SAAB puts a smile on my face

Our next reader story is in and the exclusive SAAB mug will go to Wuustwezel in Belgium:

“I have always loved cars, but never before it had occurred to me to buy a SAAB. Mostly because of reasons I now really question. Previously I was more focused on German manufacturers: Opel, Audi, VW and I even had a Skoda on my driveway. When it became time to replace the Skoda Octavia, I did an extensive search on the Internet and I ultimately fell for a SAAB 9-3 SportSedan.

Love at first sight
I can’t really explain it, but it was love at first sight. The lines, the design, I just had to see it in real life. When I arrived on site after a more than two hour drive in the pouring rain, the actual sight of the car was even more attractive than I had imagined. Then the test drive accomplished something that no other car had been able to achieve before: it put an ear-to-ear smile on my face, and that within less than 5 minutes! The torque and engine power of this monster were amazing and the style and class of the interior was just sublime.

The fun to drive is back
My big love –kind of strange actually to call your car your big love- is a 2003 SAAB 1.8t Arc SportSedan, with a stunning leather interior and a spotless service history. Although I raised many eyebrows by trading in a relatively new Skoda for an eleven year old SAAB, I just thoroughly enjoy the 9-3; what a top-class car! SAAB really made the fun to drive come back for me.

I kind of always get a feeling of regret when I arrive at my destination but always get the smile on face when I can get behind the wheel again to drive back home. Jeremy Clarkson said in one of the Top Gear episodes that “a SAAB driver does always seem to have a mystery smile on their face”. Why? I think because of the fact that the total concept of the car is simply fantastic. It becomes a way of life and SAAB just puts the drive back into driving…

I’m using my SAAB mainly for touring purposes as my daily commute is taken care of my employer but I am catching myself more and more often finding excuses to be able to take the car to work, just because I enjoy driving it so much…”

Author: Chris Jansen, Belgium.

So how can you get your own limited edition SAAB mug?
We’d like to get your SAAB stories. How has SAAB become a way of life for you?
In order to qualify, send your stories (ideally between 400 and 700 words in length) in Word or Open Office format. To make things even easier, you can use the English, German, Swedish or Dutch languages (we’ll be publishing in English and/or German). The story should come with at least one corresponding picture (ideal size 1280×850, JPG-format). For each published article, we’ll send you one of these exclusive and limited edition SAAB reader mugs – as long as supplies last. Please do not forget to your postal address when submitting. Send your contributions to: saabstory (at) saabblog.net.