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Ever since GM screwed the pooch in 2009, we SAAB drivers have been up the creek. I'm a five-time repeat offender, so the pain is especially strong. I joined the fold with my 1982 900 Turbo, which was followed by a 1988 9000, a 1996 900, a 2001 9-3 convertible, and my present 2007 9-3 convertible. Every one of these has been a manual transmission.
My present ride is running fine at 135,000 miles; the body is in good shape, there's no noticeable corrosion, and everything works. But I find myself lusting after a new toy.
So here are the criteria: Convertible, stick shift, front wheel drive, and fun to drive. And, oh, yes, under $30k for a few-year-used example.
A quick search of cars.com, followed by a more lengthy one, yielded approximately zero candidates. Relaxing the front wheel drive requirement yielded a number of examples, and had me down at the local Mazda dealership test driving a Miata.
What a lovely little ride. Not quite as refined as the SAAB, but more fun than a romp in the... well, let's just say lots of fun. Like eating a huge bowl of ice cream.
But on the ride home, I started rethinking whether I want to spend the next several years eating nothing but ice cream. Back to the drawing board.
The test drive was in the rain, and despite my trying my best to cowboy the thing around, it was remarkably well-behaved, despite having the engine connected to the wrong set of wheels. So maybe FWD doesn't need to be on my must-have list.
On to the Mustang/Camaro. Two completely different cars, but similar enough that I can eliminate them both with one stroke. Maybe if I was 30 years younger. Even more so for the Corvette, which probably couldn't hit the cost criteria anyway.
BMW 135/235? Maybe. I've got a date with the dealership this weekend. But I never saw myself as a Bimmer driver, and they seem to have a much better resale value than SAABs, which is a minus if you're on the wrong end of that equation. Hitting my cost target would be challenging. I drove a Z3 once and was not particularly impressed. I haven't tried a Z4...yet.
Volvo and Audi both seem to be out of the stick shift business. Except for the TT, which seems like a lot of money for not that much car.
Don't get me wrong. If I could reach into an alternate reality and pluck out a 2016 SAAB 9-3 convertible with a stick, I'd do it so fast I'd break my wrist reaching for my checkbook. But sadly, that's not in the cards, at least on this side of the twilight zone.
So what next? Right now, it looks like I'll be taking my 2007 out to 200,000 miles, and maybe beyond. But that's not because it's my first choice.
Your comments, counsel, advice, suggestions, and sarcasm are all welcome. Go at it.
->Posting last edited on Fri, 9 Nov 2018 04:12:34.
, Mon, 12 Nov 2018 10:02:30
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