Got a new distraction

[oldcarfan]

I work full time and am going to school for my Master's while dealing with two teenage boys. I build models cars as a release. As if I needed a new distraction, I just bought a 2005 Saab 9-2x to fix up and drive. The PO had done $2500 worth of work on it, so I got the car for free, that's the way I look at it. Mechanically, it's a Subaru so it should be fairly dependable. Anyway, I intend to do some bodywork and do the junkyard crawl for a few odd bits and see if this giant gluebomb can't be restored!

[Tom Geiger]

pictures, we need pictures!  

[DrKerry]

What Tom said!!!!!!!!

[oldcarfan]

I hope to get a couple shots of it tomorrow. I am trying to clean it up. Got it detailed and we had 2 inches of rain fall a couple hours later. PO had toddlers so the seats look like a Pollock painting.I polished out the headlights and will tackle the faded paint when it cools off outside. It is a 2005 Subaru Impreza WRX underneath so parts are easy to come by. The front right fender is dented and those are hard to find, so I may get to practice my body repair skills. Hey it's just a big model kit, right?

[oldcarfan]

I haven't taken any pictures, but here are a couple from the ad. I just got it registered and all that.  

I found out that only about 7000 were sold so body parts are going to be hard to come by. 

[ZTony8]

These are affectionately known as " Saabarus" .

[Snake45]

The Lovely Mrs Snake and I both drive SAAB 9.5s (by sheer coincidence--we just happened to luck into two different too-good-to-pass-up deals on them) and are on a first-name basis with the local SAAB dealer four blocks away--he's staying in bidness dealing and maintaining/repairing used SAABs as well as general repairs on other makes. He's pretty good at tracking down SAAB parts and keeping them running and presentable, so if there's something you can't find, let me know and I'll put him on the case.

[oldcarfan]

It is indeed a Saabaru,  there is even a website dedicated to them. So far, I really like it. It is so nice having an automatic and not having to shift gears in Austin highway traffic. You never get past second gear before you have to push in the clutch and start over again. Also I've been cleaning it up, fixing some scratches and redoing some faded paint using the same brand of primer and paints that I use on models. I guess those hours painting models is starting to pay off! The seats are supremely nasty, but I've discovered that some Dawn in a spray bottle and a stiff scrub brush are miracle workers! I really want to replace the fender and bumper cover, but it'll have to wait until I get some more money saved up.

[oldcarfan]

There comes an end to every story. I really liked this car, it did everything I asked of it and it ran like a champ. Not quite a year after I got it, I was stopping at a light and the person behind me didn't notice.

She had good insurance and they paid of promptly. With that, I bought this:

It's a 2008 Volvo V50 which my wife has named Olaf. Good condition and low mileage. I'll miss my Saab, but at least I wasn't hurt.

 

[Joe Handley]

Oh that just sucks! A friend of mine lost his '08 9-3 sedan like that, sitting at a red light when he got slammed from behind by a late model Suburban doing 45mph!  I think that driver managed to take out at least 3-4 vehicles if you include that 9-3. Fortunetly,  my friend walked away stiff, sore, and with his allergies acting up from the all the powdery stuff that deployed with the airbags in his car.  He was just happy that he was the only one in the car too, his son was an infant at the time and his wife and baby were at home at the time of the wreck, so they were safe.

 

[espo]

Sorry to hear about the loss of your SAAB. I always thought they were an interesting car and looked better than the Subaru. That Volvo wagon should be a winner though.

[Twokidsnosleep]

Late to this party of course, but I just bought a used Soobie STi hatch. Love the hot hatchback look and now my son will learn to drive stick shift

Very reminiscent of the Saab body style...people called those Saabarus.

Edited July 31, 2017 by Twokidsnosleep

[Super28]

Got a giant glue bomb myself! check out this money pit! It's a 1972 Ford Ranchero Squire that I've tore down to the frame. Get this back thing I'm suffering from out of the way and I'll start back on her. Her name is Dory. '72s had a Fish mouth grille and I was going to paint her blue. now thinking white with blue cobra stripes

Edited July 31, 2017 by Super28

[Twokidsnosleep]

Wow, you got your work cut out for you...good luck!!

It will be awesome when done, saw a sweet Ranchero in Honolulu few years ago..it was a show stopper

[oldcarfan]

1972 is my favorite year for those. I learned to drive in an old 1972 Gran Torino station wagon.