Saab 9-3 V6 Cerulean Aero | Shed of the Week

When trawling through the automotive compactor that is PH Classifieds’s selection of sub-£2k snotters Shed often comes across some interesting curios. Sadly most of them are not suitable for publication here, usually because their MOTs have run out but sometimes because they represent some kind of affront to humanity. Not so the car that Shed has been allowed to talk about here, namely this 247hp Saab 9-3 Cerulean Aero Convertible. 

Cerulean refers to the blue Saab applied to the bodywork and to the leather seat inserts on those editions. That’s a bit weird in this case, because according to HM Govt this car is black. Whatever, Ceruleans were a celebration of the convertible sales success that this once-Swedish outfit had enjoyed over the years. As a harbinger of bleaker times ahead the Cerulean was the first Saab droptop to be offered with a diesel engine, the 150hp 1.9 TiD. 

Unfortunately you had to electrically drop the top on that version to escape the ghastly mechanical din that would otherwise be trapped inside the cabin by the fabric roof. Assuming you didn’t have Mrs Shed yakking at you from the passenger seat it was quieter to drive your diesel 9-3 convertible with the roof down, not ideal in northern Sweden in winter – or Aberdeen in summer come to that.

Today’s 9-3 is a different kettle of fermented herring. For a start, it’s got the Aero badge on the boot, or most of it anyway. The Aero was the only 9-3 that was allowed to have GM’s B284 2.8-litre intercooled turbo V6 motor. Running an unstressed 8.7psi of boost it lobbed out 250hp at 5,500rpm and a lazy but useful 258lb ft of thrunge from 1,900 to 4,500rpm. 

With a six-speed manual gearbox fitted the 1,600kg 9-3 Aero estate did the 0-62 sprint in 6.7 seconds. With the six-speed auto box, as here, the strengthened and therefore weightier convertible needed an extra second to hit that mark. However, unless you found yourself in the unusual situation of racing a 9-3 Aero manual estate on the public highway you probably won’t find yourself criticising the performance. If you did find yourself doing that on a regular basis, light remaps would easily take your Aero beyond 300hp and 330lb ft. 

The B284 was strong enough to take a tune. Coil packs occasionally fritzed out and batteries didn’t last that long partly because they were located in a hot spot close to the turbo. Coolant expansion tanks were similarly afflicted. Fuel level sender units sometimes played up and fuel pumps weren’t immortal either so owners were usually advised to change both at the same time. Expect fuel consumption figures in the low to mid-20s. 

The ad for this Aero starts off by saying what most of us can see for ourselves, i.e. that it’s neat and clean. It also talks about stuff that we can’t see, like the lack of any issues or faults and its 100 per cent drive. We can dig past the current, minty fresh and advisory-free MOT to discover a 90 per cent MOT pass rate over the years, with only two tests failed out of 21. The worst fail point was a fractured offside front coil spring back in 2012, not entirely surprising when you remember the meatiness of the engine and the suspension-shattering state of British roads. Previous 2.8s Shed’s featured here have had the same issue. 

There are two main problems with this particular car. One is that the VED is £760 a year. The other is that it’s in Shafford, which to many PHers will sound too much like Bradford. For the benefit of puzzled overseas readers, Bradford is a place where, according to many PHers, there are no honest car dealers whatsoever. Only you can decide whether the 145 miles that separate Bradford and Shafford is enough distance for you to experience full peace of mind when purchasing a vehicle from Shafford.