I bought a car! And you’re probably going to hate me

December 26th, 2008 · 46 Comments

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Over the last few weeks I’ve been tossing up some car purchase ideas.

First there was the Porsche 944 ownership dream, which will happen some day, but that’ll be some day in the next 5 years or so, after we’ve paid off the house.

Then there was the buy-a-few-favourites-that-I’ve-always-wanted-to-own idea, but the possibility of losing too much money seemed to be high. Buying from mainland Australia means between $700 – $1,000 more in transport and registration fees, so the plan was to confine myself to local cars but the number of really desireable cars here in Tasmania is quite small. Not impossible, but unlikely.

Next, I figured I had almost enough money for a 1999 Saab 9-3 Monte Carlo that was for sale in Melbourne. I had that car checked out by a trusted Saab mechanic and he identified a number of issues with the car that could blow up to be bigger things. And the car had non-standard old 9-5 wheels on it.

In discussing that car and it’s potential problems, my wife said “you’d be better off spending more and getting something you really want without any problems” – I nearly fell off my chair! So I looked into a couple of Viggens. There was a black 5-door selling in Sydney on Ebay and then there was the holy grail of Viggens here in Australia, Richo’s 3-door in Lightning Blue (280hp and only 3,000kms on a brand new engine).

I had to dismiss Richo’s car straight away. It’s probably the best Viggen in Australia but I didn’t want to try and bargain a good mate down below a price that he should get for the car, and there’s no way I could sleep at night paying $20K or thereabouts for a car when my wife and I have been working so hard at paying off the house. Someone here in Oz should snap this car up, though. It’s absolute cracker of a car and well priced for everything that been done to make it drive so well.

After Richo and I had that discussion, he was kind enough to offer his services as a test driver of the black 5-door Viggen, selling for $14,750 on Ebay, though under Richo’s instructions the plan was to offer less than that after the auction finished unsold, which it will, I’m sure. I contacted the seller and he was open to offers if the car didn’t sell and we even had a preliminary exchange of numbers.

Another Monte Carlo showed up in Sydney around this time, too, but whilst it had the wheels I was looking for, it was sitting with a dealer in Sydney with a pretty bad reputation – and he never called me back despite me leaving a couple of messages.

So…..several options. And a decision has been made.

After a long and detailed discussion with my wife, who’s got to be as happy as possible about this decision, I’ve negotiated a good deal on the initial Monte Carlo that I looked at and had tested.

As mentioned in a previous post about the road test, there’s a number of issues with this car that could turn out to be big, costly items. But having thought about it some more and after chatting with my mechanic briefy, I believe we can nurse the car along until some of those big ticket items can be addressed properly. I’ve negotiationed a pretty good price, too, to compensate for the concerns the report has brought to light.

This car is a model that I’ve wanted for a long time now. It’s not a “plain jane” 9-3 as someone referred to in comments (tut, tut). It’s a limited edition of just 50 in Australia and 195 worldwide and it was the only 9-3 offered in Australia with this color and equipment level. The B204 engine setup is only around 5 horsepower short of the Aero model that followed the next year. That’s around 20 or so horses more than was otherwise available in an Australian 9-3 not called a Viggen in 1999 and being the 2.0 it’s quite tuneable, without the potential downfalls of the early 2.3 engines.

Each of the 50 cars here in Australia were numbered. Markac has #18 over in South Australia, for example. A few years ago I looked at #17 but ended up buying my Viggen instead. #47 lives somewhere here in Hobart. Quite fittingly, for me at least, the one I’m buying is #9.

It’s got some potential issues, but I’m crossing my fingers tht they can be managed effectively for minimal cost. Importantly, it ticked the boxes for two of my primary objectives: (1) Have a minimal impact on our mortagage at the initial purchase, and (2) give me something I can build up to be the car that I really want. It’s also distinctive, a limited edition and – most importantly – it’s a Saab.

——

So why might you hate me after all this is said and done?

The discussion here at home about this whole purchasing episode got a little emotional at times. My wife was upset that I was planning on selling the Alfa after having bought it just 6 months ago. She was forecasting a situation where I’m never satisfied and always buying and selling cars – a situation she wouldn’t be to happy with.

In truth, I did propose selling the Alfa but mainly just as a way of greasing the rails. I wanted a better car for a daily driver and knowing that she didn’t want too many cars around, I offered to throw that one in as a sale, along with the 900 Aero, to appease the beast.

The truth, however, is that I really wanted to keep the Alfa for track and club days in the future. It’s not great as a daily driver but it’ll be great fun to throw around for a few weekends in the coming years.

