Saabowner from Austria

[turbo4ever]

Swedes love to take care of their belongings. Because things are rather expensive here (and wages low), the average Swede can not buy a new car every other year.

On the other hand we buy quality cars and often the more powerful engines. Hence, few diesels. But the lack of diesel cars is also due to a heavy taxation (which is currently undergoing changes). Annual tax on a SAAB 9-3 / 9-5 petrol is about €200 per year. Diesel versions about 100-200% more. Unleaded petrol is about €1.25/l and diesel €1.15/l. You do the math...

Which SAAB model is the most sought after? I would say the SAAB Sonett (version I and II).

My personal all time favorite would definitely be a SAAB 900 Turbo16S Aero 3 door, years 1992-3.

[TurboSie]

Hi,

Be lucky, that you can live in Sweden. Concerning cars, Austria is not the best place to live. Rules to get a car typecasted in Austria are so strict. I think this is much more easier in the USA f.i.!

If you get your driving licence and want to have a car with engine power more than 100 PS, insurances don´t want to insure your car. Or: You have to pay a higher rate.
When I wanted to insure my 9000t 200hp, one insurance offered me such a high rate because of:
- being a woman (women cause parking-damage)
- being driving licence-novice (novices cause more damages)
- having such a powerful car (novices cannot handle powerful cars)

This is really a big problem in Austria.
If you modify or even tune your car, you get really big (financial) problems. Typecast-rules are so strict. Not too deep, not too fast, not too wide, not too loud. Wheels not too large, steering wheel not too small, exhaust not too big, seats not too sporty, headlamps not too colourful, window panes not too darkened, rear-wings not to high, exaust-value must be okay, and so on.................

In Austria you loose the will to have an extraordinary car.

Once the police stops you, you hear questions like:
-for 9000 Aero: Original suspensions?..... Is this dump valve original?.... Do you have a tuned engine?
-for 93 Viggen: Are these brake disks original?..... What´s about the alloy rims? Original?...... And the body kit? Is it original?

And last but not least: What is it, an Alfa?

It really bugs you after a few months. Is it the same in Sweden?
LG

[TurboSie]

Here are now more pictures of my car:

http://www.beepworld.de/members101/swedcar/

Just have a look at: "MEIN SAAB"

@performanz:

Great fun. Yours TS

[Favst]

This may sound crazy, but I saw a blue Viggen in Vienna last year - might've been you? Loved Vienna btw, shot some beutiful footage there.

[TurboSie]

Really, a blue one? Mine was imported from germany last year in november. So it was not me ! But there are two more blue Viggens around in Austria. It might have been one of these?!?
But I don´t know the owners of the other Viggens. One had an accident last year, but was repaired. About the other one, I do not know anything.
But you must have been in luck to see a Viggen in Vienna - especially if you are only here for holidays.
Nice, that you liked Austria. Are you often here on holidays?
Austria is such a small country. And I hear more and more often, that swedish people visit this country.

Yours TS

[eklund]

Hello there

I'm a Swedish Saab-driver living in Villach. I have a -91 five door 900 T16 with 175 hp. Because of the Austrian rules I chose to keep the Swedish plates. This makes me need to pay only about one fifth of the money for tax and insurance. I'm sorry that the austrians don't get any money from me but they would need to change the rules. Taking tax in accordance with the number hps is really insane. I think the Swedish in general don't know how good the situation for car owning is in Sweden.

And I agree with Sie, the car situation in Austria is really boring. Ok there are some nice BMWs but the rest - 45 hp Polos everywhere and if you're really well off you have a -92 Audi 80.

I will take a closer look on your homepage, Sie. Looks nice so far

Schöne grüße

[Tomas 220 PS]

Hello there !.


Villach is nice in many regards - especially since they have the short strip slightly uphill - at the split for Graz ? - with a 160 km/h limit nowadays.

And then there is of course always Thurracher Höhe uphill to quench with boost. What is the grade there really - 32 % ?. Supposedly the steepest road-climb in Europe.


