Category: Saabosphere

Saabosphere – links we (mostly) liked this week

First of all, I have to say congratulations to one of my fellow Saab website dudes, a man commonly known as Wulf, who picked up a Saab 9-4x 3.0i Premium earlier this week.

Wulf runs an online Saab community called Saabworld and his new ride can be seen in the Garage section of the website. 9-4x sales are all relatively new so it’s great when someone you know picks one up and it sounds like he’s loving the experience so far.

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Obituaries

A member of my brother-in-law’s extended family passed away a few weeks ago. His name was Bill and he was a wonderful guy, a man 25 years or so older than me who has probably known me since I was a very small boy (his daughter and I were the cute little 8-year-old kids in my sister’s wedding photos back in the late 1970s).

Bill was a car guy, with a particular penchant for older American cars. Some of my first automotive recollections were of his Ramblers. Later on, he took to Packards. Such was the respect for Bill in the Packard community in Australia, people actually travelled thousands of kilometers in their Packards to form a guard of honor at his funeral last week.

As my brother-in-law told be about this over the weekend, he said “Bill would have loved it”. And it occurred to me at that point that we often don’t show the level of respect, or the depth of feeling that we have for some people until it’s too late. I’m sure Bill would have loved the parade of Packards that was put on in his honor, and I’m sure his surviving family did enjoy it in his absence, but I hope those involved had a chance to let Bill know the esteem he was held in while he was still alive.

It seems this is a problem we don’t have here at Saab. Plenty of news services have already written us off as having died and the analysis and eulogising has already started:

It’s nice to know you’re all thinking of us, some of you even exhibiting a reasonable degree of fondness. But I’d like to emphasise the following – WE’RE NOT DEAD!!!!!

Yes, two of our unions have commenced bankruptcy procedures (a reluctant, defensive measure on their part to protect wages) but we also have an appeal in place that we’re quite confident will be successful and lead to the bankruptcy proceedings being withdrawn, our business being reorganised and protected until our new investors come on board.

We have to work hard to make sure everything aligns properly, but there is no insurmountable reason as to why that will not happen.

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If you’d like some more entertaining reading on the media treatment of Saab here in Sweden, do a Googletrans of this article at Aftonbladet.

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And for some even more interesting reading, you can see some potential stakeholder thoughts on Hummer, as well as Chinese thoughts on Saab from 2009.

Interesting stuff released via Wikileaks.

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The Austrian and Slovakian Saab Clubs had a combined meeting last weekend, combining some nice countryside in Austria and city driving through Bratislava as well as some good food, good cars and good company.

There are some great images available both here and here.

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We’ve all seen notable images of Saabs carrying stuff – ride-on lawnmowers, motorcycles, all sorts of stuff.

Here’s a new one from Greg Abbott in the US. The cabinet wouldn’t fit in his 9-5, so out came the convertible!!

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Saabosphere – things we liked this week

Greetings all. Sorry for the lack of posting in the last few days but I had one or two things outside of Inside Saab that needed finishing in quick time. Back on deck now.

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The hardest working man I’ve ever seen in my 40 or so years on this earth. Unbelievable.

…… from yesterday.

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Your must read for this week is an article that’s actually a few weeks old.

John Simister is a writer with Octane, a classic and performance car magazine, and he owns a two-stroke Saab 96.

He recently had the good fortune of visiting with Mr Saab, Erik Carlsson, and took his 96 along for the trip. What ensued was the sort of thing that automotive enthusiast’s dreams are made of.

He got to see his own classic car in the hands of the master, and then got to drive the master’s Saab 96 for himself.

It really is fantastic reading for any Saab fan.

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Yes you do. Nice 9-5, that one.

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Car Design Community is an online hangout for people interested in the topic. They seem to have a regular competition called SketchFighters where they ask community members to provide designs using various criteria.

One tricky condition of the competition is that members only have one hour to design and then post their designs on the website.

Earlier this week they tackled Saab and it’s always fun to see what others come up with in terms of future Saab designs.

Here are a couple of my favourites, but there are plenty more at SketchFighters.

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Ever driven across the United States?

Phil L recently picked up a MY2000 Saab 9-5 in New Jersey and decided to bring the car home to Seattle…. with a camera.

