Table of Contents
- 1 A Saab Convertible Bought on a Whim, Loved for a Lifetime
- 2 Endurance That Speaks Louder Than Any Spec Sheet
- 3 The Little Things That Keep a Saab Alive
- 4 Dutch Endurance: 500,000 Kilometers and Counting
- 5 Not Just Nostalgia: Why This Saab Still Makes Sense in 2025
- 6 Saab Spirit: You Don’t Choose the Brand, It Chooses You
- 7 The Final Word: A Convertible That’s Anything But Soft
A Saab Convertible Bought on a Whim, Loved for a Lifetime
When a veteran automotive journalist with a garage full of driving memories calls a £2300 Saab 9-3 Convertible “a keeper,” we take notice. Colin Goodwin, writing for Autocar, didn’t expect to fall for a 15-year-old drop-top Swede. Yet seven years and nearly 50,000 miles later, he’s still driving it with a smile. For Saab enthusiasts, this review isn’t just flattering—it’s a confirmation of what we’ve always known: these cars were built right.
Goodwin picked up the car in 2018 for the price of a mid-range bicycle. What he got instead was a durable daily driver with a smooth light-pressure turbo engine, responsive hydraulic steering, and a build quality that continues to outshine many modern offerings. It’s not often you hear a mainstream automotive writer casually declare, “I’ll never sell it.”
Endurance That Speaks Louder Than Any Spec Sheet
Unlike many nostalgia-driven love letters to aging convertibles, Goodwin’s story is refreshingly rooted in reliability and performance. Aside from a failed electric fuel pump (that conveniently died right outside his house), his Saab has required only minor maintenance.
The heated passenger seat is the biggest gripe—a fault not uncommon in aging 9-3s. But even this became a DIY opportunity, with Goodwin diving into Saab forums, trimming a 9-5 heating element to fit, and learning firsthand the complex underpinnings of modern seat systems. The result? “My wife’s derrière is now kept warm on cold mornings,” he jokes.
There’s something inherently Saab-like in that approach: practical, resourceful, and quietly capable.
The Little Things That Keep a Saab Alive
Beyond drivetrain resilience, Goodwin’s experience underscores a Saab trait that can’t be measured in torque or trim levels: longevity of charm. From a £15 roof-cleaning that restored the canvas to showroom freshness, to a £4 Chinese washer cap, every small fix reaffirmed his bond with the car.
This isn’t just a vehicle that survives the years. It ages with dignity.
Goodwin himself admits the potential rabbit hole he’s descending. After fixing the rust along the door tops and B-pillars with Jenolite and touch-up paint, he suspects the next phase might be wheel refurbishment. It’s the classic Saab spiral: you don’t restore a car because you have to. You do it because you want to.
Dutch Endurance: 500,000 Kilometers and Counting
Colin’s story resonates even more when viewed in parallel with another recent SaabPlanet.com feature: Kees Schafrat’s 2011 Saab 9-3 Convertible from the Netherlands.
Unlike Goodwin, Schafrat paid top euro—€38,000—for a nearly new example, and drove it religiously: 1,000 kilometers weekly for over a decade. The car’s mileage now exceeds 500,000 km. Despite the brutal schedule, it remains solid. No oil consumption. Roof operates like new. The dashboard electronics are intact, and the transmission shifts as smoothly as on day one.
That two very different owners—one budget-minded in the UK, one mileage-driven in the Netherlands—share near-identical praise paints a clear picture: the Saab 9-3 Convertible is not a novelty, it’s a long-distance partner.
Not Just Nostalgia: Why This Saab Still Makes Sense in 2025
Let’s be honest. Most convertibles in this price range are either rusting away or suffering from complex roof and electronics failures. Goodwin’s 9-3 isn’t just surviving—it’s thriving. With stable fuel economy, steady performance, and the understated Scandinavian styling still turning heads, it’s easy to see why it remains a practical classic.
Modern car tech may offer features galore, but it comes with higher repair costs, complex diagnostics, and less driver involvement. Goodwin sums it up best: “The Saab doesn’t beep or bong at me.” And in a world increasingly obsessed with digital everything, that analog calm has never felt more welcome.
Saab Spirit: You Don’t Choose the Brand, It Chooses You
It’s worth noting that Colin Goodwin is not a die-hard Saab fan. He’s not part of the enthusiast echo chamber. His words carry weight precisely because they come from the outside—from someone who evaluates cars with journalistic objectivity and decades of seat time.
That’s why his endorsement matters. It validates the experiences of thousands of Saab owners who’ve long felt these cars were criminally underrated.
The 9-3 Convertible didn’t win Goodwin over with gimmicks. It did so with consistency, mechanical honesty, and moments of quiet satisfaction. As SaabPlanet has documented time and again, these cars keep proving their worth long after others have retired to scrapyards.
