Thinking about getting a 99-02 9-3, looking for some advice

This might be a bit long...

First some background. Looking for second car that can be a commuter and do a little double-duty transporting the family around. We like the 9-3 hatchback's size, style and performance.

Been looking at lots of cars for awhile but the 9-3 hatch is the first car my wife is actually interested in. I am still a little concerned about the stories of engines being oil starved and blowing. I do most maintainence myself, and am not worried about maintaining the car, but as it will be a used car I need as much info as possible.

As far as when these engine problems show up: Do they generally arise at a particular mileage? For instance, if I find a car with 80k and it has not had the engine replaced, can I assume it has avoided this particular defect?

Reading the Internet can sometimes lead to only reading horror stories: How common is this engine sludge/failure problem? 10% of cars, 25%, 50%?

If I do buy one that has seemingly had no problems, I've read that Saab is providing an extended warranty through 2008, is there something in particular that I have to do to make sure my car is covered under this warranty?

What other potental issues should I be looking for?

I don't think we'll be looking for a Viggen, so base or SE? I drove an 02 SE recently, I liked that, but could I live with the base's 185 hp?

I have quite a few options in my area. From an 02 SE certified with 43K that my local Saab dealer was asking $17k for to a private owner with a 2000 with 84k asking $7k.

My price range is around $10k, but I am really just looking for the best car for the money. My basic plan was to only buy one that has verified maintainence records, especially oil change frequency, and go from there.

I definitely appreciate any advice or feedback.

Thanks.

best bang for the buck that would fit your bill....99 9-3. doesnt have any of the issues that the 2000-up had. bulletproof. it is a bit slower, has a bit more lag than the t7 cars, but is totally worth it to me. if performance is the issue, than you want a 2000-up. believe the horror stories. the engines are are pieces of crud, rest of car great. the pcv system is bogus. saab just came out with a new system this last week that looks ok. problem is, that any used 9-3 out there probably needs the kit, the timing gears replaced and the timing cover resealed. i have replaced a couple pcv kits lately but have yet to see if it actually fixes anything. as for the sludge issues, they will continue as long as people think they can drive their car for 10,000 miles on the same oil change.

thanks for the reply, mbunakeith.

Turns out I did buy a Saab 9-3. got a 02 SE with 58k for 11k.

Correct me if I am wrong, but aren't you in the Colorado area? Remember reading some of your other posts. I contacted a few indy Saab places in my area and they hadn't seen many sludge issues. They seem to believe that it only affected cars that were operated in freezing conditions.

I am on the California coast, pretty mild weather, so I am not too worried about that... but, yeah, I don't know where people get the idea they can drive 10k on one oil change.

I will keep an eye out for any of the other problems you mentioned. I've had the car for about a month and driven 1000 miles. So far no issues. Well, except one that you might be able to help me with:

The car cranks about 2 or 3 times before starting, doesn't matter if it is cold or hot, always hesitates. After it starts, no problems. Idles normally, drives well.

My first thought was starter, but I asked around and got a bunch of other possibilities from alternator to fuel filter. One possibility is that the battery is just not holding a full charge. This is easy to check, I just haven't gotten around to bringing it somewhere to have it tested.

Any thoughts appreciated...

the sludge thing may be an altitude/cold issue, but i am not sure. all i know is that we do a bunch of engines.
as for the starting issue. i am kindof missing something..does it not start after a couple tries or does it take a lot of cranking to get it to start? regardless, you might want to get the trionic (engine computer) updated with the latest software, run the best gas you can in it and get the fuel pressure checked. it sounds like maybe the internal check valve (in pump) is leaking off after you shut it off. may also be a throttle body issue. i have seen prog. the trionic fix the throttle issues every once in a while. might as well replace the fuel filter since it is cheap and easy to do. they have a large capacity and i have never seen one actually plug up and restrict the flow. again, plan on replacing the throttle body in the next year or so. keep a spare mass airflow sensor on hand. they are only $200 and can save you a lot of diag. money at the shop. faulty MAF's can cause a wide variety of issues and the saab ones are trash. they are made by delphi if that doesnt explain it, they are bankrupt. recap: check fuel pressure, prog. trionic and try a mass airflow sensor. my money is on the MAF now that i think of it.
and yes, i live in colorado.

I am also looking at a 02 9-3 with 58K miles asking $10,900. I was curios as to how after 2 months you have liked yours. I live in FL, so hopefully the engine sludge problem is a weather altitude problem. I only use synthetic oil which I have heard helps.