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Body

Debadged
Using a hair dryer and dental floss, Mitch and I (give credit where credit is due...) removed the "Saab" and "93" badging on the rear of the car. It may be a simple operation, but I think the back end looks a lot cleaner without it. Besides, it adds something like 5 horsepower per character removed, so that gave me an additional 30 horsepower at the wheels. Boo-yah.

Custom mesh "wingless" grill
This mesh grill is actually just Gutter Guard that I trimmed to fit behind the chrome-look grill. I think the metal mesh contrasts nicely with the black behind it. I've noticed that the mesh catches a lot of bugs, and it's much easier to clean the bugs off the mesh than it is to clean them off the front of the radiator. And it looks nice!

Recently, the SAAB logo from my grill disappeared. Instead of paying $15 to replace that tiny logo, I decided to improve upon my situation. I cut out the center horizontal bar (that previously bore the SAAB insignia). I then cut off the tabs from the black plastic backing and refit some mesh behind the grill.

The newest version of the grill features flat black painted mesh - it's a bit more classy (I think) than the shiny chicken wire mesh ;)

Swedish-style vanity plate
I recently got a new Euro plate to replace the one in a lot of the pictures here; the new text is "B205L 9-3". B205L is the engine designation. It's a lot easier to explain (and looks a bit more discreet) than the previous "CODESPLICE" was. Besides... CODESPLICE looks pretty bad-ace on my dormroom door.

**UPDATE: 4.20.2006** I recently got yet ANOTHER Swede plate, because I'm cool like that. New text: "R3V0 3V0M" - in a rearview mirror, it reads close to "MOVE OVER". Wow, I'm an asshole...

Viggen-look roof antenna
Since Saab was owned by GM by the time my car was made, my 9-3 came with OnStar hardware, including a hideously-ugly roof-mounted sharkfin antenna. My antenna weathered very poorly, and looked much older than the car does. And recently, that sharkfin began to crack pretty severely. So I wanted a way to get rid of it, without leaving a hole in the roof.

This Viggen-style antenna did just that. It's a whip antenna similar to those installed on the Viggens (of course) and VW Jettas and the like. It installs in the hole left by the OnStar sharkfin, and plugs into the same wire the stock radio antenna is connected to. It was a very simple install, and I'm quite happy with the results. It looks sharp, has incredible radio reception (better than the excessively-long telescoping "r/c car" antenna), and eliminates the need for two unsightly antennas.

GriffinGear Logo Decals
Bought from the same guy who produced the infamous "turbo" and newer "addict" shirts (check them out at GriffinGear), these decals are two inches in diameter. I installed them above either side marker, in about the location that an "SE" or "Viggen" emblem on a more stock-endowed variant of my vehicle. I'm pretty pleased with this location - makes it evident that this car is not your grandma's normal Saab.

Naked door pillars
I removed the faded black vinyl stuff on my door pillars, to reveal clear-coated body-colored painted surface. I think it looks a lot better than the faded black stuff, though I may end up with some carbon fiber overlays if I can get a good deal on them.

Wheels
Ronal LV 17" Wheels with Dunlop P9000 225/45ZR17's
Got these for a good deal from a buddy on TSL, and I'm quite pleased. I really like the way they look, and putting more rubber on the road (moving from 185 width to 225) has improved the overall handling of the car dramatically.

Lights
H4 Hella Optilux Extreme XP Xenon 60/55W headlamp bulbs
These are probably my favorite bulbs of those that I've gone through. They are very bright and put quite a significant amount of light on the road; they also have a very slight blue hue which makes them look sweet (hell yeah) and illuminate signs and other reflective surfaces very well.

Hell 500 Rally Lights
I installed these lights one night on a bit of an impulse. I picked them up from a local auto parts store for ~$65. Mounted on the front bumper, they give the car a bit of a rally look - which is fine by me considering Saab's rally heritage. Even better, though, they're probably 2-3 times as bright as my high-beams. I no longer risk overrunning my lights when driving at night :)

E-code Clear Corner Lights
I replaced my homemeade clear corners (made by removing the orange reflector from the stock corner lights) after a retaining tab broke off. These corner lights don't have an orange reflector - the lense itself acts as a reflector. These end up looking really clean, especially in combination with the Silverstar turn indicators.

Blue "Super White" turn indicators
These bulbs are blue, and look kinda icy behind the e-codes, and light up really nice and bright white.

Dual Rear Foglights
The 9-3 comes from the factory with one rear fog light (basically a really bright taillight) used to help your car be seen in heavy fog or other poor visibility conditions. The car is prewired, though, for TWO of these bulbs. The dual rear foglights become an impressive offensive weapon against tailgaters, as seen in the following comparison shots. The camera was on a tripod and not moved between shots, and the exposure time and aperture settings were the same...

I would HATE to be behind me. ;)

32-LED Reverse Lights
I initially planned to use these bulbs as upgrades to my dual rear fogs, but the LED's ended up not reflecting as brightly as I had hoped for. They look really clean in the reverse light spot though: