Hello again...

"MerkySaab" (merkysaab) 01/13/2016 at 19:58 • Filed to: None

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Hey Oppo. Back after a lengthy absence (used to be merkyg but lost my burner account password changing laptops!). Just saying hello to all from North Herts, UK. Here’s whats changed automotively since I’ve been gone - Our 2004 Subaru Forester and 2003 Saab 9-5 have gone to make room for a pair of 1991's finest:

Mitsubishi Shogun 2.5TD (auto)

Saab 9000XS (manual)

The 9K is my daily driver, 25 years old and just 80K on her. The Shogun started life as a 2.8 but had an engine swap to the more reliable 2.5. Love looking at these things among rows of bland euroboxes in the car park. Any love?

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > MerkySaab 01/13/2016 at 20:14

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I like them both. Though given that both are older than the vehicles they replaced, I have to wonder what your next vehicles after these will me... A 1979 Saab 99 and a 1980 J40 Land Cruiser perhaps?

:-)

Noah - Now with more boost. > MerkySaab 01/13/2016 at 20:14

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Absolutely! I love me some 9000.

MerkySaab > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 01/13/2016 at 20:30

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Well, I wanted a C900 but theyre out of my budget now and the 9K was a bargain (theyre at a fantastic price point for buyers now in the UK), and I’d love an old Series Land Rover, but these’ll be staying for now. My other half has really got the 4X4 bug now. Maybe given a bit of spare money something older might appear but combined 50 years is as old as we dare go for two daily drivers right now ;)

MerkySaab > Noah - Now with more boost. 01/13/2016 at 20:32

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Me too. Not the prettiest Saabs but its like driving an old (creaky) luxury hotel. Even the music I listen to in the Saab is more refined than the soundtrack to my Subaru ;)

Amoore100 > MerkySaab 01/13/2016 at 21:52

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Gorgeous 9000! Super jealous of that thing, especially with the stick! The mesh style rims are stunning as well, and the clean lines of the earlier models always tickled my fancy even more than the later “bathtub” shaped cars. The Shogun is awesome as well, I love the two tone and the rally lights! Magnificent fleet that proves you don’t have to be flashy to be interesting. Welcome back to Oppo; with a Saab and a Shogun, you’ll more than fit in.

4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30 > MerkySaab 01/14/2016 at 03:54

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+1 for the 9000. I happen to have just been looking at some around my area and they’re all in awful condition. That doesn’t stop me wanting them though, especially a really ratty red Carlsson.

MerkySaab > Amoore100 01/14/2016 at 20:12

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Thanks. Its a non turbo if that helps ease the jealousy hahaha! The wheels have really grown on me. Guy at work asked me if they’d come off a muscle car..! and the older shape does look better than the pinched front of the later ones. I still can’t honestly say its one of the better looking Saabs but I like ALL Saabs so no big deal :)

And flashy isn’t an option for me. I just like to buy things that were built properly and have a bit of character. My cousin has spent more fixing his <10 year old Citroen this month than we paid for both of these!

MerkySaab > 4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30 01/14/2016 at 20:14

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Even a ratty Carlsson is still a Carlsson. Erik Carlsson actually lived about 7 miles from me for his last few years! Would have liked to have gotten a pic with him and my car...

MerkySaab > MerkySaab 01/14/2016 at 20:18

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Few more, featuring the Halloween feature and the ‘EXTRA’ button - yes, it has one! thinking of wiring in a truck horn to it ;)

Amoore100 > MerkySaab 01/15/2016 at 20:32

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Then we’re both in the naturally aspirated club! As I always say, a slow car fast is better than a fast car slow. The wheels look more Bimmer than Muscle to me, and I definitely enjoy the straight-edge lines of the early Type Four Platform cars, thought I wouldn’t say no to a later one either. I like all Saabs as well, somehow they were able to maintain an air of uniqueness even throughout the GM era, with perhaps the second generation 9-3 being the boringest Saab design ever (still not bad though). I enjoy flying under the radar and I get rather annoyed when people act like something they own is the best. I understand having pride for your ride, but don’t hate on others just because they have a different mentality. Someday they might come and blow your doors off in a 700 hp Volvo wagon ! I am a major proponent of Citroen as well, but only the older generations with the wonderful hydropneumatics and bonkers interiors truly appeal to me before they went to being Peugeot in the mid 2000s (well, they are related in PSA). Still, the new DS3 holds some hope for a return to form as I’ve heard the Racing is one of the better hot hatches out there today. Pity we don’t get them in the States though...

MerkySaab > Amoore100 01/15/2016 at 21:16

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we’ve had a OG9-3, 9-5 wagon and my 9K now and they’ve all been great. Saabs are so cheap (except the old 900 and earlier) here I dont know why people drive boring cars. Love the sleeper vibe of them. I do have some love for big, old, mad, Citroens - BX/CX/XM, obviously original DS but the other stuff, the bland tinfoil-egg MPVs and little cars, naaah. Too flimsy. You’re not missing as much as you think, trust me. I want cars that are like majestic Valkyries!

Amoore100 > MerkySaab 01/16/2016 at 00:48

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Well I will admit that I have a soft spot for the first gen Volvo C70 and Peugeot 406 Coupe, both which are very pretty and have aged well and seem to be rather durable despite the generally superficial nature of coupes. In my opinion something doesn’t necessarily have to be fast, but I want something out of the ordinary, basically something that will only be understood by those in the know but looked over by those who see it as normal. For example, most would see Saabs as just another mediocre manufacturer of budget hatchbacks but only car guys, and even then only a small subset recognize them as fast (sometimes), elegant, unique, coveted, and amazing. This is something a lot of modern cars lack, although I feel like Mazda is doing a pretty good job of hiding something great in an ordinary package.

