I was heading home around 7:30pm in my 95 900 SE Turbo, late as usual. My wifes family was at the house, all waiting for me to get home for an impromptu family dinner (Thursday.) I got off the I-170 freeway and took the jug-handle to swing into Clayton, Missouri. The intersection is notorious for accidents, so generally I am pretty cautious. My wife and I have had several near misses from idiots running flashing reds and attempting to beat the yellows. As I approched the intersection east bound, I see a westbound SUV with its signal about to cross my path. He stops, so I assume he sees me. I am doing about 35 MPH. I look to my right to see another car yielding to me. I had the right away so I proceeded. When I look back into the intersection, the SUV was there. Right smack dab (10 Feet) in front of me. He tried to rush the yellow so he would miss the 1.5 minute wait fro the next green (stupid). There was NO time to stop. No amount of reflex in the world could have got my foot onto those breaks any faster. I T-boned him at 35 MPH.
It's like they say, it all happened so fast....
The car dives...
There is a gentle sweep to the left...
BAMMMMM...
The airbag is out...
The hood starts to bend...
The seatbelt pretensioner goes Bang!...
I am pulled back into the seat...
The Cabin fills with smoke from the airbags...
I get out of the car a few seconds later and realize all of these people are standing around their cars looking at me. They all have this totally amazed look on their faces, like I just showed up at the tailgate party and forgot to bring the beer. I get out and close the door. My car is destroyed. It comes to me that my car is blocking the intersection and it is dead, so I take it out of gear and I drift it backwards to the side of the road. Traffic resumes and I thank god I was driving a Saab.
Fortunately I had witnesses and the idiot in the SUV said he didn't see me. All he remembered was the light turning yellow and going, then bam! So the cop writes him a ticket for failure to yield and Inattention.
The cop said he saw an accident just like mine 2 weeks ago, but the person in the Honda Accord was take to the hospital with multiple injuries and facial fractures.
Needless to say I am looking for my next Saab.
DP Clayton, Missouri
Everyone was surprised my wife was ok at that time (she got some muscle pain at the shoulder and back later). The doctor from the ER asked my wife what kind of car she drove. My wife said "A Saab". Then the doctor said "Oh, you should be ok. My sister-in-law also got a Saab too". She came home on the same day. If she were driving in a Japanese car, she probably stayed in the hospital for weeks.
We bought a Saab again.
They said "People who test drive a Saab usually buy one". We said "People who were saved by a Saab usually buy another one".
KL
On a clear, cold winter night, my 1987 saab 900 S fully loaded with me and 4 passangers... took a turn for the worse... so to speak!
On a back country road where apparently black ice was present, we slid into the guard rail and took out about 300 feet of it before soming to a stop on a telephone pole, sideways... NO ONE was injured! After that, I bought a 9000. I don't think I'll ever own another brand of car as long as i live... the accident was in a horrible place... and it wasn't luck that saved us, it was GOOD ENGINEERING!
GL
JW
LH
I pulled over, grabbed my first-aid kit, and rushed over to the other car. The driver was busy extracting his very young baby from the child seat attached to the rear seat, and his wife was getting out of her side. Both airbags had deployed, and the front of the car was a mess. There was a trail of oil and hot engine parts from the manhole cover to the final resting point of the car - obviously the oil pan had been torn out. All windows remained intact and the passenger compartment was not penetrated in any way.
All vehicle occupants appeared to be fine, and their condition was confirmed by the EMTs who arrived moments later. The baby, after a few minutes of crying, yawned and dozed off. The driver reported that he had "blanked out" or dozed off momentarily and run off the road.
