Saab Cars – Trollhattan Saab random header image
I feel dirty….
← Saab NG900 radiator panel repair My Cadillac marketing recommendations →

I feel dirty….

December 21st, 2008 · 39 Comments



Trollhattan Saab has changed!
The site you're viewing now is the original Trollhattan Saab weblog, though it's now an archive only and no new material is posted here. As of February 2009, all new material is posted at our new site - Saabs United.
Please join us at Saabs United and get your daily Saab fix from Saab sources all around the world.



I’ve mentioned in an earlier post here that I’ve just found what I think will be my next car. IF I can get a mechanic to check it out by the 24th and IF it turns out OK, then there’s every chance I’ll fly to Melbourne and buy it between Christmas and New Year and then bring it home on the ferry. My fourth boat trip to buy a car in as many years!

What’s the car?

The good news after all my drifting and dreaming about various other brands is the car is a Saab.

It’s a model that I’ve admired for a long, long time. In fact, it was the first car that I saw that made me appreciate the 900/9-3 range. It’s the car I was looking for back in 2005 when I ended up reaching a little higher and buying the Viggen.

_motecarlosaab9-3side

It’s a 1999 Saab 9-3 Monte Carlo.

For the unfamiliar, there were only 195 Montes built for the global market. 50 of those made their way to Australia, split 50/50 between 3-door and 5-door models. The 3-door models were predomantly manual-shift cars whereas the 5-door were predominantly automatics. The one I’m looking at is a 3-door manual.

The manual gearbox Monte Carlo was powered by a 2 litre HOT engine producing 147kW or around 200hp, and 283Nm of torque. It’s not a Viggen, but it’s no slouch and perfectly suited towards a little tweaking.

So, why the headline? Why do I feel dirty?

Well, it’s the 900 in my garage. Again, for the unfamiliar, I have a 1985 900 Aero and if my mechanic’s hunch is right, it was one of the first few to land in Australia as a press car (it has some Euro spec features that didn’t follow on Oz production models).

Make no mistake: I do love the Saab 900. It’s been voted the Saabiest Saab on this site before and for good reason. It had the hatch. It had a great series of turbocharged engines. It still has one of most recognisable profiles in all autodom.

There’s no two ways about – the classic Saab 900 is the quintessential Saab.

And yet for some reason I’m not upset about the prospect of having to sell mine. On the contrary, the prospect of selling it is completely overshadowed by the excitement I’m feeling at the prospect of landing the Monte Carlo.

I don’t know why, but for some reason I’ve never bonded with a Saab 900. I love the model and have total respect for it’s place in Saab’s history, but I’ve never been totally consumed by either of the 900s I’ve owned. My first 900 was a 5-door automatic and I figured the slushbox was the reason why I enjoyed it rather than loved it. I thought that this time, with the 85 Aero being a 3-door manual, that everything would be different. It has been different, just not different enough.

Truth be told, I think any 900 will always live in the shadows of the 99 Turbo in my eyes. It’s still my favourite Saab of all time.

To all of you with 900s that love them, more power to ya. I can look at your cars, remember my own experiences in 900s and completely understand why, but that understanding seems to be more on a rational level than a heart level. I wish it wasn’t that way and it doesn’t seem right as the publisher of a Saab blog for it to be that way, but that’s the way it is.

For me, I’ve got another affair waiting for me and it’s the most excited I’ve been about a car purchase since I contemplated the Viggen. All going well, I think the guys at Elkparts are going to get a fair workout in the next 12 months or so.

It’s strange how a model range that I didn’t rate so highly around 5 years ago (the 900/9-3 line) has really worked its way under my skin.

I’m off to hit the showers and wash some of the shame away.

Baby, It’s not you….. it’s me

saab900aero

Tags: Troll stuff

39 responses so far ↓

  • 1 ctmNo Gravatar // Dec 21, 2008 at 8:09 pm

    Why did so many of the 195 ended up in Australia?

  • 2 swadeNo Gravatar // Dec 21, 2008 at 8:14 pm

    Because we’re very good people :-)

    What I’d like to know is where the rest of them ended up. I’ve never heard of a Monte outside Australia.

