I has a grown up car now.

A 2004 Saab Aero convertible. 86k miles, one owner, dealer serviced, with records in the log book. Every gee-gaw Saab offered is on this car. Even the manually activated automatic windshield wipers (which just cracks me up. They are only automatic after you manually turn them on, every time it rains.)

Oh peaceful comfortable pain-free daily commute bliss!

The sport(ish) suspension is just rough enough to please me and give me road feedback, while not knocking my eyeballs out of my skull as I crash through the potholes at 70 mph like the Miata would do. It also doesn't spill my coffee, which is all but necessary at 4:30 in the morning.

Silly fun watching the car do its transformers thing getting the top down or up. Sure, it takes twice as long as dropping the top on the Miata. But it's at the push of a button, and much more entertaining. People stop walking and just gawk while it happens.

Split climate controls are the best thing ever for married people. I set my side to arctic freezer, she sets her side to tropical rain forest, and we are happy. The a/c is strong enough that the spawning in the back complained he was getting chilly.

While not astonishing, the stereo sounds pretty good, and I can actually understand the lyrics of many more songs now.

Big performance difference between 87 and 93 octane gas. Wish it wasn't so, because that 93 octane stuff costs a good bit more. But boy is it a lot more fun!

One of the few anti-lock brakes I actually like. It lets the wheels just start to lock before actuating. So you actually hear tire squeal and feel a little of the tugging and slipping.

Tank like safety appeals to me. Partially because I'm getting older and no longer so convinced I'm immortal. But also that niggling voice in the back of my head has been getting more and more strident about me needing a crash worthy car for the daily commute. No, I don't crash every time I hear that cautionary voice. But many times I've crashed while ignoring it.

Fair thee well Miata. It was fun. But with the passage of time, you fit less and less. Besides, I really was getting bored. Smashing the knee a few months ago all but sealed the deal. It just plain hurts to get in and out of a Miata. As soon as I replace the head gasket and wash it, up for sale it goes!

Besides, having a Miata has caused my Spitfire to languish all but ignored for years now. Cripes, I've got a supercharger for the Spitfire! I really should mount that and get stupid. With enough work, I could get the Spitfire to go almost as fast as a stock Miata...maybe.

Now, to go order moose stickers....

And here I thought I was the only one crazy enough to consider swapping a miata for a saab.

Congrats. I just joined the club, too. Just got my first car ever that wasn't totaled or immediately torn apart and rebuilt.

Driving is so different when you aren't memorizing the location of every bump and hole in the road.

Congrats. Pics ASACP.

bgkast wrote: And here I thought I was the only one crazy enough to consider swapping a miata for a saab.

The only remotely grown up car I've ever intentionally bought was the 02 legacy wagon

The 99 Camry was bought for the wife's daily. When it hit 300k and became less than reliable enough for her, she stole my Subaru.

I haven't owned a grown up car since, and may never again.

foxtrapper wrote: Besides, having a Miata has caused my Spitfire to languish all but ignored for years now. Cripes, I've got a supercharger for the Spitfire! I really should mount that and get stupid. With enough work, I could get the Spitfire to go almost as fast as a stock Miata...maybe. Now, to go order moose stickers....

Good to hear the Spit will get more attention.

Now when it rains you can go party with the Saab people at Carlisle. And we in the Volvo area will lob insults at you.

I am with you. Went from my 924s with suspension that was only at home on the track to the new to me x type. AWD room for four adults and all the automated gizmos I need. The awd plants the car and inspires confidence in the sweepers and the suspension is such that there is very little body roll but the springs and shocks are soft enough to absorb the bumps and what not.

Ian F wrote: Now when it rains you can go party with the Saab people at Carlisle. And we in the Volvo area will lob insults at you.

Well, then maybe I'll tow the Saab there with the wifes Volvo.

Or should I tow the Volvo with the Saab?

I know! I'll tow them both with the Spitfire!

Appropriate post. I am toying with a very inexpensive Miata to replace the painfully uncomfortable Focus. I question the notion that the Miata will be better than the mouse-fur-gray Foci I currently drive when I really want a Mustang. Decisions.

One of those decisions is to never buy a Saab though.

bgkast wrote: And here I thought I was the only one crazy enough to consider swapping a miata for a saab.

I've had both for years, but I'm not sure how much longer the Miata will be around. I've been driving the 900 convertibles more lately.

That is the best Saab to get IMHO. Oh, it's an elk sticker that you want (euro moose). If you haven't yet, take a look at Vtuners website. (sorry)

I would have and should have bought one of those instead of my MINI cabrio, but Mrs. Aspen doesn't like Saabs.

So with a car that isn't actively falling apart, what do you do on long drives instead of try to track down the source of rattles?

No wonder regular people are texting all the time.

Pics (finally)

Top up:

Top down:

Interior:

And an attempt to show the paint color: It's hard to catch the color. It's called Espresso. It looks like a dark grey or slate color most of the time. But catch the light just right, and the brown metal flake sparkles. It's not a color I would have picked, but it's really not bad.

Having that gas mileage display is a lot of fun and rather educational. 10 mpg difference between the morning and afternoon commute! In the morning traffic is light and it's a 700 foot elevation drop. Going home in the afternoon is full of stop and go, and I now get to climb those 700 feet. 33-35 mpg in the morning, 22-24 mpg in the afternoon.

Just patched the wear spots on the roof with some iron on patches. Even went so far as to align cloth texture. Two of them are right there in that picture above with the top up. Pretty subtle, if I do say so myself!

Day 7, and I'm still very much enjoying this car.

Nice! I've seen one that color and I agree I wouldn't have chosen it but I also agree it looks really good in the right light.

Nice car and those are my favorite factory wheels for that style 9-3. Enjoy.

Nice!

That is a gorgeous car.

That sounds like a cool paint color, don't think I would choose it first either but still cool.

foxtrapper wrote: Besides, having a Miata has caused my Spitfire to languish all but ignored for years now. Cripes, I've got a supercharger for the Spitfire! I really should mount that and get stupid. With enough work, I could get the Spitfire to go almost as fast as a stock Miata...maybe. Now, to go order moose stickers....

Or you could make it MUCH faster..........

current client... hes going to have about 150 ish whp... or just about triple the power of the original

You're scratching the powder coat with your shoes.

Hmm... didn't know what to expect by "grown up car." I just replaced a Nissan Versa with a Mazdaspeed 3. Which is the more grown-up car?

The Versa was utilitarian, economical, room enough to be comfortable front and back.

The Mazdaspeed 3 is the most expensive used car I ever bought, the most awesomely powerful car I've ever driven, and will have the highest maintenance costs (premium gas, wide low-profile tires, the urge to add better brakes and other go-fast goodies). It's also more of a mid-life crisis (most definitely a grown-up experience) car than the Miata I bought when I turned 50.