So…..the 900 Aero is going to be sacrificed for the pleasure of building up a more modern Saab whilst the Alfa will stay and continue it’s development into a track machine of some considerable fun. The 900 will get a new clutch in the coming month and then it’ll be advertised in a few places to see what interest is out there. The money raised from that sale should be enough to offset what I pull out of our mortgage to buy the Monte next week.

Go on. Hate. But it’s got to be done. The 900 sits with no purpose in my garage. It’s better going to someone who’ll appreciate it more and drive it more often. Somehow, I just never connected with it.

I’ll pick up the Monte in just over a week. Can’t wait to get #9 into my driveway and get to work!!

–

Tags: Troll stuff

46 responses so far ↓

1 vagabond // Dec 26, 2008 at 8:33 am

Good choice, I guess.
Can’t have a guy running a Saab blog driving a Porch.
Also, need to tell the wife, who is the boss anyway.
2 ctm // Dec 26, 2008 at 8:41 am

Congrats! You already had a Viggen so I think you will be more satisfied with a Monte this time. Hope you got a price low enough so you can make it look good again (those wheels have to go asap!).
3 WillyD // Dec 26, 2008 at 8:50 am

Congrats Swade! Great looking car. Look forward to seeing the mods in the future.
4 Troll // Dec 26, 2008 at 9:01 am

That’s a beauty…

I’ll buy you a beer if you bring it to the festival next june
5 Robin M // Dec 26, 2008 at 9:04 am

Well done Swade and Happy Christmas to yourself,
6 Markac // Dec 26, 2008 at 9:15 am

Congrats on joining the Monte club. Now just do a deal with Drew to swap those wheels for the ones on his V6. The Monte will start to look better straight away! Good luck and have fun with it.
7 Howiez5150 // Dec 26, 2008 at 9:18 am

I like your choice. Some risk involved but you have that in mind. I hope you get a killer deal and then enjoy the yellow beast.
8 Dippen // Dec 26, 2008 at 9:34 am

congrats Swade!:)
now you have a better sleep at night:)
9 Markac // Dec 26, 2008 at 9:52 am

BTW the correct wheels for a Monte Carlo are ALU26 (P/No.400 108 361) also used on MY2000 Aeros.

The Monte Carlo came with a full sized spare wheel instead of a “space saver”, but unfortunately you didn’t get another alloy.

The car appears to be wearing ALU22 wheels normally found on 9-5s.
10 Jeff // Dec 26, 2008 at 10:38 am

Oh MAN, I hate you just because you’re getting a Monte Carlo. I want one of those so bad, more than I want a Viggen. 9-3 Coupes are nearly impossible to find here, let alone awesome limited edition coupes.
11 Dan S. // Dec 26, 2008 at 10:57 am

I’m happy for ya, Swade (no hate here), & you get to keep the Alpha to toss around on weekends, too! That’s good, because you never really got to play with it when that tire sidewall issue was discovered…

So, now you can get [url="http://racingready.com/feed"]Racing Ready![/url]
12 Richo // Dec 26, 2008 at 11:21 am

Congrats Swade, don’t for get the black outfit!!!
13 Troll96 // Dec 26, 2008 at 11:33 am

That’s a fine looking car. Congratulations.
14 saabyurk // Dec 26, 2008 at 11:59 am

“She was forecasting a situation where I’m never satisfied” LOL. All wives must think that way. Enjoy.
15 Brad Lauzze // Dec 26, 2008 at 12:41 pm

Swade,
Welcome to the Yellow Saab Club, you wont be disappointed with the car. Congrats.
16 swade // Dec 26, 2008 at 12:51 pm

Thanks for the goodwill, folks. Now that it’s all happening I’m very excited. There’ll be a lot to do and I’m going to have to save some cash in the next 6 months to get the basic mechanicals how I want them, but I’m sure it’s going to be worth it.
17 sab // Dec 26, 2008 at 12:59 pm

good stuff swadey! Give us a shout when you are in Melbourne as would love to catch up for a beer and Saab banter!
18 swade // Dec 26, 2008 at 1:02 pm

Count on it, Steve!
19 eggsngrits // Dec 26, 2008 at 1:04 pm

Looks good to me. Of course, after my 9-5, my opinion is suspect!
20 vi99en // Dec 26, 2008 at 1:28 pm

