ownership Archives - Page 4 of 5

Bare Naked Saabing

A good friend of mine named Pierre Belperron works at Charles River Saab, one of the top Saab dealers in the US. Occasionally, Pierre also writes articles on their company blog.

I post a collection of notable reading in a weekly post here at Inside Saab that I call Saabosphere. This article was so good that I asked Pierre’s permission to post it here in full.

The article arose because two of Pierre’s sons, Marcel and Pascal, have just finished building a Saab rally car that they’ll run in a hillclumb event this weekend in the US.

I hope you enjoy Pierre’s article as much as I did. If you could ‘bottle’ the essence of being a Saab nut into one article, this is pretty close to what you might write. Make sure you bookmark the CRSaablog – it’s well worth reading.

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I am, by nature and training, a deconstructionist. I enjoy the intellectual rigor of examining a situation, problem or thing and dissecting it into its component parts. This is helpful when one is not overly bright, for it affords me the ability to analyze situations I would otherwise find baffling. Much of my time at conservatory was spent doing this sort of analysis, on both music (I am one of those few freaks who actually enjoyed music theory and analysis and took every course I could) and performance at the instrument. People of immense talent and genius do not do this; they don’t have to.

When assessing the driving experience of a car, there is, of course, how said car feels in total. This is very important. I also like to look past that and gauge my reaction to the various systems. However, as cars have become more integrated, more digital, more “of a piece,” this has become increasingly challenging. Thus it was with great analytical interest that I approached my first drives in the newly unleashed 1985 Saab SPG Hillclimb car built by sons Marcel and Pascal for the Climb to the Clouds race at Mount Washington.

Construction of this car essentially involved stripping it to a shell, throwing away everything that doesn’t contribute to making the car go, stop or corner, and then putting it back together again. Sunroof? Gone. Power windows? Gone. Stereo, comfy seats, heater, AC, insulation, door panels and cruise control? All gone. After being taken to the car’s essence, there are some additions: this is a race car, not an exercise in automotive asceticism. Hence, better suspension, lots of go fast stuff on the engine, racing seats and a full roll cage are fitted. Is it like driving a 900? Unmistakably.

While the ignition key assembly between the seats is gone, the array of switches to activate various circuits, and the pushbutton starter, are all on a custom console in its place. Nice touch. Once started, the exhaust note, amplified from the large exhaust and absence of sound deadening inside the car is unmistakably 900 turbo. Sitting in a racing seat is not. I adore Saab seats, and while the Sparco seat and 5 point harness aren’t bad, even after 90 minutes in the car, I missed my real Saab seat. Another thing I missed was the 900 smell (every C900 owner knows what I mean). Apparently that does reside in the fabrics, and not in the bones of the car. Once I pulled off, the driving experience was at once familiar.

I was immediately at home in this minimalist 900. Delicious clutch (even with upgraded bits), strong brakes, wonderful steering, and handling that was completely predictable and sure footed, even on modest street tires. When I think back to my parents’ first new car, I recall that it had no radio, a rubber floor mat, crank windows, and not much else. So it was with the SPG. It got me to thinking—do we really need all that junk in a car? I realize that this SPG is not a viable daily driver if only for the noise level, even with ear plugs, and I’m talking road-noise, not exhaust.. When you get rid of all the toys—the NAV, the audio system, the sunroof, the SID, the trip computer, the cruise control…..the only thing you’re left with is driving. Now there’s a novel thing to focus on in a car! It’s like removing all the sauce and stuff on a plate and having just the piece of meat and eating it unadorned. This may not be for everyone, but a real meat lover will like nothing better. Thus, I found myself, even when loafing along on the highway in the right lane in the SPG, very much enjoying the experience.

Could I drive a bare-naked car every day? Almost. A C900, which I drive now, isn’t that far removed when compared to a modern car, so I think I could. I would want to keep some insulation, normal seats, and a heater and defroster are a must. I do like a sunroof but could live without one. Likewise I could also do without power windows, locks, cruise control, AC and carpeting. Yes, I would also like to have a radio and clock. But not much else.

The realization in all this to me was that if you like a car, then reduce that car to its bones and still like it, then you know that your passion for the car is deep-rooted and goes to that car’s essence. Toys and luxuries are nice to have, but applied to an uninspiring set of bones is like (pardon me here) putting lipstick on a pig. I bet that a lot of Saab drivers would feel the same. Take a Lexus, say, and strip it down and ask Lexus owners what they think. I bet the reaction would be a bit different. I believe that many Saab drivers would love driving a Saab sans accoutrements—not that they’d give them up for good—and this may be why we are so passionate about these cars.

