Saab cult color "Kopparbrons" - a rare Saab 9-3
The Saab shade 263 “Kopparbrons” (copper bronze) is rare. A final flare-up of the brand's love of special shades, which petered out the more the gray decision-makers from Detroit took over power in Trollhättan. The color code 263 was only available for two years for the Saab 9-5 OG. And just one thing, it was 1998 for the 9-3 OG. These cars are extremely rare. We found one. At a good Saab address.
Saab 9-3 OG 2.0i - 1998
The first 9-3 series is in its prime youngtimer age and is heading for classic status. The last semi-station wagon from Saab, a vehicle in the characteristic design of the brand. Unfortunately, the number of survivors will not be abundant, the 9-3 OG was its undoing due to its high practicality and lack of care.
As is customary, many more convertibles will survive than sedans or coupes. It's a shame, because it's not easy for anyone looking today.
A 9-3 in “Kopparbrons”
One exotic item in the generally limited 9-3 range is a 9 Saab 3-2.0 1998i sedan for sale at Saab Arnhem. Saab Arnhem is an enthusiastic address when it comes to vehicles from Trollhättan. The company serves more than 1.100 Saab customers, and the trend is growing. In addition to the Saab brand, there are vehicles from Mini and Volvo on offer, but the focus is clearly on the Göta Älv brand.
The car is a first Dutch delivery made by Saab Harteveld in May 1998. Harteveld is a traditional Saab partner who has sold vehicles of the brand since 1963 and which still exists today as a multi-brand company.
The interior exudes a certain nobility. The wooden inlays on the two-tone dashboard and on the steering wheel from the Saab accessories range go well with the tasteful color combination.
The Saab 9-3 OG in "Kopparbrons" has a traceable history, it has been serviced annually and currently has 284.293 kilometers on the odometer. A beautiful car in neat condition and in a color that is rare. A collector's item that is very individual and at the same time eccentric.
The Saab is one of those vehicles that you could move around without any problems and that is cheap to maintain. Because the technology of the 9-3 OG 2.0i is manageable, but you will hardly miss anything. On the other hand, this Saab would also be a perfect car for trips, meetings and to pursue the automotive hobby on the sunny days of life.
The small price of eccentricity
Automobile hobby and exclusivity are suspected to be expensive. It's not like that here. It is very likely that you will not find a second 9-3 OG in "Kopparbrons" during a Saab meeting. For this, many people will photograph the car. You will probably not hesitate to get a starting place for a classic rally in a few years, if only because of the color and because the organizers are always on the lookout for that special splash of color.
Saab Arnhem suggests a price of € 2.995,00. A fair course for a rare car with a good history and probably no maintenance backlog.
With images from Saab Arnhem
Great car but only for a 90s freak.
My first 900 II is scarab green and the last is nocturn blue.
My black 9-3 II convertible is almost modest, although the scarab green would have been a good fit here too (especially with beige leather).
The first generation 9-3s were better than the 900 II for longer and I thought the repair frequency had decreased well with the facelift.
Well, perceptions and opinions may, thank God, still diverge widely.
Greeting from the Baltic Sea
I also had a 9-3 from 2004 to 2016. It was a nice car, but very susceptible to repairs. I also had this steering wheel. The dashboard is great in its simple elegance. I would not have ordered wood from
a used but accepted. Velor seats are not the real thing, leather is a must!
Regards
b-lynx
Mine had almost nothing between 1998 and 2009.
Between 2006 and 2009 I replaced the gas pressure springs on the tailgate and the upper radiator hose. Otherwise only service.
In my personal experience, the 9-3 I 2.0i is a problem-free car. But I am aware that personal experiences are statistically irrelevant ...
However, in 2009 the TÜV engineer told me in advance of the examination that I could relax. The car is 11 years old, but he doesn't expect any problems. After all, it is a Saab and they rarely have defects. And so it happened. TÜV until 2011, for a total of 13 years each free of defects ...
I know completely different stories and really can't complain. The 9-3 I definitely has a certain quality - this is also statistically and certified by the TÜV.
Attractive color combination ... Already really good with the steering wheel. Already triggers a certain desire in me. It's nice that special taste is not a question of your wallet.
Saab Arnhem is a safe and trustworthy garage. I bought my Saab 96 two-stroke engine there many years ago and I am still very satisfied that I bought this great car there.
You can argue about taste or not!
I would not have bought a car in this color or a used Saab. Today there is this
Copper bonze in metallic, which looks a bit better, but doesn't tear me off my stool either.
In 1989 I bought a 900 convertible (still in first ownership with H-No) in beryl green metallic and
I still like this rare paint job after 32 years. Plus black leather seats.
Regards
b-lynx
I also find it a bit quirky - so quirky that I like it again ...
When they were up to date, wood was an absolute no go for me in all Saab from 900 II and 9000 II. The fittings were so wonderfully simple, flowing, ergonomic and modern that wood seemed completely out of place to me ...
I don't know exactly why, but I still think this one is beautiful. Somehow it seems coherent to me here and today. Great steering wheel. And then this elegant hint of a spoiler lip at the rear in sheet metal, paint and in the body color that matches the interior ...
My 9-3 I unfortunately had the big black rubber on the tailgate. It looked like an accessory and gathered in the grooves between itself and the body a lot of dirt that was difficult to remove completely. The elegant and simple rear version of the 900 II and 9-3 I reliably triggered desires in me even then.
It was a great and trouble-free car. In fact, the rubber spoiler on my 9-3 I 2.0i was my biggest annoyance - apart from the Ford Mondeo, which drove into the back at a red light and separated us from each other ..
The copper bronze from SAAB was a metallic tone.
@Heinrich / Volvaab Driver:
The 9-3I was only available with a plastic rear spoiler. The last rubber rear spoilers at SAAB were installed when the 900-I production was phased out in 1993/1994.
With the copper-bronze at SAAB Arnhem, original, beige-colored textile floor mats would add the icing on the cake. In Berlin some are currently free - even from a 1998 9-3 2.0i.
I love these special colors. And this one is extra beautiful. Didn't they exist on 9-3 I convertibles?
I myself once had a special color on my 9-3SC, which was called pepper green metallic. For my eyes, it is also a fantastically beautiful and very rare color. I even think that the color was also used later at Opel.
A very bold color, but still very consistent.
In contrast to
Today's gray / black / white monotony.
Nobody really dares to do that anymore.
And then it is sold as an expression of individuality.
It is becoming increasingly difficult to find great colors in large parking lots.
Maybe it's also because almost everyone looks the same today and the design is no longer timeless anyway.
Frequent changes are no longer so noticeable ...
Oh man, another temptation, the most beautiful and timeless body ever, practical and then the color, the interior the root wood! Still have a picture where I configured the 9-5NG, in Javametallic (believe that the color was called that). .. only good that he has no automatic transmission.