Date: 10 Mar 2003 02:50:10 GMT From: davehinznopsamcop.net Subject: Re: The new 9-3 Cab
Someone who looks an awful lot like Photogenix <Photognxnopsamcom.com> wrote: > Neat looking car. I can understand your fascination with them. The smallish > 2-stroke motor seems like a real departure from the norm. Well, you have to remember that Saab was primarily an aircraft manufacturer ar the time, so they paid alot of attention to power:weight ratios and such. Fuel consumption is very good too. > Kind of like those > old East German Trabants. Only more refined I presume. Never driven a Trabant, so I have no direct knowledge. > Are they fun to drive? What were their shortcomings? They're an absolute blast to drive. Last summer I took a bunch of my older Saabs out for exercise (and to verify the lack of torque steer in any of 'em), and they all handled like a Saab. The center of mass is right at the driver's seat, where it belongs. That's probably directly a result of the aircraft mentality as well. Shortcomings - the engine was good for only about 100K miles before a rebuild, if it was treated well. Not tons of power, but certainly not dangerously underpowered. Yeah, it's only 40-60 horsepower, but the car only weighs 1600 lbs. > Oh dear, I think this Saab bug is getting into my system. I don't have, or suggest, a cure. Buy one of each. Dave Hinz