Poll: If you could change one thing about today’s Saabs, what would it be?

A few weeks ago we gave you a magic wand and asked what Saab from the past you’d recreate today, brand new from the factory, if you had the chance. The Saab 900 was the overwhelming winner.

Today we’re asking you what particular area of today’s Saab vehicles would you improve if you could break out the magic wand once again. You can only choose one area, so pick carefully.

Yes, we could theoretically have an interior lined with the fur of bear cubs who are certified 100% happy to give their skins for Saab motorists, but then someone would have to pay for the bear psychologist, the certification program, the bear farm and the costs of fighting the various court challenges that would arise from such a program. That’s a rather extreme example, but the purpose is to illustrate that anything’s possible, at the right price.

At Saab, we take all the steps we reasonably can to produce a total vehicle package that will satisfy all of our customers needs and expectations, one that will fulfill the requirements of our brand pillars at the expected price range.

We always look for ways to improve, though. This is an opportunity for you to indicate which would be the first priority for you. The poll is open.

[poll id=”7″]

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Poll – Do you name your Saab?

I’ve done this before and I’ll probably do it again….

The first car I can remember is my grandfather’s brown mid-60’s Holden. It’s a little strange that that’s the first car I can remember because I would have travelled to my grandparents’ home – the only place I would have seen it – in my own parents’ car and yet I have no recollection whatsoever as to what they would have been driving at that time. I do remember Pa’s Holden, though.

The second car that I can remember clearest from my childhood is a Morris 1100 that was owned by my sister. She would have bought the 1100 when I was around 6 years old. It was white, had red vinyl seats and I used to ride in it everywhere because I never let my sister go anywhere without me (which must have been miserable for the guy who is now my brother-in-law 🙂 ). She called the car Bugalugs.

Despite this, I don’t come from a family of car-namers and I’ve never given one of my own cars a name, either. The only inanimate object that I’ve ever named is a bass guitar, which I called Veronica because of the big “V” at the top of the headstock. As far as I know, Bugalugs is the only car owned by our particular branch of the Wade family that’s ever had a name and I’m sure it was just a teenage phase and the novelty of a first car that made my sister do it.

Nevertheless, I’ve known other car-namers. A friend of mine owns a Saab 95 wagon in yellow that used to be known as “Sally Sunday” by its previous owner. And I’ve lost count of the number of people I’ve heard calling their Saab by the name “Saabrina”.

A simple poll, then…..

Do you name your car? Or not? And because it’s so common, do you name your car Saabrina?

Other names and explanations can be posted to comments if you wish. I’m sure there are some entertaining stories out there about names given (and if the story’s a little too personal – nudge, nudge, wink, wink – please remember this is a family site and keep it to yourself. Thanks).

[poll id=”6″]

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Results will be published next weekend, along with a few of the comments if they’re deemed entertaining 🙂

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Poll wrap – How long have you been a Saab owner?

I didn’t want to let this week end without noting the fantastic response received to the poll posted earlier in the week – How long have you been a Saab owner?

We had over 1,200 votes in the poll and what was remarkable to me was that almost 10% of respondents had owned Saabs for over 30 years. The #1 and #2 results were 6-10 years and 0-3 years, indicating the impact of the 9-5 and 9-3 Sport Sedan over that period. There are things that we should be thankful towards GM for.

I’d also like to acknowledge the wonderful comments and stories left in response to the poll. Many of you had great tales to tell and wonderful collections over the years. I already featured Xavier’s story of leaving and coming back to Saab on the site, but here’s a few more from the poll results:

Kurt Krauss, whose 19-Saab journey since 1980 has come full circle with the recent purchase of a 1980 Saab 900.
Kef107 who took Euro delivery of a Saab 99 in 1972 and has had around 10 since, with another Euro delivery thrown in. Currently driving a Merc, but we’ll get him back 😉
Tim Winker’s first car being a 2-stroke 1960 Saab 93F bought for $250
Evan H, who avoided losing his girlfriend in 1960 when she said she wouldn’t go out with him if he bought a Volkswagen. He bought a Saab and they’ve been married for 51 years!
Andreas P, who has only been driving 18 months and has already bought two Saabs (it’s addictive, isn’t it?)