JMJ
our plan was interrupted when a woman stopped incredibly short and i hit her doing 35 MPH.
the car pulled itself out of gear and i don't know whether i shut it off or it stalled, but the engine started up on demand (actually better than it ever had), no loud noises, nothing. directly before impact i let out the clutch so it may have stalled. the shifter was knocked from fourth to third (i swear i did not do this). there was no damage to the engine components except the radiator hose, which came undone and sprayed fluid all over the road.
my friend and i both wore our seatbelts. she was not looking when we hit, so she didn't tense up, and suffered no injuries. i was not as lucky. seeing what was going to happen, i instinctively tensed up and braced myself against the brake and the clutch up until the very last second. my hands slipped off the wheel and i went forward. my seat belt caught me, cut and bruised my neck but otherwise did its job. i cut my finger somehow and other than these injuries, i was fine... the usual muscle soreness, but that was it.
the woman in the Saturn in front of me turned out to be my sister's teacher. she was unharmed and her insurance billed me for $1,435.08 for a new bumper.
i have been told that if i had been driving anything else i would have had an engine sitting on my feet. i believe this is true. 35 to zero in a millisecond should cause more injury than it did. the hood did its job, no glass was broken, and the car would be driveable except for the radiator and lights.
i've recently acquired another saab, and i think it's safe to say i won't be driving anything but those for quite awhile.
A Beaton
My second story involves my 1990 Saab 9000 turbo. I was driving down a small New Hampshire road, a regular 2-lane route, at about 50mph. We came up over a knoll and I saw out of the corner of my eye, a deer, standing at the edge of the opposite side of the road, on my left. I knew he was coming towards me and I also knew there was no way I could completely avoid the deer. However, thanks to the superb handling and acceleration of my vehicle and it's response time, all damage was minimal. As the deer came into the roadway, I sped up due to the fact that if I did not increase my speed, this deer would land right on my hood, and possibly in my front lap after coming through the windshield. I depressed the gas pedal, the turbo kicked in and I eased my car as far over to the shoulder as possible. I could not actually go onto the shoulder, as it was dirt and at 55-60mph, hitting a sandy dirt shoulder may have caused the car to roll. The deer collided into my car, the point of impact being my driver's side exterior mirror. He hit, I heard a very loud "whap!" and glass breaking. It all happened so fast. I came to a stop. My husband jumped out of the passenger's seat to go to the deer in the roadway behind us. I called local authorities on my cell phone. It was late at night and very dark, so I could not tell if there was blood and other deer parts all aver my car from the inside, so I got out to inspect. The condition of my Saab amazes me every time I think about it. There was a 2-inch crack in my windshield where the deer's head had hit, and my driver's side exterior mirror (being a break-away component) had smashed into my driver's side door window, shattering the glass of the mirror. That was it. A crack and a broken mirror. And, to make this story have an even happier ending, once I had sized up the condition of my Saab, I turned my attention to my husband and the deer in the road. When I turned and looked, the deer was no longer in the road. Thinking the worst, I asked my husband what he did to the deer, assuming he had pulled it out of the roadway and into the ditch so that other traffic would not hit him as well. Well, apparently, I was so preoccupied with the condition of my vehicle that I missed the most amazing part. The deer stood up, with no apparent injuries, no blood coming from the nose or ears, no broken legs, no nothing, and gracefully as a deer, went back into the woods. If it hadn't been for the evasive maneuvering of my dear Saab, the dear deer would be no more and my car would have sustained many more injuries as well.
I am a tried and true Saab addict. If there's a better car out there, you'll never be able to convince me of it!
Sincerely, Karla J. Walker
When I turned 16, I purchased my first SAAB, a 1980 900GLE and I've had an 83 900S, 83 900Turbo, 85 900Turbo,Ê86 900, 89 9000T, and finally my first new SAAB, a 2001 9-5 Wagon. I had two friends that were spared thanks to the safety of early 80's 900s, but I hadn't been unfortunate enough to experience their safetyÊfirsthand, until 10:30 P.M. on December 27, 2001.