MerkySaab > Amoore100 01/16/2016 at 20:56

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The Pug 406 looks much more like it came out of Japan, I think - nice looking thing. In general here Pugs tend to always be the cars not indicating, just doing the most random things, though the 406 is a fairly rare sight. Know what you mean, it would be soul destroying trying to find your ubiquitous grey econobox out of a sea of identical ones in the car park. The 9K is so brutally free of any curves it sticks out a mile, and I love the underdog nature of the company...and knowing the cars themselves are far from the underdog in many ways :)

I have only ever driven a Mazda 2 but I also drove the Fiesta it was based off and the 2 was 100 times nicer inside, though the Ford was quicker - it was just really plastic-y and cheap feeling. Friend had a Mazda 6 MPS and swore by it, only got rid of it for a 911...

Amoore100 > MerkySaab 01/22/2016 at 01:14

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Well Pininfarina has done its fair share of designs for Japanese carmakers so I can see where that appeal is coming from. Peugeot definitely has this stigma surrounding it, and for the past ten to fifteen years it has been well deserved given the drop in the quality of their models. Still, you can’t knock on their cars before 2000, most of which were fast, rugged, pretty, or all of the above.

Yeah, it would be horrible trying to find a similar Focus or Camry in a lot full of them but I find it just as bad if you were to have a supercar that stood out drastically and just drew stares and scratches alike. What the sweet spot is something like your 9000 or something similar, with the curved glass hatch picking it out as unique without drawing undue attention (likewise the wing on a V70R, the subtle concavity of the rear window of a CX). I’m always rooting for the esoteric and amazing, and I feel like if you can’t at least appreciate the likes of Volvo, Saab, Lancia, old Citroen, Peugeot, and Renault, then you aren’t a true gearhead.

I’m not sure about the interior quality and whatnot on new Mazdas since they’re no longer based on Ford designs, but I have heard that if you need something economical and reliable but still quite good fun to drive, Mazda is one of the best today. The MPS editions were awesome, but I’d take a 911 anyday as well, as long as it isn’t raining or anything ;)

MerkySaab > Amoore100 01/22/2016 at 21:57

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Love me some Pininfarina. My other half had a Mk4 Prelude which was a great looking thing.

I guess its the small French car thing I don’t get. They’re very popular here yet everyone I know with one has problem after problem and they all feel like they’re made of tinfoil and pixie dust. I had a ‘96 Clio briefly and it was a hateful thing. Larger cars, like the big Citroens or Renaults, or maybe things like the 405, I quite like I guess.

I wouldn’t mind having the headache of where to park a supercar! but my tastes run more towards sleepers. Not something that blends in, but something that teaches people something about underestimating cars they don’t know as much as they think about, if they have to be embarrassed, so be it ;) I always feel heartened when someone in say, an old T5 Volvo wagon leaves their fluroscent Hot Wheels replica standing and they have to rethink ‘old man cars’. Or even like yesterday - I drove two high end (mostly) SUV sales guys back to their place after they dropped off a truck with us (another old Shogun!), these guys sell new Range Rovers, Landcruisers, AMGs etc and after a few miles they were admitting that the £750, 25 year old Swedish oddball was way quicker and refined than they’d imagined :)

Moving away from Ford gets plus points from me - not a fan at all past the early 90s (though obviously some greats prior to that), I do consistenly hear good things about Mazda, 911 guy was trying to talk me into an MPS too - but then again he hates Saabs so I can’t trust him, and have to point out the 911 purchase happened just prior to turning 40. I like to call it his ‘midlife crisis Beetle’, but yeah,secretly, I’d have one ;)

Amoore100 > MerkySaab 01/25/2016 at 19:22

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Mmmm, the Mk4 was controversial for looking like an Oldsmobile when it first came out but I personally quite like the looks.

Well I think the issue with the French is they’re very good at making things fast, quirky, or luxurious but usually one at a time, and reliability is out of the question. For example, I have heard that the old Clio Williams was a brilliant drive, but most have since rusted away or been crashed into trees or probably have some sort of issue that keeps them parked. Also, all the mid engined Renault hatchbacks I’ve heard were fast, but lacked the driveablity of perhaps a contemporary Fiesta hot hatch. Now when you have the same car without all the speed of the V6 or the handling prowess of the Williams, then it’s just a boring little car with not much going for it.

Hah, I would think that trying to park a supercar would be a pain, so if I had one I’d probably just take it for drives without stopping anywhere. Still, parking in the U.S. may be easier than in Europe but our drivers are generally worse, so it’s a trade off. Totally agree about the sleeper part, I love automotive culture and history and some of the most interesting stories have come from the sleepers of the world (like the Thema 8.32, the original T-5R wagons that raced in the BTCC, etc.) Therefore, I think it would be fantastic to own one of these mysterious beasts and get a chance to tell its story whenever and perhaps change people’s misconceptions about either the brand or the car. And yes, blowing the doors off of ricers is a very appealing idea.

Well the Ford era wasn’t too bad for either Mazda or Volvo, as it gave them the P1 platform (which is rather good, Clarkson said so himself) and pulled them through some tough times which without Ford they might not have survived. Still a pity that GM tried the same with Saab but there were some rather large personality differences in that venture. Anyone who badmouths Saab without a reason gets all of my spite, but I can understand if perhaps they once loved Saabs before having a traumatizing experience with one (as many have). They are an esoteric brand and you either get it or you don’t. The thing about the 911 is that although they’re great, I feel like the lower class ones are the best because too much power in a car with that much rear weight is just asking for trouble. Better yet, get a Cayman and smirk smugly at all the 911 drivers after they spin out in the rain in their Beetles. ;)