I also had a few emails come in about the subject, like the one from B. Steiner here in Sweden. A fantastic story that goes right back to the roots of the company:

The story begins 1947 when I happened to get sight of a test-car of the very first SAAB 92 which was parked in a street in my neighbourhood. I found the shape of the car to be so very different from other cars on the market. I became so fond of what I saw so I said to myself that such a car must be mine as soon as I was allowed to drive and could afford to buy one. I was only 14 years old at the time.

The time went by and 1954 became the first year when my dream to drive a SAAB 92 became a real possibility. The local SAAB dealer needed people to drive home sold cars from Trollhättan about 150 kilometers away. He asked me if I was interested and of course I was. This “sidejob”, I had earlier the same year been employed as a police officer, lasted until my desire to buy a SAAB became reality. On October 21 1957 my wife and I became proud owners of a brand new SAAB 93B. Ever since then we have been faithful to the brand and have had the great pleasure to be owners to several 96 two-stroke and V4, 99, 900, 9000, 9-5 and finally 9-3, all new. Besides them we have had a number of used cars, SAAB 92, 93 as well as 96 two-stroke and V4. We have still a 93B from 1959 which we bought 34 years ago, still going strong.

I tell you, the stories around this company never cease to amaze me.

Apologies to all those not listed. They were all great stories and there’s too many to list here, but I wanted to give people just a taste in the event they hadn’t read through the 40+ comments themselves.

We know here at Saab that we have a very loyal and engaged customer base. We also know that we have to fight for you and work hard to keep your loyalty. I can assure you that the sense of urgency has never been higher here in Trollhattan. We want to win you over, win you back and bring some of your friends along for the ride as we create a whole bunch of new memories for people to share in the future.

Thanks for participating. We’ll have another poll on site over the coming weekend.

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Saab 9-5 SportCombi – what a model!

I love it when Saab fans come up with creative ways to enjoy their love of the vehicles we make.

Rolic is a Saab owner from Latvia and he recently posted a series of photos showing what he hopes to be his next car – a Saab 9-5 SportCombi – which he made from LEGO(tm)

In Rolic’s own words…..

This is a custom made LEGO SAAB 9-5 Wagon model. After creating my wifes one of the favorite cars in LEGO interpretation, I thought it is time to build a model of my favourite car. As some of you may already know, I am a fan of SAABs. I drive one currenty (9000 CS) and I wish my next car to be a SAAB too.. particulary this one – 9-5 Wagon.

I love the creativity and the execution.

My thanks to Rolic for permitting me to share it here on Inside Saab.

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How long have you owned a Saab? One man's story….

I posted a poll late last week asking people how long they’d been a Saab owner. I’ll get to the results of that poll tomorrow, but first I want to thank everyone for their input in comments. There were some wonderful Saab stories there.

I’ve picked out one in particular and contacted the writer seeking his permission to post here on the front page. It’s a wonderful story that I think a few people will relate to. An early connection, a hiatus, some classic Saabs and a new one as well. It caught my eye and I thought a few of you might enjoy it too.

The writer’s name is Xavier and I thank him for sharing his story on site.

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Hello from France,

I bought my first SAAB in Denmark, at Kobenhavn in 1990. It was a new white 900 T16 (175ch) 3-door combi. A few years later I bought a white 1990 convertible T16-S (185ch) at 90,000 km. I was so proud with my 2 white Saabs. Unfortunately, my wife had a accident with the coupé because of the cat in 1997 and I had a big accident with the convertible on the peripherique of Paris on a winter sliding morning in 2003. We also had a 900 T16 sedan for some time but I did not like it very much and sold it. So after this, I had no more Saabs, nor any cars at all. I bought a Peugeot 406 V6. Although it was good car, I could not get used to it for reasons I can’t explain with my poor English (you’re doing fine, your English is a gazillion times better than my French – SW). I sold it for a Mercedes C220, which I then sold for a Mercedes R280.

At this time, I did not like the new “products” of Saab. It was GM with a Saab logo. What I like in Saab is to drive a different car and GM was just making ordinary cars that were so similar to the other cars. With a 900, people are a fan or they hate it. There is no between!

I knew that I would buy a 900 one day and I heard that Saab was about to disappear, so I woke up and I bought a 900 T16-S convertible at the end of 2009. I sold the Mercedes and bought a 900 T16-S 3-door combi at the beginning of 2010. They are both dark grey and from 1991. Last summer, we went to Italy with the convertible. It was just great. The children, who are 12 & 10 years old, love the car!

