“I’m so happy to see this Saab again and back in your ownership.
To me and probably many others, both you and this Saab are icons to the Saab community”
The Saab that inspired me to start Saab vs Scepticism. Back in 2011 Saab was going through some exceptionally uncertain times, I was in the process of looking for a new company car, and decided it might just be the last opportunity I got to walk in to a Saab dealership, and order a brand new car. As it turned out, my thinking was correct, and within months, no new Saabs would ever be available again
Luckily, one of the cars they had immediately available, was their demonstrator - a 9-3 TTiD, the colour and specification suited my needs but it just didn’t have the wow factor I was looking for. The dealership was well known to me, and also had a great reputation for Hirsch conversions, so we sat down and specified a generous list of modifications needed to make it special, that was 14 years ago, I kept it for 4 years and sold it in 2015, last week, I bought it back again.
How did that happen? A Saab acquaintance had sent me a link to a recent ad he’d seen and thought it was my old 9-3, it was. I called the seller - AK Automotive in Amersham, he’d done a lot of research on the Saab, and also used the specification from my website to list the details correctly, he’d also hoped I might see the ad and enquire. After a quick conversation, they kindly delivered the car the following day.
It’s now 10 years older, having covered another 80,000 miles and had a further 4 owners. Initially it felt tired, the Hirsch wheels were not only damaged, but 2 also have flat spots on the outer edges, some paintwork has been done, but there’s further damage to the front bumper and a few other panels. On the positive side, besides the broken lower front grille, every Hirsch item I originally specified is still in remarkable condition.
We’ve since had the Saab on ramps, we’ve identified that the front exhaust pipe is badly leaking, it the sump needs a new oil pick up O ring, the rear suspension adjusting to stop an annoying rattle, and a good service to begin with. It also needs all new matching tyres again, a wheel alignment and the rather dark window tints removing.
After a few hundred miles of driving it again, I’ve realised why I chose it in the first place, the handling is reassuringly responsive thank to all of the modifications, the torque from the Hirsch 200hp and twin Turbo is smile inducing, and the feeling that this is a bit of a special Saab is still there.
If I’m truly honest, I hadn’t realised what this Saab had inspired over the years, not just for myself, but in others too, I’ve had some humbling comments that have made me realise how special Saabs are to many of us, and I feel blessed to be able to share my personal obsession for them through Saab vs Scepticism. Here are just a few of those comments :
“Again, congratulations Paul! It’s very special that you have this exact Saab back again. It instantly takes us back to the time when you started Saab vs. Also very special to think what this car all started. Your blog, many gorgeous Saab pictures, countless moments of inspiration for many fellow Saab enthusiasts, and for me personally eventually a very dear friendship with you for which I’m truly grateful”
“Good to hear that it has made it's way back home into a safe pair of hands. It was pictures of this very 9-3 that inspired the look of my 9-3. I thought it looked absolutely perfect then and still do now. Unfortunately I couldn't get quite as many original Hirsch parts as were specced on your one. Looking forward to future updates and seeing it brought back to its former glory”
“Ah the Titan! It caught my attention and I’ve been reading Saabvs ever since. Great to see!”
