Saab 9.2x

Dave L · 08-14-2008, 08:33 PM

At 233,000km I have decided to replace my 2002 Protege5. its been a great car but its time to get something newer.

I like european cars, 3 BMW's, 2 Porsche's 1 VW (we wont got there)
I like the reliability of a Japanesse cars but they can be a little bland
I love the depreciation of american cars but worry about reliability

Throw them all together and you get this

Its basically a Subaru with some added noise insulation, a different nose and is a few grand less than a Subaru. All wheel drive, 170hp and still decent gas mileage.

whats not to like fellow pelicans??

Dave L · 08-14-2008, 08:37 PM

hmmm, that should have went to Off Topic. Anyways what da' ya' think. AWD SAAB, FWD Mazda and a RWD 944S. Now thats a complete garage

nynor · 08-15-2008, 08:39 AM

"what's not to like?"

the fact that it is a saab. have you ever worked on one or tried to find parts? maybe i just had that one bad experience, but i'll never own a saab again.

SolReaver · 08-15-2008, 08:52 AM

Not to bad, I have heard a few good things about them. Not sure if they stand the test of time. The AWD can get problematic as they age. Saabs, kinda like porsches need to have the drivetrain rebuilt eventually and it can get pricey as there is a lot of parts, labor, and a host of "while you are in there" items. I don't share your view of american cars, they can be incredibly dependable if you pick the right one and don't expect too much from it. Japanese cars can be quite sporty, the Del Sol and the 2000 are great handling vehicles.

Good luck with whatever you drive. Congrats on the new car.

fbgh2o · 08-15-2008, 10:10 AM

It is a Subaru Impreza with a different badge. My guess is that you will pay more for the "Saab" parts. You might ask the Subaru dealer if they can service it.

For my experience I have had 3 Subaru Legacies and they are very dependable, but do get expensive to fix once off warranty. I will be actually looking at an Impreza this time for my wife.

968TomR · 08-15-2008, 10:22 AM

The 9-2x is, as stated above, an Impreza with sound insulation and a better looking schnoz. It will be pretty reliable - and because they were so unloved when new they are now cheap as free.

Tom 92 968

Just so you know ...

99 528i (used to be mine - became the wifes family mobile)
96 Saturn SL2 (A complete POS that I hope to replace with the best "Mathlete" ever - the Honda Fit)

phoenix_iii · 08-15-2008, 11:00 AM

What is the duty/purpose of this car? Daily Driver? Winter beater?

Budget?
Do you have a certain level of 'image' you are trying to project?

etc.

nynor · 08-15-2008, 11:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 968TomR

The 9-2x is, as stated above, an Impreza with sound insulation and a better looking schnoz. It will be pretty reliable - and because they were so unloved when new they are now cheap as free.

Tom 92 968

Just so you know ...

99 528i (used to be mine - became the wifes family mobile)
96 Saturn SL2 (A complete POS that I hope to replace with the best "Mathlete" ever - the Honda Fit)

an impreza? really?

fbgh2o · 08-15-2008, 01:51 PM

Yep! Really.

running_cold924 · running_cold924's Garage

i like to call them slobs......and working on them..don't even go there. AND, if it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck....it must be a http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://liam.fracht-monroe.com/saab/000_0418.jpg&imgrefurl=http://liam.fracht-monroe.com/saab/saab.html&h=272&w=408&sz=155&hl=en&start=12&um=1&tbnid=xAculGbzFWaYBM:&tbnh=83&tbnw=125&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dsaab%2B900%2Bturbo%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den %26sa%3DN

ugly ugly cars.......and putting a clutch in one that the engine is facing the driver and the clutch is beside the radiator...well, THATS just interesting.

Dave L · 08-15-2008, 07:57 PM

To answer a few questions yes IT IS a Subaru, but $2000 cheaper and with 22k of factory warranty left. The Subaru warranties are 3 years 60,000KM, the Saab is 4 year 80,000km.
So I will be able to drive the car under warranty for a while then it will go to Subaru or more likely an independent Japaneses car place. The only "SAAB" parts that I can see are the badges and front bumper so I have no worries about parts cost.

The use for the car will be daily driver, and when I say daily driver I mean 1000km/week for work. On spring and summer weekends it will be going down logging roads with a Kayak on top, on winter weekends it will be at ski hills. I live in the snow belt so AWD will be a nice in the winter.

As for image I really could care less what other people think, I have a customer with an Audi R8 and one with a "couple of Ferraris" so its not like I can impress them! I think Saabs are seen as quirky and I am okay with that, I drove a YELLOW protege5 for 6.5 years so its not like I need to hide.

I havent purchased the car just yet. I just sold the Mazda. It went for $3200.

944Spec_bound · 08-16-2008, 11:50 PM

I don't know about the 9_2, but my last family car was a Saab 9_5 Aero, the most fun car I ever owned. You just have to drive one to understand. It felt alot faster than it probably was, turbo pull was addictive. I loved the look on peoples faces when they'd catch up to me at the next stoplight, trying to figure out what kind of car just pulled away from them. Fastest I've ever gone was in this car...140+

But, beware.
I had to sue GM and have the car bought back under Lemon Law because the dealerships were boneheads that couldn't fix anything, including the the ABS system after several visits.
I loved the car and hated to see it go, but I couldn't deal with 200 mile round trips to the nearest dealership every few weeks. I wouldn't get one unless you live fairly close to a dealership, even with a full warranty.