  • 3 SAABoyNo Gravatar // Dec 21, 2008 at 8:24 pm

    Dropping a limited edition classic 900 for a gm/ng 900… Its your call mr. Swade!

  • 4 sabNo Gravatar // Dec 21, 2008 at 8:26 pm

    come on swadey… sell the eyetalian and keep the 900 Aero! You need some sense knocked into ya :)

    nice monte as well! I remember sitting in one at Mentone Saab back in 1999 and thinking they were pretty sweet!

    hope it all turns out OK and you get to buy it!

    sab

  • 5 swadeNo Gravatar // Dec 21, 2008 at 8:29 pm

    I’ll be selling both the 900 and the Alfa, Steve. Even I couldn’t live with myself keeping the Alfa and selling the 900. I’m cleaning house, baby!!

    I’ll call Mr Bascombe tomorrow and see what his schedule’s like this week.

  • 6 alaeroNo Gravatar // Dec 21, 2008 at 8:31 pm

    Now that we have decided to sell the :cough: rust bucket :cought: oh i mean Alfa, we can move onto the Monte.

    No slurring the Alfa, please. It’s a champ and whoever gets it is going to love it! – SW

    They are speccers sleds, with some suspension mods, some Elkparts love and a little T5 suite it will be a rocket in no time.

    You know you want to keep the 900, DONT YOU MATEY!!

    a.

  • 7 TompaNo Gravatar // Dec 21, 2008 at 8:53 pm

    Nice nice ride Swade. If all of us shout loud enough then maybe René Hirsch could send Swade some nice rims suited for the Monte Carlo? ;-)

    Cheers/Tom

    Ps. SHOUT!!

  • 8 MarkacNo Gravatar // Dec 21, 2008 at 9:37 pm

    Congratulations Swade if you get it. I know it’s not a Viggen, but it’s actually even more exclusive and still made on the same production (in Finland) line as the Viggen (probably a test run I think). I love my Monte. The only thing I’d really like to replace it with is a yellow Viggen and of course we couldn’t buy them in Oz.

    As far as I can determine, the “Monte Carlo” name was an idea of Saab Australia. Whilst there were Monte Carlo yellow 9-3 SEs with B204R HOT motors sold in several markets, only Australian cars were branded Monte Carlo.

    Another thing, I think the manual Monte Carlos were the only 9-3s sold in Oz to get the B204R 147Kw motor. Unfortunately mechanics don’t seem to know about this motor.

    If anyone want’s to know a bit more about Monte Carlos Swade, perhaps you can list a link to my SOTW. I can’t remember which month that was.

  • 9 MarkacNo Gravatar // Dec 21, 2008 at 9:50 pm

    Oops! I found it myself!:
    http://www.trollhattansaab.net/archives/2008/05/saab-o-the-week-9-3-monte-carlo.html

  • 10 Robin CapperNo Gravatar // Dec 21, 2008 at 11:05 pm

    Yellow!?

  • 11 DamoGNo Gravatar // Dec 22, 2008 at 12:07 am

    I loved my old 900 GLE, but I was quite happy to move onto the 900S…remote central locking, bigger engine, electronic bits. Nice..even if it doesn’t look as ‘SAABy’ as the old 900.

  • 12 BernardNo Gravatar // Dec 22, 2008 at 12:51 am

    Swade,

    You have figured out what few “hard-core” Saab fans will admit: the NG900 is a great car, and an even better drive than the Classic 900.
    Its major fault is that it was born with the “original sin” of replacing the Classic 900.

    I’ve driven every model Saab available since the mid-1980s (except the 9-7), and the NG900/OG9-3 is the best. It’s got the classic European narrow body and tight turning circle that the current 9-3 lacks, the turbo engines rev much better than the Classic 900 engines, and the handling is just wonderful.

    One of the best things about the Classic 9-3 is that it needs very few mods to be perfect:

    1- Polyurethane bushes to tighten the steering (just get the big one connecting the two control arms, and the steering rack bush).
    2- A bigger rear ARB to make the balance more neutral.
    3- Very good tyres so you can put the power down.

