Greetings fellow Saab owners; I just purchased a 2001 9-3: Black, grey interior (with a leather I would best describe as chocolate maybe?), stick shift, turbo, etc...

All I can say is that in 3 days of ownership, to spite some of the odd quirks that seem to come with the brand (and because of others) this is quickly becoming one of my all time favorite cars, and that's no small order. I've had Camaros, a fox-body Mustang GT, Toyota MR2, Supra, Acura RSX, BMW 328is, Subaru WRX (modded to ~400hp by the time I let her go), and a number of less notable vehicles. The WRX will always have a place in my heart, but the Saab easily bests the others.

And I'm having a hard time believing the 185hp rating, this car reminds me of the WRX as a Cobb stage 2 (~260hp) when I put it to the floor in 2nd gear. Maybe it's just that my last car was a dog, but this thing feels like it seriously moves

Now I see why the families I've known that drive Saabs never replace them with anything else...

 

the hp rating is about right. what you are feeling is the torque.

 

Now get an intercooler/downpipe/exhaust and reflash to stage 3... you'll love it even more!