Saabs don’t float

I have been trying to find the photos that go with this story but sadly they are gone… so I will have to try and paint a picture with words (wish me luck);

It rains a lot in England. Maybe not as much as you might think if you are from California, but definitely more than you realise when you live there. That particular autumn it had rained even more than usual. Every dog walk resulted in a mud encrusted golden retriever and I was starting to grow webbing between my toes (okay that last bit wasn’t true, but I want you to realise just how wet it was..).

I was now living in a small village called Ropley in an old cottage that we had bought. It needed some work but had a long garden which backed onto horse fields and overlooked crops at the front.

It was a great place to live, very peaceful and with lots of great dog walks.

I decided that I should choose a local mechanic to build a relationship with; I had done that in Totton with great success and I was going to live here a while so it made sense. Although it might cost slightly more in the short term, having a mechanic that you trust and who is looking for long term business would work out cheaper over all. So after a little research I found a Saab specialist in nearby Alresford (remember that name, it has significance a little later) and made an appointment for a service. I had been told by my previous mechanic that the brake pads would need replacing soon so I arranged for it to be done at the same time. I drive fast and good brakes are essential.

I arranged with the ex to follow me the five miles to the garage and then she would give me a lift home. We discussed the best route and agreed that we just needed to head down the A31, turn right onto Alresford Road and then right again onto New Farm Road. Simple. She needed to get her bag together so I headed off and said I would see her there.

I drove down the A31, turned right on Alresford Road and then right again… hang on this felt wrong because of the lack of houses, maybe it was second right? No problem a left turn was signposted Alresford so I took it. It was a very small road, but this was the countryside so no big deal. I cruised past the sign below:

Hey a Ford! Great, I like a nice water splash! Sadly I had failed to notice the lower part of the sign, and as I mentioned at the start of this post, it had been raining quite a lot. The sign probably should have said “Very Deep, don’t even think about trying to cross it in a Saab”. But it didn’t.

As I approached the Ford I remembered my Dads teachings (low gear, high revs, steady speed) and accelerated as I hit the water, but the car started to slow and as the bow wave crossed over the bonnet I started to worry. I tired to accelerate more but the water was too deep and the engine lost its battle and stalled. I quickly opened the windows having seen movies where people get stuck in sinking cars and grabbed my phone: “Don’t follow me… I drove into a deep ford and now I am stuck… and the waters starting to fill up the foot well… I need to go and call help….click” and then a loud bang as the airbags deployed.

By the time the ex arrived I was thigh deep in the water attaching a rope for the guy from the garage to tow me out. All she could do was laugh and take photos.

The insurance company contacted me a few days later to say it was beyond economical repair and they would send a cheque… the only saving grace was that it happened before I spent money on servicing and brakes.

I had the same amount of money as before and the same requirements and shockingly the first car that came up in my search was a Saab 9-5… in the same colour! but this one was on 20k less miles and had the 3.0 V6 Turbo. My accident had resulted in a younger, healthier version of the same car with 200bhp instead of 150bhp. Not a bad result.

My third and best Saab….