As in a wagon. Like myself, I thought my girlfri...er car, needed an introduction as well. This is my 2008 Saab 9-3 Sport Combi Maptun Stage 3 Turbo V6 6sp MT, with 320hp and a whole lot of cargo room. Shew, thought I was typing in another language there for a moment.
As some of you know, Saab went belly up a few years back and they're no longer being produced. They're actually now owned by a Chinese / Swedish battery company called NEVS, who are producing a fully electric model based on the 9-3 platform. They lost rights to use the Saab name back in 2014, so Saab as we know it is history. I guess that makes my car a bit more desirable in some aspects, but not to most. In droves they were sold due to the manufacturer warranty suddenly becoming null and void. As the years pass, I'm sure people will start to collect them more.
As far as this particular one, there were only 6 produced like it in the US with the same options, 7 total for those who failed math (don't feel bad, It took me a few attempts). Decked out in the finest plastics, and only the best GM crossover parts from top of the line models like the Chevy Cruze, this thing screams European Luxury. I only joke, it squeaks and rattles over every imperfection in the road and the sun baked plastic trim literally disintegrates when touched. I can't figure out how they justified selling this thing for 42K USD new.
Well what it lacks in build quality, it makes up for it in power and pure driving fun. Maybe not from the factory so much, but a mild tune and a few bolt ons have transformed this little wagon into a black space shuttle minivan hybrid with 320 pissed off horses under the hood. Rolling on lightweight BBS wheels and stiff springs, it corners like a schoolbus full of unbuckled kids. I can haul almost anything in the back, from my 4 dogs to giant, ancient CRT TVs my neighbor decided to leave in my yard after the city refused to take it away. I'm not going to lie, I love my car. Sometimes I hate it too, but for now it's on my good side.
I drive a 2007 Saab Areo 9.5 wagon. I understand your LOVE/hate relationship with your car. Bottom line, it's fun to drive, hugs the ground, even bottoms out in the front occassionaly. It's so great to hear you say " it squeaks and rattles over every imperfection in the road" …I thought mine was the only one. :) Did you just have an airbag recall? I do love the way it looks. I've only seen three others in the five years I've owned it.
I did, I wasn't too thrilled about the idea of metal fragments in my face if the airbag decided to deploy. They even gave me a nifty little keychain for doing it. It's like saying, "Sorry we tried to kill you, here's a little worthless trinket we had manufactured in china for pennies to show how sorry we are". But you're right, they're gorgeous cars and it's nice not having something everyone else does. Subaru owners will wave at each other, last time I tried that with another Saab it happened to be an older lady and I'm pretty sure she thought I was being forward. Not any one type of person drives them. If you ever have any car issues, don't hesitate to ask. If I don't know the answer I can always google it and pretend I did all along.
I still need to get mine in for the airbag recall...I agree, metal fragments flying through the air does not sound pleasant! Hope I get the “sorry we tried to kill you” keychain. 😂