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Engineer your way back. Example: WinterSaab SE Posted by Saana88 [Email]  (#207)  [Profile/Gallery]
(more from Saana88) on Thu, 11 Oct 2007 16:26:58
In Reply to: Back to Saab, Bob C, Thu, 11 Oct 2007 13:35:18 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
Yes, I do remember. I was five when my parents decided to try out one of those "wierd" Swedish cars. All I remember was that it was a sky blue hatchback, maybe an S. We had driven over in the car, a '77 Volvo 242 so I had no problems getting in the rear seat, although they ultimately ended up buying a four-door 900.
Dad describes the first drive thus:
"I had asked around at work, and the consensus was that the engines were a little short on low-end torque (at least compared to the nothing-but B21F in the Volvo) so I get the car going, hit around 3 grand in the first four gears, and I look down and I'm going 85. The engine wasn't laboring much at all and was much more free-revving than the Volvo, it was very quiet inside, the seats were comfortable though the driver's seat could use a little more height adjustment, the brakes were difficult to modulate, and the ventilation system was excellent."
I was just blissfully bopping along in the rear seat. I remember them asking if I liked it back there, and I enthusiastically replied yes.
It was a toss-up on the 900 2-door coupe and the base four-door. They wanted a trunk instead of a hatch. The two-door was a little too expensive- $14,400 or so, due to the S trim level. They didn't want to have to deal with power locks/windows/mirrors/aerial and thought that the other extra stuff (alloy wheels, extra bumps on the seats) was not worth it. Neither car could pull our small camper. They settled on an admiral blue 4-door 900 and it wound up being the best car the family ever owned, and the last one they bought new. They owned it for 190,252 miles when I had to miss someone (who left the scene) and got sideways and hit a tree in 1998.
Since then there have been nine challengers in the family, most of which have come and gone, and my folks both drive Volvos because dad requires a wagon and C900s are too old for mom. For both, Saabs are too expensive and laden with unnecessary options.
The moral: Even though I'd love to get Mom in a Saab again, the C900s are too old to be reliable for her (well, um, maybe constant no-starts will change her mind) and all the new ones are either of questionable quality (NG "900") or too big (9000, 9-5) or too expensive (9-3 SS). All we are looking for is a simple, reliable, efficient, safe four-door car with a manual transmission, decent mileage, good snow manners, and dark blue paint. Saab doesn't make an entry-level (imagine cloth seats and no turbo) car anymore and they start just under $30k stripped down, and heated seats are optional.
Give me a design team and I'd make a Saab 90 Winter Special:
No turbo (this is sure to ruffle some feathers, but it's there nonetheless)
Front wheel drive only. AWD is too heavy to get underway.
Transmission fluid stored in close proximity to the engine so it heats quickly
Manual shift only
Four Hakkas included as standard equipment, choice of studded H5s or RSi friction tires
Washer fluid and engine block heater standard
DSTC (skid-correcting traction control, whatever you call it)
Headlight wipers (notice I didn't say simply "washers") connected to the WF heater circuit
Fog lights that actually work in foul weather (not the fashion statements on new cars, I mean something with refractive optics for short-range use)
Inboard parking lights like on our US '85 or some sort of low-intensity uber-low beam
SIMPLE VENTILATION CONTROLS WITH LARGE KNOBS (which can actually be used by someone wearing gloves) and four big buttons, the way it should be. LITTLE TEENSY BUTTONS AND LCDs DO NOT WORK IN COLD WEATHER. Mechanical linkages shall control these functions, not a computer(s).
Centrally-located switchable fresh air (only) vent, aimable to the driver's face
Heated seats standard (again)(thermostatically-controlled) (manual adjustments which require no current and don't freeze up and water won't infiltrate the controls)
Raised chassis, minimal under-bumper spoilerage, nothing serious, just 5 inches of ground clearance with no protruding parts
Heavy-duty bushings, springs, shocks, and ball joints
15-16 gallon capacity fuel tank maximum (it factors in to the weight balance)
Individual parking brake levers (why not? only if DSTC is not included)
Manual (round-and-round-the-mulberry-bush crank-operated) windows
Silicon-impregnated door seals (so they don't freeze to the frame)
Very large capacity battery (850 CCA or greater)
Electric auxiliary heating element for the front windshield defroster air (electric heat before the car warms up) (not enough for extreme comfort, just enough to get -30 Fahrenheit ambient air warm enough to defog the windshield)
B-pillar (rear side) window defroster outlets
Separate dimmers for instrument and control illumination
Serious anti-glare optics on all rearview mirrors (at least that on the C900, maybe more)
Dome light fade-to-black
Weather band tuning on the radio or provision for a scanner (auxiliary audio in and antenna tie-in connections)
Glove compartment of usable size, dimly-lit
Four thermoplastic floor trays standard
Anti-slip surfaces on all three pedals
High output rear defroster element with relay timer mounted inside the passenger compartment (need I repeat the large button requirement?)
Low-temperature synthetic engine oil and CV grease and transmission lubes (MoS2 or equivalent)
Four-channel ABS with deactivation option (build up mounds of snow in front of the front wheels, throw the car sideways to stop)
C900-shaped windshield
Ultra-low-temperature washer fluid (the neon orange stuff) with water whetting agent (Rain-X)
Ambient temperature gauge with freeze warning, oil pressure gauge, voltmeter (sound familiar?)
Mudflaps, full complement of six
Full-height doors, including the lower sill, like those on the C900 (not only do you not get slush all over your pants getting in, but the sill next to the seats will function as your cupholder for coccoa/tea)
Comprehensive body sealing and undercoating system over ultragalvanized body and frame panels
Keyless entry, but at least three lock cylinders too (it's called redundancy) with low-temperature silicone-based grease in them
Doors shall not automatically lock anytime the car is in motion
Clamshell hood that opens forward, just because it's the right way to go
Cornering lights (mounted and focused up where they can do something such as in the C900) (perhaps they will come on with the fog lights, obviously in poor weather when you may have your headlights off due to short-range glare)
Five bright brake lights mounted high above the bumper (my only complaint with my C900 in the snow: it piles up on the bumper and obscures them)
Rear fog light
Strong, yet narrow windshield pillars
Accessory sunglass holder standard
High-output alternator (we're talking in excess of 100A)
Low value engine thermostat with manual cooling fan cut-in switch
Winter-specific wiper blades
Did I miss anything here? Why has every submissive carmaker on the planet let Subaru take over the winter car market? Maybe a low-visibility light button analogous to the Night Panel system but for outside as well as inside could tie a few of these features together. If visibility goes way down, one button near the lighting controls could extinguish the headlights (low beams off, inboards on still), power up front and rear fog lights, kick on the cornering lamps, activate the defroster, maybe even start a rainsensor wiper system and darken the instrument panel lights.
Thanks for the inspiration. With my '88 900, I'm most of the way there but lack a couple of winter necessities. Work in progress. This will be the winter of the block heater.
, Thu, 11 Oct 2007 21:21:30, Thu, 11 Oct 2007 16:26:58 <-- Viewing This Message, Thu, 11 Oct 2007 15:03:57
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