Nines 359 – January-March 2020
Features
Saab 9-3 Viggen – A History 8
Adopting a Viggen 15
A Work in Progress 31
Save that Saab! 33
Museum News 36
RedAero Saab Parts 37
SCNA and Club News
Saab Services and Discounts 26
Clubs 28
NEVS News 30
North American Saab Clubs and Contacts 34
SCNA News 35
Departments
Letters 4
From the Archives by Bruce Harbison 6
The Doctor is In by By Kelly R. Conaty, MD, MBA 16
On the Column by Bob Miller 18
Professional Perspective by Chuck Andrews 20
Through a Windscreen Darkly by Linnea Krajewski 22
Nix’s Saab Shots By Karis Nix 24
Classified Ads 38
President’s Letter
I never cease to be pleasantly surprised by the strength and power of the Saab community. Not only am I grateful each day for the friendships that I have made by attending SCNA conventions and other events across the country, but the bond experienced between Saab owners is also something that continues to show itself in unique and meaningful ways.
It recently became necessary for me to begin to sell a few of my beloved vehicles. Seven cars is a few too many to keep up considering the fact that I live in a city with high insurance rates and limited parking. Due to my extreme emotional attachment, I asked my good friend Charlie to help me advertise my 2009 9-3 Aero SportCombi. Charlie and I became friends because of our mutual love of cars, especially Saabs, and he has also helped others with vehicle sales, imports and other complicated transactions. With his help, we posted a detailed ad and received a response from a long-time club member who appreciated the high level of care and maintenance that had been lavished on the SportCombi. In talking to the prospective buyer, we realized that he had a somewhat faded but elegant 1994 Commemorative convertible that had given him over 200K miles of topless enjoyment around the picturesque seaside community of Jamestown, RI. While the Commemorative runs well, the exterior and interior are in need of some restoration work in order to save and preserve this unique and classic Saab. It was time for him to move out of the convertible and into something more modern, but of course he still wanted a well-running Saab. As you may be able to predict, I ended up driving my SportCombi down, coming to a price agreement for a “trade,” and returning to Boston in the convertible! I guess my goal of lowering my overall Saab count was not achieved in this transaction, but another Saab friendship was made, and two more Saabs will remain in good hands thanks to our network of owners, mechanics and parts suppliers who work to make owning Saabs possible.
Planning for SOC 2020 is in full swing, and the board recently decided on our theme to be “State of Independence, 70 Years and Counting.” We are also excited to announce a return to the Desmond Hotel in Albany, NY. Make sure to reserve your room now by visiting us on the web at saabclub.com, and keep checking back for more information about SOC 2020, including special events, VIP packages and more.
Just as some of us are putting away our beloved cars to keep them away from salt and other road chemicals, there are others who are putting on winter tires and looking forward to a snowy forecast so that they can get out and drive their Saabs in their natural element. Either way, here’s to a mild winter, with just the right amount of snow to make the driving fun!
Respectfully,
Sanford Bogage
President, Saab Club of North America