A man named Uwe ...
My name is Uwe and I drive (also) a blue Saab. But these are almost all matches to the Ove from the novel "A man named Ove".
I currently own three Saabs: a 900 Turbo Cabriolet, year of construction 1988, a 9-3 I Turbo Coupé, year of construction 2001 and a 9-5 NG, year of construction 2011. Depending on the weather and the current car colors, I can decide every morning, which car I want to drive that day. Each vehicle has its history and stories ...
The 900
is the ideal car for relaxed trips. Imported from the USA by the previous owner. That's why it has 175 hp and a regulated 3-way cat. Unfortunately, the performance seeps away in the three-speed automatic transmission. But up to the maximum permitted speed of 70 miles per hour in the USA, it is quiet and consumption is limited. But if you accelerate beyond the approx. 120 km / h - then the load will be so loud that you will no longer understand the passenger and more than 15 l / 100 km will run through the injection nozzles. Before the top speed of 200 km / h is reached, I voluntarily give up ...
I bought the car in 2000 for very little money. It was almost ready for scrap and has been (almost) repaired over the years: engine revision, new leather for the seats and a new hood. The 900 is currently to be given an H license plate. So last weekend I converted the radio to a model from 1988 - plus a maximum of 10 years for accessories.
The 9-3 I
is the fun car. Bought five months ago as a birthday present from me - I had a big birthday last year; and there was a gap in the middle between the other two Saabs ... Now the 9-3 I turbos are pretty rare. There are still 205 registered vehicles in Germany of the variant with the original 5 hp (including the convertibles and the 244-door).
Two weeks ago it was stagged (Step 1, 230 PS), Viggen brakes were installed and everything was approved by the TÜV. In addition, there were new tires, new rear brake discs, front complete AT struts and new wishbones. With the existing Steering Rack Clamp, the chassis is now tight and easy to handle. There are still some construction sites for the next few weeks: dismantle the fan box to set the ventilation adjustment in motion, remove rust on the rear wheel arches and dismantle the oil pan. But it is already a lot of fun to feel the 340 Nm when accelerating and to know that the new brakes bring the load to a standstill again.
The 9-5 NG
is the unreasonable rational car. Unreasonable because the Exot is used almost daily and has some quirks. Reasonable, because the largest and longest of my cars has the lowest operating costs (it is a diesel with 190 PS).
I am always inspired by the design; outside and inside a typical Saab. My variant has as "Vector" the large navigation system, bright leather seats and the matching finish in Fjord Blue. Probably this variant in combination with the 190-PS diesel in Germany is a unique piece. (Please report, if someone wants to contradict that.) The bi-turbo diesel was always delivered with the HiPerStrut suspension. Thus, the "thickness" on all road surfaces is excellent even without Drive Sense on the road. My average fuel consumption is under 9 l / 100 km at about 180 km / h on the highway and relatively many city driving. 400 Nm and 190 PS also make 1,8 t unloading a lot of fun.
When buying three years ago, the headlamp leveling of the xenon headlights was broken, the navigation system showed the "Belgium Syndrome" and the rear window heating did not work. The headlamp leveling got a new sensor on the rear axle, the navigation system an update to E800 and the rear window heater was connected, because this was obviously forgotten during installation. In addition, the body was sealed because the rust prevention Saab was atypical. In the three years I drove about 50.000 km and everything was fine. But now show the first signs of wear. The EGR cooling housing had a crack and the oil pump did not provide enough pressure in the first minute after starting the engine. Both parts had to be exchanged. Fortunately, the spare parts are without problems and luckily there are good workshops - even if my environment because of the costly repairs now considers me something strange.
With my three Saabs there is still a match to Ove from the novel: a certain "stubbornness" concerning Saabs and the preservation of values.
In this sense: Good time with your Saabs!
Thanks to Uwe for the Saab story on Sunday. How is it in everyday life with an older Saab? What do you experience, how do friends, colleagues and the family react? With indulgence, enthusiasm or compassion? How do you keep the Saab alive, what do you do with spare parts and workshops, how do you optimize or restore the old Swedes?