My wife, two children, and I were traveling home after visiting my mother's when I noticed a vehicle stopped at a crossroads. He was inching forward, so I slowed. Once I got close enoughÊto beÊ"sure" that he could see me, I began to accelerate to my normal pace. Upon entering the intersection he accelerated briskly into my path. There was no time to react and I impacted the front driver's side of his car with the front passenger's side of my car. Upon impact, the front passengers side tire was blown, airbags deployed, and I lost control. We veered into a telephone pole that struck the car directly in the center of the grille. The pole split, landed on our roof, and brought the car to an abrupt stop. Immediately,Êan ONSTAR representative was assessing the situation and activated EMS. My stepfather is a member ofÊthe local EMS and we knewÊthat he would be hearing of the accident on the radio. We requested that the ONSTAR repÊpatch us throughÊto myÊmother's phone, and they did soÊwillingly.ÊÊGrandmother was relieved that herÊkids wereÊokay. The accidentÊwas reported as "serious with entrapment", but EMS was surprised toÊfind that we had all evacuated the vehicle and were warming up in a by-standersÊcar. They commented that we were fortunate to have been driving aÊSAAB. Although very shaken, my family was Okay. My daughter had a small scratch on her lip and my wife suffered some trauma to her right shoulder from the airbag located in the seat. We finally realized the most important benefit of SAAB ownership. Uncompromising safety.
Thanks to SAAB engineering, we're allÊhere today without severe injury. Thanks to ONSTAR for the quick response and assistance.
In January, we replaced the totaled 9-5 with a new black 9-5 Wagon. My wife didn't want the same color (superstition I guess).
The Myers Family Greencastle, Pennsylvania
The Ford Escort wagon hit us at a speed around 45 mph. We were unaware of it's approach. The SAAB was hit hard and lurched forward a bit. After checking my passengers who both stated they were ok just shook up a bit I went to check on the car and driver which rear ended us. Her front end waas pushed in about aa foot and a half, airbags deployed and luckily the young woman driving it was not physically injured.
I lookedÊat my SAAB and you could hardly notice any damage. It looked as if it might need a new bumper. The wheel wells looked a bit tighter. That SAAB took all the impact in the rear impact panels and up the frame. Though I suffered from some spinal neck trauma no bones were broken and and we were able to drive away from the scene after being releaased from the paramedics. The Ford sat waiting for the tow truck.
Regretably the 9000 was totalled. But so impressed was I with my SAABÊI went out and bought a '96 900 SE Turbo Convertible. I am having so much fun with it but now it's for sale because I am Debating on either a "99 95 SE or a '99 93 SE Turbo Convertible....decisions,decisions.
Thank you SAAB. I will never buy another make.
Jeffrey B. Ridabock
Less than one year ago, while on vacation in southern Spain, I was driving my Saab 9-3 SE Cabriolet (MY2000) when, while making a right hand turn, I wasÊstruckÊon theÊleft hand sideÊby a carÊwhich was aboutÊto overtake the line of cars following me. The impact was impressive and pushed my car over four meters into a nearby ditch. It was later estimated that the car that struck me was travelling at better than 100 kph at the moment of impact.
My head struck the window which shattered as the lateral airbag detonated. A moment later, it was possible to determine that my brother, seated next to me in the passenger seat, was uninjured. My youngest daugther, right behind me on the impact side, lost consciouness for a moment but recovered fully with only scratches to her head as did my sister-in-law, who was seated in the right, rear seat. The Spanish police arrived quickly and with the help of the fire department using the "jaws of life" device, managed to pull me (painfully) from the car. I suffered a shallow cut to the scalp, three broken ribs, two broken transveral vertebrae, a partially collapsed lung and bruised spleen. The bruising in the spleen and associated internal bleeding meant I later lost that organ but am otherwise now fully recovered after about a month in the hospital.
I attach photos which show the impact side and the manner in which the opposite side of the car deformed in order to absorb the force of impact.
I was still in theÊhospital when I ordered my new Saab and today still drive a 9-3 Aero Cabriolet (MY2002) with confidence.
