Greetings from Vermont
Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2015 10:25 pm
Hi all,
I've been a member for a bit over a year and a reader of the site for maybe a year before that, so I figure I ought to say hello. I'm also up to my neck in Saabs, which adds a certain urgency. I currently have three 8-valve 900s, a 1986 sedan that I bought in the Bay Area in 2008 and drove back to New England, a 1986 hatch purchased in 2013 that's currently my winter car, and a 1983 sedan I just bought that's a bit of a wild card, with high mileage and some body damage, but very little rust. They're all plain Jane, naturally aspirated, 5-speed cars, all north of 150,000 miles. And as much as I want to preserve them, they're all drivers, with varying degrees of scruffiness, although I try to put the 86 sedan away for the winter.
I've never been a car guy, really, but the Saab bug has bitten me pretty hard. I feel as though these cars fit me, and I'm so at home driving them that every moment behind the wheel is a treat. The 8-valve cars are kind of a niche within the larger niche of classic 900 ownership, and I'm pleased to inhabit it. (Here's an analogy that I'm sure has been brought up before: An 8-valve 900 is to a 16-valve as a Porsche 912 is to a 911, an under-appreciated little brother.) Between work, parenthood and home ownership, I don't know that I'll ever get around to building up a car, and I don't expect I'll go racing, but looking at the projects on this site has helped me to get to know my cars a bit better and has inspired me to work on them more than I might have done. I've also acquired some parts from some of you and expect to continue to buy, sell and trade to keep my cars running. I look forward to a more active membership in this group.
Cheers,
Alex
I've been a member for a bit over a year and a reader of the site for maybe a year before that, so I figure I ought to say hello. I'm also up to my neck in Saabs, which adds a certain urgency. I currently have three 8-valve 900s, a 1986 sedan that I bought in the Bay Area in 2008 and drove back to New England, a 1986 hatch purchased in 2013 that's currently my winter car, and a 1983 sedan I just bought that's a bit of a wild card, with high mileage and some body damage, but very little rust. They're all plain Jane, naturally aspirated, 5-speed cars, all north of 150,000 miles. And as much as I want to preserve them, they're all drivers, with varying degrees of scruffiness, although I try to put the 86 sedan away for the winter.
I've never been a car guy, really, but the Saab bug has bitten me pretty hard. I feel as though these cars fit me, and I'm so at home driving them that every moment behind the wheel is a treat. The 8-valve cars are kind of a niche within the larger niche of classic 900 ownership, and I'm pleased to inhabit it. (Here's an analogy that I'm sure has been brought up before: An 8-valve 900 is to a 16-valve as a Porsche 912 is to a 911, an under-appreciated little brother.) Between work, parenthood and home ownership, I don't know that I'll ever get around to building up a car, and I don't expect I'll go racing, but looking at the projects on this site has helped me to get to know my cars a bit better and has inspired me to work on them more than I might have done. I've also acquired some parts from some of you and expect to continue to buy, sell and trade to keep my cars running. I look forward to a more active membership in this group.
Cheers,
Alex