A broad topic for the "Saab stories 2019!". Challenging, but also interesting. How does it look with the fans, how strong does the Saab heart beat in everyday life? Write it to us, it's worth it!
We thank you for every published article with an exclusive Saab-Scania board.
There are even more crazy Saabfahrer with 3 approved and operated vehicles except me. That calms down tremendously.
Awaken all extreme desires.
Wow Uwe, what a great story and what a beautiful Saab! The fjord blue 95NG is simply stunning! And if you know me a bit, you may know how my heart beats for the 9-3 I. Are just great cars. Today I have my 5-door Viggen (probably even rarer than a 9-3 I Coupe) back in operation (running mt season license plate 05-09) and turned a round. Did a lot of fun 🙂
Continue to enjoy and have a good trip with your beautiful trio!
Great Saab collection. A Saab just in case, if you like. My favorite would be the 9-3 Aero. Compact, tailgate and power without end. Everything that made a Saab so.
Of course, 9-5 NG and 900 Cabriolet are still worthwhile!
THREE Saab ..? Does that make economic sense ...? Probably not, and that's the first thing I really like about this story. (How you could convince the world's best wife ...?) Meanwhile - rather involuntarily - meanwhile also three. Yes, you smile or shake your head from time to time, but that certainly makes you likeable too. Ove wouldn't have let that stop him either ...
Second, bringing a nearly ragged Saab back on the road means suffering. It is a pity about each of these vehicles, which lands in the junk press. (If you want to see really shocking pictures, you should check out XELUMX-9 Ng at Bildelsbasen.se Rare Saab story is successfully destroyed). How nice that you did not let frustration and costs put you off.
And finally: In my opinion, yours are actually the three vehicles with the most successful Saab design. May they be preserved for a long time. Beautiful cars, great story. Thanks for that.
What I would still be interested would be how the 190 diesel PS with front-wheel drive behave, there are significant traction problems?
I would neither worry nor hope too much ...
The traction and load changes are well known. In first gear hardly brings a front-wheel drive its potential on the road - whether it is 190 diesel-PS or up to 300 gasoline PS (about a brazen 9 5 Aero chrome goggles).
The fastest quarter mile or the victory at the inner-city traffic lights were never SAAB philosophy. The focus was always on safe overtaking maneuvers and pulling through in higher gears. As far as I know, an FWD NG can be moved just as safely and quickly as all its ancestors - be it a gasoline or diesel ...
And no question, an XWD certainly extends the range of driving situations in which the feeling of superiority would occur more often. As XWD and SC the NG from the reader contribution would be my absolute dream car. Especially since the consumption is moderate.
However, the internal competition is already very fierce. Nice for Ove ... uh, Uwe ... that he doesn't have to choose between a Viggen and an NG, or rather is allowed to make new choices every day ...
Enviable but indulged by heart.
A terrific report for an “April-Sunday” in the merry month of May! 🙂
The 3 CUTTERS are awesome!
It's a shame that the 900-ter drinks so and brings the performance “suboptimal” to the drive axle ...
The 9-3 is a coupe and the color of an absolute gem, a timeless classic, already!
The 9-5 NG is a visually successful top SAAB with the color combination blue metallic outside and light leather inside! The bi-turbos are really fun ..., I can imagine!
Still more joy than "worry lines" with the SÄBEN! The certain stubbornness may be helpful ... 😉
Thanks for this report from HH!
Great Saabs (also or especially the 9-3 |; always wanted the shape - until today), nice story .... and “Fjord Blue” is a killer color! 🙂
Thanks for the nice story! As a "multiple offender" with four Saabs in daily operation - one of them a 9-3 I Aero Cabrio a 9-5 nG I can understand you well...
They annoy you sometimes - yesterday a window regulator in my wife's 9-3II station wagon died - but I love the old Swedes ...
That all reads well. Nice cars and many pictures.
An absolute dream trio with a small transmission weakness. But who knows, with so much love for the brand, care for your own cars and a certain stubbornness, Ove ... uh Uwe ... maybe someday also throw the automatic out and replace it with a manual transmission?
Thanks for the Sunday story! ! !
Great story, thanks for that. I like the fleet. The color Fjord Blue fits very well with his rare car like the 9-5NG.