A petrol head looks back at his obsession

"Your boy, BJR" (jerseyshoreben) 02/24/2014 at 14:54 • Filed to: Saab

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I've liked Saab as long as I can remember, my first experience being my grandmother's '94 900S. I didn't know a whole lot about the company, or the cars, but I knew it was different than any other car I'd ever been in. That all changed around 2007. My dad's '01 Focus wagon went up in flame on the NJ Turnpike, and he was in dire straights for a car. He looked around at 240s, 3rd ten Camaros, S195 Mustangs, and T-Bird Super Coupes, but everything was either too beat up, too loud, or too expensive. I remember that summer, the summer after my parents split up, my dad and I were packing up his rented Mustang for a long weekend down at my grandparent's beach house in Ocean City, Maryland. As we were closing the trunk, my grandpa came out and mentioned an '89 Saab down in Toms River that he saw in the paper. I asked him if he was going to check it out, and he laughed and said "I'm not getting a 20 year old Saab!" Less than a month later, it was in his driveway, and he was enamored with it. White exterior, tan cloth interior, bright neon green numbers and neon orange needles really stood out on the black gauges. I'll never forget the first time I saw it. It was a rainy morning in OC, and he had come down late the night before to visit with me for a few days then bring me back home.

This is that beautiful beast. From there, the obsession deepened. The curved class windshield, the airplane-style dashboard, the "unleaded fuel only" sticker under the gas door, the black rubber ducktail spoiler, the bronze window tint. I had never seen anything like it. And sitting there, between my grandfather's Pilot and the neighbor's Grand Marquis, it looked positively alien. From there, the obsession deepened. Every time I got some extra time, I would read everything I could about Saabs. Their history, their models, their innovations. It was a treat for me to go with my dad to his mechanic, Alex, who owned a small shop called The Saab Medic. He always had cool things there. 99 rally cars. Old beater 96s, his own custom 900SPG convertible and 9000 Aero lift back, along with his multiple 928s and his modified 930 turbo. I was hooked. I got my first car, a '95 Ford Bronco in august of 2010, and my license in September. But the Saab bug was still there. Inspired by the want to learn manual, and a friend's Facebook post about looking at a 9-3, I gave Alex a call. I figured that if there were any old 900s for sale, he's know. I wasn't wrong. He told me about a white 1993 900S 5 speed he had sitting in his barn at his farm in upstate NY. Against my common sense, my mom's pleas, and my dad's advice, I told him I'd take it. He told me since it didn't have an exhaust, He'd put one on for me after he trailered it down. He just needed to know 1 thing…did I want the standard exhaust or the wider, louder turbo exhaust. I decided I'd like to be heard. I sold the Bronco about 2 weeks later, and at the end of november, I had the Saab in my possession.

Here's the day I took delivery. One of the happiest days of my life. A few weeks later, my dad wrecked his 900 and after a short search bought a 2002 9-3 Viggen (more on that later). I learned to drive stick one night about 2 weeks after I bought it, my mom had been teaching me, but I wasn't getting it right away. Then one really cold night I locked myself out of the house, with no coat but the keys to my little Saab in my pocket. I called my mom, she was on a date, and I asked where she was. I decided it was sink or swim...or drive or freeze. So I quickly picked it up. I drove that car all winter, but come may, when I took it for service, I got bad news. The head gasket was on its way out. I tried keeping it a secret but the mechanic who did the change (Alex had shut up shop) is a close family friend and he told my mom. She was furious, disliking the car from day 1. My stepdad had told her about a 2001 Aurora that had just been traded in, and for the price, my mom decided to buy it for me, but I had to sell the Saab. I took delivery of the Olds, and listed the Saab on craigslist, putting only what was wrong with it and a price too high. I said e-mail only and didn't leave an address. So for those glorious last days with the Saab, the Oldsmobile sat in the driveway and the Saab was running better than ever. Without telling my mom, I listed the Aurora on craigslist for trade in value and left my number. Sadly though, karma caught up with me and I wrecked the Saab in June. I was distraught, but donated it to make a wish, deciding that my former dream car was done making me happy, so I might as well let it fund another less fortunate kid's dream.

Now this brings us to the Viggen. I like to compare it to the Millennium Falcon from star wars: fast, doesn't look like much, not in the best shape, but it holds its own with much newer and more expensive cars.

Not much else to say, except it's pretty badass.
Anyway, that's my spiel. Hope you enjoyed it.

hethoughtofcars > Your boy, BJR 02/24/2014 at 15:08

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I have 2 copies of this shirt (one in red, the other in black) and will wear them with pride until the day they finally become threadbare.

On a related note, I drove by the Saab dealership here in Portland and saw two "new" 9-5s sitting out front. Crazy!

MylesD > Your boy, BJR 02/24/2014 at 15:09

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Having grown up in Brick, NJ (next to Toms River) as a huge Saab fan, I approve of this post.

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > Your boy, BJR 02/26/2014 at 22:58

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Great post. I lived in Jackson, NJ (so quite close actually) . I love Saabs. When I was born, my dad had a 92 900 Convertible. It was that deep green with tan leather interior and a black top. He would take it to a little shop there (something with a punny name that I can't remember now) to get all the work done.

My dad only got rid of it because one day it combusted in our driveway. Bad wiring in the convertible motor sparked and lit it up. Since then I have wanted one.

I tried to talk him into letting me get this 93 900S sedan in the same color with a stick, but he told me no since I couldn't afford the repairs... most likely he was right, but I still wanted it. I will own one some day. I know it.

Yours was beautiful. Normally I do not like white cars but it just works on Saabs. That and silver on the newer ones. I'm assuming you walked away from the accident since it was super safe, right?

Your boy, BJR > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 02/26/2014 at 23:04

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It was a 15 mph collision with a guard rail to the front right quarter. So, just enough that it wasn't repairable, but not bad enough that I couldn't make it home. If you want to see a REALLY incredible story of a car just refusing to die, I'll make a post about this:

tomorrow. And I'll bet you your dad's mechanic was Alex, he pretty much had a finger on the central jersey Saab scene, and actually lives in jackson.

Your boy, BJR > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 02/26/2014 at 23:08

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And mine wasn't so much "I talked them into it" as i planned to buy the 900 behind my mom's back and one day when she got home from work and "Whoops I sold the bronco, good thing I just bought this 20 year old saab that I don't know how to drive sight-unseen from dad's eccentric mechanic". I made a HUGE profit on the bronco though, so she wasn't horribly upset, all things considered.