Regards

Tomas 220 PS

9000 CS 2.3 Turbo S ´92 - 220 PS Roter DI/APC
9000 CS 2.3 Aero´97 - 225 PS Niedrige laufleistung.Tadelloser originalzustand

[eklund]

Hi

Unfortunately the 160 strip is now 130 again. It was only 160 during a short test period. But everyone is driving like 160 anyway. You may drive 180 before losing your licence and speeding tickets are very cheap. So there are pros and cons with this country.

Dont know about Turracher Höhe but 32 % sounds a lot. Wouldnt like to go there in the winter. There is Wurzenpass leading to Slovenia from here which is said to have 18%. This is for me enough scary. It also almost makes my engine boil if I'm not able to put in third gear. Radiator is not in best shape.

Ciao

[TurboSie]

Hello,
nice to get confirmation from other people concerning taxes, insurances and fees in Austria. It is crazy, that the more hp you have, the more you have to pay. Most people at my working place ask me: "Why do you only work for your car?" And it is true. If you have a car with power it is that expensive in austria, that you cannot afford other hobbies (exept you are head of a company) !!!

Also tickets for driving too fast or wrong parking are so expensive. Since having my Viggen I get more and more tickets. Up to nearly 700 euro (6500 SEK) in the first four months. Terrible.....

But.....I could never be happy, owning a 45hp-Polo or something like that. What means for me: pay, pay, pay......

I would love to come to Sweden. It must be a nice country, especially concerning cars and landscapes. But who knows? Maybe next summer...! We will travel, of course, with a Saab. Don´t know yet which one.

Like I tend to say: Carry my car home!!!!! To all the other Saabs!!!

Nice to hear from you.
Yours TS

[TurboSie]

Annual tax on a SAAB 9-3 / 9-5 petrol is about €200 per year. Diesel versions about 100-200% more. Unleaded petrol is about €1.25/l and diesel €1.15/l. You do the math...

Annual tax on a Saab 9-3 / 9-5 is about 200,--Euro per year?!?! SOOO CHEAP??

In Austria you have to pay for third party insurance for a 93 Viggen with 230 hp about 180 Euros PER MONTH. In Austria insurance tax depends on the hp.
Don´t know if you also mean car insurance?!?

Yours TS

[turbo4ever]

Annual tax is really "only" about €200-250 on petrol a SAAB 9-3/9-5 (incl the Viggen). Cars older than 29 years do not pay tax. On top of this you have to add MOT annual check-up €30 plus the cost of insurance. The insurance is based on your age (and maybe gender), postcode, driving history, car make and model, annual milage and if you want full or half insurance (this includes a compulsory part, paying damages you cause on other cars but not on your own vehicle (considering that you have legally done wrong)). "Half" insurance includes theft. You can choose to pay only the compulsory part if your car is worth next to nothing.

[TurboSie]

I looked at home into my car-insurance treaty and found out, that tax for a 225hp-car is about 75 euro per month (what means 900 euro per year).
In Austria it also depends on how long you have your driving licence, age and sometimes even gender.
How is the situation in other countries?

And: Which car is most popular for car-owner-newbies in other countries/ in Sweden?

In Austria car-interested boys like to drive small japanese cars with hp between 90 and 130 as their first car. There is also a group being interested in VW Golf (thats tuning is very cheap in Austria) or BMWs.
Most girls prefer small french or geman diesel-engine-cars like a VW Polo, a Peugeot 206 or an Opel Corsa.
Either youngsters get there first car from their parents (I did not belong to this group ) or they buy an older used-car, which is of course cheaper.

If you drive a Saab as young person, you often get laughed at.
"What do you expect to achieve with this grandpa-car? "
" Saab...?!? It is the same quality like Lada or Fiat !"
"Noone wants to buy Saab because it of the outmoded design. "
"And what is the engine power of your swedish battleship? 100hp?

This is how most young people think about Saab!!!!

IT OFTEN REALLY HURTS