One of our regular readers, Sapan, lives in the United States and owns a Saab Turbo X. You’ve seen it before, in a post where we covered how he bought his first Saab 🙂
Sapan has written to me overnight, with the following query. As it’s not a task I’ve previously investigated, I thought I’d open the question up to readers here and see if anyone has had experience with short-term vehicle relocations across oceans.
I am going to Europe for a month or so and I wanted to bring my car there to drive.
Here are a few factors I see as potential issues
Transportation (Someone Reliable and trust worthy)
Can I even drive my car in Europe for that amount of time legally? MOT Laws etc? Do I need to pay VAT Etc? Insurance etc.
Transportation back as well (Again this would be solved if I found a worthy carrier).
You may ask what my main goal is? Well, plain and simple, it’s tackling the Nurburgring.
I also want to visit both Maptun and Hirsch. Get my car ready to go fully functional with stock items and then head for the Nurburgring and see how fast a time I can set!
I know this sounds pretty crazy but I am just testing the waters to see if its even financially feasible at the moment!
This sounds like a more-than-worthy automotive quest, to me.
As mentioned, I’ve not looked into anything like this before, however a quick Google search of trans-atlantic car carriers did produce a few companies that might be worth looking into. If those companies are worth their salt, they might also have answers to the regulatory approvals you need to get along the way.
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If you’ve embarked on an adventure like this before, maybe you can help Sapan get his Turbo X to The Ring and back again.
There’s a story in Dagens Industri where they ask whether or not Saab will file for bankruptcy. Victor Muller’s answer to that question could be summarised with a “No”. That is, whilst there is still negotiations to be made and a climate that allows them, our people will continue to do everything they can to save this company rather than file for bankruptcy.
We’d all prefer some definitive good news right now. As a Saab person, I take the fact that people are still working hard to get an outcome that sees us continue business, as being a good thing. If there were no hope for a resolution, there would be no ongoing negotiations.
If you didn’t read Part 1, read it now. Then click the part 2 link. It’s your must-read for today’s Saabosphere.
Wulf casts his critical eye over his Saab 9-4x 3.0 Premium’s interior to see how it passes muster.
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You might remember that two blogs, SaabActu and Saablog-In, were running a photo competition for the Saab Dealer Tour of France.
It looks like the entries are in and there are some fantastic photos amongst them. Head over to either of the blogs to check them out.
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I link from time to time to the Charles River Saab weblog, written and maintained by a good friend of mine, Pierre Belperron.
Pierre has written a wonderful piece today that focuses on one of his favourite retailers, a small audio/electronics store that unfortunately went into liquidation a few years ago.
His story poses more than a few questions for companies like Saab, especially with recent commentary stating that kids prefer smartphones to cars.
What to do when it’s time to get your Saab serviced and you live on a small island?
Norfolk Island is a self-governing territory, but part of Australia. It’s located approximately 1,500km off the east coast of Australia, in the Pacific Ocean. Did I say small? The island is only 32 sq km in size and has just 80km of roads (the cows get right of way).
Apparently this is one of two Saabs on the island, the other being a Saab 9000. I’m not sure if this one’s coming, going, or the reason why, but the message relayed to me included the possibility that it was time for a service.
I know of one guy who used to do a round trip of several thousand kilometers in Africa to get his 9-5 Aero serviced. It would be a big call to figure out who’s undertaking a more arduous trip.
There have been plenty of Saab stories doing the rounds in the last few days and despite the current climate surrounding the company, the overwhelming majority of them have made for some very pleasant reading.
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I’ve got two Must Read stories for you this week.
The first is a quick writeup about Bud Clark on Car and Driver. US Saabers, especially those in California, may be familiar with Bud Clark. Sonett owners and enthusiasts will be familiar with the name, too. If you’re not familiar, consider this your chance to get acquainted.
Bud is one Saab person I’ve not had the pleasure of meeting personally yet. The first time I heard his name was in relation to his turbocharged Saab Sonett. Those last three words should give you an idea of the character and the Car and Driver article comes across wonderfully well.