Thanks,
J. Dubois Brussels, Belgium
My 86 900T had about 200,000 miles on the clock, and my inspection of the timing chain tensioner revealed that the extension was about 9mm, as I recall. So, I decided to schedule an appointment to have a new chain run in, in some attempt to make every effort to extend the life of the engine. The appointment was pretty much first thing in the morning, and so I was on the road early, driving to Andrews of Princeton, from St Paul, MN. The drive is about an hour.
I was westbound on Interstate 694, which forms the north loop around the cities. I was in the #1 lane, the fast lane. At this point, I believe the interstate is either 3 or 4 lanes wide in either direction. My speed was about 60 mph. I proceeded to make a very bad decision. While following this mud-brown ford Taurus too closely (maybe 2 car lengths, oops), I decided that I simply could not tolerate following this woman any longer. So, I looked over my right shoulder, to see if the next lane over was clear. I'm in the habit of always looking, though I do adjust my side mirrors to show me my blind spots, rather than duplicating the view from the rearview mirror.
I looked just a little too long over my shoulder. There was, in fact, a car there, I believe it was a rust and white colored station wagon of 70's vintage. So, since there was a car driving in formation with me, it was impossible to get around the Taurus. I swiveled my head back to look at the Taurus' ugly rear end, and made a startling discovery. For no reason whatsoever, other than to 'Brake check' ME, the woman driving the Taurus decided to come to a complete stop in the middle of the fast lane. It is important to realize that there was nobody in front of her. This is why I wanted to pass in the first place, I saw all that open road and was sick of the color brown. Last thing I saw in 'normal time' was the ABS logo on the Taurus. I didn't have any ABS, so she won the brake check competition. I did manage some braking. I slowed very slightly. I burned some rubber. I hit that Taurus straight on, submarining under the rear bumper. This smashed all the plastic, lights, grille, pushed the radiator cross member back a couple inches, crumpled the hood (skewers on the corners were retained by the special retension clips). Also, my car was for some reason sent flying across traffic at a 45 degree angle. Again I found myself looking over my right shoulder to see what was coming, as I struggled to retain some control of the vehicle. Unfortunately, there was, in fact, a large and scary looking F-250 heading straight for me at about 65 mph. I was completely T-boned by this truck. Smashed the right side of the vehicle from in front of the A pillar back to the rear lights. The body was pushed in about 1 foot, the arm rest in the side was pushed down at a 90 degree angle. I imagine if a passenger had been there, they would have suffered a broken arm or perhaps an injured hip.
As if by magic, the impact from the F-250 kicked my car straight again. I was actually driving straight, still at about 50 mph, heading down the shoulder. I rolled to a stop and shut the engine down, got out and started inspecting the damage. The other accident participants also stopped, the truck driver seemed incredulous that I was okay and trying to open my hood. I was shaken, but completely uninjured. I was not wearing my seatbelt.
The state patrol assigned no guilt in this accident -- at least not to me. I was instructed to fill out an accident report, after the trooper checked all our stories. Evidently the woman was honest about her brake-check because I can't understand why else it would not have been my fault. The trooper insisted that I have my car towed away, but when the tow truck came and it was not a platform truck, I insisted that I would rather drive away. He looked at me like I was nuts. "No way that car is still running", he said. I showed him that it indeed would start and run and shift gears and he let me drive away. I pulled over at the next exit and got the hood freed, released the tension on the top radiator hose, which was compressed to the point that it was bent at a 90 degree angle, blocking coolant flow. Interestingly, the taurus showed Zero damage, and the F-250 had a small scraping of metallic light blue paint on it's left front bumper cover, but I swear, neither of the other vehicles showed ANY damage, no dents, no scrapes, no nothing. Just a totalled-lookingÊsaab.
I did have this car repaired, the total bill was about $1000, for the front end to be repaired, and the side simply jacked out. I drove this car for another couple years before I finally let it go. As I recall, I collected about $2500 from collision insurance, the car originally cost about $1200, so this accident was, ironically, profitable to the tune of a few hundred bucks.
Rolf Karlstad
We got in touch with people from her college who went to the ER to check on her to give us progress reports. Fortunately she was released about 3am that morning and I drove to Lynchburg (in my Aero)Êbeginning about 4 hours later.
