When the Volvo is dancing and I have to pick a Saab

Things change. My parking situation, which had been very comfortable for years, has deteriorated dramatically. Where my Saab once stood, Volvo excavators are now making their rounds. The carport is a thing of the past, the entrance to the small hall number 2 has been cut off, and the parking spaces on the street will soon also fall victim to the excavator.

These are not sparkling prospects. Good would be different.

When the Volvo is dancing

The Volvo excavator is now dancing where the chic carport for the Saab stood. The Volvo is brand new, but not a real Volvo either. He has nothing to do with Swedish steel, the basic version is manufactured in Asia and then adapted to customer requirements on the European continent. Volvo is the sticker, the excavator does not come into contact with Sweden, it is an international product.

Granted, the situation will be back to normal in a few months. No excavator lasts forever, no excavation pit is for a long time. Garages are in sight for late autumn. Dry, safe from small, nasty marten animals that are up to mischief in the country. Ideal for old sheet metal! Until then, the watchword is: persevere! The remaining parking spaces in the street are coveted and limited.

My train is heading in the direction of self-restraint.

Next to the company car, whose time is running out, there is only a Saab. Only one, I last had that around 10 years ago. Withdrawal from Saab is tough, and making the decision as to which one will be with me over the summer is not an easy one to make. A lot is parked in the hangar ... which one do you take?

The agony of choice, a luxury problem

There is the nice 9-5 Aero from Spain, which is supposed to replace the company car. He has time until autumn, then he gets his performance. The 9-3 Aero was my winter car this year; he has done a good job and is allowed to spend the summer in the hangar. Some 9000s remained. A short counting gives you an overview: One CC, two CS, 2 CSE Anniversary.

Yes, yes, something has accumulated there. Bought in good time, when the selection was still large and the prices were low. Perhaps one or the other reader took my advice to heart 8 or 9 years ago and also treated himself to a 9000. Now the series is rare, the selection modest. And really good vehicles cost a lot of money.

The disadvantage: in principle there is too much Swedish sheet metal standing around. A 9000 CS, with a sunroof, machine and Persian blue interior should actually be sold. It has less than 100.000 kilometers on the clock and it is in very good condition.

But, selling is always one of those things. Selling brings bills, creates much-needed space, but bills and space are no substitute for a Saab. I'll never get a wicked 9000 CS with a Persian blue interior again. The separation is more than difficult for me, my actions in this regard have been cautious for months for this reason and more pseudo-activities than real efforts.

The Saab Diva as a car for 2021

The choice of reason is the Anna project. The 9000 Anniversary has a sunroof and, just in case, a trailer hitch. A multitool when something needs to be transported quickly. However, his pronounced tendency towards small dramas speaks against the Saab. No season at the Diva goes without an unscheduled workshop visit, which the Saab is less able to do than its previous owners.

Because even after years, defects related to the fact that this car was unpopular in its first ownership are being worked on. The Saab currently spent some time in the Saab workshop in Frankfurt; The smell of cooling water and problems with the air conditioning were the reason, the report follows. Will the diva get through 2021 without the usual airs?

And will I pack this? A few months just a Saab on your doorstep, the rest slumbering miles away in the hangar? Too far away from the driving time to spontaneously swap a vehicle. A completely new experience awaits after I had the Saab comfort zone right on my doorstep for years. We will see.