I haven’t written about cars much recently, don’t worry I haven’t lost interest, I’ve been distracted by houses.
The Wife and I have started the epic search for a new home, which is turning into a challenge. Last week we made an offer on a lovely place in the Oakland hills…. but 13 other people also thought it was a lovely place… so we didn’t get it! So we have started a new search and I’m sure we will find something equally nice soon… and maybe it will be our offer that gets accepted… maybe…
So to distract myself this afternoon I started browsing cars (big surprise right?). I started with an article in The Sunday Times about the great bargains to be found in the world of Saab now that the company is no more. Now I have had a love hate/relationship with Saab for many years. If you look at my car history you will see I have owned three so far. The 900 Turbo was quick and solid but suffered from chronic torque steer.
The first 9-5 Estate didn’t know how to swim (and yes I will expand on that story one day) and it’s replacement had a smooth, effortless, turbo charged 3 litre V6 and was a great car. I have always loved the slight quirkiness of Saabs, the elegant lines and the aero inspired features that let you imagine you are a pilot, but always felt sad that they just aren’t as sporty as BMWs.
All three have been bought because they were far cheaper than the equivalent German car which meant a faster, newer model than I could have otherwise afforded. The 9-5 is a great looking, long distance cruiser and (most importantly at the time) a great dog car.
With the confidence that we will find a house soon, and acquire a dog not long after, I started looking at the 9-3 SportCombi. Great styling, dog friendly and not quite as big as the 9-5…. very tempting
and they even make a four wheel drive version to remove all that torque steer….. 250bhp V6 AWD… very tempting….
but…
apparently nobody told America about Saab dying, nobody told America that they should be cheap now…. maybe it’s because they didn’t sell many, but they don’t seem to be exactly affordable over here…. damn! But 9-3 convertibles seem quite reasonable… so maybe I should get one? Saab convertibles have always looked better than their hard top relatives….. but not really dog cars…. so how about a(nother) 9-5 wagon? With a 100 mile daily roundtrip a(nother) 9-5 wagon might be just the solution and they are as cheap as I remember them…. so watch this space…. if we find a house and I can get another car then I might just have to get a(nother) 9-5…
Dreams, cars and dreams about cars 