The other driver was not so fortunate. My daughter's suspicions were correct. As the trooper later told me she was a DRT (dead right there). Apparently the other driver was dead drunk and high on cocaine and somehow ended up headed north in the southbound lanes of traffic at night without headlights. My daughter hit her head on in a frontal offset collision and my daughter was traveling at least 60 mph. Fortunately for us, the drunk driver was in a small Daihatsu Charade which was no match for the 9-3. I later saw pictures of the Daihatsu and the damage was incredible. The steering wheel was over the center console and the trooper told me that the left front wheel was under the driver's seat. The driver's door was nearly off and the driver's side of the vehicle was completely contorted. The drunk driver was killed instantly.
The trooper figured the drunk driver was also doing about 60 mph because her car ended about 100 feet north of the collision site and my daughter's car ended up about 100 feet south.
The Saab sustained very heavy damage to the front left of the car. Both doors on the driver's side would not open and the driver's door was buckled at the door latch causing the driver window to blow out. But the passenger compartment stayed well in tact and the only real concern of mine was some significant intrusion into the driver footwell. The front left wheel was broken and turned 90 degrees and most of the intrusion came from the side rather than the front. This caused my daughter's only injuries which were a ligament injury to her left foot and a badly bruised right shin. Somehow my daughter managed to pull her legs out of the way, otherwise she might have had a severe injury to her left leg. She will have to wear a moon boot for 4-6 weeks but that seems to be all that she will need. Very thankfully, she did not come close to sustaining any trauma to her head or torso.
All of the people who saw her (EMS, witnesses, troopers, doctors, classmates and professors)Êcould not believe how well she had fared. Kudos are in order to the Saab engineers. I hope they get to read this and receive inspiration to keep up the good work. On their behalf, I got to tell a lot of people about the safety of Saabs.
DM
During this time I didn't see the car stop and the driver get out, he went down to my Saab and was yelling...Is everyone all right!? Anyone hurt!? I didn't answer, I was to busy trying that stupid phone. Then I heard another car and another, I heard... look for a body... there has to be a body somewhere...they had to get thrown from the car! No one could of lived through that.....Look for bodies!
I walked back towards the car, before anyone could fall into that bank and get hurt, still shaking up a bit I said "I'm your body", I'm the driver....He asked was there anyone else? no I said I'm it.... After about 20 minutes the police, fire department and an ambulance showed up...The fire department cut her positive cable, the Medic had me sit in the ambulance and looked me over, he said, if he didn't know any better he would of never guessed I was driving that car, he said I should be dead....my answer...it's a Saab...maybe not the most intelligent answer, but it was true... Finally the police...He asked were you drinking? some one hit you? what happened? I fell asleep, I fell asleep and wrecked my Saab, my baby, my dream car.....Unsafe movement to the right, a warning....He took me home.
The next day I went down to the towing company and asked about her, you were the driver? they asked...yes now what about my car? I went over and looked, spent an hour just looking.. went home and told my wife that I couldn't bare thinking about the car sitting there and I wanted to bring her home...They towed the car to my house and we put it in the driveway...
Most of that day passed and later in the evening I decided I wanted her in the garage, I didn't have to open the hood, it was hanging off the side, put an extra tire I had on her and was going to push her inside, where it was safe. She didn't roll very well because of the twisted lower control arm in fact she wasn't about to roll at all. Then I figured why not hook up the battery cable and see if she'll start? so I did and without any hesitation she started right up...I ran into the house and got my wife....The car was running in the driveway...I told her see that's way it's a Saab, show me any other car that could do this....It's a Saab... and this Saab saved my life....well it's been a year and that SPG is still hanging around, getting ready to take apart...won't be fixing up the 86 900, but I won't be taking her to a junk yard either.
Still think about that night once in awhile...that car saved my life....I hope if it ever happens again that my 9000 will do the same for me, I won't be driving anything else, I've been sold for life.
