SAAB shaped some sections of my life

This week we start shipping our Saab reader cups. One of them goes to Heinz in Switzerland. He is a loyal blog reader and Saab fan. Here comes his Saab story.

My first contact with SAAB was about 1981 in a very special way. At that time, I drove an age-old Audi 80, 1100 ccm and orange paint yuck! On a rainy evening in the middle of the city of Zurich, I had to brake hard and it crashed behind me.

Saab 900 Turbo
Saab 900 Turbo

Unfortunately, the SAAB 900 Turbo-3 behind me could not brake in time and thundered into the rear of my orange bijou. Conclusion: the Audi suffered damage of several hundred Swiss francs. The SAAB, however, remained without scratches - unbelievable. Wow, what a quality and stability!

During this time I played music in a dance band and our drummer proudly showed me a glossy leaflet of the SAAB 900 Turbo. He said with a grin that he had just bought this "cool" car. Carefully I studied the brochure and wondered about some clever details in the standard equipment, which I have never seen in other vehicles, eg sills on the door, ignition in the center console, turbo engine, high safety standard for those times, etc.).

Test drives with the drummer convinced me completely of this car.
Although I could not afford a new SAAB, I started reading ads and visiting SAAB garages. In the fall of 1983 I found the jewel that fascinated and accompanied me for several years. Here are some pictures of the 900 Turbo-3:

Time passed and I was constantly on the road with this SAAB and drove many kilometers. After reaching the 145'000 km mark, I thought - still a naive SAAB freshman, that it would be wiser to sell the car while I could get some money for it. Said - and unfortunately done from today's perspective. The then buyer from Winterthur drove for a long time with "my SAAB" and was very satisfied with it.

There followed another time with an Audi, which I was frankly very satisfied with. A few years later, the fever caught me again when I saw an advertisement for a silvery SAAB 900 Turbo-3. After the inspection and test drive, I bought the car immediately. Since I couldn't sell my Audi with the best will in the world at a decent price, I parted with my SAAB with a heavy heart - selling it was absolutely no problem.

In the early nineties I decided to do a test drive with a SAAB 900 II. Unfortunately this experience was not comparable to what I knew and we were quite disappointed. Of course, I also did not like that GM took the helm at SAAB. So we drove on with Audi.

Now I had a long dry spell regarding SAAB. On the one hand there were quite a few family changes and I soon became the father of a son and we also built a house. After about 4 years I moved to another area in Switzerland for business and we bought and renovated an older house with a lot of change. The family, the house and garden, the job - everything was always more important than cars.

A good 4 years ago the SAAB fire started to blaze again and again. I have seen the 9-3 II on the streets time and again and we really liked it. I have come into contact with a very nice SAAB dealer in the Bern region and we have had long discussions about the good old SAAB times. After assuring me that even today's SAAB are of very good quality, my wife and I went on a test drive with a SAAB 9-3 2.0 with 220 PS. Unlike my last SAAB test drive we felt very comfortable and the car was thrilled from the first minute.

Back in the showroom of the garage we talked about engines, equipment and prices. The interruption by a telephone call gave us the opportunity to look at all vehicles in the showroom. My wife immediately moved to a new, black SAAB 9-5 NG. She made herself comfortable in the driver's seat and called to me. Hey, look, this ambiance is even more beautiful than in the 9-3! Actually, I felt great in this vehicle. Shortly thereafter, we were already in the demonstration car, again on a test drive.

