5 reasons I love my Saab.

First try at a blog post, thought I would give it a go.
My 1998 Saab 9000 CSE Turbo, I love it, a lot. With 323,000km’s it isn’t a minter, it’s not going to win any concourse competitions, it has rock chips, a cracked windshield and a few places where the clear coat is no longer there. I picked the car up for $1500 last year, the tires were flat, brake calipers were seized and the turbo wasn’t spooling, among with a whole load of other small issues. It was sitting at the side of the highway in a very “spartan” part of British Columbia and after rolling my 93’ 900 I was in the market for another Saab.
After a few thousand dollars, lots of work, patience and car parts she’s on the road, and boy am I ever glad.
I have always marveled at Saab’s safety engineering, styling, quirkiness and building some downright awesome cars.

One. The Exclusiveness
The 1998 9000 was Saab’s last hurrah for the model. They fitted the most-powerful Saab motor to date; the B234R, a 2.3 litre, 4 cylinder fitted with a Mitsubishi TD04 turbocharger good for 225hp and 252 lb/ft of torque. The B234R was the same motor used in the range-topping, performance orientated Aero model. They also fitted a California Walnut steering wheel and dash, Harmon Kardon 10-speaker sound system with amp and heated leather seats with Saab’s original logo: the airplane, embossed into the seat backs. For 1998 they only made approx. 1300 9000’s for the entire world and figures for North America are difficult to find, but it’s rumoured to be about 400.
In an area with a ultra high concentration of Honda Civics and Ford F150’s, this car really is a unicorn.

Two. The Speed.
With those 225 horses and the car weighing in at approx 1350kg it really does move. Under normal driving conditions there is a bit of turbo lag, which I really don’t mind, the anticipation makes that torquey shove and spooling even more addicting. If you drive it hard and keep the car in boost you will get into trouble very quickly. Passing is effortless, almost too effortless. At 100km/h in 5th gear, put your foot down and the car surges ahead. In 1998 this must have been a rocket. The gearing is quite long, in town, second gear is about all you need. Amazingly with all that grunt the car still returns between 30-41 MPG highway on Shell V-Power.

Three. Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing
It’s a total sleeper. Add roof racks and a ski box and the average Joe would write it off as an early 90’s euro with a diesel under the hood. I have pulled up beside Mustang GT’s, Camaro’s, newer Golf GTI’s, and even a Boxter and left them in the dust. Police also haven’t given me a hard time in it; (unlike when I drive my MK5 GTI). Keen petrol heads will notice the sound of the turbo spool and diverter valve hiss but apart from a slightly modified exhaust system to help the car breathe better and to coax a little more “Saab burble” out of the pipe it is totally stock.
The car was styled by Giugiaro, the famous Italian styling house. With it’s wide flares, deep dish “Super Aero” rims, and lower spoilers the car looks sporty and menacing (especially in black) yet classy and tasteful.

Four. Safety
Now I’m quite sure when Saab was sourcing the metal for their cars they must have got a hold of some old icebreaker hulls. I can’t speak for all Saab’s but both my C900 and 9000 are tanks. When you shut the heavy door and put on your seat belt, you get the feeling that the car has formed a steel cage around you, safe from the outside world. The car has metal reinforcing beams in the doors and two airbags in the front. At night, on long lonely drives over British Columbia’s treacherous mountain passes, even in a harsh winter blizzard, you get a warm comforting feeling that it’s going to get you home safe. It handles like a dream in the winter, with its low centre of gravity and wide track, it managed to pull itself through a foot of snow no problem other than plowing it.

Five. Practicality
With 24 cubic feet of trunk space, factory supplied roof racks and hatchback there’s not many other cars other than some Germanic wagons that offer more performance and everyday usability than the 9000. I frequently fit several pairs of ski’s, snowboards and other equipment into it with room for 5 passengers comfortably. In the summer I can put my kayak and mountain bike on the roof and dog in the back and spend the day doing all those things that us people here in the North West love to do. The back seats are extremely comfortable and offer plenty leg room as long as the driver and shotgun are of normal height. Visibility is another strong point, the pillars on this car although exceptionally strong don’t invade in day to day driving like on newer cars. As i mentioned above the car gets great fuel mileage if driven gently, if you indulge in the turbo you will return around 20 MPG.
Now for the not so good part, or parts I should say. Parts are hard to find, especially where I live. Napa has a decent supply of basic parts (eg: brakes) but as for more special parts I have to resort to eBay or eEuroparts. It’s all part of the territory when owning a car from an orphan brand. Although if you’re like me and love your Saab a lot, its worth it.

If you can find one, I highly recommend you get one.