Hands up current or ex-Saab owners on here?

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.
Maybe wouldn't agree with your first point, but your second comment is spot-on!

We all know their body strength (remember TG dropping one?) but jack up a rear wheel on a 99 or 900 hatch and none of the doors would open or close properly. If you felt the need to jam your finger between the bottom of the door and the (inboard) cill, as you bowled along, you could readily feel the constant flexing. :crazy:

Did you know the throttle linkage included a length of rod that passed from the pedal, behind the crashpad below the dashboard, and over to the left-hand side?

A jolly jape, as a passenger, was to hook a toe up behind said panel and assume control of the car's accelerative properties. Oh, how we laughed!

My Audi 100GL had a similar setup , where the throttle linkage went through the firewall , then a rod transferred it to the other side . I think contemporary VW's were the same .
 
The DeTomaso Pantera ---- Elvis shot his !

a Cadillac {model unknown} ------As flash as a rat with a gold tooth!

maybe we should start a GBU greatest hits list?

Too many to list, Mr Grober, we'd be here all week.

In its day car was a giant amongst motoring publications. Ljks, russel bulgin, Stephen bayley et al. Sorely missed. There was an issue ' there will never be another month like this ' - there wasn't.
 
My Audi 100GL had a similar setup , where the throttle linkage went through the firewall , then a rod transferred it to the other side . I think contemporary VW's were the same .

Fiat 131 Mirafiore did the same.
 
I bought my first SAAB, a 93 Aero convertible, in Feb 2007, then purchased my second SAAB 93 Aero in Aug of that same year. The first one was black and manual, and the second was parchment and automatic.

The biggest thing for me was the Hirsch performance upgrade, which saw the auto's 0-60mph change from just over 9 seconds to just over 6 seconds. That's some BHP for your bucks.

In April 2008 I bought my first Merc, a CLK 500 AMG convertible. It was a four year old costing £30,000, and the reason I bought it instead of the SAAB 93 Aero 2.8 litre V6 was because the SAAB dealer offered me £12,000 part exchange against a £38,000 price tag for a brand new car, while the Merc dealer gave me £15,000 against their £30,000 car.

Ironically, a month later the SAAB dealer rang me up to ask me if I was still interested in buying the 2.8 litre Aero and I took great delight in telling them I now drove a Merc.
 
Currently running a 2010 plate 95 Tid wagon as our dog car, had it 2 year and it's never missed a beat, been all over Europe in it. Sadly going in a few week due to new bus arriving! Will miss it..!
Lee
 
Currently running a 2010 plate 95 Tid wagon as our dog car, had it 2 year and it's never missed a beat, been all over Europe in it. Sadly going in a few week due to new bus arriving! Will miss it..!
Lee
Exactly how I'm feeling! Just driven my Saab up from Belgium, through Ashford to Skegness and en route willing the old girl on (2007 9-3 cabrio). Very mixed feeling PX'ing he in for £2.&k. She's worth a lot more to me (and a lot of car for the money). It's not for the money, but because we haven't space yet. Such a shame.

Sent from my XT1032 using Tapatalk
 
My Audi 100GL had a similar setup , where the throttle linkage went through the firewall , then a rod transferred it to the other side . I think contemporary VW's were the same .

Same setup on my 500 SL, I think, judging by the length of the throttle cable.
 
In its day car was a giant amongst motoring publications. Ljks, russel bulgin, Stephen bayley et al. Sorely missed. There was an issue ' there will never be another month like this ' - there wasn't.

Ah! Stephen Bayley. Was he not a correspondent for a while in the Daily Telegraph motoring section on Saturdays? If it's the chap I'm thinking of, he wasn't really a car man at all, but a 'style consultant'; toe-curlingly camp and affected, and could always be relied on to make me laugh, though not I think intentionally....

I still recall one of his phrases: "As inappropriate as a dash of balsamic vinegar in a dish of lampreys". To quote Joan Rivers: "Oh puh-lease!"
 
Saab 9-3 ttid no issues. Great comfy car.
 
Exactly how I'm feeling! Just driven my Saab up from Belgium, through Ashford to Skegness and en route willing the old girl on (2007 9-3 cabrio). Very mixed feeling PX'ing he in for £2.&k. She's worth a lot more to me (and a lot of car for the money). It's not for the money, but because we haven't space yet. Such a shame.

Sent from my XT1032 using Tapatalk

Your right, it's not the money, it's the fact I know it inside out, does everything I ask of it, just not big enough unfortunately for our Deerhounds now.
I know someone is going to get a reliable really good spec'D car for peanuts..!
(Famous last words) haha

Lee
 
E55BOF said:
Ah! Stephen Bayley. Was he not a correspondent for a while in the Daily Telegraph motoring section on Saturdays? If it's the chap I'm thinking of, he wasn't really a car man at all, but a 'style consultant'; toe-curlingly camp and affected, and could always be relied on to make me laugh, though not I think intentionally.... I still recall one of his phrases: "As inappropriate as a dash of balsamic vinegar in a dish of lampreys". To quote Joan Rivers: "Oh puh-lease!"
I know Stephen and Flo Bailey quite well. He is a bit of a wally and really does think he's a cool guy.
 
I had a black 900 Turbo 8V 3 door brand new in 1989 company car. Did 60k miles in 3 years, the only issue being a knock on the front suspension.

I loved it, even then it was quirky.

I then bought a 1990 black Turbo 16V 3 door in 1999 because I liked the first one so much. Had no issue with that one over 25k miles or so. Sold it about 3 years later to a guy who kept pestering me for it. Wish I had kept it now.

And then I found Mercedes.
 
I've had many Saabs in the past including several 9000's, 9-3's and 9-5's. Here's my current 9-3:

IMG_20150706_095258843_zpsfvf6npex.jpg


I used to be a mod on Saabscene for years, now kicking about on SaabTechTalk.
 
Last edited:
I had an '06 9-5 Aero, a 'DE' model - Dame Edna (extra chrome bits, especially round the headlights, geddit?!), 260 bhp or 280 on overboost.

I loved it, mostly. It was very fast (once away from wheel-spinning speeds), surprisingly economical, comfortable, good-looking, well-equipped (xenons, leccy seats, parking sensors, heated seats front and rear, dual zone climate are some that come to mind). Mine even had touch-screen satnav; however, you needed to be stationary to set a destination - fair enough if you're on your own, but very annoying if you have a passenger, and it did know if there was a passenger because of the seat belt warning system. This was an example of newer technology not being integrated properly with an old car's systems; there are others. Other minor gripes include some cheap-feeling switchgear (the indicator stalk was particularly 'clacky') and other fitments. However, I have to say that nothing ever broke or fell off, and the car as a whole was utterly reliable.

However, putting all that power through an old chassis, and all the inherent wheelspin, became tiresome after a while. I am aware that there are companies that offer partial solutions to this, but I never really had the chance to go down that avenue. Am pleased to see that my car is still on the road though, and that there seem to be plenty of others around too.
 
Currently got a '99 9-3 Cabrio with the red top engine parked on the drive looking for a new home.
Amazing how many people think they have big balls by bidding for the car and then suddenly realising they are hung like a squirrel when I accept the offer. :wallbash:
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom