Oppo, help my Dad find a proper replacement for the Viggen!

"Your boy, BJR" (jerseyshoreben) 10/07/2014 at 11:19 • Filed to: None

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(pic semi-related)

So Pop's badass swedish hotrod seems to be on its way out. Bad bushings, worn out ball joints, worn out engine and trans mounts, oil leaks, busted waste gate, clutch just grenaded, plus, like none of the windows work, and neither does the A/C. Now he LOVES this car (2001 9-3 Viggen 5 door, Maptun stage 2), and has even told me he plans on keeping it to his death. HOWEVER, He's also stuck with a newer CR-V which he dislikes greatly, but it's his "when the Viggen is down/ snow is too high" car (needless to say it's pretty much been his DD since april). He can't get rid of that (LONG STORY, not gonna get into it), so he's trying to decide if he wants to fix the Saab (at that point, he WILL be keeping it for life because he'll have bought the car about 3 times with these repairs), or replace it. So far he's looked at this:

an '04 Beetle Turbo S (I've wanted one of these since they were new, so I'm behind that). He test drove it, but I have yet to talk to him about it, but he seems to be set on it. What else should I suggest that's-

-2 doors

-Manual

-not american, unless a full blown muscle car

-can take being loaded up with miles (he travels A LOT for work)

-is a decent place to spend a few hours (again, many, many long highway trips)

-Is "cool"

-can be loaded up with quite a bit of luggage

-He's not a huge german car fan, with a few exceptions (Merc CLS, New Beetle, Clownshoe)

-$12k or under

I've suggested he look into an RSX Type-S, but that's too "boy-racer" for him, so I suggested a TL Type-S (foreal doe, I love dem honda man-trans), or a Mazdaspeed 6. The problem with those is he's pretty adamant on no more than 3 doors. He really likes drivers cars, and performance models, but above all else, he likes his cars to "suit him"

He looks like this, dresses "shabby chic", is an actor, and looks up to people like Hunter S. Thompson, Karl Marx, Joe Strummer, and Ernesto "Che" Guavara. So something like a Trans-Am WS6 w0n't really suit him.

Anyway, what chariot-of-choice does Oppo Suggest for my Pops?

TL;DR, Dad might replace his Viggen, I'm looking for suggestions, He's picky, and criteria is listed above.

twochevrons > Your boy, BJR 10/07/2014 at 11:23

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It's a shame about the two-door requirement. A Volvo V70R or S60R (SPACEBALL FO LIFE), would check all the other boxes there. Also, he sounds like an exceptionally cool father.

Your boy, BJR > twochevrons 10/07/2014 at 11:24

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There's 3 Volvos he likes-

C30 hatch

first gen C30 coupe

and (sometimes) the S60R.

swansong, rockin' the wagons > Your boy, BJR 10/07/2014 at 11:24

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Easiest answer: Another Viggen. I also like the suggestion of clownshoe, but $$$! TL Type S is good, but 4 doors.

2 door GTI? SVT Focus (American, I know)? Mazdaspeed3? Audi TT?

Hahayoustupidludditeshutupandgohandcrankyourmodeltalready > Your boy, BJR 10/07/2014 at 11:24

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Clown shoe or 350Z.

Your boy, BJR > swansong, rockin' the wagons 10/07/2014 at 11:30

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He DOES want a '99 Vig (thunderbolt blue 3 door!), but this is his 3rd Saab (had a '94 900S and '89 900S at the same time before the Viggen), and although he's a total die hard Snaab, he's starting to get the itch for something else. SVT Focus is great, actually. He had a ZTW, which he really liked, and weirdly enough doesn't consider the Focus american (british). He's not super into Audis ("they drive too heavy"), and he likes the MS3 for me, but not him ("That would be like the perfect car for you, too boy-racer for me").

Your boy, BJR > Hahayoustupidludditeshutupandgohandcrankyourmodeltalready 10/07/2014 at 11:31

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I think the Three-Fiddy would be too "immature" for him (plus, not a ton of cargo room).

twochevrons > Your boy, BJR 10/07/2014 at 11:31

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I'd forgotten about the C30 and C70 – I really like both of them, too. I gather that neither of them are terribly exciting to drive (although the C70 T5 ought to be fairly quick – it's got the same engine as my 850R), but they do look fantastic.

Sn210 > Your boy, BJR 10/07/2014 at 11:33

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Can't go wrong with the TL-S! I don't know if you'll be able to find one under $12k though in decent condition. I got mine for $18.5 with 65k miles, although the used car market in MA sucks. You could look for a clean 04-06 base TL. Those came with a manual. I test drove an 06 and loved it, but then I found the Type S.

That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms > Your boy, BJR 10/07/2014 at 11:33

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How about another Viggen? Check Saabnet.com, always lots of nice ones on their classifieds.

Hahayoustupidludditeshutupandgohandcrankyourmodeltalready > Your boy, BJR 10/07/2014 at 11:34

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Oh, I missed the cargo room one.

Your boy, BJR > twochevrons 10/07/2014 at 11:34

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C70! That's what it's called! Thanks!

But yeah, he wants an orange one ("the only good part of val kilmer's The Saint, and man, was that car FUCKING COOL")

KnowsAboutCars > Your boy, BJR 10/07/2014 at 11:35

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First gen Lexus SC?

Your boy, BJR > Sn210 10/07/2014 at 11:36

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He's not super into them though. :-/

Actual quote: "They're really badass for a sedan. But they're still sedans"

Party-vi > Your boy, BJR 10/07/2014 at 11:36

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The only reason his SAAB is on its way out is...regular maintenance issues? What gives?

Your boy, BJR > Party-vi 10/07/2014 at 11:37

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He was out of the country for a year and change, it didn't get driven much, also it DOES have over 250k on the odo.

Your boy, BJR > KnowsAboutCars 10/07/2014 at 11:37

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He has a "no cars outside of this millennium" rule.

Your boy, BJR > Hahayoustupidludditeshutupandgohandcrankyourmodeltalready 10/07/2014 at 11:39

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Yeah, he's an actor, and is often taking long road trips to shooting locations or theaters, so he doesn't want to be cramped (yet he prefers small cars, WTF, dad?)

Sn210 > Your boy, BJR 10/07/2014 at 11:40

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He speaks the truth

Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow > Your boy, BJR 10/07/2014 at 11:42

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Yeah, the two door thing AND luggage makes this really tough. Those two really don't go hand in hand. Otherwise obvious answers would be an S2000, TL Type-S, or Mazdaspeed3.

He MIGHT be able to find a used '13 Veloster near his price that would satisfy all the requirements.

Perhaps a Celica? 2 doors and liftback would accomplish pretty much everything he's looking for. Especially if he could find an All Trac. I nearly bought a '93 All Trac w/ 80k original miles, single owner (elderly lady), in pristine condition for $7k when I lived in Arizona. One of the biggest regrets of my life is not buying that thing.

Other options I can think of would be:
350Z- They are plentiful in his price range and the lift back actually offers decent storage
Scion TC- Although it still has that boy racer image.
SC300- Good luck finding a manual one though
Mini Cooper S- Satisfies pretty much all of his requirements

PS9 > Your boy, BJR 10/07/2014 at 11:44

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* shows picture of NSX* Sure about that, Dad?

KnowsAboutCars > Your boy, BJR 10/07/2014 at 11:44

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'00-02 Toyota Supra?

Your boy, BJR > PS9 10/07/2014 at 11:45

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He makes an exception for a couple of cars (any pre gm saab, DB7)

Alfalfa > Your boy, BJR 10/07/2014 at 11:47

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How about another Viggen?

It may be a little over budget, but it ticks a lot of other boxes! A canopy is better than 2 doors anyway. No manual transmission, sadly. No slushbox either, though. It will go plenty of miles and at a reasonable rate of speed. You could easily rig missile and bomb pylons to carry cargo.

I think this is a no-brainer.

Your boy, BJR > Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow 10/07/2014 at 11:47

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Yeah try living with him. He ones called me a date rapist for wearing a rothlesberger jersey.

Your boy, BJR > Alfalfa 10/07/2014 at 11:48

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I do too, but he has a surprisingly strict "No million dollar war machines" rule.

Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow > Your boy, BJR 10/07/2014 at 11:51

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Lol. He wants features that are pretty much entirely contradictory! If it weren't for the budget then I'd say to get a new Veloster R-Spec.

Cargo room? Check.
Cool? Check.
Manual? Check.
3 doors or less? Check.
Not American? Double check.
Comfortable place to travel? Check. (Used to ride in my old roommate's '13 Veloster quite often, including a trip from Scottsdale, AZ to San Diego)

Your boy, BJR > Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow 10/07/2014 at 11:52

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He doesn't do Hyundai either. I have a feeling he's about to put A LOT of money into his Vig.

Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow > Your boy, BJR 10/07/2014 at 11:57

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Sounds like he's already made up his mind to me, and is creating an imaginary dream car of his that simply doesn't really exist so he has an excuse to dump that money into the Vig.

Well, I'd still stand by the Mini Cooper S. It's 3 door, has storage, is cool, manual, not American (or Hyundai), and sporty! :D

Party-vi > Your boy, BJR 10/07/2014 at 11:58

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...but the work still wasn't done. I mean, is it worth it to him to spend the money to get everything updated, or would the money be better spent getting something else?

Bricks > Your boy, BJR 10/07/2014 at 12:02

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Try to steer him away from the beetle turbo please. I had to live with one of those things for several years, and while it was decently fast, the interior/things breaking made me hate the thing. The car was free though, so there's that.

Hahayoustupidludditeshutupandgohandcrankyourmodeltalready > Your boy, BJR 10/07/2014 at 12:15

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What about an Acura RSX Type S?

swansong, rockin' the wagons > Your boy, BJR 10/07/2014 at 12:19

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Thought of some more:

Volvo C30, Infiniti G35/G37, Nissan 350Z/370Z

Your boy, BJR > Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow 10/07/2014 at 12:24

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I told him he needs to buy this:

put it on daytons, vogues, and hydros, then I'll trade him for the Pilot.

Your boy, BJR > Hahayoustupidludditeshutupandgohandcrankyourmodeltalready 10/07/2014 at 12:26

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THATS WHAT I TOLD HIM! He never replied.

I Do It For Miatas, NC Owner > Your boy, BJR 10/07/2014 at 12:36

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Volvo C30 T5?

Hahayoustupidludditeshutupandgohandcrankyourmodeltalready > Your boy, BJR 10/07/2014 at 12:43

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Sorry, another reading comprehension fail. If he was willing to get a German car, the early 2000's Mercedes C-Class SportCoupe would be similar, but more refined and mature. Also, because nobody knows or cares about them, they are very cheap on the used market.

Your boy, BJR > Hahayoustupidludditeshutupandgohandcrankyourmodeltalready 10/07/2014 at 13:13

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They available in man-tran in the US?
(I may point him towards an E36 hatch)

Hahayoustupidludditeshutupandgohandcrankyourmodeltalready > Your boy, BJR 10/07/2014 at 13:25

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Yes, I think it was.

Wouldn't and e36 be in last millennium though?

Your boy, BJR > Hahayoustupidludditeshutupandgohandcrankyourmodeltalready 10/07/2014 at 13:28

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Yeah but our neighbor had a leather sunroof'd one back when I was a kid, and my dad pretty much drooled every time he saw it.

michael bleggi > Your boy, BJR 10/07/2014 at 13:32

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i'd get your dad to test drive a mazdaspeed3, preferably the first gen. Right in in price range and i'm sure if he loves all the torque steer and fwd characteristics that a saab offers, he'll love a speed3 even more.

Hahayoustupidludditeshutupandgohandcrankyourmodeltalready > Your boy, BJR 10/07/2014 at 13:44

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Well then, aside from the e36 and C-Class SportCoupe, I can't really think of anything. Let us know how it goes!