  • 13 Andrew BaculyNo Gravatar // Dec 22, 2008 at 1:15 am

    Must be a Monte Carlo edition 9-3? Oh, yep. There’s the picture!! That will be cool. Awesome color, and you know it!!!

  • 14 zippyNo Gravatar // Dec 22, 2008 at 2:17 am

    Swade, ya flash bugger!!!

    At least you’ll never lose your car in the parking lot as it could well be the only yellow car in Hobart!

    Congrats… :D

  • 15 TraShNo Gravatar // Dec 22, 2008 at 3:11 am

    Trading such lovely classic spg for a common 9-3??? (so what it’s Monte Carlo?) That’s crazy man!

  • 16 aeronautNo Gravatar // Dec 22, 2008 at 3:58 am

    that is the best colour, you are gonna love it!

  • 17 wilfriedNo Gravatar // Dec 22, 2008 at 4:59 am

    Congratulations with the MONTE CARLO, happy colour.

  • 18 ColorCode252No Gravatar // Dec 22, 2008 at 5:29 am

    SW,

    Love that car – that should have been the model that rolled-off the factory when the GM900 was introduced!

    With a little suspension tweaking as Bernard noted, the car should be a fun ride. Then, if so inclined, a 6-point subframe brace can the icing on the cake!

    So far, I have seen two ‘99 MCY ‘verts. I believe that color is offered to ‘verts only, at least in the US markets. A 3-door with that color – great car!

    With the B204 engine with the T5 system, now, that should be a fun car to tweak.

  • 19 albertNo Gravatar // Dec 22, 2008 at 5:39 am

    Hope you’ll get the car and be very happy with it.
    Are you sure it has the B204? There was a short period that there was a B205R with 205hp, just before the Viggen came.

  • 20 DippenNo Gravatar // Dec 22, 2008 at 6:22 am

    awesome swade!:)
    love the monte carlo

  • 21 turbinNo Gravatar // Dec 22, 2008 at 7:12 am

    Onya Swade, go the Full Monte.

  • 22 MarkacNo Gravatar // Dec 22, 2008 at 7:19 am

    albert: The T7 B205R (151Kw/205Bhp) didn’t arrive until MY2000. It was usually fitted to the Aero until the OG9-3s demise.

    The T5 B204R (147Kw/200Bhp) seems to be quite rare.

  • 23 SwadeNo Gravatar // Dec 22, 2008 at 8:35 am

    The car’s being checked out today, which was fortunate as it’s the mechanic’s last day before closing the doors for Christmas.

    I’ve done the registration check and it’s all OK, with no encumbrances or previous write-offs.

    Looking OK so far.

  • 24 MarkacNo Gravatar // Dec 22, 2008 at 9:17 am

    I hope it works out. I’ve found the yellow certainly brightens up a dull day!

  • 25 Troll96No Gravatar // Dec 22, 2008 at 10:10 am

    Car guy buys yet another car…..not a story. Swade explaining the inner turmoil of doing same…..great! You could be writing about sauerkraut and make it an engaging read.

    Way to go, Swade.

  • 26 SwadeNo Gravatar // Dec 22, 2008 at 10:16 am

    You’re very welcome, and kind, Troll96.

    My next dilemma is wheels. It has some unsuited Saab 9-5 wheels on it. Have contacted some parts dealers in Melbourne but neither have the 16-inchers I’m looking for.

    Hmmmmm

    Bernard, your advice re: initial tweaks is exactly in line with what I was looking at doing.

    First purchases will be a rear ARB and a carbonfibre dash panel from Elkparts. Bushes will come later and tyres when required in the normal course of events.

  • 27 Ron57RCNo Gravatar // Dec 22, 2008 at 10:32 am

    Swade, “Looking OK so far.”

    Hope the mechanical check and any other practicalities which remain en route to purchase turn out good; then the heart bit can take over and hopefuly you will have the ownership experience you desire.

    I’m looking forward to future ownership updates if the purchase goes through.

