Accompanied by the sound of a chisel on slate Tom De Moor, managed to produce the following words of wisdom
Yup. Wasn't my fault he bought a pup.
I know a few people with them. They do seem to be bombproof.
100% Agree with you on that Pete. I've had a few TD Xantias and they've been great. My current one is on 101k and it's still spot on. There's the odd rattle and creak, but I just change the oil and filters occasionally and it goes and goes. The hydraulics and suspension aren't complicated and I know of at least 3 well priced specialists for any big jobs within 30 miles of Carl.
Mike
When you don't own a Tipo and a Giulietta, come back and talk to us about out-dated.
ITYM "Alfetta". 1972 or thereabouts.
Only a couple of years later than my Rangie.
Well, I'll give you the Giulietta (although, as Pete says, it goes even further back).... however, the 156 is do distantly related to the Tipo that it's a completely different car. Unfortunately, the GM900 didn't get that kind of development.
The 9-3 got a lot more development from the Vectra chassis than you think. Suspension pick up points and stuff were moved quite a bit, spring and shock rates are different, the steering rack is mounted and geared differently. After all that it doesn't really matter that it's based on a s**te Vauxhall floorpan because a floorpan is just a few bits of steel welded together - they do not have their own individual character, especially once pick up points have been altered.
The earliest GM 900s weren't very good at all but they did get a lot of improvements pretty quickly. It's basically the M and N reg GM 900s that are to be avoided. Later ones aren't as bad as you're making out, but they're still not wonderful.
Development can be a marvellous thing. Late 155s are nice to drive, early ones are s**te. Same floorpan though. Early 75s weren't very good at all but the later ones are better. Same floorpan again.
Alfa 164 good, Saab 9000 not as good, Lancia Thema interesting but wobbly, Croma was crap. Same floorpan.
The GM Saabs tend to have much better torsional rigidity than the Cavs and Vectras they share bits with. Makes a massive difference.
Luckily the original 9-3 got 1100 changes to the GM900, on top of the few changes that the GM900 got over the original Vectra.
Check Elder's original link - it's not a GM900.
Check a 9-3 and MkIII Cavalier. They're so distantly related that they're completely different cars.
Hmmmm. Not convinced.
Mind you, I'd be very reluctant to buy any GM product unless it was bargain bin priced. Which that doesn't appear to be. It's still GM2900(?) platform, which is far too closely related to a 1988 Chavalier for my liking.
Doug can or, erm, you in fact with your little kit thingy :) Or TDM - he has an Elise and an NSX. Or me - you know, if finest resolved means 'scary' :-)
They made convertible GM Saabs but not convertible Calibras or Cavaliers. That tells you a bit about how much was changed I think.
I read (on wikipedia admittedly I think) that GM announced a convertible version of what they were selling the Calibra as in the states on the grounds that convertible 9-3s were the same. They got a bit embarassed when they found out just how much Saab had changed the platform for their own ends and that the Calibra production lines couldn't make it.
Yes, I am based on what is probably the finest handling in the world car ever made.
I specifically didn't mention you to avoid your embarrasment, but yes I agree - about your car. Not the 6 million shilling man bit. Likewise with TDM.
The jury is still very much out on my Sylva, but better drivers than me have declared my particular model to be competitive with Caterhams in the right circumstances.
Which is nice.
Pah, we've got a 250,000 mile Transit recovery truck. Nothing will out-handle that...
Do the circumstances include an engine swap?
(c:
More than a little, yes.
Fancy giving me a wee hand some night ?
(If you don't ask etc.......)
:-)
wasn't comparing it to my excellent BM, different league altogether. i was comparing it to other coupe's and you can get a lot better than a cougar! celica was way ahead!
Yeah man, I'd love to give you a hand. Just say when.
I've just noticed that the interior of that Saab appears to have been replaced with one from a black Mazda 6.
LOL! This is a modding group though.
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