What he’s put together from that trip is a 3,000+ mile timelapse – one photo every 10 seconds – that will take you from Boston, though New York, Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin (wet!), Iowa (home of next year’s Saab Owners Convention), Minnesota (is that dead bug on the windscreen giving him the finger?), South Dakota, Wyoming (Cowboy Up!) and Montana before he crosses into Washington and gets home to Seattle.

It’s 24 minutes, so you’ll need some time, but it’s very watchable. It’s interesting to see the changes in landscape, the clouds and even the vehicles on the roads. Great drums on the soundtrack, too. Enjoy.

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Saabosphere – links we liked this week

Top Gear Magazine in the Netherlands is very interested in current stories surrounding Saab. They’re keen to support the company in an hour of need and in a gesture of goodwill, are offering free subscriptions to the Dutch Top Gear magazine to anyone who picks up a new Saab in Holland.

Nice work, gents. A small token that’s much appreciated.

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This week’s must-read, from my personal point of view:

A report in the local Trollhattan newspaper, TTELA, (in Swedish) takes a look at events and reports about Saab in the last few days. I thought it represented things pretty well and I personally can’t wait to welcome Anders Carlsson back to the fold when things work out. His reasoned and honest approach was a welcome one to read.

There’s also a good quote in there about parts, for those who are interested.

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If you’re after some more images from the 2011 Saab Owners Convention, Bob M’s album is available here.

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I’ve been enjoying bits and pieces from the Saabfans weblog recently, which gathers some entertaining videos and tidbits from around the web.

The Sonett dyno video from SOC was fun.

As was this image of a car I wish I’d kept from my childhood. Is it just me, or did everyone have one of these? I used to adore this little model car before I ever knew what a Saab was.

Note: Photo originally taken by Tommi at Saabisti.fi.

And seeing this matchbox car is seen around quite a bit, let’s add an impromptu poll:

[poll id=”9″]

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Good reading for those who think Saab ought to be more like Apple (personally, I agree to some degree, but with the overriding belief that we have to redefine what makes Saab, Saab).

So if you really want to be like Apple, drop the fluff- filled vision statements and magical wishes. Pretend your company’s existence is at stake, coldly evaluate the environment, and make choices. Stop thinking of strategy as meaningless verbiage or financial goals and treat it as a serious design challenge.

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The Saab 9-4x was on show in southern Sweden a few weeks ago and if you want an enthusiast’s eye view on how it looks, check out this Saab 9-4x gallery.

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And our final story for today is the Saab-based custom car that’s currently for sale right here in Trollhattan.

The UNO-001 was the only example made from a sports car project back in the 1980s. The goal was to develop and produce a Swedish sports car but the project never got off the ground and UNO-001 passed through a few owners before current owner, Jörgen Scherdin, bought it in 2009 (for just 30,000SEK).

The UNO-001 used a tubeframe body with custom sheetmetal and a Saab engine mounted mid-vehicle for best balance. The car has now been restored and is being offered for sale for the cost of the restoration, around 155,000SEK.

More videos here.

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Saabosphere – links we liked this week

A quick Saabosphere this week. Is it early or is it late? Not sure.

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This first one’s not a link, just a set of photos that no-one familiar with Saabs will find too surprising 😉

From Andrew……

BRING BACK THE HATCH!!!

Yes, I know it’s a wagon, but BBTH has been the common catchcry….

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I had the pleasure of sitting down to dinner last night with Rémi from Saabactu, a French Saab blog.

Saabactu is doing a great job of providing information for the French market. The site is well maintained, looks clean and is getting an audience, which is very encouraging for one of the bigger, but tougher European markets.

If you’re a French reader, make sure you bookmark it and check it out. There’ll be an interview with a certain writer here at Inside Saab appearing there in the coming weeks.

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I know what you’re thinking…..

I’m a lover of three-cylinder two strokes and I’m an iPhone user. Where can I get an iPhone cover that looks like a three-cylinder gasket?

The Auto Prophet can tell you…..

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I really enjoyed this post on the intelligent A-pillar over at Saabs United.

Nice to get away from who’s-demanding-what-from-whom for a change. And yes, I’m kind of jealous that I haven’t got to stuff like this yet (but there’ll be time for that).

Great work by Red J.

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Congratulations to Nick Taliaferro in having one of his Trolltuner-built cars feature in Eurotuner magazine.

Get it while it’s hot.

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And some non-linky internal thoughts…..