You can see videos of Bud’s Sonett on Youtube. And if having a turbocharged Sonett isn’t cool enough already, it’s also fitted with Inca wheels, which looks absolutely perfect.
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The second must read article is actually in Swedish, so you might have to get Google Translate working to read it.
This SvD article profiles an American Saab-owing couple, who recently travelled to Trollhattan on holiday and actually attended the Saabs United Octoberfest event on October 1. SvD sent a reporter to their home in New York to see some more of their collection and speak to them about their passion for the brand.
For me, there are two stories here. The first is the couple themselves, whose support for Saab is steadfast (they just bought a 9-4x to support the company and have nine other Saabs between them). The second is SvD sending a reporter to the US to get the story, which is a commendable commitment of funds for a Saab good-news story, from a newspaper that I’ve been fairly angry at from time to time.
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The Local has a post that would make for some interesting debate in the future – What is a Swedish Car, anyway?
There is still a small amount of xenophobia floating around a potential Saab sale. And yet Saab haven’t been Swedish-owned for over 10 years. Volvo are in the same boat. And both are still considered as Swedish companies.
As I said, we’ll save this one for the future, but it’s an interesting thought piece.
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What’s a 1992 Saab worth?
$150 a week to this particular owner, who is renting is Saab out to strangers as part of an experiment in Collaborative Consumption. He’s also renting out his guitar, an air mattress and his dog!
It’s not a Saab based article at all but still makes for some interesting and entertaining reading.
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Spontaneous grass-roots support at it’s best. We’ve been watching this silently for a week now and done nothing to promote it, nor do we intend to, but it’s being talked about publicly now and as a Saab fan and enthusiast, I have to acknowledge it.
We have the best fans in the world. And the best behaved, I’m proud to say. Your support is appreciated, but the way you carry yourselves with dignity and respect is appreciated even more.
I talked to a wonderful elderly lady here in Australia earlier today and the conversation got me thinking.
She has a 1975 Saab 99GL CombiCoupe that she picked up brand new in Gothenburg before eventually bringing the car here to Australia. It’s quite a fascinating story, one that I hope to bring in more detail in a few weeks from now.
The story did get me wondering, however….
Who’s got the oldest Saab purchased from new? Who’s got the longest term, one-owner Saab out there that’s still running?
There’s a lady in South Australia who can prove she’s the original owner of a car in wonderful condition, one that was first purchased by her 36 years ago.
Anyone got an advance on that? I’m sure you’re out there somewhere. It’d be fun to track down who’s got the record so please get in touch and let me know.
Another first Saab purchase story, sent in by Sapan, a Saab owner from the US…..
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I want to start out my story with the following:
I have been thinking about the word passion. Automotive passion that is; how so many people do not go after their passion on a daily basis? I am not sure if there is someone out there who feels the same way I do when I look at my car every morning as I am about to leave for work. It makes me smile, it physically makes me happy every time I hit the gas pedal, every time I downshift and hear my exhaust note echo off other cars that I am passing. Do you feel the same way when you are driving your car? Does it make you smile? If you are a true car buff then it should do all of the above and more. You should feel the same exact way you felt when you got the car on Day 1 of your ownership. If you do not, then maybe your path should lead to another vehicle or maybe you are not a car buff and cannot share this experience.
So here is my story it’s a pretty simple one but it is my story to tell. In 2009 I had my Scion tC that I used as my track car as well as daily driver (This is pretty much impossible!). Over time the abuse and wear and tear of the track took its toll on my Scion and it was time for me to get rid of the car. My main issue was, I like to work on cars when I can and I always have a itch for modifying a car no matter how it looks the first day I get my hands on it.
So when it came time to look for a new car I decided I didn’t want to mod the car and said I will get a car that has very little aftermarket support. A good friend suggested a TurboX due to its rareness and its specs which met my requirements (Manual with AWD). So I began shopping around and in Feb 09 I finally settled on the TurboX on my birthday (Best gift ever). I thought to myself, this car is great it’s a Saab so no one will have aftermarket parts for it and it looks spectacular! This will be my daily driver even though I commute thru downtown DC on a daily basis, I’ll drive a real manual until my knee won’t take it.
