It’s 15 minutes into Wednesday as I write this, but if you’re reading from the US, then it’s the first Tuesday following the first Monday in November.
Get out and vote, people.
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I’m having server error problems tonight, hence the slower posting. Sorry.
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The Auto Channel has one of those always-interesting Saab reviews on site right at the moment – a review by someone who’s never driven a Saab before:
I was pretty excited when I found out I was going to spend a week with the Saab 9-3 Turbo X. I’ve never driven a Saab, but I have always thought they were a “cool” car. A little outside the mainstream. Design means something to Saab. I have to admit that I really haven’t followed Saab’s trials and tribulations, but I am hooked up enough to know that Saab is now GM. Doesn’t bode well, but I was still looking forward to my time with the Turbo X.
It’s a really fun read (OK, it gets kinda embarassing in one spot) and I always like reviews like this because they take you back to basics. As a hardcore Saabnut, I sometimes get bogged down in the minutae of the car and forget the bigger picture: that it’s a damn good car to drive.
Our reviewer sums up his experience pretty well at the end:
Get this car. Now.
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And speaking of Turbo X’s, this appeared on my Flickr feed today with the heading “Are You Shi##ing Me?”
I think that heading sums it up pretty well.
If you can get a Turbo X as a courtesy car, it’s good for the customer but bad news for the car. I’d leave my car in for service for a week!!
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As part of the special introductory offer to TS readers, Elkparts was giving away a Saab handwarmer with every order placed.
It must have gone well because on the Elkparts blog, John notes that he’s just run out of them! He’s giving away free Saab Move Your Mind luggage tags until the handwarmers are restocked, hopefully late in the week
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CTM asked a good question in comments the other day: What is Saab’s signature colour?
Black (the turbos)
Cardinal Red?
Dolphin Grey?
“Surplus” Green?
I think I might have done a post about this in the past, but can’t locate it right now. Feel free to have your say in comments.
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I’ll take a guess the Charles River loaner was one of the press-flogged cars such as the one that I drove. Either way, it’s a great one.
I’ve got a screed coming on the occasion of my most recent loaner (really a renter), but it can wait until the story is complete.
Signature color? I’d have to say they don’t have one. I think they have a different one for every era of models.
Loads of second hand Turbo X available in Europe, I saw one in Germany for less than 40k Euro. Buyer’s market at the moment?
Glad my picture was of use!
The folks at Charles River told me that they bought too many Turbo X’s before the market REALLY crashed, in response to a dealer across town (Herb Chambers) that seemed to be selling them like crazy.
Then the bottom fell out of the market, and they were stuck with them.
I’d love one of these, but not at $45k
Maybe at $30…
Good grief guys… $45000 for a TurboX? Sob… I paid more than that for my 9-3 SportCombi 1.8t! $45k is so cheap I would have bought two!
If I could buy a TurboX for $45k and be allowed to keep it here in Norway, I would be willing to paint my ass green and stick a candle in there somewhere. (dunno what good that would do, but I bet it would look ridiculous somehow)