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I have been reading the postings at this site all week and I just wanted to say hello. I think it is great that SAAB owners have a forum for swapping ideas and asking questions.
I just picked up my new 9-3 SE two weeks ago as of today. It is black with dark grey interior. I changed my mind on color selection 3 times. I was going to get the steel grey metallic (first with beige, then with grey) but I am really glad I got the black / grey. SAAB could not have selected a better shade of grey (in my humble opinion). It is almost taupe-like with a warm "tone" which is much better than the cold, bleak black interior that I had in my second to last car.
So far I am really impressed with this car. I have owned two BMWs, an infinity, several Volkswagens and an Acura Legend (not to mention a few others). If you were to judge a car strictly based on handling characteristics, steering "feel" and shift "feel" I would have to say that a BMW is the ultimate drivers car (once again in my humble opinion)...BUT I find that I enjoy driving this car more than any car I have owned. The factors that make a car fun to drive cannot be quantified on paper. Maybe its the subtle outward contour of the steering wheel, or the whine of the turbo....or maybe even the unique aroma of high quality leather. Whatever it is I LIKE IT!!!
I hope my car turns out to be reliable. I have read several postings concerning transmission problems with earlier models...is it a fair assumtion that SAAB has fixed any problems with the older model transmissions? (Mine is a five speed...by the way!) I have owned 10 cars and 9 have been 5 spd manuals....I have never had a single problem with any of them and I can't imagine that not being the case with a SAAB as well. Let me know if I should have have any concerns.
As for anyone looking for some car improvements to tackle I have done a few that I am very pleased with. The first improvement I did was replacing the factory shift knob with a walnut knob (matches the dash). The installation is a little tricky but really not that bad. (I would love to know why SAAB couldn't have designed a "screw on" knob like almost every other car a have owned). The new knob looks great and improves the shift "feel". The next improvement was to replace the front brake pads. ESB Brakes makes a replacement pad called "Greenstuff". It is a Kevlar based pad with the following characteristics: Very high friction coefficient (stops great), creates almost zero brake dust (cleaner wheels) and it causes almost zero disc abrasion (longer rotor life). The pads do not last as long as the factory semi-metallic pads but the benefits are substantial. If anyone is interested their phone # is (702) 293-1496. The part # is DP21187.
Thats all for now....I'm sure I'll be checking back in soon.
, Thu, 12 Apr 2001 17:36:01
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