Ask that question again in a few years time. The next generation 9-3 will
not be available as a hatchback (only as a sedan), which evidently is
already causing heated discussion amongst Saab loyalists.
is very much to the point. Even if Trollhatten can maintain its engineering
quality, Saab distinctiveness has already fallen victim to GM marketing
imperatives. I did see an excellent review of the 2003 9-3 recently, but
with no hatch option, I doubt we'll be returning to Saab in the future. We
have no desire to own minivans or SUVs, so four-door hatchbacks are
perfect. We also look for cars with both distinctive performance and
appearance, so no boring BMW wannabees for us. I expect that if our 164
dies, we'll try our best to scrounge up another one (the looks we get when
we tell people that our "spare" car is an Alfa are priceless, plus it
really is a fun car, despite it not being a sport sedan). If my Saab 9000
CS (yes, that is definitely a sport sedan) dies, I'll be looking for a '97
Aero or a '98 CSE.