1985-1998 [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
I didn't have any cars before SAABs, except my parents' cars. Nevertheless,
here's the rundown of the cars my wife and I have owned, in the order in which I owned them. I have always owned at least one SAAB, with some other brands sneaking in now and then as our second car:
1964 SAAB 96 - bought new - a great car, particularly in winter - sold me on the winter advantages of front-wheel drive. Killed in a crash at only 120,000 miles.
1956 VW bug - bought used - oval rear window, single speed wipers, but the single most trouble-free car I've ever owned,and it was 12 years old when I bought it!
1969 SAAB 99 - bought new - first year of the 99 - taught me never to buy a new car in its first year! The cylinder walls in two cylinders of the English (Triumph) made engine had never received their final finishing, so they tore the piston rings apart in 2500 miles. The cylinder head warped at 3000 miles, allowing anti-freeze into the cylinders. Top motor mount broke about every 10-12,000 miles - top motor mount was eliminated the next year.
1959 SAAB 93F - bought used for $200, with a bad transmission. Bought a used transmission for $25 from another SAAB owner, my wife and I removed the engine WITHOUT an engine lift (those little 3-cylinder, 2-stroke engines weren't very heavy), replaced the transmission, and put the engine back in ourselves in our driveway! The best winter SAAB I've ever owned, bar none! Even better in snow and ice than my '64 96.
1971 SAAB 99 2-door - bought new - suffered from the weak gearbox of early 99s - 2 rebuilds required in its 160,000 mile life with me.
1967 SAAB 95 - bought used - SAAB's first station wagon, based on the 93/96 sedan. Free-revving, emission-control-free V-4 engine, combined with the 4-speed trans, made this car very responsive and a delight to drive. Plus, as a wagon, it was practical! What a combination! This combination of driving fun and practicality was what defined SAABs for me. This car could even carry 7 people, with its fold-away third rear-facing seat. Can't do that with your 9-5 wagon!!
1971 Mercedes 240 Diesel sedan - bought used - the most expensive car to maintain I've ever owned, and grossly underpowered - absolutely no fun to drive. Got rid of it after owning for 1 year.
1974 BMW 2002 - bought used - very reliable, trouble-free & low maintenance costs, a fun car to drive on dry pavement; worthless on snow or ice, and not nearly as comfortable as a SAAB 99 on trips.
1973 SAAB 96 - bought used - final year for the 96, although I bought it used in '77. In its last year, the V-4 engine suffered from emission controls that robbed it of a lot of its former responsiveness. Still a fun car to drive, though.
1977 SAAB 99GL 5-door (rear hatch) - bought new - my first 99 with more than 2 doors. Very practical design, although the "opera" windows in the C-pillers looked somewhat weird on a SAAB. My first SAAB with air conditioning (an add-on unit that looked added on! There was no factory air on 99s).
1979 SAAB 99GL 2-door - bought used - lighter weight + 2.0 liter engine = responsive and lots of fun to drive. The 2-door 99 was the closest SAAB ever got to duplicating the "fun to drive" quotient of the old 96. First wife got this car when we divorced.
1984 SAAB 900 3-door - bought new - not as fun to drive as the 99, but more comfortable and better interior design. True "factory" air conditioning system. Ratios on the 5-speed trans took some getting used to after my 99s' 4-speeds.
1989 SAAB 900S 3-door -bought new - my favorite of my classic 900s, because of the 16-valve engine and the sunroof. Hated the automatic seat belts, though.
1986 Honda Accord 3-door (hatchback)(wife's car)- bought used - drop dead reliable, but I never felt safe in it like in my SAAB. Seating too low, seats never fit me right.
1986 Volvo 240 wagon - bought used to replace my wife's '86 Honda, due to our safety concerns over the Honda. A good car, but the air conditioning in the summer couldn't keep up. Somewhat gutless to drive.
1991 SAAB 9000 (base) - bought used - this was a SAAB "executive" car that I bought at the end of the 1991 model year. Nice car, but not enough power with the auto trans. Very reliable, relatively low cost repairs.
1993 Volvo 240 wagon - bought new. The last year of the 240, and Volvo finally got everything right on this model. Auto trans was very responsive in first and second gear combined with the 2.3 liter engine; limited slip differential made it almost as trouble-free in the snow as my SAAB; air conditioning had been improved so it would freeze you out on high. I really liked this car, with its chair-high front seats and old fashioned height, you sat almost as high as a minivan driver. There was a simplicity and practicality about the Volvo 240 wagon that reminded me of the simplicity of earlier SAABs. I liked this car so much that it became my daily driver, and my wife drove the SAAB 9000. I still wish I had the Volvo's chair-high seats in my SAAB.
1996 Dodge Grand Caravan - bought new - my first American car!! With four kids, the Volvo wagon wasn't big enough for "soccer Mom" duty, so we bit the bullet and got a minivan. This car surprised me with its responsiveness and its comfort and spaciousness. It's no SAAB on the road, but it rides like a limousine on the highway, and is quieter at 70 mph than my '96 9000. It will hold almost anything. It has been very reliable for 50,000 miles, and its scheduled maintenance costs are only 30% of the same service on the SAAB. Not particularly fun to drive, but it is VERY practical, which is why most people buy minivans.
1996 SAAB 9000CS - bought used in 1998 (love those low resale prices on SAABs) with 19,000 miles. The low-pressure turbo solves all of the power problems that my '91 9000 had. Auto trans had to be replaced (done under warranty) at 37,000 miles, which is a bit soon, even for the notoriously unreliable 9000 ZF automatic. Don't like the body styling as much as the original 9000 design (the rear is particularly awkward, I think), but I'm inside the car most of the time and don't have to look at it. This car is very nice, very practical with the hatchback, but the old "fun-to-drive" factor is missing - maybe it's because of the auto trans, although I think it's more than that. The latest SAABs, at least the 9000 and 9-5, seem to try to isolate you from the road, while the earlier SAABs tried to connect you with it. I miss that connection.
Don't know what I'll buy next. It won't be soon, though; both the Dodge and the SAAB are paid for, and I plan to keep them both for ten years if possible to save up for college for my kids!
, Mon, 4 Dec 2000 15:16:51
, Mon, 4 Dec 2000 13:07:18
, Mon, 4 Dec 2000 10:36:02
, Mon, 4 Dec 2000 01:09:32, Mon, 4 Dec 2000 14:48:15, Tue, 5 Dec 2000 12:03:26
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