  • Readers who access this site on a mobile device should notice a slight improvement in the service rendered by Inside Saab. It should get even better over the weekend, too, with a few bits of custom tweakage about to happen.
  • Those waiting for late-Friday news can keep waiting until a future Friday.
  • It’s *nice* to see those accustomed to reporting bad news moving on to reporting future bad news in the absence of current bad news.
  • My 900 wouldn’t start this morning. Am hoping it’s just a battery. Booked in at ANA for service next week, anyway. It’s about time.
  • It’s been almost a week but I’m still enjoying IntSaab so much that my wristband is yet to come off!!

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Saabosphere – Saab links we liked this week

I do not know if this is real.

I suspect that it isn’t.

But it’s nice.

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Sometimes ‘the social space’ can be tough to deal with. Consumers have a voice through social media and much of the time, they use it to voice complaints or opinions that companies need to address, either to solve an issue or to correct a misconception. That’s OK, we deal with it.

Occasionally you get a social story that shows the way this new medium can be used for good.

Susan Scrupski runs a website called ITS Insider, where she tracks various IT Services industry issues and trends. She’s a heavy-hitter in this space, too, being named one of Fast Company’s most influential women in technology for 2010, and with thousands of Twitter followers, Facebook friends and Google+ listings.

Roger Beasley Saab in Austin, Texas, probably knew none of this when Susan walked into their dealership last weekend to take a look at a car from Saab’s Pre-Owned program. But when they gave her fantastic service and a finance deal that suited her needs (rather than theirs) they won her praise.

I came across Susan’s story from her Twitter feed. She has over 7,000 followers and many of them will have read about it as well. Susan detailed her experience on her personal blog and you can read the whole story there (and I recommend that you do).

Amazing car buying experience at Roger Beasley Saab this weekend – Taking It Personal.

The lessons:

  • for customers – it’s OK to use your voice for the power of good.
  • for dealers – you never know who’s walking into your showroom. Always provide the best service you can for the good of the customer.
  • for Roger Beasley Saab – Continue to look after Susan, just as she’s looked after you.

Congratulations to Roger Beasley Saab for earning the shout-out and to Susan on the acquisition of the new-to-her Saab 9-5.

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Most of us will have been to car shows in our local areas. Given that this is a Saab website, I imagine most of you would have been to shows where Saabs figure prominently, perhaps alongside many other makes that originate in your country.

When “your country” is Russia, that makes for an exhibition of vehicles that many of us don’t get to see too often.

Yes, there’s a Saab in there, and plenty of other interesting metal as well.

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The Saab 9-4x leading a pack at Spa, in Belgium.

Need I say more?

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We’ll have more on this in coming days, but for now, if you’re in Great Britain, keep an eye out for the Nomad Theatre, popping up in a place near you.

Here’s what it was like last weekend, at Hampton Court Palace.

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From Tobias A, via Twitter:

Wonder if we can expect any news on the current situation from Saab this week? @Inside_saab Keeping my fingers crossed!!!

I’ll tell you all what I told Tobias in response, because I know there are a lot of eyes on the company at the moment.

Officially speaking, we don’t do speculation. We can’t comment on matters that involve potential investors, or matters that are under discussion and incomplete. I try to bring some commentary and perspective from time to time (which some choose to interpret and dismiss as spin, but which they took as insight back in my SU days).

We will always bring you hard news as soon as it’s appropriate to do so.

Stay tuned. We appreciate your concern and support and despite what some say, our executive team are working their tails off to solve our current issues.

If you want to follow Inside Saab at Twitter, it’s @inside_saab.

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Saabosphere – links we liked this week

It’s time for our wrap of what happened in the Saabosphere over the last week or so.

Of course, our ongoing situation continues to make the headlines. There are some good services and some not-so-good services for keeping up with that. A few of the good enthusiast sites who cover the news in detail are Life with Saab and Saabs United.

If you want a great single piece of news coverage to show where things are at, then this piece from Go Auto is a very accurate and independent summary piece.

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I’ve heard of the Saab bull-nose era, but the long-nose? And it’s for sale!

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Another interesting tranche of historic Saabs for sale was noted by Saabworld. The collection comprises six vehicles, including a couple of very nice Saab 99 Turbos, a Commemorative Edition Convertible, a custom Saab 96 convertible, and others. All look to be in very good condition.

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Wondering how the Saab 9-4x stacks up physically against it’s GM-built Saab 9-7x SUV segment predecessor?

