Patience...

[civilianx]

I plan to purchase a Speed3 in Black Mica preferably or Cosmic Blue if the blacks are not around. The hold-up is that I'm trying to sell my house and buy another once it sells and don't want to screw myself by trading in my truck (2004 Titan) for the MS3 prior to applying for a new mortgage. So I wait. Thus the topic. Patience.... It came down to a used 325, TL or A3 or a new MS3. Over and over I compare and over and over the MS3 ends up being the favorite.

This forum has been great for getting a feel of how current owners like their MS3's. Also been good to see what is available. I don't plan on modding much, I did plenty of that with my Jeeps and I'm not a speedracer type, I just figured if I'm going to have a 3, I may as well have one with some zip. However, that slick install of the Drive-n-Play is on the must-do list and heated mirrors will probably come before winter (assuming the house sells before then).

Anyone have a car seat in their 3? Wondering what kind of head banging goes on getting a kid in/out. She will only be riding in it occassionally, but compared to the back seat of the Titan, it is going to be tight.

Thanks for all the info here and any responses regarding the child seat.

 

[mistermatt]

i have 2 carseats in mine and they dont have any problems getting in and out. the only thing i really worry about is them putting their shoes on the backs of the seats.

 

[civilianx]

mine wears crocs and kicks them off as soon as she's in the car seat usually. I don't mind baby girl feet on the back of the passenger seat... I won't be leasing it.

How bad is it that I don't even have one yet (slow housing market) and yet I am impatient about the MS3 short shifter being released? Having driven built Jeep Wranglers for years with shifts that probably go 9-12" between tops and bottoms, it'll be cool to have a couple of inches to move. Performance-wise... if that is considered a performance mod, that's the only thing I plan to do. Not for racing, just because I've driven some vehicles with short shift replacements and loved the feel.

 

[Kosh]

mine wears crocs and kicks them off as soon as she's in the car seat usually. I don't mind baby girl feet on the back of the passenger seat... I won't be leasing it.

How bad is it that I don't even have one yet (slow housing market) and yet I am impatient about the MS3 short shifter being released? Having driven built Jeep Wranglers for years with shifts that probably go 9-12" between tops and bottoms, it'll be cool to have a couple of inches to move. Performance-wise... if that is considered a performance mod, that's the only thing I plan to do. Not for racing, just because I've driven some vehicles with short shift replacements and loved the feel.

Cute little rhyme The back of the seats have some graphic on them with an anchor attached to a car seat... anyone else find that a little odd?

 

[civilianx]

Cute little rhyme The back of the seats have some graphic on them with an anchor attached to a car seat... anyone else find that a little odd?

backs of the front seats? if it is on the rear seats, it could be some LATCH emblem or something.

 

[Kosh]

Back of the rear seats in my car... I'll get a picture when I get home from work tonight.

 

[major error]

If you look in the gap between the seat and the back near those symbols, you'll find anchors for car seats that support LATCH.

RTM. It's the first thing I did when I got home with my 3...

 

[Kosh]

It just looks like Mazad is promoting attaching your kid to an anchor in the car seat and throwing it off a bridge or something

 

[major error]

not really. Between LATCH, a tether and the seatbelt, there'd be little chance of a car seat moving in an accident...

 

[civilianx]

not really. Between LATCH, a tether and the seatbelt, there'd be little chance of a car seat moving in an accident...

I think he was referring to the image used to identify the LATCH anchor points resembling a horror mobster scene of tying the car seat to a real anchor.

 

[Loose]

I plan to purchase a Speed3 in Black Mica preferably or Cosmic Blue if the blacks are not around. The hold-up is that I'm trying to sell my house and buy another once it sells and don't want to screw myself by trading in my truck (2004 Titan) for the MS3 prior to applying for a new mortgage. So I wait. Thus the topic. Patience.... It came down to a used 325, TL or A3 or a new MS3. Over and over I compare and over and over the MS3 ends up being the favorite.

This forum has been great for getting a feel of how current owners like their MS3's. Also been good to see what is available. I don't plan on modding much, I did plenty of that with my Jeeps and I'm not a speedracer type, I just figured if I'm going to have a 3, I may as well have one with some zip. However, that slick install of the Drive-n-Play is on the must-do list and heated mirrors will probably come before winter (assuming the house sells before then).

Anyone have a car seat in their 3? Wondering what kind of head banging goes on getting a kid in/out. She will only be riding in it occassionally, but compared to the back seat of the Titan, it is going to be tight.

Thanks for all the info here and any responses regarding the child seat.

4y/o son weighs in at 40lbs. Car seat is behind the driver. If you are over 6 foot you may want it behind the passenger. As far as the head banging. I just let him get in and out by himself so neither of us bangs our head.

 

[civilianx]

4y/o son weighs in at 40lbs. Car seat is behind the driver. If you are over 6 foot you may want it behind the passenger. As far as the head banging. I just let him get in and out by himself so neither of us bangs our head.

Mine's a bit young for that right now. She can buckle herself in, but having taken the carseat to the dealer w/me to kinda check, I may end up w/a new carseat. This one is tall. It's the Graco Safeseat2 or whatever that has 1-handed reclining, which I thought she'd dig on roadtrips, but if I recline her, she spazzes and wants upright. So that feature is useless to me. Maybe the in-laws would like to have it since they tote her around a lot in an Envoy.

