Saab 9-3
Registered from 1998 to 2012.
About this model
The Saab 9-3 is a compact executive car initially developed and manufactured by the Swedish automaker Saab.
From the Wikipedia article Saab 9-3, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
What fails its inspection
Great Britain's MOT record for the 2008 1.9 diesel. 1,534 of 5,860 tests failed, 26%.
Better than 50% of 2008 cars. The typical one fails 26%, across 922 models with enough tests behind them to say.
| Where | Share of failures | Failed tests |
|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 50% | 772 |
| Brakes | 33% | 511 |
| Lights and electrics | 22% | 343 |
| Tyres and wheels | 21% | 326 |
| Body and structure | 19% | 296 |
| Exhaust and emissions | 19% | 291 |
The defects inspectors cite
- A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened
- A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
- Smoke opacity levels exceed the manufacturer's specified limit
- A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
- A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc
- A tyre seriously damaged
Before you buy one
Built from what this car fails on, not from general knowledge of the model.
- Suspension — 50% of its failures
- A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened
- A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
- A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc
- Brakes — 33% of its failures
- A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
- Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement
- Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake
- Tyres and wheels — 21% of its failures
- A tyre seriously damaged
- Exhaust and emissions — 19% of its failures
- Smoke opacity levels exceed the manufacturer's specified limit
- Lights and electrics — 22% of its failures
- Body and structure — 19% of its failures
When it starts failing
At 200k+ miles this one fails 28% of its inspections, against the 29% an ordinary car of the same age fails.
| Odometer | Failure rate | Rate | Its age | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20–40k miles | 13% | 16% | 46 | |
| 40–60k miles | 19% | 20% | 130 | |
| 60–80k miles | 20% | 24% | 376 | |
| 80–100k miles | 25% | 27% | 736 | |
| 100–120k miles | 26% | 29% | 1,069 | |
| 120–140k miles | 29% | 29% | 1,224 | |
| 140–160k miles | 26% | 30% | 964 | |
| 160–180k miles | 26% | 30% | 705 | |
| 180–200k miles | 29% | 29% | 324 | |
| 200k+ miles | 28% | 29% | 278 |
5,852 British inspections, grouped by the odometer reading recorded at the test.
Half of these have more than 120k miles on them. That is how far people drive this car, not how long it lasts.
Specification
| Year | Measured |
|---|---|
| 2012 | 1.9 diesel · 153 hp · 1661 kg · 2675 mm wheelbase · 5.0 L/100km (NEDC) |
| 2011 | 1.9 diesel · 159 hp · 1669 kg · 2675 mm wheelbase · 5.3 L/100km (NEDC) |
| 2010 | 1.9 diesel · 1659 kg · 2675 mm wheelbase · 5.7 L/100km (NEDC) |