Wonder no more. Just Saab, a Saab dealer in Ohio, have put the two side-by-side for an album of comparison photos and measurements. It’s quite amazing how well packaged and good looking the 9-4x is compared to it’s brand forebear.

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Saablog-in has a video that I’m surprised hadn’t crossed more radar screens until now.

PlayboyTV took one of their centerfolds up to the Ice Hotel in Kiruna to participate in the Saab Ice Experience. Relax, the vision is safe to watch and it’s a great, non-automotive perspective on just how good an experience it is that Saab and the Ice Hotel have provided in past years.

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Your must-read piece for this week is this review of the Saab 9-5 2.0T from LeftLane News. If you’ve read my own Saab 9-5 reviews on Saabs United a year or so ago, you’ll know that the 2.0T was my personal pick of the bunch. It’s lighter engine and good equipment level make for a fantastic, engaging driving experience. I’m glad LLN seemed to enjoy it just as much.

During our time with the 9-5, we couldn’t help but compare the big Saab to one of its chief rivals, the BMW 528i. It might be powered by the wrong wheels and it might have too many GM bits, but the 9-5 just became the driver’s choice between the two. Where the BMW felt cold and artificial, the 9-5 delighted with its sporty responses and thoughtful touches.

Now if only Saab can find a few more buyers for what might be the best car that nobody’s noticing.

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A very close second in must-read terms is Pierre’s review of the Saab 9-4x over at the Charles River Saab blog.

If you’ve read Pierre’s work before, then you’ll know that he’s a man who doesn’t mince his words. It’s always well worth a look and this brief look over the Saab 9-4x, which just arrived at CRS, is no exception.

Highly recommended.

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Saabosphere – links we like this week (big weekend edition)

Forgive the lack of postings here over the weekend but it was a BIG three days on the road, travelling 1,140kms in a Saab 9-4x between Friday and Sunday afternoon.

I’ll be writing about it all in the coming days, but we took in the Midnight Sun Rally in Västerås on Saturday and then some time in Stockholm on Sunday. I tried to call in on a few friends to give them a test drive but they seemed to be on vacation and wouldn’t answer the door:

Note to editors: That is what’s referred to as subtle humour. Please ensure that you’re knickers don’t get in a twist.

I’ll have all the action from Saturday morning’s rallying and some great Saab pics from both Västerås and Stockholm coming later on.

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Must Read – I think I’ll do a “must read” every week from now on. if you’re only going to hit one link on this entry for further reading, the must read is the one.

Today’s Must Read is from Autoweek. Their editors have recently noted their thoughts on the Saab 9-5 Aero they have in their long-term test fleet and they make for some good reading. There are six editors thoughts recorded. Here’s a sample from just one of them:

I find the car’s styling is attractive in a classic sense. I suspect it will still look good once the last payment is made. Inside, the car is functional and offers just the right Saab-style appointments and extras, such as the Saab-centric center-mounted ignition button and mandatory turbo boost gauge, the clean center stack, the huge sunroof covered by a linen sunshade, the well-bolstered leather seats, and flat-bottomed thick leather-wrapped steering wheel. I still miss the artistic Transformer like pop-out cupholders, but I can forgo that stuff for this overall better car.

If you only read one article here, make it this one.

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Speaking of long term test vehicles, CAR Magazine have just picked up a Saab 9-5 TTiD in Laser Red. Because fire engines are cool, OK?

There are no long-term test drive thoughts, yet, just the specifications (and boy, did they ever have a good time with the options list!)

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A reader of the Globe and Mail writes in to them and asks “Can Saab Survive? Should I buy one?” Many jokes follow (it’s part of the columnist’s schtik) before they conclude that No, the reader shouldn’t buy a Saab, or a Volvo, for that matter.

My advice – check out the cars for yourself. You wouldn’t go to a butcher to get your shoes repaired so why go to a newspaper to get a definitive answer on what car you should buy? Newspapers are to there to provide opinions, but your own opinion is just as valid as theirs and the only way to make your mind up is to check the car out for yourself.

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The Motor Report recently tested the Saab 9-5 Vector in Australia. They complained about the price of the vehicle but found it to be a good driver, over all.

What got me confused was their comparison at the end, comparing the 9-5 Vector to a BMW 325i (amongst others). They concede that the BMW feels asthmatic and cramped compared to the 9-5, but feels more ‘planted’ on the road. The last comment is fair enough because that is BMW’s forte, but it just seemed like a strange comparison to make given the different emphasis each vehicle has.