Hi Swade. I’m a first time poster on this awesome site. Congratulations on your purchase of what looks to be a lovely MC.
You know, it’s a very small world, I’m actully the person who has listed that black Saab Viggen on ebay for my friend. I think it was your mate Richard who came out and drove it. I have my fingers crossed that the car doesn’t sell either as I am keen as mustard to buy it. He has pretty much given it to me to drive until it sells and I have absolutey fallen for it. I Just need to wait until Tuesday to sort my finances out. This car was my first real taste of a Saab and it certainly did move my mind!!!
keep up the great work and all the best with your new ride. Hopefully the next time I visit the site it will be for advice on my new car.
21 Markac // Dec 26, 2008 at 2:08 pm

With that gearbox, I’d give the Redline MTL a go. My last car (Talladega) had bad 3rd gear syncro. I got my mechanic to put in the Redline and he said it went from “almost undriveable to almost acceptable”. He was a sceptic before, but I think I made him a convert!

The rear window washer doesn’t work on my Monte either. At least your SID and Climate control appear to have all the pixels. Mine are barely readable. I’m looking at sending both away for repair next year, but the turnaraound could be 10 days or more.
22 swade // Dec 26, 2008 at 2:18 pm

Vi99en, small world indeed! I thought the name you used in comments looked familiar

I hope you do manage to get the Viggen as it looks like a cracker of a car. Richo was suitably impressed with it over all and my wife and I had quite a discussion about it. I love the wheels!

Markac – I use the Redline MTL in my Alfa and the difference is extraordinary. Those gearboxes are renowned for crunching, especially second gear. Mine isn’t smooth as silk, but it rarely gives any difficulty at all now. Good stuff, and will be the first purchase I make when the car gets back.
23 j // Dec 26, 2008 at 2:46 pm

Congrats on the MC 9-3SE, Swade!

Can’t wait to see it sporting Saab’s 17″ double-3 wheels + a CF dash kit!
24 Ron57RC // Dec 26, 2008 at 4:05 pm

Happy for you Swade.
Purchasing cars can through up so many decisions and emotions. I’m glad that you’ve been able to obtain a model which you’ve wanted for such a long time.
I do hope that it’s you who gets to dictate the pace for the repairs and modifications and I’m sure the Trollhattan Saab community are eagerly awaiting the first of many updates on your latest project.
25 Markac // Dec 26, 2008 at 4:55 pm

Before someone corrects me, I believe Redline MT-90 is the correct gear oil for GM900/OG9-3. MTL is lighter and more suited to C900s. However it is possible to mix them 50/50 for GM900/OG9-3s.
26 Bruce // Dec 26, 2008 at 5:27 pm

A lovely Christmas present for you Swade! With some repairs you will get years of enjoyment. And it’s not gray (grey!) or black! Just watch those infamous Ozzie radar traps–yellow is the most visible color and probably sets them off 20% below the posted limit.

A similar “go for it” from my lovely lady led to the 328 ‘vert then the 9-5.

Lucky fellows!
27 alaero // Dec 26, 2008 at 5:40 pm

NIce work mate..

any new sled in the garage is a good thing.

beers with Sab and you would be ace when in melbs

a.
28 Mats // Dec 26, 2008 at 6:35 pm

Congrats Swade, but….dare to be different and dont get the original MC wheels, get a set of your personal favorite Saab wheels instead…

I’d love to see a set or original 9-5 Aero rims, Threespoke-quads or five spoke turbines on that yellow bird….
29 Per_Oslo // Dec 26, 2008 at 6:54 pm

Best present so far. Congrats
30 Hawkeye // Dec 26, 2008 at 7:37 pm

Nice one Swade, something lost, something gained. Still one Saab in your family and a happy wife! Always had a soft spot for a MC myself. Congrats mate!
31 ctm // Dec 26, 2008 at 7:39 pm

Hey Swade, are we closing in on comment number 60,000 here on TS?
32 WooDz // Dec 26, 2008 at 7:58 pm

Nice job on the MC Swade.

but more than that congrats to you Vi99en.
It just goes to prove once again that for Saab, it’s bums on seats that count. Even if you don’t get that Viggen you just might want to get yourself and Aero or something. Here’s hoping you join in what is almost the exclusive club of the the Saabisti
33 AEROPILOT // Dec 26, 2008 at 8:06 pm

Hi !
Tell me why does anyone want those impractical 3 door saloons ?
To me they are nothing but discount models with only 2 doors. The wide doors requires lot of space to open for entrance.
They are called coupe’s but have exact the same bodyshape as the 5 door saloon, and the rear windows can’t open. Not even manually !
Every time you drive the car you must twist around to to get hold of the seat belts as they are not beside, but far behind you. Not to mention the crampy performance you have to do for entering the back seats. If you really, really want this, then why not go for the real thing, called the Cabriolet ? In addition you gets the roofless driving, and the car looks fantastic with the soft top on. Especially when it is colour matched to the car.
34 Markac // Dec 26, 2008 at 8:29 pm

