All told, I owned the car for maybe ten years. It was in various states of repair over that time, so I didn't drive it the whole time, but I probably got seven or more years of driving out of it. Considering it was a hybrid (1972+1973, ha ha ha) probably had 200,000-300,000 miles on it, and cost $400, plus probably another $5000 in parts and time, it seems to have been a worthwhile investment.
Over the years and through myriad experiences, I developed some sensitivities to the Saab experience. These are the most memorable for me:
Why rant about a bizarre door locking mechanism? Well, imagine you are on a date with your best girl. You arrive to pick her up and walk her to the car. Then, instead of unlocking her door and displaying your good manners and chivalrous nature, you walk around to the driver side, unlock the external locking mechanism, open your door, reach through the car to unlock the internal lock of her door, ...(breath)... climb back out, walk back around to her side, then open her door to let her in, and cringe at the strange look on her face while you stammer out some pathetic excuse for socially inept engineering. (Trust me, being one, I know.)
Why rant about a three month key life span? Well, consider the date scenario again. You're sitting in the parking lot of a 7-11 enjoying your slurpees with your date, your friend, and her date. After some casual conversation, you're ready to drive on to the next destination. So, you insert the key into the ignition lock cylinder and begin turning. Only, you notice much less resistance as you are turning. And then you notice the key keeps turning, and turning, and then... snap... the key handle breaks loose from the rest of the blank. Oh yes, and now, the key handle is loose in your hand while the key stalk is stuck in the ignition. Good luck getting that puppy out of there!
So, if you're me... and you're finger nails are dirty with grease and paint from working on your car with any spare time you have between school and work... you look at your date, smile and shrug, offer a lame joke, and exit the vehicle with as little cursing as possible. You walk, dignified, to the rear of the car and open the trunk (...er, boot.) Then while you quietly weave a combination of swears designed to evoke your latent problem solving skills, you grab a standard screw driver from your tool box (which you carry in your trunk) (...er, boot) and climb back into the vehicle silently begging god that he, she, or it, will not allow your already fragile mental state to degenerate into a full-on postal rage.
Luckily then you insert the screw driver into the micrometer of space you have between the key blank and the lip of the ignition slot and turn. Vrrr, vrrr, vrrr, vrrooooom... thankfully the vehicle starts, and you begin considering the logistics necessary to permit you to leave the vehicle running for the rest of the evening until you can deliver your charges to their respective homes and retire to the batcave for repair and a new three month key... uh, which you hopefully anticipated needing before-hand and thus got cut before your other key broke!
You'd think by my clearly sarcastic demeanor that my relationship was more hate than love on the love-hate rollercoaster, but no; I loved my car! It's quirks were consumed in the social value it afforded me in learning the process of marketing myself. There's something transcendent about driving a Saab, no matter what year or model it is. It can afford you a foot-in-the-door in some circles, and in others it may require some back pedaling.
I learned so much in those years on so many different fronts that the car became a character in my demented development. I started my reminiscing off by stating that I was recently re-introduced to my favorite brand. For the last ten or so years I've been Saab-less. Recently I retired a Mazda Protege that was one of three or four cars since my 99e and found myself in need of a replacement vehicle. I was not shopping for a Saab... I'm very much price sensitive. In the search, we stumbled on the 93 model which was the replacement for the 900, which I believe was the replacement for the 99. We test drove a 2002 93SE with 50,000 miles on it (I dislike depreciation too), and loved it. It was a four cylinder (and assumedly more fuel efficient than a six or eight cylinder) yet with the turbo it was very quick. It handled great, looked great, and was comfortable inside. So, having thought I'd left Saab possibly forever, (new ones being priced out of my market) I found myself ecstatic and gleeful driving off the used car lot with my bank's new Saab. Well, actually, it's my credit union's at least until I default or successfully weather five years of indentured servitude.
Next up... ten years later, re-introducing Saab. Meet my 2002, Saab 93!