A car past its prime shows me a broken clock is right twice a day.

[MrH]

We all know Raza.  Love him or hate him, he atleast has strong opinions.  I respect him for that.  But really, it seems we disagree on nearly everything.  From politics to cars, rarely do I see eye to eye with Raza.  Maybe he really believes such things, but half the time I get the feeling he's playing devil's advocate.

But with the return of school, I found myself driving back and forth between my parent's house and my house on campus.  A relatively short drive that takes me around a dealership called Just Saab.  Pretty self explanatory.  Only Saabs, new and old.  Driving past last week, something caught my eye.  A 1999 Saab 9-3 Viggen in Lightning Blue.  Gorgeous car.  Same exact car as Champ's, but a year older.







I finally got in for a test drive yesterday.  Pretty rough example of a Viggen.  148,000 miles.  The leather was worn, and torn in some parts.  The trim around the power seats was detatched.  A turn signal cracked.  Both Viggen badges half there.  UV rays wrecked the front bumper plastic piece.  It's definitely seen better days.

But oh, what a car.  Everything about it is quirky.  It's a Saab at its finest.  I'm going to be comparing this with my Protege5 a lot, because it's the only car I drive on a regular basis (and possibly replacing  ).

Design:
The seating position between the two is very different.  The Protege5 is much more upright with a lower beltline.  I greatly prefer the feel of the Viggen.  I love everything about the design of the car.  The two doors with a hatch provides plenty of much need trunk space, usable rear seats when needed, but a slick look to go along with it.  I still consider the Protege5 a great looking economy hatch, but it doesn't have the character the Viggen has.  Having to be in reverse to turn off the car, the middle console key placement, the decorative turbo gauge all makes for an interesting car.  It's definitely different.  Atleast 5 times I pointed something out during the test drive, and the salesman and I just had to sit there and kind of smirk, through up our hands  and say, "hey, it's a Saab."   

Drivetrain:
I'd been forewarned about the torque steer.  I thought about packing some wide receiver gloves and pine tar to keep a grip on the wheel when full boost hit in 2nd gear, but I was pleasantly surprised.  It wasn't uncontrollable by any means.  A little tugging here and there, but nothing bad.

I think what sums up the drivetrain the best was when I told my mom about the Viggen.  She asked how many cylinders it had.  After a brief explanation of displacement, and telling her it was a 2.0 liter, 4-cylinder, just like my Protege, she asked, "so how much power does it have?"

Me: "Almost twice the horsepower and torque of my car"
Mother: "What?!  How?"
Me: "Turbocharger  "

Turbo lag exists, but nothing more than a second of respectable pull, then:  WHOOOSH, and you're off.  Highway merging is cake.  It'll eat back straights for breakfast.  I got the feeling boost was limited in first gear, second gear was pretty short, and third gear is where this car really shines.  Fourth and fifth are both longer than my car, and make for great cruising (the same can't be said for the Protege5's 5th gear which sits at 4200 RPM at about 80 or 82 mph).

The clutch was heavier than the Protege, but with a much shorter uptake, and earlier engagement.  Not uncomfortably heavy by any means though.  The transmission had clearly seen better days.  It was really sloppy.  Complete opposite of the protege.  My protege's shifter is the definition of a bolt action shifter.  A short shifter, shifter bushings, and a lead rod of a shift knob leads to direct, loud, clicky shifts.  The Viggen had so much play while in each gear, you couldn't tell if you were in 2nd or 4th until you let the clutch out.  Because of this, I misshifted into 4th instead of 2nd quite a few times.  Something that has never happened in the Protege.  This car had a rough life, and it was showing.  Shifting the Viggen was like throwing the giant baseball shift knob in a general direction and hoping for the best.

Handling:
The suspension on this car is so well sorted out.  Corners much flatter than the Protege, much more buttoned down in all situations, while still being more comfortable.  The car needed an allignment (steering wheel really shuddered at higher speeds), but still cruised the highway better than the Protege5.  The dampening and rebound was spot on.  The easiest way to describe the suspension compared to my car is that it is simply more efficient at handling irregularities in the road.  Brilliant.  Steering feel was slightly more numb than my car.  That's the one thing I love so much about my car.  But it's no Camry, and definitely livable.