As I said, check them out for yourselves, according to your own priorities and tastes.

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The last few years have taken their toll and we have some work to do in Australia when it comes to customer satisfaction levels.

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It was nice to see our batch of Saab 9-6 images got picked up by a few motoring websites. There are a lot of interesting stories to tell here at Saab and I’m looking forward to sharing more of them – especially from the Saab Museum.

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And finally, for those with an interest in advertising…… Business Insider has a study into which parts of an advertisement get the most viewing time from both men and women.

There are three ads used in the study – a woman in a bikini, a woman in a pair of sneakers (yes, just sneakers) and an ad for the Saab 9-5.

Check it out and see some of the finer details that ad people have to think about. (link is to the 9-5 pages only, if you want to look at ladies in bikinis and sneakers then you’ll have to do so consciously 🙂 )

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The end of the weekend saw my wife and I attend the conclusion of Fallens Dagar here in Trollhattan. The fireworks were something to behold as they go off right above your head. There’s also the release of water from the Göta älv, which is quite picturesque at 11pm.

Video by zaibase, on Youtube.

If you want suggestions for a good time to visit Trollhattan, either during the Saab Festival or during Fallens Dagar are pretty good, and occasionally those two events are on at the same time.

Saabosphere – links we linked this week

Forgive me, but I’ll start with a bit of reading I didn’t like. Analysts. I’m so over reading thoughts from analysts.

Auto industry analysts in Sweden said car company Saab looked to be on its last legs.

Actually, it’s analysts from all over the place, not just in Sweden.

No analyst wants to be on the wrong side of an issue and everyone wants to get their name (or their firm’s name) in the paper so they look like “the man”. Right now the issue is the state of Saab and we have a massive target on our backs.

Here’s the thing, though. The same people were making the same predictions about us back in late 2009, when GM said they would close our doors. We’re still here, and if the people who work at Saab have anything to do with the decision, then we’ll still be here in five, ten, twenty years and more from now.

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In contrast to all the doomsayers out there, BNET has an article that looks at the various rays of hope emerging in the last weeks.

Good to see someone bucking the trend and seeing the threads that are tying things together here in Trollhattan.

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In a similar vein, TTELA journalist Valdemar Lönnroth took a look at the five reasons, both positive and negative, why Saab will survive or perish in the near term. (in Swedish)

TTELA is always recommended reading for issues to do with Saab. They’re local, well connected and quite objective when it comes to Saab coverage. And Valdemar….. we’ll be OK.

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It was nice to see our recent news about the Top Safety Pick award for the Saab 9-4x making the rounds. This, from Motor Trend.

The IIHS tested the Saab 9-4x for frontal offset, side impact, and rear crash performance; the 9-4x earned “Good” ratings in all tests, the Institute’s highest mark. The IIHS also gave the 9-4x a “Good” rating for rollover protection and roof strength. The 9-4x also comes standard with Electronic Stability Control (ESP), which is a requirement for all Top Safety Picks.

In the words of the hokey-pokey: That what it’s all about.

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Speaking of the Saab 9-4x, enthusiast website Saabs United got photos of what could well be the first Saab 9-4x delivery over the weekend.

The car was a fully loaded black Aero, purchased from Saab of North Olmstead, in Ohio.

I had a Premium [model] on order, but the dealer (Saab in North Olmsted Ohio) received their first one yesterday – a black Aero, fully loaded. I put my butt into the seat, looked around and bought it on the spot before even driving it.

If other dealers would like to dispute this “first” claim, please get in touch and send along your photographic proof 🙂

There are photos of the car at the Saabs United link, above. It looks fantastic, and I’d like to pass on my congratulations and appreciation to the new owner.

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German website Saabblog.net takes an enjoyable look into the crystal ball to see what will be happening at Saab in 2017.

Great vision! I’m not sure about how much of that can/will get done, but there’s a good deal of stuff there that’s well reasoned and do-able. And what excited me even more was the fact that this came out of Germany, where we need to build a bigger presence. It’s always great to see some more German Saab fans getting engaged in things.

We wait and see.

And thanks to my mate RedJ for the tip.

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And finally, my feeds have been blowing up this week over stories from Fashion Week and the designer, Elie Saab. Apparently he’s released a new fragrance as well as a whole bunch of new clothing (which everyone seems to rave about).

A few years ago, a friend of mine from England (and Saab 99 and 900 book author) named Lance Cole wrote a spendid piece on the (original) Saab Smell.

