Saab 9-3, Passat or Accord?

W

winston smit

Registered User
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hi all

I'm trying to decide on one of the above cars - the Saab or Accord would both be 06 diesels and the Passat would be an 07 diesel - all coming in at the same price, more or less.

I would be grateful to anyone for advice on which model I should go for - I'm looking for reliability, safety and running costs (fuel economy, servicing, parts, if necessary).

have had mixed reviews on all three and I wondering what the experience of owners / car enthusiasts has been.

thanks in advance,

winston
 
The Saab 1.9 dieel is meant to be a superb engine, but not sure if it has the reliabilty of the Honda or VW. Honda wins hands down on reliabilty over the 3, but I imagine the Passat has more space and probably more comfortable. Which diesel in the Passat are you looking at? I love the Saab & Passat estates in these 2 cars and if I had to choose one, it would be the Passat with a toss up between the other 2 for 2nd.
 
Thanks for your reply, tosullivan

I'm looking at the 1.9 10bhp diesel saloon in comfortline, and the Saab is the 1.9 vector 150bhp with 10000miles on it. There's about €2K in price different (Saab that bit more expensive)
 
The Passat will probably hold its value that bit better over the Saab but I suppose the spec on the Saab is better.
However, if it had to be the Passat, I'd probably go for the newer 2.0TDI engine. The Saab engine is the Fiat Multijet which is a cracker, probably best out there. Its a tough choice. Friend of mine has a '06 Accord 2.2 diesel Executive and he loves it. He came from a A4 1.9TDi 130bhp and prefers the Honda.

Test drive them all and see what you prefer.
 
Hi

If i was forking out hard earned money for something ....It would be a tossup betwwen the Honda or the Saab

i work in the car industry and in my opinion VW are totally overated.
a horrible big dash thats like the cliffs of moher, they give lots of wheel bearing & suspension trouble even at low mileage. a non runner for me.
not my cup of tea.

Saab , wouldnt compete on fuel in comparison to the honda.If your into badges you'll probably get the saab.good reliable car all the same.
main dealer costs can be high.

the honda accord in my opinion is a super all round car I have a mate that reps with an accord diesal...he absolutely loves it over other cars hes driven on the job....holds its value hence the price...a very sought after car & if you keep it in good condition you'll have no trouble trading it or selling it privately in a few years. Honda Accord a sensible reliable safe buy.
 
thanks lads

great advice - I'm afraid I don't know much about cars and have probably been driving the worse car in the country for the last 130000 miles - baby has just arrived and need to get something safe, comfortable and reliable with a good size boot. They're the three I'm looking at the moment. I have test driven the Saab and Passat and preferred the Saab of those two - really comfortable seats and a nice drive. Hope to check out the Accord in the next week - it works out about 2k dearer for 06 model.

do you think there's much of a difference between servicing costs for each of these models?

Thanks again,
Winston
 
I also work in the motor ind and I'd agree with Dave T, The passat will hold its value the best, But service cost's are high time off the road will be high.

The saab are prob the best drive and power, but service costs are very high, and you would have to check the oil once a week etc, there is a bit more minding in the engine. Re-sale value would be low compared to price paid for it. When it breaks down again you would be off the road for a while.

Honda prob the best buy, Service cost are average, but time off the road is small. Everything keeps working all the time. Worst re-sale value and very little demand in the second hand market out of the three. But all in all it still would be the best buy.
 
I would say service costs/parts on a Honda would be high but realiability would be best.
VW have had problems on older models not sure about the newer ones.
I am not sure if they ironed all them out.
My friendly mechanic was mechanic for VW delaership and really knows his apples, he maintains only thing now worth driving for realiability is Japanese.

Saab using Fiat engine ?
Not sure you could ever say anything built by Fiat is best out there.
Saab resale will not be good as other two, seen more as a niche car and not for general buyers like other two.
 
The honda 2.2L diesel engine in the Accord is an absolute gem, though a little costlier than the passat. If u have the extra go for it.
Build quality of VWs not the same as they were for the previous generation of their cars. I imagine they're cashing in a little on their image...BTW I'm a VW driver.
 
I had a new model petrol Accord, exceptional car. I have had an Audi A4 and a C-Class and I can say without reservation that the Accord was better, service costs were way lower than the Audi and the Passat would be serviced by the same garage. The Accord does well on the resale market too, they are less common than the Passat and that helps prices stay high.
 
I have to say I would probably go for the Honda as well. It will probably drive and look better that the other two, have lower service costs and be as well if not better equiped and will almost certainly be more reliable. I have an A4 myself and if I was changing it would be the Honda I would go for. The 2.2l engine is supposed to be the best in its class.
 
hi,
I would suggest to visit car buyers website where you will be able to look at charts on each these models to give you good information about there performance,economy, reliability etc.
 
We've got an 05 accord (2.0 petrol) , its been a terrific car - no problems whatsover. First service at 11000 miles cost €170 , for comparison the first service on our golf mk V cost €260. Only criticism of the accord would be that the road noise is a little high at motorway speeds.

M
 
I found the accord a little noisy too but when I changed tires it became much quieter. The original Michelin tires last for ages but because of the hard rubber compound they are not great in the wet(in my opinion) and they create a lot of rumblin noise over certain surfaces. Bridgestone replacements made a huge difference. From my experience its a tire fault not a car fault, its a small issue but over 2 years and 65k km it was my only issue.
 
john m said:
I found the accord a little noisy too but when I changed tires it became much quieter. The original Michelin tires last for ages but because of the hard rubber compound they are not great in the wet(in my opinion) and they create a lot of rumblin noise over certain surfaces. Bridgestone replacements made a huge difference. From my experience its a tire fault not a car fault, its a small issue but over 2 years and 65k km it was my only issue.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that info - I had a suspicion it might be tyre related.

M
 
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