Rhichard A. Barth
The front of the car was crumpled and mangled, like you see in their test photos, windshield cracked, but absoulutely NO intrusion into the passenger compartment. In fact, the CD player was still playing after the accident. The cupholders in the back armrest came out, which I thought was interesting.
I was so shaky but fortunately some witnesses were there and they took my phone to call 911. The man in the truck was passed out.
Long story short, he was arrested for DWI and carrying a pistol. Thank God I have witnesses... they said they knew he was going to hit me. Thank God I was driving a Saab.
The police said he was going 50-60mph...
as did the witnesses. I must have been going around 5-10mph or less as I was taking the turn. The stick was in 1st gear when I got out... but I was probably in 2nd at the moment of impact.
I forgot to mention, my only injuries are some scratches to the face from the airbag deploying and hitting my glasses. Yes, I'm glad too that Saab still makes tanks.
saabguy - glad to be alive
Melissa
Had '01 9-5 SE Sedan
'00 9-3 Convertible
The car absorbed the force of the collision by crumpling up to the back of the drivers seat.
My worse injury is a shiner that will be around for about a month. All told, the Saab became a parts doner, and I didn't, for which I'm thankful.
Posted by Bill W on the TSN Mailing List
Periodic reminders of this sort, make me grateful that I have made the decision to allow my family to drive these vehicles. This could have easily been my wife; that thought petrifies me.
I am proud of this Saab, it performed flawlessly. It gave its life so that two humans could have theirs. Although the impact was at the left front wheel, the body work showed evidence of stress all the way to the rear bumper. This showing that the car used everything that it had to evenly distribute the energy of the crash. Even the rear fender had crinkled. Had they been driving anything else, I would hate to have seen the end result.
We are fortunate, not only to have the knowledge of the existence of these cars, but the opportunity to own and drive them. We're Saab owners for life, and judging by their attitudes this morning, I think that they will be also.
Cheers,
Brian.
Posted to the TSN BB by Andrew K.
No one was hurt. I am grateful that I was driving the Saab and that I had ABS brakes. Well worth the cost, IMHO.
It was my first collision in over 350,000 miles of driving. The story doesn't end there, however. Two shaken drivers emerge from their cars check the damage and proceed to hug one another, thanking God almighty that they weren't hurt and that all is well. A trooper comes upon the scene and tells us to get off the Thruway, "It's just too dangerous out here." We both are insured by Geico and we both call in the next day to report our versions of the accident. Geico calls me and asks me if I was in the left lane and tapped his bumper forcing both cars into a skid and eventual head on collision. Competing versions of the tale and an inability to settle the claim go on for over a month. My wife gets the bright idea to find the trooper. Why didn't I think of that, after all how many 5'6" African Americans are there on the force? To make a long story short, I find the Trooper, he remembers everything because he used to own a TransAm and "only a fool would be out on a night like that in one of those!" He tells Geico his version of the accident and they promptly settle in my favor and send me a check for the damages. One problem though, they check out my one speeding ticket and illegal left hand turn and raise my insurance the exact amount they paid out to me! Love those ABS brakes, though!
Bob R.
My 900 was propelled forward, and forced sideways into the guardrail, which it bounced off of two times before coming to a halt. (Of course, I was wearing my seat belt; all of the safety engineering in the world won't do its job if you don't do yours.) I couldn't open the doors, but my windows were down, and I jumped out of my passenger side window. Luckily, a Highway Patrol car pulled up within ten seconds, containing an officer that had witnessed the incident, so I took the time to inspect the damage to my vehicle. The trunk had been completely caved in, up to the rear windshield. The rear fenders were also partially driven into the rear tires.
I was astounded at the amount of damage the car withstood, since it had taken a 60mph collision in the rear end, without even injuring me! Of course, the car was effectively totaled, and I grieved for its loss, but I changed my attitude once I discovered that the other driver had sustained bruising and compound fractures (she had decided that Sunday wasn't a good day for seat belts). Luckily, she made a recovery and was released from the hospital 2 days later. I suffered a little neck pain for 2 or 3 days afterward, but that was nothing compared to the serious injury I could have had, if I hadn't been driving a Saab. And I'm about to purchase an '87 Saab 9000T, just as soon as I get home for the summer--the insurance check should see to that!
