A 500,000-Subscriber Used-Car Channel Just Put the OG Saab 9-3 on Trial

The Australian YouTube channel ReDriven – approaching half a million subscribers – recently published a full used-car breakdown of the original Saab 9-3. The video, titled “Is buying a Saab 9-3 in 2026 a MASSIVE mistake!?“, features host Adam and resident mechanic Jim Hull evaluating two well-preserved black examples owned by Michael Turner: a 2001 Viggen 3-door with a striking black-and-orange interior, and a 2001 OG 9-3 Design Edition convertible with a black-and-blue interior – the Design Edition being an Australia-specific specification broadly equivalent to the SE in other markets.

The review works because it separates two things that are often mixed together: the real weaknesses of the OG 9-3 and the reasons owners keep returning to it.

The verdict is more useful than the title suggests: the OG 9-3 is neither a cheap curiosity nor an untouchable classic. It is a car that rewards careful buying and punishes casual ownership.

The Faults Are Not Myths

The video runs through the known failure points candidly, and any experienced 9-3 owner will recognise all of them. The Lightning Blue Viggen used in ReDriven’s featured image was also present during filming; in Australia, black and Lightning Blue were the two colours received across the country’s 90 Viggens.:

The firewall crack gets proper attention. On right-hand-drive cars, the bulkhead can develop cracks as the front of the car pulls away from the rear – particularly on higher-powered models where torque steer places additional stress on steering components. A recall-fitted reinforcement bracket was the factory remedy; if it hasn’t been done, welding or further reinforcement is required. It is inspectable from underneath near the brake booster, and if cracked, it is a significant repair. Non-negotiable on any pre-purchase checklist.

Oil sludging is called out clearly by Jim Hull. The breather system is inadequate for the demands of sustained use, and the oil pickup strainer is fine enough that accumulated deposits clog it, reduce oil pressure, accelerate bottom-end wear, and almost always destroy the turbo in the process. The remedy is straightforward — meticulous service history and disciplined oil change intervals – but the consequences of neglect are expensive. Any car without a solid, documented service history warrants extreme caution.

The convertible-specific issues receive a thorough run. Five hydraulic rams, ten hoses, all of which degrade with age. The rams can be rebuilt (replacements run around AUD $800 each – times five). When replacing hoses, replace the full set at once; piecemeal repairs guarantee a return visit within months. Full roof replacement is possible but costly; the better purchase is a car with a roof that already works perfectly.

Turner’s Design Edition convertible gives that warning a useful real-world context. He found the car advertised in regional New South Wales for a very small sum and spent nearly two years saving it. The car recently received a transplanted 90,000 km engine and roof mechanism. Of the reported 200 Design Editions delivered to Australia, very few have been identified or survived, and Turner says this is the only black manual example he knows of.

Coil packs, crank position sensors, and the in-tank fuel pump round out Jim’s list of sudden-stop failures. Coil pack failure is documented thoroughly enough that carrying a spare has become standard community practice. The crank position sensor sits close to the exhaust outlet and is heat-sensitive – a known weak point. None of these are unfixable, but all of them are real.

Scuttle shake on the convertible is also addressed directly. At its worst, mirror vibration makes the rearward view unreliable, and steering feel becomes noticeably compromised. The video notes this is inherent to the platform rather than a fault of individual condition, and the assessment is fair.

The Strong Points Survived the Years

The qualities that distinguish the OG 9-3 hold up under scrutiny from an audience with no prior investment in the car.

The seats are described as among the most effective long-distance touring seats of their era. The Viggen units – more bolstered than standard – still draw praise for comfort over extended distances. What the video does not mention, but a commenter with direct knowledge of the car’s history fills in: the Viggen seats were developed in partnership with Learjet. Turner clarifies that the featured Viggen has been returned to standard tune, in line with its standard hardware. The car has travelled just under 130,000 km, with Turner covering just under 20,000 km during nearly 10 years of ownership.

The ergonomics are noted without prompting. The driver-centric layout, the intuitive placement of controls, the center-console ignition (positioned to keep the key away from the driver’s knees in a frontal collision) – these read as considered engineering decisions rather than marketing differentiation. The Night Panel, which blacks out the instrument cluster except for the speedometer and activates individual gauges only when something requires attention, is described as a feature with no production equivalent. Whether or not that claim is strictly accurate, the system remains genuinely useful and is still remembered fondly by those who lived with it.

The driving experience on the Viggen produces real surprise. The car is quick, communicative, and smaller-feeling than its dimensions suggest. Several owner accounts in the video describe selling the 9-3 for something more sensible – a BMW 3 Series, a Lexus IS, a Mazda 6 – and then returning to a 9-3 because nothing comparable offered the same character.

Rust resistance is the finding that most surprises a general audience. Saab’s six-layer paint system – against the three or four layers typical of competitors – means that well-kept cars in warm climates often present significantly better than equivalent-era German alternatives after a quality polish. In Australia, visible rust on an OG 9-3 is almost always the result of poor accident repair rather than factory or material failure.

The Price Reality in 2026

The Australian used market ranges from under AUD $3,000 for high-kilometre early cars in mixed condition — with the acknowledgment that ongoing costs will likely exceed the purchase price – to around $25,000 for pristine Viggens. The depreciation curve has effectively flatlined, and for well-preserved examples, asking prices are beginning to move upward.

The video notes more convertibles than hardtops on the Australian market. The assessment at the bottom of the market is direct: budget carefully for what follows the purchase.

The Community Factor

Adam and Jim credit the Saab owners’ community explicitly, describing it as one of the strongest they have encountered across the channel’s history. Both black cars featured in the review are owned by Michael Turner, while Steven Emanuel helped ReDriven understand some of the known OG 9-3 issues, as did several other owners.  The parts situation – a genuine concern with any discontinued marque – is helped considerably by active forums and owners willing to share knowledge, but the video is clear that availability will only become more challenging over time.

The Actual Verdict

The important part is not that ReDriven praised the 9-3. It did not – not unconditionally. The important part is that the review understood the contract clearly: a neglected car will punish the buyer; a documented one still delivers the qualities that kept owners loyal for decades.

That is a more honest appraisal than most cars from this era receive from a mainstream audience. It is also, for anyone considering a purchase, the most useful thing the video communicates.