Date: 13 Nov 2002 21:53:07 GMT From: davehinznopsamcop.net Subject: Re: Best built recent Saab?
Someone who looks an awful lot like C Sutherland <cggsnopsam.demon.co.uk> wrote: > In article <aqtull$d12dc$4nopsam34476.news.dfncis.de>, > davehinznopsamcop.net writes >> >>A few months ago, I did some torque steer comparisons (finding none in >>each case, but different thread) between my classic Saabs, and my 1999 9-5. > I couldn't say that my c900T16s was free of torque steer. All part of > the fun. That was the only one I couldn't test - the 2-stroke and V4 Saabs are free of it, and the 9-5 is as well. My '88 900T got traded in the day I got the 9-5 so it's impossible for me to test that one. >>Just because it takes longer to build, doesn't mean that that time was >>adding value. The c900 was built as if it were designed in the 1960's, >>because in effect, it was. I'm not saying that's bad, I loved my c900. >>But, to survive in the 90's and beyond, you have to be smart about where >>you're spending your time. > Of course you do. It would have been madness for Saab to carry on > building an over-engineered obsolete design like the c900. Nothing wrong with overengineering... > The sadness > is that as manufacturers strive towards an ideal of safety, efficiency > etc the design converge towards a common identity. The only thing that > I'm trying to celebrate and obviously failing to communicate is how such > an ancient design can still be such a useable and enjoyable car in 2002 > and for pleasure of ownership to compare so favourably with its modern > replacement. I can't comment on the 9-5. I really liked my 900, but I really like my 9-5 too. Ask me again in a couple hundred thousand miles, and I'll be able to compare them. The feel is very much the same; I don't get that feel in a NG900 or a 9-3. >> Neither of us know enough details about the >>specific changes, so I'm not going to guess, but just because it's quicker >>to build doesn't mean it's less solid; those two things aren't related. > I wasn't trying to suggest they were. But the eccentricity of some > aspects of the design were part of the pleasure (apart from when it came > to repair them) If there's anything I don't like about my 9-5, it's that it's not saab-ish enough in appearance. > Probably the new cars are safer with their airbags and so on but > subjectively I still think the old cars had an indestructible heavy duty > feel which is essentially absent from the GM 9-3. I test drove a 9-3, and bought the 9-5. It's not a bad car, don't get me wrong, but for me, the 9-5 felt better and the extra room clinched it. Wish I could have it in a hatchback, though. >>Well, the fact that the deserved reputation of quality is getting out >>is hard to see as a bad thing... > For Saab it's great but didn't we used to enjoy driving a design that > was relatively uncommon? Since I'll never buy a new one I need then to > depreciate really badly. Selfish? Of course. I bought my 9-5 as a 3-year lease trade in, for exactly that reason. A 3 year old Saab, when you're going to keep it for a decade or more, is new enough. >>I really, really like my 9-5. > I'll be taking a close look at those once they age a bit and the prices > drop. They look good. Stay away from the V6, unless you're the sort who values piston count above all other factors. >>I think that the NG900 was a stop-gap design, >>and we're seeing the first real new smaller Saab in the new 9-3. > I think that's true. Shame they're not building a 5 door new 9-3. If you > want to carry an occasional sheep it'll be necessary to buy the estate > and they'll probably be scarce and overvalued on the used market. There are _so_ many places I could go with that statement, so I'm going to pass... >>...but, they'll never compare to driving a bull-nose two stroke 96 in the >>winter. > Never drove one in winter but the free wheel was fun. I don't know if it's because I was much younger and a bit over-enthusiastic, or if it just really did handle that much better, but the '62 96 that I drove for many winters, really was a snow machine. I could throw it around corners, left-foot braking, hand-brake steering, through snowdrifts much deeper than the ground clearance, and it just *went*. Best part was playing on unplowed roads after (or during) a snowstorm...had more than one chat with police officers who suggested that if I was going to play, they'd appreciate it if I'd play in a different township. I never pushed my c900 that hard in winter, but that might have to do with the fact that I paid a lot more money for it. We'll see how the 9-5 does; I've got my good snowtires on now (Nokian NR-Q's), and am waiting for the snow... Dave
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