AEROPILOT: MCs did come in a five door, but I’ve never seen one in the metal. As to why I like 3 door coupes, I’m reasonably tall and the big doors make it easier for me to get in and out. I carry someone in the back about once a year so I don’t care about back seat access. Most of all the coupe looks better. Not like a family car, but still really practical with the hatch. BTW C900 Aeros only ever came in 3 doors and (very rare) 2 doors and they did have opening rear windows. But I guess maybe you drive a 9-3SS?
35 vi99en // Dec 26, 2008 at 8:52 pm

Thanks Aero-piot. I’ve pretty much got my heart set on this Viggen. I’ve had it for a few days now and don’t think i’ll be giving it back (provided my finances are in order). It is simply unbelievable. I know the owner really well and the history speaks for itself. It just looks the goods, goes unbelievably well and does everything right, plus it has five doors and the wifey is expecting…it didn’t take much to convince her. The car also gets heaps of attention on the road which I love considering i’m a bit of a show pony …
36 Arild // Dec 26, 2008 at 9:36 pm

Congratulations Swade!

And vi99en, get that Viggen if you can. In general the 9-3 is very reliable and it’s spacious and safe. A perfect car for a small family!
37 Joe Lobo // Dec 26, 2008 at 10:09 pm

At last we’ll have you back with one of the best models that can be improved and get a lot of satisfaction. It is true that you did not bond well with the 900 as you hardly showed cased this car. We look forward to your feedback on the Monte.
38 Markac // Dec 26, 2008 at 10:31 pm

vi99en: Good Luck with that Viggen. I hope nobody bids at the last minute!
39 Gunnar // Dec 27, 2008 at 12:05 am

Sah-weet.
40 Bernard // Dec 27, 2008 at 1:08 am

Swade,

Congratulations on the Monte Carlo.

Don’t use Red Line oil. Saab MTF0063 is specifically made to match the metal alloys used in your synchros. No point in getting something off the rack when you can get a custom fit for less (at least it’s less here in Canada).

Remember to follow the TSB instructions and flush out the old fluid twice before your final fill.
It’s also a good time to replace your driveshaft seals. They do wear out, and the replacement procedure involves draining the transmission oil.
41 Danni // Dec 27, 2008 at 2:59 am

Swade – welcome back. Close the deal and Hirsch the beast. My family used to call the 9-5 Aero “la bomba azul” – loosely the blue bomb. The inference is quite clear with your yellow MC.
42 theowl // Dec 27, 2008 at 3:07 am

Congrats, swade. That’s an awesome looking whip!
43 gordon // Dec 27, 2008 at 4:47 am

Eric Geers said he had plenty of those 260HP 2.3L available and that he would send one to you. Well now is the time to ask.
44 AEROPILOT // Dec 27, 2008 at 6:25 am

Markac.
No I’m driving a 9-5 Aero AUT ‘ 03 BSR stg 3.
My daugther drives my former 9-3 Aero ‘ 01´
5 door saloon. (BSR stg 2)
My son drives a 9-5 AUT ‘ 04 BSR stg.3
The 9-3 was a hell of a great car – but the 9-5 is even better, with a wider track and ESP.
It’s a perfect saloon for long distance, but I certanly miss the hatch !
I’m looking for a 9-3 Cabrio for my wife ( now Peugeot 106 GTI) It must be an Aero AUT with Trionic 7 and before ‘ 03 when it became an Opel !! So it can get the BSR upgrade stg 3 right away.
I’m looking at the German market right now.
I’m serious about making it to a ” 9-3 sort of Viggen+” by transforming a 9-5 Aero Aut engine 2003>(5 sp) into it. I already have the seats, breaks, and stuff needed.
45 Markac // Dec 27, 2008 at 6:59 am

AEROPILOT: Perhaps Eric Geers can let you have a 2.3 for your project as well? Come to think of it, I wouldn’t mind one either. I could transform my MC into a yellow Viggen. All I’d need is some seats, a bodykit and some carbon fibre! You’re right about the hatch, I hope the new 9-5 eventually gets one again.
46 David Blumberg // Dec 27, 2008 at 9:26 pm

That’s a really nice car, Swade!
I’m sure you’ll enjoy endless hours of fun with it

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