saablog

When I was a kid I liked cars. I played in my parents’ cars, and I liked ther VW Vanagon and my Dad’s Toyota truck. I didn’t like his Ford truck as well. Some things never change, I guess.

My first realization of Saab was probably during middle school. I was riding with my mom and we were merging onto I-405 NB in Kennydale. I looked out the side window and saw what I now know was a 900 sedan. I think it was silver. What stood out to me was the curve of the window on the rear door. While most sedans in the 1980s (and many still now) had very straight, angular window and trim profiles, the 900 sedan had a smooth curve to the rear quarter window and the chrome trim that outlines it. I thought it looked smooth and comfortable at the same time.

My next Saab realization was later, in the summer time. I was with my mom at the Chevron station at the top of their hill. A man was there with his 900 Turbo convertible, probably late 80s. It was Eucalyptus Green with tan leather. I thought that car was very cool, but also very pretentious and yuppie. Definately a car I aspired to, but one that I thought was out of my reach or the reach of my family.

All through high school, I wanted an Acura. Specifically, a red 1987 Acura Integra LS, Red, 3-door, 5-speed. My aunt and uncle in Pennsylvania had one that I drove when visiting them (when I’d had my license about 3 months). It was cooler and better than my mom’s ‘89 Accord LX automatic sedan, and infinitely better in every way than the orange 1979 Toyota 5-speed Long-Bed pickup my parents bought for my brother and I to drive. The Acura was the object of my desire. I drew it on my class notes. I wrote A for Acura on my hand. I was obsessed.

My friend Lauren (who is still my friend and Ani’s) drove a Volvo 240 sedan in high school. I loved that car. It was great. She was a fan of Volvos and Saabs, and we evidently talked about the cars some. In the waning days of our high school career, following a senior mass or breakfast, Lauren and I went to Barrier Saab/Volvo to check out the 1992 Saab convertible. We arrived in her 240, and I was in a suit while she was in a nice dress. The salesperson was either high, really stupid, or respectful to a fault, because he showed us a red turbo convertible, put the top down, and we went for a drive. I drove first, and then Lauren drove. It was great. Absolutely the fastest car I had ever driven. And the nicest. The salesman asked us where we worked and how long we had been married. He was bizarre; the car was sublime. It was a turning point in my car obsession.

During my senior year in high school, I took a Spanish 1 class, for a change from the 3 years of French I had taken. Yes, I wanted an easy class. Not surprisingly, this Spanish class at my private high school was full of freshmen. One of the freshmen was a girl named Jenny, who became a friend of mine. Her father was the sales manager at a Chevrolet/Saab dealership in Kent, so we talked about cars when we should have been learning Spanish. As the year ended, Jenny told me that her dad’s dealership was looking for a lot attendant. That’s a person who washes cars and does other thankless chores around the dealership. I applied, was interviewed and got the job, ending my 3 year career at Kennydale McDonald’s.

It was summer of 1992. Cars identical to the one now in my driveway were for sale new on the lot. The 900 series wasn’t as popular as the 9000 series though, at least at our dealership. But this was Kent. The store didnt’ sell a lot of Saabs. They sold a lot of Chevrolets. Luminas, Berettas, Camaros, Suburbans, and Geo Prisms were hot sellers. A brand new Beretta broke down on me while I was driving it to gas it up for a customer who had purchsed it. A big black mark for GM. To make matters worse, my primary responsibility was for the used car lot. So while I was around the new Saabs, I was around a lot of used iron from the 1980s. I spent that summer experiencing a lot of cars, getting a farmer tan washing cars, and having wet feet for 2 continuous months. Before I left that job to go to Portland to start college, I got some 1992 Saab product brochures and posters. I’ve still got them.

During the ensuing summers home I had an internship with a motor drives manufacturer in Redmond. But I stopped by Hazelett Chevy/Saab to visit the people I had worked with. In the summer of 1993, my dad bought a 1986 Toyota 4×4 from them so that there would be 2 Toyotas for us 2 sons. They gave me the employee price (invoice plus $50 for used cars) because I had worked there.

In the summer of 1994, I bought my first car of my very own. I had $4000 to spend, and after shopping for that ‘87 Integra and finding out that the ones in my price range were junked out, I found the perfect car. A 1988 Mazda MX-6 DX. Blue, 5-spd, no frills, power nothing. With 126,667 miles on the clock, I thought it was a bargain at $4000 out the door. The salesperson said “just keep the oil changed and it will run for ever.” he was close. The only things I did other than change the oil were replace the door handle when the metal failed, and replace the alternator when it failed. I traded it in wiith some body damage and around 158,000 miles on it in October of 1996.

Also in the summer of 1994, my friend’s father let us take a new 1995 900 turbo convertible out for the day for a fun time. That was great, just amazing. The summer of 1995, my dad was shopping for a new car to replace his ‘89 T-bird which was aging quickly. He shopped BMW and some other European brands, but the folks at Hazelett let me bring cars home for my dad to test drive and bring back later. I first brought a Scarabe green 900 SE Turbo coupe with a tan interior (the colors weren’t right but the drive was stellar), then a black/black 900 S convertible (deemed not practical enough for my dad), then I brought a black 900SE home, with black leather interior and 6-disc CD changer. I knew it was the coolest, and my parents had to have it. My dad saw it and drove it, and agreed. My parents bought it the next day for $500 over invoice, and that very night I took it on a date, as the next day I left to start my senior year in college.

I lusted after that 900 SE Turbo when I was at school. On Fall Break some friends and I drove it on a day trip to Vancouver BC. That was fun. So fast. It smelled so good inside. It was so fast. I graduated the next fall and wanted to replace my no-frills ‘88 Mazda MX-6. I looked at Acura Integras, Honda Accords, BMW 3-series. On a weekend trip to Seattle to visit my parents, I found my new car in the paper at Carter Motors: my 1995 900 S 3-door. Black with black cloth, 6-disc changer. And that is a story for another day. Or perhaps many stories for many days. As that car remains the favorite one I have ever owned.