Oh well, At least that means C900s are still not so old as to be too rare (I think I see more of them than new ones, actually).
It's a good think I don't know about the Saab 600, really. I mean, the potential for humour in a rusty Lancia based Saab which was little more than a rebranding of a basic spec car would be astonishing. Thankfully, they didn't sell that outside of Northern Europe (excluding the UK), so I remain blisfully unaware of it.
Richard
RichardK ( snipped-for-privacy@NOSPAMbtconnect.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :
No, no, no - there's a rebadged TVR version of the Lada Niva coming soon. With 500bhp. In a silly flip colour.
Yebbut Honda also sold the "Honda Crossroads" in Japan - which was a Disco.
RichardK ( snipped-for-privacy@NOSPAMbtconnect.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :
Definitely. And the C900s you see are definitely cared for for what they are.
Good. I'd hate to be the one to tell you.
Integrale version with the T16S motor?
That, I'd buy.
And named after a terrible Soap Opera to boot. Damn, now I have the theme in my head again.
Honda had a good reason, though. I'm sure I'll think of it eventually.
Richard
It seems most people buying a convertible around where I lve share the sentiment, and thus they're a dime a dozen, whereas the Saab remains somewha unique. Both in numbers and as a value proposition. And whoever thinks the Beemer is utterly immune to "scuttle shake" lets car magazines shape his opinions a tad much...
...pablo
Not even. 1.6s, the lot of them, as far as I (don't) know. Not even an HF Turbo variant.
Richard
I don't think the 3-series is immune to scuttle shake. I think magazines talk a load of s**te, to be honest; my Peugeot 306 Cabrio, for its many, many faults, did not suffer from scuttle shake and was amongst the best handling FWD cars I have driven. You cannot, however, imagine that the NG900's chassis is in any way comparable to any good RWD chassis.
However, the Saab remains unique for a damn good reason, IMO. The new
9-3 is almost as common as the BMW, if not more so; I suspect making it look like a Mk 3 Cavalier satisfies the reps.See, you didn't catch the unspoken sentiment at the end of that line.
Given the choice, I'd RATHER have the 3-series than an NG900 Cabrio.
However, I'd rather have a lot of other cars (some of them Russian) before touching any BMW aside from maybe a mid 90s M5, 850 or a 6-series convertible.
Richard
RichardK ( snipped-for-privacy@NOSPAMbtconnect.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :
Mid-life crisis already, Richard?
No, that was the 480 2.0i Auto when I was 23 ;)
No, the 645 is sadly logical. It's almost nice looking, vaguely interesting, and is RWD with a V8...
It's also very expensive so I'm not likely to have one ;) Still, if I were smoking the right crack (and could afford to smoke enough of it), then the 645 at £50K costs the same to contract hire as the Chrysler
300C Hemi (which should be around £32K).Richard
Can't find it on
I once owned a '80 Alfa Romeo Spider. None of the cars we're talking about suffers from real scuttle shake. The Spider cracked a front window twice. When I moved to the USA, my first car was a '92 Infiniti M30 convertible. It re-arranged its own front panel twice.
I extensively test drove different cars before buying a '02 9-3 convertible, on pothole ridden Silicon Valley roads (the public contractors here probably build Motocross tracks on the side or something). The later 9-3 convertible scutlle shake is not any worse than others. In fcat the Volvo C70's is far more noticable, in my opinion, and the BMW's about the same. The Mercedes CLK was the most robust by a mile, then again it felt heavy as well. The newest Audi was not avalable at the time.
I ust think most people that talk scuttle shake don't know what they're really talking about. Convertibles will always be somewhat compromised from a structural point of view. Those who dont like it should buy coupes, which are the sport driver's tool of choice anyhow. 4-seat convertibles, all of them, are boulevard poser-mobiles, let's admit to it. They can be driven fast. But they're not really supposed to. get a legimate roadster for the sporty open air feeling...
Never claimed that. But the vast majority of drivers seem to imagine themselves driving the chassis to its limits so often that they declare it a primary buying concern? Not a very rational argument, really. And actally my major criticism of my 9-3 with sports package is that they tuned it too much to the sporty side. I've yet have to see anyone outcorner me on a freeway ramp, you can really push it (and pay the price every 15k miles as you have to change tires), but it is a bumpy ride, and I would not mind less handling and more comfort, quite honestly. With this I am not even remotely claiming it is a great handler - just a competent enough handler for the real world for those with a realistic assessment of how fast one really drives in the real world (we do have 65mph speed limits in California). And I actually enjoy the car *because* it has handling quirks. It makes it more entertaining. :-)
Indeed. Too few discerning connoisseurs out there. :-)
That's not even remotely the case here. The new Saab convertible is very rare around here. BMW 3-series, convertibes included, are as common as Honda Civics, it seems. Then again, it is Silicon Valey. Where do you live?
Vive la difference! It'd be boring if we all drive the same cars.
Been there, done that with Beemers. They're fantastic cars, but all that perfection bores me, honestly. I want more character in a car. My last car before owning the 9-3 was a '01 Jaguar XJR which I flipped very quickly because it was simply boring around here, lovely as it was. I prefer the Saab, have developed much more of an emotional link.
The interesting thing about BMW is that, as smooth as their cars are, their motorcycles have a lot of agricultural charm. I am a long time BMW boxer fan, and own a R1100S that many (smooth) Japanese motorcycle fans claim overweight and underpowered. It's the inverse argument, how paradox is that! But on windy backroads I can't hear the critics. And by the way - *all* cars are terminally and insipidly boring from a dynamic point of view compared to a motorcycle. BMW 645, tss, over 2 tons of flabby inertia compared to any motorcycle...
...pablo
Hi!
Had one for three years from new (52-plate) (just changed). Mine was an auto, but was the lpt.
20,000 miles per annum, mostly business. Great fun. Roof down at least one day every month!Just make sure the hood works smoothly.
Looked at A4s when deciding but indifference of dealer plus the horrendous list of expensive optional extras (interior lights? - gotta be taking the mick!) put me off.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
JohnK
RichardK ( snipped-for-privacy@NOSPAMbtconnect.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :
ITYM "selling"
It's the Traviq.
Richard
The CLK I looked at, which would be in 2000, was so poorly made in terms of fit and finish compared to my old Mercedes that I simply couldn't bring myself to like it. They seem to be improving now.
The C70... oh god, that's a horrible device. I drove the 2.4 LPT model and it shimmied under mild acceleration, shuddered over bumps, and felt like you were peering over the edge of a structurally unsound bathtub.
The MX5 seemed quite free of it, though it was hard to tell with the jarring suspension on the 1.8i Sport, and my Beetle doesn't suffer from 'scuttle shake', but it does twist very slightly, enough to make roof noises at the header rail, if you drive over large bumps - say in a field.
Real twist, though, was when you could see daylight through the doors on certain bends in my old Renault 5 Cabrio.
Richard
Get an Alfa.
Russelheim - the place the best Opels used to come from
Richard:
I will agree that the latest Saabs are often pure GM or lots of GM - but the NG900/9~3 up to 2003 still have a lot of Saab in them. With just some minor tweaking to remove the slop they are nice cars. YMMV.
Bob
Nope, if he was selling, he would buy the car, not contract hire it.
Yep, but I'd buy it 18 months old. No sense in taking that initial hit.
Richard (if I ever record a hit single, though, I think I'd keep that sort of cash for property investments - I'd buy a used Bentley).
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