Overall:

I had a salesman with me, so I didn't get to go all out, but definitely got to push it enough to make him nervous.    The car is spectacular.  I love my car to death, but it's the difference between a nice economy hatch, and a truly unique, quirky, and rare car.  It's got an abundance of something my car lacks: character.   It's unique, enjoyable, and rare.  Needless to say, I fell in love with this car. 

The salesman knew it too.  But we both also knew this wasn't the car for me.  It doesn't have enough life left in it for me.  I want this to last me ages.  To be my daily and winter driver for atleast another 3 or 4 years.  I'd love it to last even longer so I can buy a weekend car when I get out of school.

As much as I disagree with Raza, this is one car we can both agree on.  Even a broken clock is right twice a day.  I finally understand the love affair Champ and Raza have with this car.  It's great.  The search begins for a nice 1999 or 2000 with preferably under 75,000 miles, and maintaince records.  Blue or Black only, 2 doors.  Financially, it's always smarter to hold onto a car.  But I could get out of this deal by selling my P5 and losing little, and I'm not hurting for money by any means right now, so why not?

[FlatBlackCaddy]

I like the 9-3 Viggen, but for some reason if i was looking for a "classic" performance saab i'd be all over the 9000 Aero. I just love that car, the styling the huge recaro leather buckets everything about it(even the 3 point wheels).

[S204STi]

I think boost is limited in 1st and 2nd gears.  I was pretty unimpressed initially by the one I drove till someone explained that to me.

[S204STi]

I like the 9-3 Viggen, but for some reason if i was looking for a "classic" performance saab i'd be all over the 9000 Aero. I just love that car, the styling the huge recaro leather buckets everything about it(even the 3 point wheels).

9000 Aero is definitely a classic Saab.

[The Pirate]

Ironic, I've been lusting after a Viggen too, and would most likely pull the trigger should one pop up.  You scour the midwest, I'll keep my eyes peeled up here in the northeast, and we'll share promising leads.  I'd be happy with a 5-door, and don't care too much about color. 

I've not driven a Viggen, but you're spot on with the Proteg? steering - the more cars I drive, the more I realize how amazing the steering is on  our cars.  How would you compare the shifting of the Viggen to the shifting of a stock Protege (itself no Honda in that regard)? 

[MrH]

Ironic, I've been lusting after a Viggen too, and would most likely pull the trigger should one pop up.  You scour the midwest, I'll keep my eyes peeled up here in the northeast, and we'll share promising leads.  I'd be happy with a 5-door, and don't care too much about color. 

I've not driven a Viggen, but you're spot on with the Proteg? steering - the more cars I drive, the more I realize how amazing the steering is on  our cars.  How would you compare the shifting of the Viggen to the shifting of a stock Protege (itself no Honda in that regard)? 

Sounds good.  I'll keep a lookout for sure.  I already transferred money from my checkings to savings to start saving if I really really nice one pops up and I need to throw more money at it.  And I picked up a ton of hours at work instead of just partying my ass off.

The shifter on this car probably isn't a good representation for all Viggens.  This car has had a rough life.  It literally took zero effort to get it into any gear at any time, and when it was in gear, it had a ton of play in it.  So much so it was hard to tell which gear you were even in.  It was crazy how sloppy it all was.  I'm hoping a nicer example will be stiffened up and more precise.

[Raza]

It is an amazing car.  As good ones are getting fewer and farther between, I'd feel guilty driving one a hundred miles a day.  I too have pushed back my search until I have room, time, and money to have another partial use car. 

Of course, I want a yellow one. 

It's been a while since I drove one, but it's one of the few cars I can vividly remember every moment; including the one where I taunted a Ferrari 360 and then dusted him (even though he probably wasn't trying, it felt great). 

The Viggen really is one of the truly special cars. 

[the Teuton]

So you like the turbocharged economy car from hell?  Not a bad choice...

[MrH]

So you like the turbocharged economy car from hell?  Not a bad choice...

Since when is a 9-3 an economy car...?

[the Teuton]

Since when is a 9-3 an economy car...?

The platform upon which it's based didn't exactly come from a Lamborghini or anything...

[The Pirate]

The platform upon which it's based didn't exactly come from a Lamborghini or anything...

Saab 900 base price was $25K in 1997 dollars.  That ain't exactly economy car pricing.