We were so enthusiastic that we immediately shelved the 9-3 project in favor of the 9-5 NG. After careful consideration, we ordered a new 2011-9 NG Vector in October 5. Delivery was announced for April 2012. What happened next is known to all SAAB fans☹ - unfortunately the order definitely had to be canceled - and the dream was over! The garage demonstration car had already been sold and we then decided in favor of a first-hand occasion, a very nice SAAB 9-5 Vector 1.9 TiD:

To be honest, that's a very good choice. To date, it runs wonderfully, offers a lot of ride comfort and is also not very thirsty. Who knows maybe results in the near future still the possibility to buy a well retracted SAAB 9-5 NG. As a fan of SAAB, I've been brought up to patience in recent years. Of course, I do not give up the hope that a time comes with new SAAB's☺

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TT
TT
8 years earlier

That proves again, creative people drive Saab. Especially musicians who appreciate the good sound. Good sound is rather difficult with e-cars

Heijo - SAABFAN
Heijo - SAABFAN
8 years earlier

I think that there will be another good vehicle from SAAB in the near future that we can look forward to `until then I will drive my SAAB 9-5 2.3 Turbo AERO station wagon built in 2002` like several thousand kilometers further 'until maybe the successor model can be bought cheaply `` by the way, in my spare time I have been a bass player for over 35 years and I really appreciate the variability of the trunk (professionally active in component sales and the trunk is also outstanding in its dimensions) // it's worth it In any case, always invest in a well-maintained SAAB - no other manufacturer offers this long-term quality in this form! (Rust protection, paint quality, engine stability, etc.) Wish all SAAB friends always a good trip and many like-minded people in your area `vhg HEIJO - SAABFAN

Tom
admin
8 years earlier

Well written! A Saab is a long-term car and a good investment. Can I sign like that!

Fitho
Fitho
8 years earlier

Hello, great story, I saw a SAAB 1985 for the first time in a TV magazine in 900 and was thrilled, great technology and not a car for everyone. But when I saw the prices, the dream quickly ended. Today after many years (in the meantime, Audi Cabrio, 735i, 750iL (12 cyl), 2 x new E Class) I bought a slightly used 2.8 AERO Cabrio, then a 93 2.0T as an everyday car and next week the 9-5 is coming NG TDI Vector but with pretty much everything included. Now I already have 3, SAAB is just awesome.

TT
TT
8 years earlier

One should never give up hope, but who knows what comes and whether it is worthwhile to buy, if there is something new on the Saab stands. But one thing is certain: Stop the drummer. They know what's good and have an ear for good sound. Like the sound of my 6 cylinder, which often has to carry my drums.

Ralf from SH-RZ
Ralf from SH-RZ
8 years earlier
Reply to  TT

Peter, you are right, one can and should always hope! .... I hope that things will finally continue in Sweden and that the omens are good.

Today, after a long time, I received new job offers from Saab (NEVS) via email. They are looking for engineers again. Would you do that if you did not want to start again with a production / development?

TT
TT
8 years earlier

On the NEVS homepage there are actually jobs to be found again. But according to Mr. Bergman, conventional vehicles are only intended to be built for other manufacturers / brands. If I understood correctly, only electric vehicles should be built under the Saab brand (if you get the trademark rights again). Then it is certainly not enough, just because Saab is about to buy the product. I drive as 2. Cars for city and environment already a Renault, because in contrast to my Saab 9-3 2,8T V6, this is just maneuverable and economical in the city. The Saab is the tourist car. At the moment, an electric car can not be a touring car. If you meet a Tesla on the highway then usually quite slowly in the right lane to keep the range under control. That's no fun and you do not really want to have it. For the city there are already enough good electrical alternatives which are also economical and affordable as for example with Renault the Zoe. What has always bothered me at NEVS is this exclusive focus on electric drives and the Chinese market. And although you have already been shipwrecked with this concept, you still hold on to it and reaffirm it over and over again. Of course, something new has to come under the name of Saab, but it does not pass the customer's wishes. For me, my Saab is a top-of-the-line utility van with distinct strengths outside the city and when traveling. These strengths, which I am accustomed to from Saab and appreciate very much, can not afford an electric vehicle, at least for the current state and medium view. That's why, I believe in the NEVS strategy, it does not matter if it's Saab or something else on the products, because they do not seem to be interested in the wishes of the previous Saab clientele. NEVS is not Saab, but NEVS has something to do from Saab at the moment.