-Alex Graham
Posted on the TSN BB by Lee.
The passenger door lower hinge and floor were pushed sideways in front of my lady's seat almost halfway to the shifter. The car showed that it had carried some of the force to the opposite side of the car, where the new paint was cracked in a radial pattern just in front of the driver's door. The passenger window was shattered. The windshield developed a small crack in the lower right corner, which never got any bigger. My lady developed a sudden headache due to sideways whiplash, which was our only injury. The body shop guy who had restored the car only 3 weeks before nearly cried when he saw it. The Olds needed a new grille and some lights, and a straighter bumper, but was drivable. The driver, also wearing a belt, had minor bruises and scrapes.
The SAAB suffered severe tire damage to the right front, but was otherwise drivable, although it pulled to the right after the spare was installed. Later, I used a hydraulic jack to push outward where the Olds had pushed in, and straightened the body to where it tracked true with only a half turn adjustment to the right-hand tie rod. The insurance company totaled the car, but I bought it back for $50, replaced the window with a piece of Plexiglas and some duct tape, bought a new tire and touched up the paint, intending to drive it until I could find a replacement -- which turned out to be 22 months later. Everything continued to work until then.
That car will always be my favorite SAAB. My passenger that day is now my wife, and we've had three more SAABs since then, the current 900 for 11 years and 184K miles.
Mike
I was recently involved in an accident, in which I totalled my 1986 900 Turbo, and I did not sustain any injuries! I am currently looking for a new-used Saab, but my parents are graciously letting me borrow their 1988 9000 T which has a little over 212,000 miles and still purring!
I love Saabs and their classic look, and I anticipate to always have one, for I know they are safe, and they do Save Lives!
Sincerely, Tracy Palombi
Toms River, NJ
Ps. Court said that the police men were guilty for dangering traffic and got tickets, but most important thing was that everybody stayed alive and perhaps learned something.
I have myself had a driver license now about a year and a half and I am driving Saab 900 2.0 turbo '95 knowing that it's must be the safest car in the world.
Damage report:
SAAB: Destroyed grille, destroyed headlight "doors", bent hood, bent front left fender. impeded left passenger portal. It is noted that the deer was flung forward and to the right instead of into my face. Drove away.
Self: Furious, but intact.
Deer: Unknown, assumed dead. It ran off. On impact, due to height of SAAB and angle of flight, he was actually slammed into a sitting position on the hood. I am sure I never saw him again.
Episode Two:
In August of 1999 I was finally able to afford the bodywork to restore my
precious orange cruiser. The day after picking it up I left on a trip to
Oregon. On my return two weeks later, fifty miles west of Missoula [late at
night again] I abruptly encountered Yet Another Deer (tm). This one, while
slightly smaller, did more damage since my velocity was around the posted
limit of seventy five miles per hour.
Damage report:
SAAB: Destroyed grille, destroyed headlight "doors", bent hood, bent front left fender. bent front right fender, bent core support, splooshed radiator, shattered distributor cap. It is noted again that the deer was flung forward, where it was subsequently ran /over/, instead of, again, into my face. Did *not* drive away.
Self: Furious, but intact.
Deer: Unknown, assumed dead [impact at seventy five, trampled by 2800 pounds of Swedish steel a second later?]. I looked for it, but could not find it in the dark, even with my miniature supernova flashlight.
I spent around five hundred dollars getting my sweet pun'kin travelable again.
Episode Three:
In May of 2000, whilst _stopped_ in traffic downtown Salt Lake City, I was
rear-ended by some young blonde in her daddy's Acura doing _thirty five_.
