So, Swade’s out and about. You’re going to like what he’s up to, but it’s taken a toll on his time and the logistics of blogging have gotten a little difficult to manage. I’m happy to step in for a post or two.
Well, gents, the weather in my corner of the North American continent has returned to a more normal 60 degrees F / 15 degrees C this weekend, so I was able to get out and work on the cars a little (and get in some top-down driving in the 900, woo hoo!). This put a few thoughts in motion about the 9-5, and while I’m at it, I’ll update you with a couple of news snippets regarding things (peripherally) related to Saab.
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First, the bit about the EnG 1999 Saab 9-5 SE:
I’ve vacillated about modding or not modding this car. I purchased the 9-5 to provide basic transportation while I repaired and further restored my 1988 Saab 900 Turbo convertible. Now, naturally, I have my “new” 1991 Saab 900 Turbo convertible and the 1988 will soon be gone. The 1991 basically needs nothing except a good detail. Sure, there are always little projects (I just replaced the thermostat), but nothing that will take any time or planning.
So, I got to thinking about the 9-5. It’s got good “bones” — no rust and all the parts are there. I’m reasonably sure that the car has never been mistreated, too. Over the couple of years that I’ve owned it, I’ve replaced a few things to keep the car on the road, but I’ve not done anything to better it.
Now I’m considering some improvements. Especially seeing how easily the Maptuner improved a car for one of Swade’s friends, I thought that I’d try something like that myself. I’ll have to wait for some time for a Maptuner for my car, and I think that I’m just as well served with a new chip or a new computer anyway. I’ve done no research in the last year, but I know that there are options. The handling is good, but I’m sure that some new bushings and shocks will help. Finally, some breathe-easy mods can’t hurt, either.
The question is: how much do I invest in this car vs. investing in a newer, better car? I’ll be shopping over the next few weeks to find out where the numbers fall. This is the car as of this afternoon:
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In the “peripherally related to Saab” department, Bejing Automobile Industry Corporation (BAIC) purchased 40% of the Daimler-Fujian Motor Industry joint venture to produce vans in China. As you may recall, BAIC bought the rights and tooling for the previous generation 9-5 in hopes of developing a Chinese-brand vehicle based on that design in about 18 months. Perhaps BAIC is setting themselves up to be a European-oriented full-line auto producer in China? Something to watch.
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I love the novel concept proposed by Just Saab for their upcoming auto show. Just Saab, a Saab dealership with stores in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA and Dayton, Ohio, USA, is preparing to display not only their new Saabs at the Cincinnati Auto Expo, but they are also including a crashed 2009 Saab 9-3. The driver and recent Just Saab customer walked away from the accident, and they’re planning to use the crushed vehicle to highlight Saab’s safety engineering and manufacturing quality. You Cincy Saabisti may wish to attend the event which is scheduled for this Thursday through Sunday. Photos, please!
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From the winner of 24 Hours of LeMons comes your Saab moment of Zen: his Saab 900 dirt track racer, complete with mud. Nice!! (from Jalopnik)
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