The banner above is an advertisment - if it asks you to download software, please ignore.
Site News - 3/26 M Car Covers (by State of Nine) | 12/12 Make Amazon Pay Saabnet!
Date: Thu, 14 Oct 1999 20:27:19 -0700
From: "scott reed" <scottereednopsamdnet.att.net>
Subject: Re: Some 900se questions


But that is the thing. I don't prefer American cars. For whatever reason, I love the Saab. Gavin Haslett <thumper_svxnopsamo.com> wrote in message news:38049B07.F9D63B6Enopsamo.com... > Dunno about the galvanised body panels... but it would make sense seeing as > Saab is from Sweden... a country where you're never too far from the sea. > > I saw the message from "Scott Reed" regarding his preference for American > mid-size cars... as I own a 1996 Saab 900 SE Turbo and a 2000 Pontiac Grand > Prix GTP I feel well placed to comment about my preference. > > 1. Power: While the GTP is definitely the quicker of the two off the mark, the > Saab's power band seems a lot flatter and more predictable. The Saab feels like > it could accelerate forever while the GTP does start to feel its weight when > accelerating over 75mph. Depending on what you prefer in a car, advantage none. > My personal preference is advantage Saab here. > > 2. Handling: The Saab handles beautifully. It predictably and reliably steers > into twisty roads, suffers minimal body or chassy flex and is really good fun > to drive. The steering isn't that responsive requiring a lot more turning to > actually move the car than the GTP, but that can also lend itself to much finer > control in corners. The GTP is definitely at the mercy of its own weight here > and loses out big time. I've yet to find out for sure, but this can apparently > be alleviated by strut tower braces in the GTP (about $200 each end of the > car). Advantage Saab. > > 3. Comfort: Here the GTP does win out... but not by much. I prefer the Saab's > ergonomics and the "black panel" display (which blacks out all instruments > except the speedometer). At night the inside of the GTP can be a little > distracting with little red lights everywhere. However, I must agree that road > noise is high in the Saab and while it can be a comfortable car on long drives > it can also be wearing. The road noise can be dealt with by better tires than > the stock Michelins (try Fulda's... I've got them and it cut road noise down > drastically). The suspension in the GTP is softer than the Saab's too... so for > long drives it's more "cushy"... however this cushy suspension also lends to > the GTP's handling problems. > > 4. "fun-to-drive" factor: Dead heat actually. I like some of the gadgets in the > GTP, especially the HUD which is a nice idea, but I also love the feel of the > Saab. There's a very definite line you can draw between the feel of the GTP and > the 900... it's obvious that the GTP is the cheaper car. > > 5. Practicality: Definite advantage Saab. As a father of one and soon to be > father of a second the ability to haul loads of stuff is a definite plus! The > GTP is definitely the bigger car, but most of that size is given over to the > bigger engine and styling; the 900 can haul much more stuff than its diminutive > size would have you think! The trunk liftover in the GTP is WAY too high and > the opening relatively small... the Saab once swallowed six dining room table > chairs plus several large trash bags full of clothes and was STILL able to > close the trunk. > > 6. Driver Visibility: Advantage Saab. I've driven many cars, and the only car > that I've ever driven that had better visibility when driving was my Subaru > SVX... but then again that car's designed with most of the upper half of the > car being a glass bubble! > > 7. Maintenance: Advantage GTP. One of the main reasons I have the GTP is for > work... my SO drives the Saab most of the time these days. In my job I can put > 35K miles a year on a car... and the Saab was starting to get into pricey > maintenance. The GTP has a stock Buick 3800 V6 (supercharged) that really > hasn't changed much in design since 1962... so everyone and their mother knows > how to work on them. The 900's highly advanced OHC direct ignition 4-banger is > a masterpiece of technology... but if I break down in the boondocks of Illinois > (always a possibility), then finding someone to work on the car's going to be a > pain and finding parts is going to be nigh on impossible. The decision to buy > the Pontiac was a simple matter of safety, practicality and maintenance. > > Personally if I'd had a better paying job I might have opted for a Saab 9-5 > instead of the Pontiac... I've grown to love that Saab and even though I've > only been out of it since I bought the GTP I miss it already. Don't get me > wrong... I love that GTP too... it's a fast and powerful mid-size sedan, and > probably the epitome of what American engineering can do on a budget (hey, how > many other sub-$25K mid-size sedans do you know that can do 0-60 in under 7 > seconds?)... but to me the Saab is more what I like in a performance car. The > only reason I don't drive it all the time for work is simply a matter of how > much maintenance costs can spiral to, rapidly. Sure, I'll probably have the > same problems on my GTP over the next few years that I would've had on my > Saab... but parts will be cheaper and finding someone to work on the GTP will > be easier. > > > It all comes down to what you want out of the car. There are faster cars on the > road than the Saab for about the same money... and there are flashier cars on > the road too... but none I can think of in the price range really combine > performance, practicality, and appearance with as much panache as Saab. It can > haul stuff like a pick-up, haul ass like a sports car, and handle like a BMW on > the twisties... and while the BMW may be more popular than the Saab I would > really rate them about equal. > > FYI, when I bought my 900 it came down to a toss-up between the 900 and a 1996 > BMW 328i... in the end the make-or-break points were (a) I found the Saab > leather seats to be more supportive, (b) practicality, and (c) I just LOVE to > be different :) > > -- > Gavin Haslett > thumper_svxnopsamo.com > http://www.geocities.com/thumper_svx > "Ahhhh... Mountain Dew... nectar of the geeks!" > > > >

Return to Main Index
StateOfNine.com
SaabClub.com
Jak Stoll Performance
M Car Covers
Ad Available

The content on this site may not be republished without permission. Copyright © 1988-2024 - The Saab Network - saabnet.com.
For usage guidelines, see the Mission & Privacy Notice.
[Contact | Site Map | Saabnet.com on Facebook | Saabnet.com on Twitter | Shop Amazon via TSN | Site Donations]