The Final Word: A Convertible That’s Anything But Soft
In a market flooded with over-engineered soft tops and nostalgic nameplate cash-ins, the Saab 9-3 Convertible continues to shine as a genuinely usable classic. It’s affordable, robust, and charming without trying too hard. And if Colin Goodwin’s experience teaches us anything, it’s this: Saabs don’t need to shout to be heard. They simply earn your trust, mile after mile.
So whether you’re commuting through Dutch countryside or meandering English backroads, the Saab 9-3 Convertible remains a quiet triumph. A car that, even in 2025, makes perfect sense.
Great story and what a price, I’m so pleased to hear that this is another example of someone who will continue to love their SAAB through the later years of life. I’m on my 4th SAAB, all brought new, with the first being a 2002 95 estate, in silver with the 2.2 turbo diesel engine. This was my first taste of SAAB and I was stepping away from my usual mundane lifestyle of cars like the Cavalier and Carlton’s I used to drive. I wasn’t sorry, not in the slightest, as I immediately fell in love with the car and brand, that I was hooked for life. Then in 2004, I traded it in for another new 95 estate, but in the most gorgeous blue, with a half beige leather interior and the same 2.2 engine. I neared disaster when, at just over 300 miles on the speedometer, a rather large brick bounced off the back of a skip lorry and bounded my way. I saw it fall, in almost a slow motion scene and steered and braked in such a way that the windscreen took the entire force of the projectile. While annoyed, I was so glad that I had avoided it striking the front end, bonnet or roof. When the screen was replaced under insurance, the technician couldn’t believe that he was having to change it on a car so very new. 2005 saw me into my first 1.8T convertible, fully loaded and again in silver and fitted with the petrol powerhouse. I loved loved loved that car, so in 2006 traded it in for my current car, another convertible, in the anniversary cerulean blue, with the cream leather seats, matching blue leather stripe and the 1.9 TiD powerhouse. So after almost 20 years, 122590 miles and many happy memories, I still own my SAAB. I look after it to the most immaculate condition, adore every single inch of it both inside and out and will keep it until I can no longer drive. It’s what SAABs do to use. They draw us in, hook us completely and then become the reliable, attractive friend that we all love and adore. Yes the drivers seat needs a refurb, but all in all, it still turns heads, starts conversations with strangers who once own one and now wish they had never parted ways with it, but it’s mint. Come and have a look yourselves and see what a right hand drive looks like after nearly 20 years of loving and polishing, I can promise you that you’ll not be disappointed. Hopefully more and more people will buy a bargain SAAB and help us keep our legend alive.
Thank you, Eddie, for sharing such a heartfelt and vivid Saab journey — your comment reads like a love letter to the brand we all admire. From that first silver 9-5 estate to your current Cerulean Blue convertible, it’s clear you’ve not only owned Saabs, you’ve lived with them in the most authentic way possible.
That brick story sounds terrifying — but so very Saab that the windscreen took the impact and the car soldiered on unscathed. It’s those moments, the ones you don’t plan, that forge the deepest connection with a car.
Your description of the convertible — the blue-on-cream combo, the 1.9 TiD engine, and nearly two decades of care — is inspiring. It’s not just a car anymore, it’s a part of your life’s story. We absolutely agree: Saabs have a way of choosing us, not the other way around.
We’d be honored to feature your story (and photos!) in a future post on SaabPlanet — just say the word.
Thanks again for keeping the spirit alive — and yes, we will come and have a look if we’re ever nearby. It’s stories like yours that remind us all why we never really leave the Saab community. We just keep driving forward.
Warm regards,
The SaabPlanet Team
I too Love this story as it echo’s my experience 100%. I was out looking for a new car in 2012 after my wife’s was written off by a young driver, and we visited a Chrysler show room in Southamton, since she liked their new car pictures. After a test drive she learned that the cost of this little car was as much as the new Saab 9-3 Convertible in the same show room discounted because of the company liquidation. So we mixed up plans and she had my car and I wanted a diesel due to fuel cost so the dealer got me the last UK Saab independence from the liquidators based on the nice glossy pamphlet. 12 year later and 135,000 miles later, I am just having a full restoration complete as I was sad seeing the road scares of stone chips and car park doors. My wife and I have absolutely loved driving this car more than any other, and the only real failure I have had was a £30 plastic turbo cover, that was a recent modification to allow for water cooling of the turbo.
I also saw a argument on face book when Olly Cox a Saab enthusiast from, a child in his fathers Saab Dealership, tried to sell his independence for just over £20K and many said it was not worth it. Even if it was one of just 5 left in the UK and 38 ever made. Well I would not sell mine for £20K even though it only cost me £27K brand new. I am happy to share pictures if you would like any.
I have almost the same story and experience with a 2002 Saab 9-3 convertible se. Best $$ I ever spent on wheels. 162000 miles when purchased, 5 yrs & 40,000 miles driven, I am a converted Saab ambassador. The car rails on the road (33mpg real-time) . I assumed buying a Saab was foolish & expensive 2 maintain etc. Don’t be fooled, 23 years& 202000 miles later it looks & drives like new.