It’s highly recommended reading (link to a copied version on SaabScene as my old website, Trollhattan Saab, seems to be having a hard time at the moment).

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Saabosphere – Saab links we liked this week

The Saab-webosphere is ticking over with news about the EIB approving our deal to sell and leaseback property. So why no press release from Saab yet? Well, there’s more than just the EIB involved in the approvals process and we have to wait on all parties before the deal is officially announced. We will do so in due course providing all goes well.

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SaabLog-in has some great Saab-Spyker photos from the Goodwood Festival of Speed. The pics include the first Spyker concept vehicle from 1996 (let’s just say evolution is a wonderful thing IMHO).

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My first Saab experience was with a Saab 9000 from the mid 1980s. I was really pleased when I got in touch again with the owner of that car, an old friend of mine named Nathan. I was even more pleased to find out that he’s still a Saab nut after all these years and I’m going to catch up with him when I’m next in Australia and check out his very hot Saab 9000 Aero.

But back to the mid-1980s…..

If you had a Saab of that vintage then you’re going to enjoy this retrospective on the 1986 Saab 9000 from Hemmings. It’s hard to imagine the 9000 as approaching any sort of vintage status, but I guess it is. Like the best of us 🙂

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If your Saab-ish passions run a little deeper (i.e. older), then this look at a family and their Saab experiences might be more up your alley.

The guy at the center of the story, Tom Shehan, is pretty typical of the average long-term Saab nut. Either that, or he’s the guy that all Saab nuts would like to be: with a 96 in the garage and a Sonett under restoration.

If you read just one story from this Saabosphere post – make it this one.

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Our friends on the Best of the Road tour around the US certainly seem to be visiting some interesting places. Any town with a giant Superman statue is cool place….

The Saabs have been seeing some action, too…..

Make sure you check into the Best of the Road website and check in on where the teams are visiting.

Right now Captain and Clark are (fittingly) in Clarksville TN, Jules and Joan have just visited Santa Claus (the town, not the person), the Wynns have just left Nagodoches, the Fun Finders have been visiting Rand and McNally’s HQ and the McNavigators have been to Marco Island, FL.

Nice work if you can get, eh?

Saabosphere – links we liked this week

There’s an event on Facebook called Save Saab. We didn’t create it, but I’m sure all Saab employees and fans appreciate the fact that it’s there.

The event is tomorrow and the location – the whole world. It’s a non-geographic event. A show of support. Go to the event page and click “I’m attending” to show your support. We really do appreciate all of you.

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Whilst our executive team are working their tails off to ensure the liquidity we need to proceed, there are plenty of pundits lining up to write our obituary. We’re a big, fat, easy target.

With that in mind, it’s been nice to see someone looking at alternative points of view. Matt De Bord at BNET has taken a look at three ways Saab might survive the current situation.

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At what age do you consider it OK for your booster-seat-age child to buckle themselves in?

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If you’ve ever wondered if, or how, your Saab addiction might effect your partner, then this article is for you. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable story of Saab addiction written by Barbara Scully, a Saab-widow from Ireland.

I felt so moved by it that I left a comment in support (of her husband! 🙂 )

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Some reviews that are worth a look……

Car and Driver have done a short review of the 2.0T version of the Saab 9-5 sedan. I found it quite heartening because the 2.0T has been my personal preference when it comes to this car. It was nice to see they also commended the ‘smaller’ 9-5.

…..the 9-5 sedan is by far Saab’s best product in recent memory……

[the 2.0T’s] competent dynamics and roughly 10-grand-cheaper point of entry make it the deal of the lineup.

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The Age newspaper in Australia has reviewed the Saab 9-5 and think it’s a great car, but the situation with the company stops them short of recommending it strongly. (Video)

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The Independent (UK) has published a very good review of the Saab 9-5 SportCombi based on a pre-release drive. It makes for some very good reading…..

Would it make me buy a 9-5 Sportwagon over an obvious German rival? I do believe it would

……And the picture accompanying it is one of the best photos of the Combi I’ve seen.

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I’d like to send a small note of well-wishing to some good friends, Rune and Anna, who got married on the weekend.

You might remember them from the 2,000km trip to northern Sweden that I took a few weeks ago. That trip was to pick up Rune’s car after some accident repairs. Today, the same car played a role in their wedding day.

Congratulations, guys. Wish so much that we could have been there.

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