  • 28 RichoNo Gravatar // Dec 22, 2008 at 10:40 am

    Hey Swade, nice colour…. you could wear black and look like a bumble bee.

    I hear there’s a sexy Viggen up for grabs

  • 29 Ben WNo Gravatar // Dec 22, 2008 at 10:41 am

    The NGs might be easier to live with day to day, but no way are they a better drive than a C900. After Snaab died in the arse (literally) I test drove 5 900s and 9-3s in various trims and they were all pretty disappointing… not bad, but they just didn’t have that solid, planted feel.

    Swade, you feel dirty because you know it’s wrong. Don’t do it, lest people laugh at you and point as your drive down the road in your canary yellow car ;-)

  • 30 BernardNo Gravatar // Dec 22, 2008 at 10:46 am

    Swade,

    Too bad you can’t get Nokian tyres in Australia. Few people realize that the Fins make the best tyres in the world.

    Remember, don’t do too much to the car. Our Swedish friends got this one right from the start.

    On the other hand, doesn’t Elkparts sell a Hirsch suspension kit for the 9-3 hatch?

  • 31 SwadeNo Gravatar // Dec 22, 2008 at 11:13 am

    I don’t got Vig money, Richo, wont have for a long time. And this is one I’ve been after since way back.

    Ben, there’s an 85 Aero coming up for sale soon here in Tas if you’re feeling sentimental.

    Bernard, I don’t think they do any more. They have a good deal on Eibach springs and sell the usual Koni and Bilstein dampers. They’ll come in time.

    Still waiting on the inpsection report….

  • 32 MarkacNo Gravatar // Dec 22, 2008 at 1:02 pm

    9-5 wheels? I guess it’s not the same car as the one in the picture then? I kind of like the Monte Carlo/Aero 16 inchers. Those wheels on Drew’s V6 would suit a Monte. Perhaps you can do him a swap for th 9-5 wheels? I hope the test report is good.

  • 33 BrendanNo Gravatar // Dec 22, 2008 at 1:56 pm

    The Monte Carlo wheels look similar to the 9-5 Aero wheels

    http://www.drive.com.au/used-cars/SAAB/9-3/Sydney/detail.aspx?id=8536954&lid=8536954&pg=1&pp=6&d=0&nv=1&SG=-304160860&pt=1

  • 34 BrendanNo Gravatar // Dec 22, 2008 at 1:57 pm

    9-5 Aero wheels (posted wrong link above)
    http://www.trollhattansaab.net/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/9-5aero.jpg

  • 35 MarkacNo Gravatar // Dec 22, 2008 at 4:26 pm

    The Monte Carlo wheels are identical to the 2000 9-3 Aero: http://img2.netcarshow.com/Saab-9-3_Aero_Coupe_2000_1280×960_wallpaper_05.jpg

  • 36 Lance ColeNo Gravatar // Dec 22, 2008 at 4:30 pm

    I know its heresy, but the Monte Carlo is good- in the UK we even got the convertible version.
    The seat trim is special, the paint does not fade, and they are great little cars – they just had the problem of following the classic 900.

    Hope its a good ‘un

  • 37 Daniel BNo Gravatar // Dec 22, 2008 at 5:21 pm

    Congratz if you get it Swade!

    Wish you could keep the 900 but the MC is a great car as well :)

    Have a really great Christmas!

    /D

  • 38 JNo Gravatar // Dec 22, 2008 at 11:41 pm

    Swade,

    You landing that rare 9-3 (”SE” in these parts) would be great for both you AND us Saab nuts from around the world. She is stunning!

    But…….

    I think you need to first slap some ALU 36 dual spoke wheels on the Monte before considering the external mods done!

    ;-)

  • 39 PTNo Gravatar // Dec 23, 2008 at 8:05 am

    Not my favourtie colour but a great, underrated car. Having seen Ferd (Hawkeye)’s in Sydney, the 93 hatch is a really sweet thing.

    As for wheels – I would go the 18s that Jose got from Swedish Prestige in Melbourne. Great looking and good value.

    WRT your morals – life is short, don’t waste it beating yourself up. When I get my C900 you can drive it when you feel the need to absolve your sins.