Today I went to look at a Saab 9-3 2001, 85k miles at some Chrysler/Dodge dealership. Keep in mind I had already test driven 2 of the same 2.0T models (with similar mileage) from private sellers which ran excellently and are in superb condition inside and out.
The Saab at the dealership drove rigid and felt as if the shocks were poor or it needed a tune-up. I talked the salesman to take off $1100 off the car and to give me an extra $200 on my trade-in for my Mazda crap car. I felt like it was an amazing deal. But I didn't want to buy a lemon so I drove the Saab around an unfamiliar area looking for a decent mechanic. I ran into some foreign car shop(who were super busy) and I asked them if they could tell me if there was any mechanics around. The lady refused to recommend anything and I had to plead with her that I had limited time and I lived far away. She finally told me of some "bad" swedish mechanic.
I took the Saab to the "bad" swedish mechanic who owned "Swedish Car Service: Specializing in Saabs". The mechanic didn't charge me a penny to do a full diagnostic/checkup on the Saab. After examining the car for 20 minutes he told me in his thick Swedish accent, "this car runs like sh*t" This is his diagnosis:
Syllander head needs to be retorked, oil pressure switch is leaking very badly (such bad condition,
he sayed the engine will blow out if it's not fixed within a 1,000 miles.) 1 Fault in T7 Trionic ECU,
P1312 Combustion Detection cyl 1-2 needs to be fixed before engine blows, Needs new DL lockette
(ignition modul) and plugs, and the car needs 90k service (especially a tune-up)
After I recieved this diagnosis I returned the car to the dealership and explained to them the condition of the car. I told them I might buy the car if you fixed it (considering it has 30 day warranty). The dealer told me with the price reduced that is not possable. I finally said "Im sorry but money is not my concern right now, I cannot buy this car in this condition. Have a nice day, Sir." The people behind me were about to buy a brand new Chrysler and I didn't realize they over-heard everything I had told the salesman, they got up and walked away from the sale, disgusted at the dealerships scumbag policy.
I am going to keep selling my car and probably buy Robert's Saab which is in excellent condition. The moral of the story is: This car was abused by it's owner but the dealership was willing to stick it to me promising this car was in good condition and fully serviced before sale. After this experiance I have vowed to never buy a used-car from a dealership ever again. And unfortunately I am still Saabless until I sell my Mazda.