Reply With QuoteCongratulations.
I owned a Saab once. After nine months and seven thousand dollars in repiars, I towed it (not a typo) to the local Nissan dealer and traded it on a 200SX. I hope your Saab ownership experience is better than mine was.
My Saab Story
Or why I traded in the Miata for a Saab 9-3
Of course the Miata is a great car. Quick, responsive, relatively fuel-efficient, stylish, well I could go on and on. If I needed a second car, it would be perfect. But as my daily, and only, driver it became a bit punishing as well.
The Miata's not intended to be a plush riding car. I think I could feel every irregularity in the pavement. It sits low, and after a back injury and surgery, getting in and out of the car was more difficult for me than perhaps a younger person.
But what finally did me in was all that darn shifting! In stop-and-go traffic that's all I did. Clutch, shift, clutch, accelerate, clutch, slow down, wait, shift, clutch, shift, clutch, accelerate, clutch, brake, cuss Titus, shift, clutch, shift, well you get the idea.
So I started looking online. I was intrigued by the RX-8, since it's bigger than the Miata, and it has that rotary engine, and aggressive good looks. Talk about cool! But it just wasn't for me. From there I widened my search first to other Mazdas, and then other makes.
All this happened over many weeks, since my Miata was perfectly functional, and frankly I was worried about being upside down on the loan.
But I kept looking. On a whim, I searched CarMax for any car under $20 grand with an automatic transmission and less than 20,000 miles. I found a red 2005 Saab 9-3 Linear with 17,000 miles for about $18K. CarMax had lots of pictures online and it looked really nice. So I googled that year and model and found the Linear was the base model, the Arc was the mid-range and the Vector was the top trim line. Naturally, each had more standard features included in the price.
So back to CarMax online and looked for any Saab 9-3 less than $20K. And I find a dark blue 2005 Saab 9-3 Arc 5-speed automatic with just under 25,000 miles for the same $18K! It had a lot more features, leather interior, sunroof, fancy radio, 2.0L 4-cylinder Turbo engine, fog lights (front and rear), huge cooled glove compartment, 13 speaker fiber optic sound system, 6 airbags, dual zone automatic climate control, amazing center-of-the-dash driver information display, a night-mode selectable dashboard the turns off all gauges except the speedometer, and of course the Saab key that fits in the center console below the shifter. This is the one I got!
So I give the Miata a wash, spray wax, and vacuum. Come home check my loan payoff, grab the extra set of keys, and off to CarMax we go. After a test drive, getting my Miata appraised ($500 positive equity - Woo Hoo!) and doing the usual paperwork, I'm driving home in my turbo-charged Saab 9-3!
Payments will be a little higher than the Miata (my trade-in for it has a lot more equity), insurance is up about $10 a month, but gas mileage looks to be the same and I don't have to buy premium gas for it.
After driving a Miata everyday for 16 months, it's quite a difference. The car seems huge and I feel like I'm sitting as high as an SUV. It's not and I'm not, but wow. And when that turbo kicks in I swear I'm in a jet with the afterburners turned on!
I'm still a Miata enthusiast, I'm just not driving one anymore.
Last edited by randy7601; 05-25-2008 at 03:17 PM.
Randy (who'd rather be)
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Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside a dog, it's too dark to read. -Groucho Marx
2005 Saab 9³ Arc 2.0L Turbo
Congratulations.
I owned a Saab once. After nine months and seven thousand dollars in repiars, I towed it (not a typo) to the local Nissan dealer and traded it on a 200SX. I hope your Saab ownership experience is better than mine was.
Iain
"We don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
I'm going to take advice from Thumper's mom...
If ya can't say something nice, don't say nothin' at all!
Oops, I just failed. Oh well
09 Lexus RX350
.... no Miata
Wow, gorgeous car! Congrats on the purchase and happy motoring.
One thing I'm curious about: what's the 12-key pad next to the display screen?
'90 "LE" available for purchase soon
2008.5 CWP MS3: JBR 70d trilogy engine mounts, short throw shifter & shift plate bushings; AST 4100 w/ 400lb springs f/r; JRZ camber plates
Auto dial to towing companies.Originally Posted by juxt3r
Congrats, Randy, I have always liked Saabs, too.
Yep, that's a telephone keypad. Nope, doesn't do anything in the US or Canada, except work as radio pre-sets.
