My Mate's traded in A3TQ for Saab!!!!!!!

[AndyMac]

After 3 years with his Audi, he's gone all sensible, or so I thought, but he's got the 2.3T Saab Aero. ****** hell does it shift, 250bhp, 0-60 in 6.5secs/155mph and it's only front wheel drive!
I drove it today and despite a bit of lag it really does take off at any speed.
The interior is revolting of course, and the seats would be more at home in your living room, but a very stealthy performer, which will embarrass a few S3 owners round here.
The wierd thing is it's really low emissions (it's his company car), lower than an A4TS with only 160bhp, and miles lower than an S3. Bizarre. Watch out before you take one on.

 

[Rev-head]

Hey fast cars but dont handle one of the guys at my work got one he says the same about it but had a few scary moments on back roads with it

 

[AndyMac]

My mate had scary moments in his quattro, so I doubt he'll be able to keep the saab in one piece for long.

 

[jdp1962]

Is it the new model or the previous one? The last one was based on the chassis of the Mark 3 Cavalier, so any wonder it doesn't handle?

 

[AndyMac]

No idea Jeff, it's an 02 model and according to Saab it doesn't have any old Vauxhall bits in it. Yeah right!

 

[imported_highlander1]

The last proper Saab to be made was the Classic 900, They have no GM/Vauxhall parts in them. My 900 T16S made about 215 BHP with 60 coming up in 6.9 sec and a top speed of 151mph. These cars are quick and they do handle well for a fwd car. Just before I sold my 900 I beat a Seat Leon Cupra R through the gears all the way up to 135ish before he bottled it.
h1.

 

[AndyMac]

900 Turbo, an all time classic, beautiful machine.

 

[wigginer]

I just spent a couple of days as passenger in a colleagues Saab 95 2.3T ... neat!!!

 

[AndyMac]

Love the neat security feature where you have to have the car in reverse before you can get the keys out, so anyone hotwiring the car can only joyride going backwards.

 

[wigginer]

ps. When I was 'a lad' .... many moons ago ...

SAAB was the only TURBO on Earth !!!!

 

[wigginer]

PS. Lets all buy SAABs !!!

NOT!! ... Afterall they're only VAUXHALL's ...

 

[AndyMac]

A guy I used to work with had a brown 900 turbo, and he was hit from behind by a Renault 25 with 4 people in it on a motorway at about 50-60mph (everyone was at a standstill and they just ploughed into him), 2 people in the Renault were killed. He had his mum & dad in the car and they walked away with a few scratches & bruises. The police said no other car could have withstood such an impact so well. And this was back in the 80's before safety was even a consideration in vehicles, let alone SIPs or airbags.
Built like tanks, thus the need for the turbo.

 

[gradwells]

I am the other idiot who after 6 years with my A4 1.9 TDI Quattro thought that a Saab 3.0 TiD was a good value replacement , what a mistake . The handling at anything over 60 mph was rubbish it was un reliable with loads of electrical probs and mods to do by the dealer plus zero grip in the wet with the traction control cuting the power in a jerky style . The black paint was full of swerles and marked so easily when washing . I stuck it out for 6 Months and draded it for a 6 month old 2003 A4 2.5 Quattro . Ho Hum

 

[AndyMac]

Good news, can't wait till he finds all this out. He only bought it cause he got fed up with waiting for a suitable A4 Avant Quattro, he'd been looking for all of 3 weeks!

 

[installer69]

Even though I've got the RS6 I bought my wife the new saab cabriolet instead of the A4. the saab is the safest car when involved in a rear end shunt and always tops the NCAP lists. The satnav is full europe from the off, the stereo's great and abbot racing do a great, and cheap, power hike as they always have. (and I couldn't bear to give my cash to the crap audi dealers)

the inside rumour with the vauxhall parts is that GM keep sending them to Sweden by the container load for the designers to include in each new model and the tech guys over there hide them in a large cupboard!!

I know they share platforms but the old 9000 was developed in conjunction with renault and alfa romeo. I know which ones you still see driving around with 150k on the clock and they're not french or italian!

I love Saabs. If they made a 500bhp, twin turbo, 4 wheel drive car I'd buy it. Alas - no. But when they do I've got SAAB X on retention....

 

[imported_kris_tdi]

my dads mate has one, when he went too germany he got it toop 160 mph on the clocks.
said it 'handles like a vauxhall' though lol. dont think he will keep it very long.

 

[AndyMac]

Yeah I think it's a bit of an Astra GTE, as someone said in a review "it's like being towed on a tea tray behind Thrust II"