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Recreational Mechanic
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The Life and Death of Saab Documentary
Just out this month, it's a 3.5 hour watch, but as a long-time Saab fan this is the most in depth documentary of the company's history from the beginning and it's demise. Very well done, I watched it over several days.
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P Cars: 2022 Macan GTS / One empty garage space ---- Other cars: 2019 Golf R 6MT / 2021 F-250 Diesel / 2024 Toyota GR86 6MT ---- Gone: 1997 Spec Boxster Race Car, 2020 GT4, 2004 GT3, 2003 Carrera, 1982 911SC, 2005 Lotus Elise and lots of other non-Porsches PCA National DE Instructor #202106053 / PCA Club Racing / WRL Endurance Racing Last edited by Nickshu; 06-26-2022 at 01:04 PM.. |
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Snark and Soda
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: SF east bay
Posts: 24,658
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I'd like to watch that! First new car I bought was a 1980 900 Turbo 3-door. Oddball in a great way.
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Join Date: Apr 2002
Posts: 30,425
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A long time buddy used to buy old POS Saabs.... and he had lots of Sob stories
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R&D guy
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: the border between the states of inebriation & confusion
Posts: 2,037
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Thank you very much for posting this documentary.
I loved my SAABs. I still think the 900SE turbo 3-door was the best car I ever owned - the perfect combination of performance, economy, utility and luxury. If SAAB was still in business, I'd still be driving them. Top Gear (series 18, ep 5) did a tribute to SAAB when it was announced they were closing: part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-ZXGTJFSig part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fy63USDaxxM |
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Registered
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 7,917
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Like my Aero cars. Very underrated vehicles. I have an 02 9-5 Aero and a 02 9-3 Aero.
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In Heaven… the mechanics are German, the chefs are French, the police are British, the lovers are Italian and everything is organized by the Swiss. In Hell…the mechanics are French, the police are German, the chefs are British, the lovers are Swiss and everything is organized by the Italians. Last edited by dewolf; 06-26-2022 at 04:48 PM.. |
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Snark and Soda
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: SF east bay
Posts: 24,658
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Mine looked exactly like this.
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Good post? Leave a tip! O - $1 O - $2 O - $3 Last edited by Steve Carlton; 06-26-2022 at 03:57 PM.. |
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Registered
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Those old 900 turbos were cool cars. My mom had one, gave it to my sister and she drove it until the wheels fell off. The next one my mom got was a nightmare. I had a 900S. They could still be a cult classic if they did things right.
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2022 BMW 530i 2021 MB GLA250 2020 BMW R1250GS |
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Registered
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Slightly off topic; how is the availability of Saab parts?
I love the 900 turbos. Wish they still made them.
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Rutager West 1977 911S Targa Chocolate Brown |
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Born to Lose, Live to Win
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I had an 83 900. Loved that car. But, the left front wheel literally fell of as I was about to get on the Long Island expressway in 1999. One winter traveling on the NYS Thruway the throttle got stuck doing 65. Popped the hood and found the throttle linkage was frozen in place. Many adventures in this car. Most character of any car I’ve owned except the 911.
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1983 911sc 2025 Chevy Colorado ZR2 |
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Registered
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 3,111
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Thanks for posting this. I still have my 900 SPG, and love it - it's a great highway car.
Quote:
The other weekend I took mine on a great little low-buck rally I do every year in West Virginia. This year it was in the Hocking Hills of Ohio. On Saturday afternoon, I hit a deer. Before and after photos: ![]() ![]() I got lucky as far as deer impacts go - driver and navigator, uninjured, demage localized (didn't go over the hood and into the windshield, for example), car fully functional except passenger door stuck because hood corner pushed over it and headlamps had bulbs that lit but didn't really do much useful (photo shows DIY light setup to get home on - I had an 8-hour drive home mostly in the dark). This is the kind of thing where parts availability makes things a pain. Finding a good hood isn't too hard but finding good Euro lights is not easy, and neither is finding the accessory grille I had. Apparently Canadian corner lights are not exactly the same as US or Euro ones in how they're wired, so there's that too.
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'80 SC Targa Avondale, Chicago, IL |
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Recreational Mechanic
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I looked into buying a 1993 commemorative edition 900 Turbo last year. The Saab forum guys said that most parts are available but transmission internal parts for rebuilds, as well as any decent cosmetic interior or exterior body parts are hard to come by.
