newer GM ones.
I wonder if the Swedes hate General Motors as much as me?
Scotty—
No one hates GM more than I do. I was never much of a fan of their vehicles….I cut my teeth on Chrysler products…but the dirty business with Saab made the dislike turn into pure hatred……
I have a 2008 9-3 Aero convertible, Laser Red, V6, 6 speed manual. My car in this configuration was one of two sold in the U.S in 2008. Fun car, drive anywhere, no problems and parts are easy to find so far.