Fast forward three months I am enjoying my car driving it to my hearts content and then a raccoon decides it wants to inspect my FMIC.
So while in the shop being repaired, I decided I wanted the parts to be that Satin Black color like the GTR, I thought that it looked great and that’s where it all began. After that I looked into some other parts such as brake lines and getting Bluetooth working on the car etc. During this time also got to know International Saab my local dealership (www.imsaab.com)who hooked me up with a Hirsch Dash before Hirsch was even available in the US!
So now we are at different trim paint, stainless steel brake lines, and a Hirsch Dash. So much for finding a car that didn’t have any parts I could modify! After that I thought I needed to tinker with the exhaust to make it a bit louder so I decided to have a 3″ turbo back made at my local tuning shop. The result did yield a significant gain and the sound of the exhaust was a bit loud but superb. This past winter after a heavy snowstorm in the D.C. area I decided I want a dedicated winter set of wheels (TurboX wheels) and a dedicated high performance summer set (Something lightweight, but still stylish and could take a beating on the streets of D.C. as well as the occasional Autocross) so I went with some Forgestar F14 wheels after seeing them around on the internet.
While waiting for my wheels to be made I had gotten rear ended and decided it was time for some more upgrades. Tried to go the Hirsch route but unfortunately they were not available in the states yet so I went the MapTun route. Contacted Fredrik and ordered my carbon fiber diffuser as well as the front splitter/grille combo to replace my torn off one from the winter snow storm. Coupled with the wheels, my StopTech brake setup (Slotted 345mm) and 255/35/19 BFGoodrich KDW2’s my car is now ready again to have some fun over the summer!
I also did forget to mention that while I was shopping around for my TurboX in early 2009 I had a few other choices as well:
BMW M3 (E92)
Audi RS4
Mercedes C63 AMG
The issues with those were as listed below:
I wanted a proper gearbox (quoting Mr. Clarkson); some of the cars didn’t have them available at the time (or in general in the Mercedes case).
Did not want to take out 2 Jobs just to pay for the car.
Decided I wanted more All Wheel Drive instead of RWD.
Lastly, the most important factor: I have seen at least 5 of each car on a daily basis when you go to the posh parts of the D.C Area.
I love the Saab because it does represent individuality and stepping away from the norm. On a weekly basis I have about 5 people asking me about or just staring at my car to see if it’s still available for sale. I would love to say that I am a driving billboard because sooner or later the people who ask me about my car will work their way over to a dealership and go the Saab route.
This was my first Saab but certainly won’t be my last Saab (hopefully). Looking forward to meeting everyone in the community at one event or another!
This submission is a response to me sharing my story as to how I acquired my first Saab. It comes from Pierre B, who is not only a guy I consider to be a good friend, but is also the second hardest-working guy I know in the extended Saab family (after VM himself). Pierre is the Service Manager at Charles River Saab in Boston. If you know him, then you’ll know that what I say about his work ethic is true.
Many of you submitted your own stories in comments. If you’d like to share it here on the front page, please email me (insidesaabofficial-at-gmail.com) and send me your story, along with a few photos.
My thanks to Pierre for sending in the following….
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My wife, Sue, and I had worked at a Saab dealer since 1984, but didn’t purchase our first Saab until 1990. We had been content driving our Chevy’s and Hondas. At the time our first son was born in 1988 we had two Hondas, my wife’s CRX and my Civic Wagon. We swapped cars, and the wagon became the baby hauler. We had both worked with Saabs and liked them a lot, but they were always out of reach for us, and we were happy with our simple, fun and cheap Hondas.
