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Date: Sun, 29 Oct 2000 18:18:37 -0000
From: "Tony" <tonynopsamatt60.freeserve.co.uk>
Subject: Re: SAAB manual or Auto transmission


> I'm not sure whether you're talking about the actual gearboxes fitted > to the cars, or the driving experience with one fitted. I've got a '92 > 9000CS 2.3T. I bought it used without having driven an automatic > before. It was a very strange experience. If you drive hard or are > intending buying a turbo model then I'd go for the manual. The reason > being if you are accelerating out of a roundabout or bend, the > unpredictable combination of both automatic kick-down and turbo boost > can be pretty disconcerting..... That said, if you want a mellow > cruiser then the automatic is fine. > Dave > > I've got the same engine and gearbox combination and this is how I run with it. 1. If coming up to overtake on an open road I manually slip out of Drive and down one or two gears, depending upon speed I'm going, and get the revs up before I need them, then if I need to push on I'm a good half a second to a second closer to the turbo rush, after which most problems are behind you. Same goes for interesting roads, just because it'll run the gears for me doesn't mean I have to get lazy. 2. In town I don't bother with any fun and games, and just waffle around taking my time to enjoy things. I did play with the gears for a while but to be honest the 2.3 has enough torque, even without the boost, to lug me about pretty speedily compared to most others, unless they're playing silly B****** in which case I'm perfectly happy for them to be the first to the scene of the accident. 3. Roundabouts, hmm haven't had a problem - but then again I'm probably being a bit boring with the throttle, where I live roundabouts = urban = why bother? For what It's worth I'm in the Scottish Highlands and for cruising the long distances I occasionally do (trip to the outlaws and back = 1100 miles, business trip is a minimum of 260 miles return) on mostly single carriageway roads the 2.3T is about perfect, and to be fair the gearbox would be in top most of the time anyway. In comparison, I used to have a 900 T16 Manual and my wife has a 9000 2.0 Manual. So I suppose "I'm lazy but don't mind getting involved in the process when the mood takes me" sums the experience up for me now. If you're into the hand foot coordination thing big time then a turbocharged car (especially a 9000 whose chassis is not what I'd call a piece of engineering excellence for a car pretending to the executive class) probably isn't going to do it for you. I'm putting the money I saved by buying a very cheap big car to one side to fund a similarly second hand Range Rover for the wife (and the winter) and a Caterham 7 of some sort for myself (and the summer). Only real caveat I'd pass on the auto box is that you need to check the age, early 90's autos self destructed regularly (as has been mentioned here many times). Check it's got a full service history, check the oil, the usual things. Remember if it's priced as a bargain it probably isn't and there are always others out there. Take a few test drives to get familiar with the feel. You'll be spending a lot of time in the car, why stint yourself to 20 mins before shelling out your hard earned. Best of luck Cheers Tony

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