And to finish, I bought the new Saab 9-5 Aero 220ch Biopower last November. Although this car is born under GM period, we can feel the Saab spirit blowing! The windshield and other details have the 900 as a reference. I really love the line and what a pleasure to be at the wheel!

So, now I have 3 Saabs. Maybe the beginning of a collection…

Xavier

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And here are Xavier’s Saabs. Definitely a collection, if you ask me, and a very fine collection, too. Click to enlarge.

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My car hunt is over….

As well as covering the corporate stuff on this website, I’ve also been covering a little of my personal journey as an Australian Saab fan relocating to Sweden and getting to grips with life at Saab.

One of my personal quests was to buy a Saab in Sweden so that I could proudly park it in the mothership’s car park, as well as taking in the beautiful surrounds in one of Scandinavia’s finest.

One of the criteria for this quest was to pick up something that I couldn’t easily get back home in Australia. I’d have to say that I’ve failed on that account and will have to keep it in mind for another acquisition in the future. I’d really hoped for a Saab 99 Turbo, but they come up for sale so infrequently here and the examples in good condition command prices that were beyond my budget.

A compromise was therefore in order, and what a delicious compromise it’s turned out to be.

Acquired last Sunday with the help of one of my colleagues at Saab (thanks Ingvar!), this is my new (to me) Saab 900 S turbo. It was built in 1991 and has a low pressure turbo 16-valve engine making 145hp and around 200Nm of torque. It has a cloth interior, no electric anythings and no sunroof. Quite the humble car, then.

What it does have is a great engine and gearbox and in this land of salted snowy winter roads, very little rust. There’s just one wheel arch to be cleaned of metal cancer and repainted.

Those who know me and my motoring history will know that my cars don’t necessarily remain in the same condition as when acquired for very long. I’ll be seeking to do the rust repairs fairly shortly and then I’ll quite possibly call on one of Sweden’s tuning houses to add a little bit of ‘personality’. It won’t be a red rocket, but hopefully it’ll have enough juice to put some steam in your strides.

As you can see, I’m one very happy camper.

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Poll: How long have you been a Saab owner?

In this week’s poll, I’m interested to find out whether you’re new to Saab, or if you’ve owned Saabs for a long time. We know that we have a lot of passionate long-term Saab fans out there, but it would be interesting to know the spread amongst the readers here at Inside Saab.

UPDATE – There’s been some talk in comments on how to interpret the question. The intention when I wrote it was based on “when did you get your first Saab” and calculating the time from then until now. Of course, if you bought your first one in the 1970’s and had non-Saabs for 20 year between then and now, you may want to take off the non-Saab years from the total. In that case, you might want to fill out the story in comments (as some have already done.

Please click away, and if you’d like to share more about your ownership experience (e.g. the number of Saabs you’ve owned, the models, your first Saab) then the comments section is open.

[poll id=”4″]

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Swadeology: Updating the car dilemma

I’ve written few times here about my own personal automotive situation. It’s an interesting conundrum for the devoted Saab fan living in Sweden – there are so many Saabs here that are hard to get elsewhere, and usually at pretty good prices, too. Which model to choose?

Adding to the dilemma is the fact that I absolutely hate not having a car. I bought my first ever car several months before my 18th birthday, the date when I was first eligible to sit my licence test. That little blue Holden Gemini (there, I admitted it) tortured me with daily invitations to see new, exotic places as it sat there in my driveway.

Surprisingly, I’ve grown somewhat accustomed to catching the bus to work in the morning, though missing the bus by a minute (which happened today) exposes the frustrations of public transportation. Not having a car also means that you can’t get to the bigger supermarkets outside of the city, you can’t get down to Ikea to pick up the one or two things that you need for your flat, and you can’t easily get around to visit friends in the area (which is even more important when you’re new in town).

My budget is 30,000 SEK, around A$5K and whilst there’s a fair bit on offer – I can theoretically pick up anything from a 9-5 SportCombi down depending on age – there’s only a few cars that are rare enough to pop up on my radar, which I think I’ve covered adequately in previous posts.

The one criterion of particular importance for me is to get something that’s a bit more difficult to get elsewhere, especially back home in Australia. As much as I love our Saab 9000 back at home, I’m not going to pick one of those up as my main personal car here (maybe I’ll reconsider that in winter). It’s got to be something that I’d find difficult, if not impossible, to access back at home. It doesn’t have to be a car that was never sold back home – I’m not looking for a 600, for example, as cool as it might be – but it should be an edition that was particular to Sweden, or one that is hard to get unless you’re here.