By the time our second son was born a year later, safety became more or a priority than motoring on the cheap and easy, and much as I adored those Hondas they were cracker-boxes. A trade-in finally came our way which seemed a good Saab that we could afford. It was a 1984 900T 4-door 5-speed in Slate Blue, a tan cloth interior and 100,000 miles. It had a very dented door, which we had repaired, and required a bit of work to get it up to snuff (brakes, belts, ball joints, tires…) and other wise was really clean, solid and (in its day) fast.
Though today a six-year 100,000 mile Saab seems barely broken in to me, I was so concerned about damaging the car, especially the pinion bearing in the transmission, that I drove that car very gingerly in the early years. It was Sue’s car, though, so I only drove it on occasion. I do recall being in the car, as a passenger as we drove through Connecticut on I84, a road notorious for its speed traps, and noting that Sue was driving briskly, perhaps too much so. I glanced over and saw the speedometer at 80 mph. I commented that perhaps she was driving with excessive alacrity. “Saabs just don’t like to go 60 mph,” she replied.
Once we had that car, we were hooked. Our next Saab came in 1993, a 9000T, and I inherited the 900. Having realized that the 900 did not have to be treated like a China doll, it put in great service for me through ten years and 125,000 miles of ownership, at which point I sold it to another cellist who drove it another 20,000 miles or so. That was the only 4-door 900 I ever had, and the only 8-valve. It really did change the way we looked at cars. What started as a quest for safety became a passion, not only for me but also for Sue, and ultimately our kids.
I don’t have any digital images of the complete car at hand, but I did find this photo of the rear quarter, taken in 1990 with son Pascal playing in the trunk.
One of the members at the STCS forum noted a wonderful coincidence back on Friday, which of course, happened to be 11/11/11. I don’t know if he saw his odometer creeping up to this number in the lead-up to Friday and managed his mileage to get this to happen, or if he just had wonderful presence of mind as the magic moment took place, but this is a very good image capture with great timing.
My thanks to Michael for letting me post that serendipitous coincidence here on Inside Saab and also to Mioh for the tip 🙂
A story from earlier in the week prompted a few Saab purchase stories from the pre-internet days. Forgetting the internet for a moment, it’s always interesting to hear how people first get into Saabs.
I received one such story via email but I haven’t sought permission to share it here as yet. I’ll do that shortly. In the meantime, I thought I’d reminisce a little……
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The archives of my first Saab website, Trollhattan Saab, are out of action at the moment. If they were operating, you’d be able to read about my first Saab experience in a mid-1980’s Saab 9000 at 200kph. I’ll re-write it one day.
That experience, in the very early 1990s, got me thinking about Saab. I was in no position to buy one, but rather than lampooning them as I did with many European cars during my misguided youth, I started to look for them.
I finished my university studies at the end of 1997 and got married (first time) the year after. Let’s just say that my first wife was not exactly a car person and it took a reasonable amount of arm twisting and good behaviour before we had a consensus that it would be reasonable to start looking for a ‘fun car’ for me. She had a Toyota Corolla at the time and I had a rotating garage door that saw several different Fords and Holdens from my employer of the day – hardly inspiring stuff.
This was the late 1990s and there were quite a few Saabs advertised back then. Tasmania actually had one of the best per-capita Saab dealerships in Australia during the 1980s and early 1990s, so the local stocks were pretty good. I can remember testing a magnificent blue Saab 900 Turbo, with a blue velour interior. It was a very early model, perhaps 1980 or 1981 and I was stunned by how much fun it was to drive (it had been around six years since my first experience in the 9000 – a long time between drinks).
I also tested a Saab 9000 Turbo in Rose Quartz metallic, with a dark red interior. It was like being in a mobile gentlemans club. I loved it, but it was well out of my very shallow price range.
That consensus opinion led to me having an allocation of only a few thousand dollars, but I wasn’t discouraged. I ended up perusing the newspapers on Saturday mornings, when the local rags had their classified listings. One particular Saturday, a dismantler had an ad for a Saab 99 in the paper – a complete running car that he wanted to sell rather than break up.
