This weeks SAAB Of The Week comes to us from hughw and is a picture of his 9-3X on a ferry from Woods Hole to Martha’s Vineyard. Below the photo is a copy of the email sent with his picture. Thanks for sharing Hugh and I hope you get the chance next year to experience your XWD in the snow. As always, please keep the photos coming to [email protected].
Here’s my 2011 9-3X on the ferry from Woods Hole to Martha’s Vineyard. The license plates read “CHILMARK”. the town on Martha’s Vineyard where we have our country home. We’ve had the plates now for close to forty years and often receive comments in the strangest places. And now, with the new 9-3X, we get questions about Saab’s new model, are they still alive, etc. And from our Saab friends, who know a bit more, we get questions on how the heck we got a new car when Saab has not been producing for two years. The answer is that we scoured the internet last fall looking for a “new” 9-3X with Nav and found several including one in South Carolina and another in Minnesota. But luckily, we found this beautiful baby with just 65 miles on the odometer closer to our home in New York at Gary Blake Saab in Exeter, New Hampshire. They had purchased the car by auction from California and shipped it east on a flat bed truck. Their salesperson, Keith Wallace, told me on the phone that the car was in great shape despite sitting somewhere in California for a couple of years. So I risked the 284 mile drive up from New York to New Hampshire to buy the car and trade in my 2009 9-3SC, and I couldn’t have been more delighted to find such a perfect car. My only disappointment has been that I was looking for a lot of snow to give the car a good workout, and we had hardly any in New York. Long Live Saab!!!
Hugh Weisman
@saabboy1
9-3X was launched in automn 2009 as modelyear 2010. I bought mine early february 2010, before the GM/Spyker-deal was done!
Best car I ever had in my 25 year SAAB experience :-).
As I had commented elsewhere—-it’s a big country. I seriously doubt that our cities would become filled with diesel cars. I think a lot of the people who like diesels (based on previous sales figures) live in suburban or rural areas and drive longer distances—-want the better fuel economy and longevity that diesels offer..
You’re right, but not only the governments are to blame. Automotive media has acted as a microphone stand for both car industry and the CO2 hysteria.
But it goes in waves, in a few years we will get the big “replace your diesel car” campaign, and factories will be busy again…
Michiel,
NEVS is not allowed to call the Company Saab, or any Saab whatever combination. Only their products can be called Saab.
But I agree with you, something like TCC (Trollhättan Car Company) or SCC (Swedish Car Company) might have been better, at least for me.
I think there is a great respect for Swedish safety, innovation and design—-I’d be fine with NVS (National Vehicles, Sweden). They just need to drop the “E.” For the most part, people will know them as Saab anyway—-but the little identifications required to show the parent company will be misleading and, how can I put this…”screwy” if they’re selling hybrids and ICE vehicles—-and “Electric” still has to be in the mix. It was silly beyond belief when I first heard about it and it hasn’t gotten any less silly over the last year.
@ Michiel Mees: did Saab Australia sell many NG 9-5? has it been reliable? went to view a NG 9-5 vector diesel but was unimpressed, cannot see Saab/NEVS selling their product in Australia due to low volumes…
just found the diesel very agricultural [after driving a citroen diesel]…
On topic: Absolutely a great car hughw! And of course a very special one considering how fresh it was.
Congratulation Hugh and welcome to the club :-)!
I own one since early february 2010 and the experience in snow is really great. I love my “beauty” in arctic white. Sometimes she is very beasty… wonder why??? She is hirshed up to 240hp and 400nm torque :-)!
Have fun and enjoy driving…
Very nice car!
Truly unique and different, with suitable plates. 40 years matured….
I find the SC (especially the 9-3X) is actually the most interesting designed Saab lately, and just got a low mile TXSC to replace my TXSS. To frame the roof line and a touch of utilitarian look I have found a pair of the lower roof rails as well. Still waiting for some TLC to be finished before taking onto the road, then a tune…
Long Live SAAB!
Good looking car! 😉
Mine is out for sale. Ready to purchase another one as soon NEVS start producing 9-3´s……
Sailing my boat to Martha’s Vineyard on Wednesday. I will look out for Hugh’s 9-3!
Ahh, too bad. I’m driving up from New York on Friday but leaving the Saab in New Bedford and taking the fast ferry over without it for the weekend. I just read that BMW has announced their new i3 EV which will go 186 miles with a range extender. That;s pretty good but still not enough for us. If that’s the best that BMW can do at this point, I have my doubt that NEVS can do any better.
A unique car, one should continue building it !