My first try was with a 1971 Saab 99. The silver-bumper models with the Triumph engines are very rare back at home. I spotted one for sale a few weeks ago and even structured some international travel around having the ability to go and inspect it. Sadly, it didn’t work out. There were some concerns about a leaking gasket and more importantly, concerns about the ability to fix it without stripping the head bolts.

It looked just like this one…..

I was devastated. I really loved that car and it looked even better in person that what it did in the photos – inside and out. It even had the seal of approval from Mrs Swade, who considered it “a cutie” and appreciated the fact that it would be more difficult for me to drive too fast in such a vehicle.

Last week I had a close encounter with one of my other most-wanted dream Saabs – an Acacia Green Saab 99 Turbo. It would have been a miracle had a purchase come about in this instance, but it was worth a try.

The car wasn’t actually up for sale. I just noticed it one day on the way to work and left a note on the windscreen the next day. To my surprise, the owner contacted me and we met the next day to take a look over the car and check out just how interested we both were in a deal. I was very interested, but it seems 99Turbos really are attracting a premium here in Sweden now and I didn’t have enough funds in the budget.

This is not the car, but it looks the same…

That was particularly disappointing for me as a 99 Turbo really was a priority on my list. I could spend more time and accumulate some more money, but there are other unique options for less and getting the 99T suddenly seems like a matter that would confer responsibilities that I’m not sure I could meet in terms of preservation, housing, etc.

A new option has popped up. I’ll be looking at it this Sunday, all going well. It’s turbocharged, it looks pretty darn good and best of all, the owner seems like an absolute Saab nut. He’s only selling it because he’s just bought a Saab 900 Aero with only 30,000km on the clock and needs to make room for it. It’s a limited edition and it’s well kitted out, even if the performance is a little less than what I usually go for.

Will I get it?

That, of course, depends on the condition of the car when I see it on the weekend. It seems to tick almost all of the boxes, though. From the description and photos that I’ve seen, it seems to be a very likely candidate. All I can do is cross my fingers, inspect the car and see what it’s like. Hopefully I’ll be in a position to share some photos with you on Sunday evening!

A few Saab stories to warm you up

Greetings from Hong Kong! I’m on my way back to Australia for a week or so. It’ll be great to be home again.

We had a cold snap in Trollhattan just before I left. I had to walk to the bus stop amongst falling snow a few days ago. Snow!! In May!!?? I guess we’re not in Kansas anymore….

Anyhow, given that I’m now slightly out of touch with what’s going on there in Trollywood (until I get home, at least), I thought I’d share a few stories I’ve heard over the last week or so. Being in Saab’s home town, you get to meet a few people who have been around the company for a long, long time. Even if they don’t work there, they still seem to be part of the Saab family simply because they’ve got so much shared history with the company and its people.

I’ve met a few people like that recently. One of them I’d like to meet again, with my camera, so that I can take a few photos and share his story properly.

Others have shared a few short stories, which I’d like to pass on here because they made me laugh, made me smile, just made me feel good.

The first one comes from taxi driver yesterday. He’s been doing the corporate run between Trollhattan and Landvetter airport for too many years to remember and he told me a bunch of stories yesterday. The one I’d like to share is more like a quote than a story.

We were talking about the recent troubles at Saab and he said

“I tend to see Saab the same as I see my grandson. He never knew that he couldn’t swim, so he just went in and started swimming. Saab are the same. They can’t imagine that they can’t survive, so they just do.”

How true.

The second is another short snippet about the Saab 99 and the effects it had on people back in its day. I was at dinner a few nights ago and talking with a guy who I’d guess would be in his early-mid 50s now. He was a youngster in the late 1960s when the Saab 99 was released and his father was choosing between that and something new that Volvo had released at the time.

He chose the Saab and ended up getting a new one most years from the early 1970s onwards.

Around 1972, the family had their new 99 and they went on a trip from Sweden down to Austria and Germany. When they pulled into a service area in Germany to fill up the car and stretch their legs, everyone – everyone – in the service area came over to look at the Saab. They were particularly curious about one item. Everyone wanted to see…….

……..those fantastic new headlamp washers and wipers in action!

The car was a hit everywhere they went and I guess it cemented the Saab-buying habit in the family. A few years later, they bought a 99EMS and my friend had just got his driver’s licence. Naturally, he tried to borrow his father’s car whenever he could.

“It became very easy to offer the girls a lift in that car and have them accept……”

🙂

Saab – inspiring people and easing them into relationships since 1947………

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