Car Throttle

So I picked up an '88 Saab 900 Turbo to replace my '05 Jetta as my daily driver.  As you'd expect, this isn't quite as simple as it sounds.  Even with a very well-maintained car, when you get to this kind of age (this car is as old as I am!) there are a few things that need taking care of.  I've barely gotten my hands dirty with this car, but here's what I've been up to so far. With any turbocharged 80's car, it's important to keep an eye on your boost pressure levels.  This is because all the systems and associated plumbing that keep boost in check age and fail over time, and it's important to keep an eye on things.  The car comes with

After resting up in Asheville overnight, we set out at 7am westward - towards the Tail of the Dragon.  If you're not familiar with the Tail of the Dragon (also called Deal's Gap), here are the statistics: 318 turns in 11 miles.  It's a section of US-129 that crosses over the North Carolina-Tennessee border, and it's just about as intense as a public road can get.  Although to be honest, the drive up there was quite breathtaking as well. the Great Smoky Mountains presents challenging driving and some rather distracting scenery.  Here, the turbo Saab really came into it's own - the only need to downshift out of 5th was for the steepest of uphills (boost builds quicker in 4th) or the hairiest of downhills

One of the greatest freedoms allowed by having a driver's license and access to America's highways and byways is the "Great American Road Trip." As the owner of a new car (a 1988 Saab 900 SPG, the one with the 16-valve turbo motor) and a student on spring break, a friend and I decided a road trip was in order.  Plans were laid, money was made, and preparations were undertaken - and now we're on the road.  I'll be posting pictures, videos and observations from the trip in separate parts as we go along - so stay tuned! We fired up the packed up Saab and left from Raleigh, North Carolina at 11am, with the destination being Asheville, NC.  Raleigh rests in the Piedmont of North Carolina,

It's difficult to approach reviewing a vehicle objectively when it's been an object of desire for the majority of your adult life. Never the less, I'll do my best.  I had the chance to drive a 1988 Saab 900 Turbo SPG recently, and suffice to say it left quite an impression on me. The Saab 900 was the darling of "yuppies" during most of the 80's, duking it out with the evergreen BMW 3-series as the ride of choice of the recently prosperous.  It wasn't hard to understand why: solid build, inherently safe structure, capable but safe handling, massive cargo capacity in a unique (read: not a wagon) body, and of course... turbo power.  The attributes that made investment bankers fall for the 900 Turbo at a