Swedish cars rock

My love affair with Swedish cars began with a SAAB 900 Turbo.  It was a used silver 3-door.  Blue leather interior, steel sunroof and 3 speed automatic.  A big 4 cylinder engine with a huge turbo.  When the turbo kicked in, hang on!  I loved that car.  For the first time driving, I felt at one with a vehicle.  I drove that car until the dashboard electrics 'flashed out' one day and all the electronics quit!  I figured a fire was next so limped it into the SAAB dealership in Oakville.

There I traded it for a light green 9000 5 door Turbo.  Another automatic with a tan leather interior.  The dashboard and controls were all in their familiar places...it was an easy transition.  This car was really nice at highway speeds...it liked 125 kph.  So did I.  The hatchback was a great feature:  I could fold down the rear seats and turn it into wagon.  The twins learned to drive in this car and once they had their full licences it never rested on weekends.  One weekend in particular they ran up almost 1,000 km driving around Mississauga!  

When that SAAB left, I wandered away from the brand for a couple of vehicles.  All good but not Swedish.  My next one though was the sweetest:  A gunmetal grey SAAB 9-5T.  A four door with grey leather interior.  The T stood for the larger turbo and by that model most of the torque steer had been engineered out.  This was my favourite of all.  It could carve the corners and cruise all day on the highway.  Sally also loved this car...I think I even let her drive a couple of times.  I was sad to see it go.

And to see SAAB go the way of the dinosaur only a few years later in the collapse of the GM empire.

Many years later I was looking for a 'well-used' used car.  Or...cheap car!  I found an older Volvo V70 wagon on a used car lot in Wasaga Beach.  It was a little banged up on the rear door on the passenger side but it started, idled smoothly and drove straight.  There was a little knock in the engine but nothing I was too worried about.  That car was a workhorse.  Weekly drives up and down the 400 to Toronto, multiple dump runs when we got ready to sell the house in Toronto.  It just went and went... Once back in Toronto and not needing a second vehicle, Holden inherited it.  He drove it for a couple years more before the brakes finally gave up the ghost.  It was a sad day for us when we dropped it off at the scrap yard.

Next up was an old Volvo V50 that I picked up about 4 years ago for myself.  By then Sally was driving a Volvo XC 60...more on that in a moment.  

The V50 had a ton of mileage on it but the engine ran smoothly, transmission was solid and I liked the shape.  I drove that up until Holden took it over earlier this year.  We've had to do some suspension work but otherwise the car runs well.

Back to the XC60 that I'm currently driving.

It was Sally's baby.  She had driven Volvo's before and loved them.  She survived a car accident many years ago in a Volvo and appreciated the engineering.  We purchased this one with about 100,000 km on it.  Black with tan leather interior and pretty tricked out.  The big engine was a draw:  It lit up on the highway when we test drove it.  Sold!  

I've been driving it since early this year. Its bigger than I like in a car but it drives 'small'. I have a colour-coordinated car carrier for Milo in the back seat and with windows down and sunroof open, we both enjoy the open road.

Yes Swedish cars are quirky.  They are not for everyone.  But once you've had one...

Until next time...