Randy (who'd rather be
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Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside a dog, it's too dark to read. -Groucho Marx
2005 Saab 9³ Arc 2.0L Turbo
Great looking car on the outside but damn if that interior doesn't need some work. More buttons than you can shake a stick at!!
Congratulations, that's a great looking car. And, like others, I have always like Saabs.
On the track, I am fearless.
If you were as slow as me, you wouldn't be afraid either.
1994 M Edition
CSP 67
Congrats! Before I got my '84 gray market BMW I had a thing for an old 900 Turbo... I guess it was the masochistic streak in me.
But seriously, the Saab's a great driving car, so enjoy and good luck!
'94 Black & Black & Tan
'99 head swap, JR header, TDR intake & header blanket, MegaSquirt, RB hollow bar, Tein Flex, 15x8 6ULs, HD M2 Sport, FM cat, Borla cat-back, black '95M interior, MOMO Zebrano, IL Motorsport console...
Dyno Days
8/16/08 (bone stock): 103.1 hp/99.0 lb-ft - Dynojet
8/23/08 (Borla cat-back): 108.2 hp/104.1 lb-ft - Dynojet
8/13/11 (more stuff...): 126 hp/116 lb-ft - Mustang dyno
Roger Moore: the Danny White of James Bonds
Congrats and feel free to still visit on Wednesday nights. Nexus Flux never even had a Miata and we accept him.
I'd love to see the car in person sometime and get a ride in it.
Save your pennies for a used NA for your Miata fix.
Plus the Rotary is most certainly not easy on gas.
I have high hopes for the new 1.6L with the revised combustion chamber.
If gas prices keep going up the way they are right now it could very well spell the end of the rotary engine.
Interestingly enough, I just read a review of the '08 RX-8 on Jalopnik which sums up the highs and lows of the RX-8 better than anything else I've read about the car. One other thing that caught my eye was the "new" EPA fuel economy numbers for the car: 16 city, 22 highway. First time I've ever had any faith in EPA numbers, as this is almost exactly what I get. I average 16-17 mpg driving around town, and I can get 21-22mpg on the highway if I keep it below 75mph.
Iain
"We don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
Congrats, looks like a nice luxurious comfortable car and bound to have less wind noise. Did you consider a used Mini Cooper S in that price range as well (even though it's not a sedan)?
VW Bug in running shoes
M Porcupine sedan
M Porcupine coupe
Crusty old e46 beater
Battery Powered appliance car
If gas prices keep going up the way they are right now it could very well spell the end of the rotary engine.
...If gas prices continue to go up, I perceive that there will be a new type of autocross favorite.
Congradulations Randy.
05 MX-5 Mazdaspeed #1024 Titanium Gray Mica
Like I said, keep an eye on the new 1.6L rotary engine Mazda is working on. I would google you up a link, but I don't feel like it right now. The 10 second cliff's notes version is that the new design has a better combustion chamber shape that has a lower surface area-to-volume ratio, giving better thermodynamic efficiency and hence much better fuel economy. The high area-to-volume ratio is the #1 reason for the poor fuel economy on rotaries, or such is my understanding.If gas prices keep going up the way they are right now it could very well spell the end of the rotary engine.
Interestingly enough, I just read a review of the '08 RX-8 on Jalopnik which sums up the highs and lows of the RX-8 better than anything else I've read about the car. One other thing that caught my eye was the "new" EPA fuel economy numbers for the car: 16 city, 22 highway. First time I've ever had any faith in EPA numbers, as this is almost exactly what I get. I average 16-17 mpg driving around town, and I can get 21-22mpg on the highway if I keep it below 75mph.
(...waiting on Iain's response)
Daily Driver: 2013 Club edition in Pearl White Mica
Lightness? What's that? I drive a PRHT!
(Moved my response to this thread...)
Last edited by altiain; 05-28-2008 at 07:56 AM.
Iain
"We don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
The Mini is a nice car. I have a friend who's Mini was totaled when someone pulled out in front of him. He walked away without any injuries.
Great car, but no I didn't consider them after I looked at the slightly larger vehicles.
Randy (who'd rather be
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Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside a dog, it's too dark to read. -Groucho Marx
2005 Saab 9³ Arc 2.0L Turbo
Plus he said something about having back problems. A Mini Cooper would probably be too low.
Personally, I would rather get the base Mini Cooper. If you look at the website, you can get the base Mini Cooper with the upgraded JCW suspension upgrades. It seems that such a combination would provide a fun and exceedingly fuel efficient car.
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