Still have my Titan, but am thinking as soon as 08's hit the lots I will be trading in. That gives me a few weeks to solidify which car I want (still kinda torn between 9-3 sportcombi or sedan and the MS3, not for performance, but I do a lot of camping/outdoor activity and like both for the functionality).

Oh yea... and no one has even come to look at my dang house yet, so I am more inclined to buy before it sells. I had been waiting hoping to not screw up my mortgage opportunities, but given the current foot traffic on my home, I think the 3months or so that I'll probably have between car purchase and home purchase will be fine. Plus my monthly payment should drop a decent amount w/the MS3. Titan was almost $35k new... w/out the stupid $2k dvd option I laughed at.

 

[slammie]

Cross shopping a MS3 and Sport Combi? These are different vehicles at different price points, particularly if you're looking at the Aero model, which I assume given your interest in the MS3. The Sport Combi, particularly the Aero, is considerably more expensive....and of course bigger. If you can afford it, I think you and your youngster will be happier in the bigger car with plusher ride. How much camping gear, skis, or mountain bikes will you be able to stuff in the back of the Mazda anyway?

Since your looking at the Saab, as I am, does AWD and 280hp interest you? The new (maybe available January I think I read) 9-3 Aero XWD looks nice....I can't wait to drive it!

http://www.caranddriver.com/carnews/13207/first-look-2008-saab-9-3-aero-xwd.html

 

[slammie]

Here's another link with info. about the newest, coolest, bestest ever, fastest, etc. Snob.......

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=121215#2

 

[civilianx]

Cross shopping a MS3 and Sport Combi?

Yea, cross-shopping those two. The price actually ends up not being so disparate w/the current discounts (due to the redesigned models coming out in August/Sept) for a 2007 2.0T Sportcombi and MS3 GT. The 2.0T w/60th anniversary package and current incentives can be had for a little under $26k. Figure $1100-1300 difference between them for a base MS3-GT w/maybe wheel locks or whatever they throw on there at dealers (the ones left on the lots in Northern VA are almost all sporting NAV and other crap putting them around $26k or more... bleh!)

Like you said, the 2.0T probably isn't as fun to drive, it's a bit bigger and has more 'stuff' and longer warranty, etc. Still should be more fun than a Titan to drive day to day and more fun than a 1997 Jeep Wrangler with ~5.5" of lift on 37's w/4.56 gearing on the highway.

The MS3 actually has about the same amount of cargo room as my Jeep Liberty had, which was fine for camping. We obviously won't be going to the same camping areas (w/Jeeps I can get 100% away from people, MS3 I'll be in more travelled areas) but should still be able to get sleeping bags, tent, campbox in there.

As for my little one, I'm separated and only get her on the weekends and even then not every weekend. I refuse to go with a car that she won't be comfy in though and stuck my carseat in a Mazda3 at the dealer to see how it fit. She honestly probably won't care as long as she's with me, but I just wanted to make sure she'd be cool in there. Also some folks on here said they have carseats in the rear.

 

[civilianx]

My TJ on the right and wife's on the left. Mine is now history (cryhard) (cryhard) as we were supposed to sell both and the Titan to buy cars (she pulled her's off the market after mine sold... quadruple blah!... so we ended up with the Titan and her TJ.

Anyway, I've been in big 4wd vehicles since 2001, so both the MS3 and the Saab will feel sporty to me. Obviously, the MS3 will be moreso, but my sky-ridin butt won't care once the papers are signed. Like I said, the MS3 has similar space behind the back seats to the Liberty (built it up until it became just silly to do more with a unibody and sold it to make room for my Wrangler) so camp gear should be fine.

 

[civilianx]

have one Saab dealer under $25k now for a 2.0T SportSedan w/60th Anniversary pkg and cold weather pkg (not that I need that one). If I can get one below $24k for a sedan or $25k for a wagon, I may have issues going with the MS3.

Also, local dealer said their first 08 MS3 should show up sometime in Sept and their 2nd one in Oct. The web rep suggested I put a deposit on one to claim it.... even though within an hour's drive there are still 6 2007 MS3 Sports AND 6 MS3 GT's available.

 

[civilianx]

As I continue the self-replying (because I just can't help it) I wanted to say that tomorrow morning I am hitting VOB Saab in Rockville, MD. I talked to Int. Saab in Falls Church and wasn't impressed w/what they offered. The dealer in Charlottesville, VA is close to what would get me to not buy an MS3, but not quite there.....

Then I called VOB Saab at the recommendation of a coworker that is tired of hearing me agonize over 'fun' vs 'lux'. He said talk to VOB Saab, where he bought a 9-2 Saabaru as he calls it and see what I thought after that. So I called.

The guy said, don't look at sticker. With the new models coming out, I have a ton of inventory to ditch. We'll start at invoice and work down from there and include the incentives.

That means that we'll start at $4k below invoice on most vehicles and $4500 below invoice on his oldest 30% of stock (some summer sale thing from Saab to get rid of old inventory). If we work down from there, I am not sure how I can't buy one. We'll see what he has on the lot though. I don't do red, gold, tan, brown, green, etc. Black, Dark Gray (graphite type color) and some silvers will be the only colors (they don't offer a cosmic blue, which I've become fond of).

Anyway, that's where I'm at. IF they can't sell me a Saab, I may buy an MS3 in Alexandria on my way back home. There's several black and cosmic blues at 2 dealers between there and here.