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Going for walks, seeing some cool cars.

#961
I love old Saabs, especially with manual transmissions like this one I saw yesterday. I drove a 2001 Saab 9-5 Aero (5 spd. manual) for over eight years, and it had more than its fair share of issues at around 50k miles, but it was an absolute beast, especially on the highway. It had a fantastic combination of power and efficiency. The turbo provided massive torque for passing power, and the torque also allowed tall gearing, so at 80mph it was turning over at only 3,000 rpm. This gave it about 32 mpg on the highway, which was fantastic for such a powerful car of that era. It also had old-school hydraulically assisted steering, which provided excellent feel that's largely disappeared in modern cars.

That Saab wasn't the best car I've owned, but until our 2024 BMW i4, it was my favorite.

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#962
Nedmundo said:
I love old Saabs, especially with manual transmissions like this one I saw yesterday. I drove a 2001 Saab 9-5 Aero (5 spd. manual) for over eight years, and it had more than its fair share of issues at around 50k miles, but it was an absolute beast, especially on the highway. It had a fantastic combination of power and efficiency. The turbo provided massive torque for passing power, and the torque also allowed tall gearing, so at 80mph it was turning over at only 3,000 rpm. This gave it about 32 mpg on the highway, which was fantastic for such a powerful car of that era. It also had old-school hydraulically assisted steering, which provided excellent feel that's largely disappeared in modern cars.

That Saab wasn't the best car I've owned, but until our 2024 BMW i4, it was my favorite.

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My first car was a 1999 Saab 9-3 turbo, also with a 5 speed. Mine had crazy miles on it, but it was well maintained and we were fortunate enough to find a shop that specialized in them. That car spoiled me forever in terms of driving dynamics and practicality. The handling was particularly special for a car its age (it was 10 years old when I got it). The mechanic we took it to said it drove like a BMW. I had it for 4 years and it was unfortunately totaled when I hit a deer. I miss it a lot, and the longer the brand is defunct, the less reasonable it is to get another one. Though if I'm ever fortunate enough to be in the market for a third or fourth car, there are a handful of Saabs I would consider. A 9-3 Viggen would be of particular interest.
 
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#967
Mike N said:
The famous Repair-o-star.:D
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I had a Ford Aerostar. The extended window version. Lots of room. It would carry 4x8 sheets of plywood. Hauled a trailer Kansas to Florida and back. Not very fast, but it did it. My son would take it to haul all his friends around. They called it "Big Mama". Didn't have any more mechanical issues than my other cars. I wish they still made a smaller-than-full-size rear-drive van. I would have one. SUV's just don't have the internal space to haul a bunch of stuff.

It's only issue was the seals around the windows shrunk and then allowed water down into the rocker panels, which started rusting away.

It's death came when we traded it in for another car during the cash-for-clunkers era. Got more money for it than I could by selling it outright. $850. It still ran great, but rust was quickly advancing.
 
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#969
bwildt said:
I had a Ford Aerostar. The extended window version. Lots of room. It would carry 4x8 sheets of plywood. Hauled a trailer Kansas to Florida and back. Not very fast, but it did it. My son would take it to haul all his friends around. They called it "Big Mama". Didn't have any more mechanical issues than my other cars. I wish they still made a smaller-than-full-size rear-drive van. I would have one. SUV's just don't have the internal space to haul a bunch of stuff.

It's only issue was the seals around the windows shrunk and then allowed water down into the rocker panels, which started rusting away.

It's death came when we traded it in for another car during the cash-for-clunkers era. Got more money for it than I could by selling it outright. $850. It still ran great, but rust was quickly advancing.
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Did yours have the same dent?? Seems every one I saw had that and it was caused by guys setting the lift pad on the pinch weld right there. Ford wasn't too bright when they designed the lift points on those vans, and as a result the lift arms on many above ground lifts didn't reach quite far enough to get on the factory points, so the pinch weld folded over and wrinkled the 1/4 panel.
 
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