Date: Sun, 17 Feb 2002 22:41:25 +0000 (UTC) From: H. <musicboxnopsamrider.co.uk> Subject: Re: SAAB 9-5 HEARSES UK
> I saw a 9-5 Hearse the other day in the West Midlands. Does anyone know who >does the conversion, and more importantly why ? Tony, I don't know the exact reason, but the family run division of Co-op had he 9-5s converted about 18 months ago - they previously had streched Ford Granada's. Our family have always used those undertakers, and with the death of a relative in the autumn, we were whisked about sedately in the aforementioned 9-5s. The two drivers have nothing but praise for them. Apparently hearses suffer more scuttle shake than even cabriolets, and the Granada's were appalling. The 9-5s are apparently stiff and boards (pun intended) and rock solid on the road. They also love the economy - their running costs have dropped by a third as the Granada's were all large displacement engines, whereas the 9-5's are simple remapped 2.0lpts, and even with auto boxes are delivering their cargo at a gentle pace whilst still returning 28mpg. The 9-5s were picked for size, prestige and bild quality - it's too expensive to convert a Merc or Beemer, and there aren't really any decent big mass-market cars anymore since the demise of the Scorpio. Thus they chose the 9-5 - Looks more expensive than a run of the mill car, and all the rest of the plusses added up to five very nice cars.