The seller ended up wanting quite a bit for more than I wanted to pay so I passed on it. I owned 5 Saabs back in the day. 86 9000T 91 9000CD 93 900S 95 900S 07 9-3 2.0 T Sportcombi Also in my extended family w/ my Dad: 99 900 Turbo convertible 02 9-3 Turbo 06 9-3 2.0T Convertible Great cars and great memories. Of all of them the 86 9000T and the 93 900S were the best ones. When I bought the 93 900S I really wanted a turbo but couldn't afford one at the time. The 95 900S was pretty good too. We bought it used with about 50K on the odometer, took it to Europe with us for 2 years where it got hammered on cobblestone roads, then we brought it back to the USA and daily drove it for another 5 years before selling it to a college student. It was so abused and as a car was literally unkillable.
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P Cars: 2022 Macan GTS / One empty garage space ---- Other cars: 2019 Golf R 6MT / 2021 F-250 Diesel / 2024 Toyota GR86 6MT ---- Gone: 1997 Spec Boxster Race Car, 2020 GT4, 2004 GT3, 2003 Carrera, 1982 911SC, 2005 Lotus Elise and lots of other non-Porsches PCA National DE Instructor #202106053 / PCA Club Racing / WRL Endurance Racing Last edited by Nickshu; 06-27-2022 at 12:55 PM.. |
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Recreational Mechanic
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In the documentary I learned something I never knew. That the Subaru Tribeca SUV was originally developed in Sweden by Saab/GM as the 9-6X including it's pretty neat dashboard design and would have included a V8 engine option, then when GM sold their 20% stake in Subaru the project went to Subaru who stuck a Subaru engine in it and sold it as the B9 Tribeca. GM then had Saab put out the 9-7X (Trollblazer).
Also I didn't know much about the lawsuit that Spyker took out against GM for blocking their ability to sell the company. GM truly did everything in their power in the background w/ contracts, restrictions, parts supply chains, etc to make sure Saab was dead forever (that part I did know).
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P Cars: 2022 Macan GTS / One empty garage space ---- Other cars: 2019 Golf R 6MT / 2021 F-250 Diesel / 2024 Toyota GR86 6MT ---- Gone: 1997 Spec Boxster Race Car, 2020 GT4, 2004 GT3, 2003 Carrera, 1982 911SC, 2005 Lotus Elise and lots of other non-Porsches PCA National DE Instructor #202106053 / PCA Club Racing / WRL Endurance Racing Last edited by Nickshu; 06-27-2022 at 12:55 PM.. |
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Been here a while
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: East coast, west coast, typ. 35,000 ft
Posts: 2,433
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I've owned a bunch of these and each brings back great memories, sonetts, old two strokes, 96's 99's and 900's and newer, 9-3 and 9-5, had viggen's, aero's...SPG's, all great cars. Probably owned 30 of these cars from the time I started driving up until you couldn't buy them anymore without them being OLD cars.
I had been Saab-less for 10 or 12 years, and I decided to bring a model 99 (preceding the 900) in from Europe, 5 speed, 16v 2.1L full pressure turbo and high compression motor, great fun. The video was extremely well done, covering a lot of years and a lot of data. Nice to see it get some views.
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looking for 1972 911t motor XR584, S/N 6121622 |
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Gon fix it with me hammer
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My mum ha 900 SE Turbo cab at home
she never really drove it with the top down cause people might see her and talk about her and she never really drove it fast either just city shopping run stuff Each time I borrowed it the darn thing ran a lot better when I gave it back Blowing the pipes out as I called it. above 180kph with the top off the wind sucks lower air pressure behind the windscreen makes your ears pop ![]() I really liked the cockpit of that car, the engine was pretty good But it just torque steered like a mofo.. not really a great chassis for that toraue Especially with lowered springs and very low profile tires
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Stijn Vandamme EX911STARGA73EX92477EX94484EX944S8890MPHPINBALLMACHINEAKAEX987C2007 BIMDIESELBMW116D2019 |
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Snark and Soda
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: SF east bay
Posts: 24,658
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I'm only part way through it, but it's really good. Loved the first SAAB 92! Kind of reminds me of the Porsche Type 64.
![]() ![]() The "Carlsson on the roof" and Greta Molander stories were interesting. The lifetime engine warranty story was great. Looking forward to watching the rest.
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Snark and Soda
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: SF east bay
Posts: 24,658
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Came across this article on the original 1946 SAAB 92001.
https://www.thecoolist.com/1946-saab-92001-ursaab/ ![]()
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Snark and Soda
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