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Date: 15 Nov 1999 18:47:56 GMT
From: Geoff Hughes <ghnopsam.pagesz.net>
Subject: Re: 9-3 not a performance car?


Gavin- Thanks to you and everyone who emailed my privately- these are the kinds of threads I really wanted to see in this newsgroup. I really like my 9-3 SE, I just hadn't heard anyone in this newsgroup share any cool performance stories, or descriptions of canyon runs or scooting through the twisties. I hope this thread can continue to draw some enthusiasts out of hiding! Geoff Gavin Haslett <thumper_svxnopsamo.com> wrote: : Well... actually you'll tend to find that Saab enthusiasts ARE driving : enthusiasts too... they're often the same people who were going to buy a : BMW from across the road but wanted to look a little different on the : road. : I don't know much about the 9-3... I've never even driven one (except a : test-drive in a Viggen... WOOOHOOO!!!), but my 1996 900SEt is definitely : a driving enthusiast's car. The suspension is taut enough for spirited : handling, but gives enough to give you a good ride... I think you'll : find the tires are the cause of your issues rather than the suspension. : I seem to recall finding the ride mushy when I had Michelins on... then : I got some Falkens I hated and recently got some Z-rated Fulda's which I : find give me a perfect balance of handling and ride. : I love nothing more on the weekends than packing up my family into my : Saab with maybe a picnic lunch in the trunk, then cruising down the : twisties in the boonies of Illinois and Missouri with the windows open : and the sunroof cranked open, throwing the car into corners and : accelerating down straightaways with a manic grin on my face. Of course, : whether my family appreciates it as much as me is a matter of some : debate ;) : I personally came down to a toss-up between a BMW 325i and a : 900SE Turbo... both the same model year and similarly equipped. While : I agree at first the turbo lag was a little disappointing in the 900, : I found that once it spooled up I got the feeling that the Saab could : accelerate forever. The BMW like most normally aspirated cars began to : feel breathless at 40 or 50mph... not really out of performance but : starting to feel the pinch of not being able to get enough air. Handling : was a coin-toss between the two despite the crappy Michelins on the 900. : When test-driving both cars I made sure I told the dealership I would be : gone for at least an hour... and that I was going to take it on a test : drive on roads I knew well. If they disagree... well there's enough : competition in both markets in St. Louis that I could go to another : dealership and told them as much. : On driving both cars I found that the 325i was a capable car... good : around town and very nice handling. However, it wasn't without its : problems. Despite many people claiming BMW are the perfect drivers : cars... there was something about it I really didn't warm to. There was : also the fact that during the test drive I remember seeing a BMW at : every corner and every stop-light. Coming from a Subaru SVX to that made : me feel odd because you NEVER see another SVX unless it's someone you : know! Anyway, I still seriously considered it. : The 900 was actually harder to warm up to at first... mostly because the : first 6 miles from the dealership were town-road miles. While the engine : felt good (and you gotta LOVE that deep exhaust note), it paled in : off-the-line performance next to the 325 I'd driven just the previous : day. Actually it paled next to my SVX too. Handling-wise though it was : at least as good as the BMW. I also found the seats to be a LOT more : comfortable in the Saab... more supportive on my back (which I do have : problems with), and easy to get comfortable in. Getting out on the : highway though was a revelation! I floored it on an up-hill on-ramp and : found myself launching into orbit. That's what it felt like anyway. : Constant and unflappable acceleration all the way up to 85... which I : only slowed down because I realized I was actually on a 60mph stretch of : highway! ;) Anyway, I found passing power to be excellent and I've yet : to feel as if my Saab was "out of breath"... except maybe on initial : launch before the turbo spools. : I have to say that as both a Saab and a driving enthusiast... the Saab : changed me a little in what I looked for in a car. It definitely sold me : on the merits of forced induction... and thus my latest vehicle in : addition to the Saab is a Pontiac Grand Prix GTP... supercharged V6. Not : half the car the Saab is... and definitely not as comfortable seats... : but still a damned fine car in its own right... and much cheaper to fix : than either the Saab or a BMW!!! : Sorry for the long rant... just wanted to get my point across. The Saab : IS an enthusiast's car... never doubt it. : -- : Gavin Haslett : thumper_svxnopsamo.com : http://www.geocities.com/thumper_svx : "Ahhhh... Mountain Dew... nectar of the geeks!" -- Geoff Hughes ghnopsamsz.net http://www.pagesz.net/~gh

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