Damage report:
SAAB: rear bumper bent down to the right, and in slightly, damaged CD player [whole unit popped out of dash at impact], damaged front bumper [slammed into SUV in front of me], fenders all around slightly askew. Drove away from the scene when all was said and done.
Self: Herniated disk, sore neck.
Acura: Totalled. Did *not* drive away from scene. Front end was /completely/ smashed in. Driver unharmed.
SUV: Completely undamaged. One small black smear on bumper from SAAB bumper. Wiped off.
I took the insurance check and bought a 1984 900S in premium condition, which I later gave to my wife when we bought "Truly Scrumptious", my swishy new 1988 SPG.
ONLY SAAB!
CS
Submitted by Willie C.
Michelle Chaviano
PS Living in Alaska, I really enjoy the seat warmers last night it was a balmy -10.
I bought a 1984 Saab 900 and have been a lurker and occasional poster since TSN started in October of '88.
By routine (but faithful) maintaince, such as oil changes every 3k miles and 2 coats of wax a year The Red Baron served me well. He had only 271k miles on him and I was planning on giving it to my sons when they turn 16 (they are twins who just turned 8). My mechanic and I figured 450k miles out of a Saab is high but achievable.
The guy in front of me panicked at the traffic and stopped on an entrance ramp. The driver behind was looking left to merge and was doing 40-45 mph when she hit. The front of the Saab smashed against the guard-rail and first car. The Saabs rear bumper is now V shaped. The passenger safety cage held firm.
The panicked driver went to the hospital. The woman who hit me redecorated her windshield with her forehead since she wasn't wearing her seatbelt, she too went to a local hospital. I walked away.
Mick
When the car came to a stop, my passenger and I opened our doors and stepped out. Both doors (it was a 3-door) still opened and closed fine. Even the sunroof still slid fine - that shows the strength of the body. The engine compartment was a crumpled mess forward of the front wheels, and the rear end was crumpled. The backseat was fine, and the seat folding mechanism still worked. One strong body shell.
Most importantly, both my passenger and I didn't have a scratch. No bumps, no bruises. You bet we had seat belts on. A little soreness where the belts go over the shoulder, that's it. No whiplash (remember that rear collision!)
As to side impact, I remember a few (quite a few) years back when the government mandated side impact beams. At the time in tests Saab had less intrusion without the beams than other makes did with the beams. But regulations are regulations, so Saab put them in.
When it comes to hitting things, I'll take a Saab any day (somehow that didn't come out quite right.) More importantly, I'll take a Saab *not* to hit things. Standard ABS on the 9000 since 88 (87?) and sometime around then for the 900. Four wheel disc brakes since Nixon was in office. Acceleration to get you out of trouble. Predictable handling. Great visibility. Lots of tailights - 5 on my 9000, compared to the little bits of plastic on other cars. A climate control system that can keep the windshield defrosted. I see too many cars driving around with the windows half fogged up - how safe is that? Seat heaters that allow me to concentrate on the road, not on how cold my buns are.
I guess by now you've figured out my choice. By the way, the insurance check for my totaled Saab became the down payment for the one I'm driving now.
Brandon
Andy Roper
Bill Briggs
Matt
Several eye witnesses said my beloved flipped over three times. I was incredible. My brother and I only suffered minor bruises. I still have a small one inch scar above my eyebrow today, as a gift. Needless to say my beloved was killed...totaled.
I am truly amazed with the contruction for the saabs. It is unfortunate that most peope, when they think of a safe car, they think of Volvo. That is nonsense. This is due to marketing. I strongly believe the saab is just as strong.
I hope I didn't put you to sleep. If you do set up a web page for these true stories of heroism, please let me know.
Patrick Jerome
She was standing beside the car, completely unharmed. The car did it's job - the doors stayed closed and the seat belts held her in place. As soon as I recover from this financial hit (she's 16 and we only had liability insurance on her), I'll be putting her in another Saab. BTW, watch the classifieds next week for lots of excellent parts!
THANK YOU SAAB for building such a safe, structurally sound car.
Dave Thomas
Susan
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