Edit:  And have you ridden in one, or driven one?  They are incredibly solid cars, much more so than the average cheapo car.

[the Teuton]

Saab 900 base price was $25K in 1997 dollars.  That ain't exactly economy car pricing.

And the $40,000 Audi TT is still a glorified $16,000 VW Bug.  What's your point?

[the Teuton]

Edit:  And have you ridden in one, or driven one?  They are incredibly solid cars, much more so than the average cheapo car.

No, but I rode in a 9-5, and besides the miserable groaning noises and the massive torque steer, I really liked the car.

[MrH]

No, but I rode in a 9-5, and besides the miserable groaning noises and the massive torque steer, I really liked the car.

You can't call a car that was $37,000 in 1999 an economy car.  I don't care if it's based on a mattress with rollerblades, $37,000 makes it not an economy car.

[the Teuton]

You can't call a car that was $37,000 in 1999 an economy car.  I don't care if it's based on a mattress with rollerblades, $37,000 makes it not an economy car.

I've driven a $36,000 Mini.  It was still an economy car.

[Raza]

Since when is a 9-3 an economy car...?

Since when does a Subaru fanboy get to call anything an economy car?

[MrH]

I've driven a $36,000 Mini.  It was still an economy car.

Not at all.  What's wrong with you?

If it's all based on platform, like the example you used before, you think an Audi TT is an economy car?  You need your head checked.

[the Teuton]

Since when does a Subaru fanboy get to call anything an economy car?

Great question.

Have you ever driven a $30k+ economy car?  Does that oxymoron contradict the possible existence of such a vehicle?  I think not.

It's a really expensive economy car...and it still gets better gas mileage than my car ever did. 

[Raza]

Pur bread sportz kar! 

[the Teuton]

Not at all.  What's wrong with you?

If it's all based on platform, like the example you used before, you think an Audi TT is an economy car?  You need your head checked.

It has a back seat and a closed top.  It's a hatch back.

Going by the old Raza-ian definition, the TT in most guises is not a sports car.

[the Teuton]

Pur bread sportz kar! 

That hurts, Raza.  That really hurts.

[Raza]

Great question.

Have you ever driven a $30k+ economy car?  Does that oxymoron contradict the possible existence of such a vehicle?  I think not.

It's a really expensive economy car...and it still gets better gas mileage than my car ever did. 

You're either pulling an FBC or being incredibly dense. 

[Raza]

It has a back seat and a closed top.  It's a hatch back.

Going by the old Raza-ian definition, the TT in most guises is not a sports car.

350Z's a hatchback too.

[the Teuton]

You're either pulling an FBC or being incredibly dense. 

I'll let you decide.

[the Teuton]

350Z's a hatchback too.

It only has two seats, but you're absolutely right.  It's like a G35 with a little less space, except that the G is a proper coupe.

[the Teuton]

Honestly, how is a FWD sporty car all of a sudden amazing-and-a-half just because it's a Viggen?  Last I remember, it took third out of four in a C/D comparo back in the day.  Sure, it can be a nice car, but it's based on a mechanically-limited, dated chassis and has way too much power going to just the front wheels.

Not to bash anyone who owns one as I'm not the one to talk about how glorious this car may be, but what does it offer that a contemporary M3 did not besides exclusivity and a hatch?

[Raza]

I'll let you decide.

Just to be safe...

[MrH]

It has a back seat and a closed top.  It's a hatch back.

Going by the old Raza-ian definition, the TT in most guises is not a sports car.

I don't even know how to respond to this.  I didn't call the TT a sports car?  And what does Raza definition of a sports car have to do with this argument, let alone this thread, what so ever?

[the Teuton]

Just to be safe...

You are a sick, sadistic bastard.

[Raza]

Honestly, how is a FWD sporty car all of a sudden amazing-and-a-half just because it's a Viggen?  Last I remember, it took third out of four in a C/D comparo back in the day.  Sure, it can be a nice car, but it's based on a mechanically-limited, dated chassis and has way too much power going to just the front wheels.

Not to bash anyone who owns one as I'm not the one to talk about how glorious this car may be, but what does it offer that a contemporary M3 did not besides exclusivity and a hatch?

You've never driven one, so I'll let it slide.