The car turned out to be a red Saab 99E from around 1972. It had the blue badge on the silver grille and given that it was being sold by what we call a “wrecker” here in Australia, you can imagine that it wasn’t presented in pristine condition. In fact, it was filthy.
The dismantler did some mechanical work on the side and the owner of the car was an elderly lady who was a client of his. He’d worked on the car for a few years and assured us that it was in sound condition. Time for a test drive, then….
A little bit more context is needed at this point. Please remember that I’m talking about Tasmania in the late 1990s. The closest thing to a computer in my possession at that time was a first generation Playstation. I had no point of reference for an early Saab and scant knowledge of the company’s history. To me, based on the Saab 900 and 9000 Turbos I’d driven, all Saab were wonderfully well equipped and quite fast.
As it turned out, a 1972 Saab 99E with a single-carb, 1.85L engine and an automatic transmission is nothing like a turbocharged Saab 900 or 9000. The car was as slow as a wet week and I refer you to my earlier comments about its presentation. There wasn’t a lot to get excited about, to be honest.
BUT….. it had oodles of character and despite the problems getting it started, it did get down the road OK (eventually). I wasn’t getting the Saab experience that I’d counted on, but I was definitely getting a Saab experience. And after so many months of wanting a car to play around with, a car with character, I decided to negotiate a price and we eventually took the car home.
My first wife and I didn’t get along that well in the end, but the demise of our marriage had nothing to do with sub-standard cleaning skills. We got the little 99E home and proceeded to pull apart the interior and she worked absolute wonders in stripping the insides and cleaning up every little nook and cranny. I felt a little bit ashamed at how much more thorough she was, compared to what I would have been. I took care of the exterior and I have to say, the car shone like some sort of miniature Swedish fire engine by the time we were done with it. The transformation was absolutely amazing.
As mentioned earlier, this was right at the beginning of my professional career, post university, and well before the digital age that we enjoy now. Thus, there are no wonderful digital images for me to post here. Somewhere there are a couple of blurry images from my old 35mm camera, but I couldn’t find them for this piece.
It looked quite a bit like the one to the right, except it was the first year of the black-bumper models and had square headlamps instead of the round ones shown here. The car had a red velour interior and the headrests shown in that image (the funkiest headrests EVER!). There was no center console under the dashboard, which was great for spreading your feet out over longer distances.
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We had a pretty good, albeit short time with the little red 99. My now ex-wife took it to work one night and on the way home, she did some damage that seemed uneconomical to repair (this was not the reason for the separation and divorce, I might add).
In hindsight, I think we could have fixed it, but it would have meant pouring quite a bit of money that we didn’t have into a car that we didn’t really appreciate the true value of. If only I’d known then what I know now.
The demise of the Saab 99E saw my buy an Alfasud Sprint – another short-lived ownership story thanks to a terrible cooling system – and then my turbo journey began with my first Saab 99 Turbo.
But that’s a story for another time……
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If you’ve got a first-Saab purchase story to tell, please do get in touch. It’d be great to share a few more of these.
And pictures would be wonderful if you’ve got them 🙂
For this week, however, here’s a quick run down of some key Saaby stories on the web.
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Life with Saab has what I think is a good outsider analysis of what’s expected to be happening today at Saab. I wish there were more to give, but ‘radio silence’ is the buzzword right now and as always, I’m a good soldier.
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There is some news buzz floating around the web about salaries at Saab. I can pass on that money has been received under the government guarantee applicable for companies in reconstruction. This doesn’t cover the full month of October, however, and calculations are being made to distribute the funds equitably, which will be done ASAP. Arrears will also be made up as soon as funds are available.
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Just Saab, a dealership with two outlets in Ohio, USA, recently participated in an autocross day with a number of their customers.
Saabs United has the full story at that link, with pictures.
The results are here (Saab’s in a separate class). You’ll be amazed at how the 9-4x performed in the Saab group!
Sad for us, as we used to have a wonderful co-operation with them at motor shows, getting people to take photos of the Saab stand with the Xperia phones.
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And finally, a video mashup put together by Saablime that we’ve been liking for a while now.
