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n00baru

Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2010 7:39 pm
by captainslow
Hi guys! My name is Leigh. I live in Alexandria and drive an '09 WRX. My last car was a Saab 9-5 which I owned when I lived in NYC up until I moved down here in '08. Looking forward to checking out the forums and meeting everyone at the events.

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Re: n00baru

Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2010 8:06 pm
by Cereb Daithi
Welcome! How did you like the 9-5? One of the doctors I work with is looking at buying one for a commuter car.

Re: n00baru

Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2010 8:26 pm
by captainslow
If he's buying a new car, he can get a fantastic deal right now since the fate of Saab is unfortunately up in the air.

If considering used, he definitely has to check that the former owner kept up with its maintenance. I think Saabs get an unfair rep for being unreliable b/c usually in cases where people make that complaint, it's b/c they let the maintenance go. I admit that Saabs require more attention than Hondas - example, perhaps if you don't do oil changes as frequently as you should in a Honda, it's not going to come back and bite you like a Saab will. Especially with the 9-5. Sludge is the main problem with these cars. I think pre-2003 non-Aero models were very sludge prone and required regular synthetic oil changes every 3,000 miles. There was a PCV update (#6) that helped. I'm pretty sure this issue came up rarely on the Aero 9-5 and post-2003 models. But if he's looking at older non-Aero models, he should get records showing the frequency and type of oil changes and check whether the PCV update was installed.

The 9-5 depreciates very quickly so if buying used, it's easy to get a lot of car for very little money. I think the pricing on new models scared off potential buyers but with the crazy deals going on now, that's not really a problem any more.

There are some really good Saab sites he can check out for advice. SaabCentral - http://www.saabcentral.com/forums/showt ... p?t=117379 - is a particularly terrific resource with many international owners. More locally, I recommend The Saab Link - http://www.saablink.net/forum/.

I really liked the Saab. It wound up with a Stage 3 tune and with that turbo and torque, driving it was terrific fun. I also enjoyed all the creature comforts it came with and never had any complaints about the fuel economy (23/30).

If you have any specific questions, please let me know.

Re: n00baru

Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2010 10:20 pm
by chicken n waffles
hey there. welcome to the forum. you should come out to the hard times meet tomorrow night down in springfield. glad to see a 4 door flavored wrx. not a big fan of the current hatch body style.

Re: n00baru

Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2010 11:12 pm
by complacent
Hey Leigh, welcome to the boards!

Re: n00baru

Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2010 11:33 pm
by Sabre
Hello Leigh!
Welcome to the boards! Just curious, how much did your stg 3 9-5 put down at the wheels? I have no idea how much power they can make! I actually almost bout a Saab 900 for the 24 Hours of Lemons :)

Have you done any mods to the WRX yet?

Re: n00baru

Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2010 7:11 am
by Mr Kleen
welcome aboard :D

Re: n00baru

Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2010 8:18 am
by sirwilliam
!!!!EMOCLEW

Re: n00baru

Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2010 9:30 am
by zaxrex
Yeah, another Saab turned Subaru (and not 92-x) driver.
I loved my Saab, actually wished I still had the 9000 for the 24 Hours of Lemons event. Couln't give that thing away, so that would have been $500 towards non-safety related mods!

Well back to you, welcome.
Step on out and come freeze your nose off tonight at the meet.

Re: n00baru

Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2010 9:33 am
by TRANS4M
welcome.

Re: n00baru

Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2010 10:31 am
by HappyIdiot
Welcome!! Miss Venezuela and myself live in Alexandria too!

Re: n00baru

Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2010 10:34 am
by chicken n waffles
HappyIdiot wrote:Welcome!! Miss Venezuela and myself live in Alexandria too!
indeed. there are several of us spread around the city.

Re: n00baru

Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2010 11:23 am
by zaxrex
<Agent Smith>We're like a virus, a disease upon Alexandria, and AWD is the cure!</Agent Smith>
I too am in the 223(0,1)X

Re: n00baru

Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2010 11:46 am
by thermobox
Welcome. I unfortunately will be late or absent from the meet this evening due to work but hopefully you can make it out and get to know the crew.

Re: n00baru

Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2010 12:23 pm
by schvin
welcome!

hijack - re 24 hours of lemons, a saab would be awesome for that race... a few friends and i were pretty tempted to go for it.

Re: n00baru

Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2010 8:53 pm
by captainslow
Thank you all for the welcomes.

I'm sorry I couldn't make it out tonight. I think I caught a cold skiing this weekend. If anyone is looking for places nearby, I went to Liberty in PA which is only 90 miles from DC. Small and crowded but a decent tradeoff for a resort only 1 1/2 hrs away and I recommend going during the week b/c 90% of the douchetards I saw on the slopes will have been driven by their moms to school instead. Tonight I didn't think it would be nice of me to greet you all with my germs so I stayed home. I'll make it out to the next meet, I promise.

Sabre - I never dyno'd my car, but it supposedly had 265 bhp and 206 lb/ft. So it had something a bit less at the wheels. It was a 1999 non-Aero (Aeros are the performance Saab line) with 170 hp stock so the stage 3 increases were large but insubstantial overall compared to newer cars. Later model 9-5s had a bit more in the oomph department. The numbers may seem low but with the turbo and handling, my old Saab was a pleasure to drive.

HappyIdiot - I think I know MissVenezuela from SubieGirls.com. Looking forward to meeting you two.

I haven't done any mods to my car other than a short-throw shifter with kartboy bushings and I plan on throwing a new exhaust on it within the month.

Are you guys doing the LeMons in DC this year? If you need an extra driver, give a holler :)

Re: n00baru

Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2010 10:46 am
by complacent
Another two planker, eh? :lol: :poke:

There are quite a few of us who are either knuckle-draggers or two plankers. If you're looking for day trips, I can recommend both Wisp and Whitetail over Liberty. Wisp is about 3 hours from DC, while Whitetail is just a smidge further than Liberty.

For longer weekends, you might want to look into Snowshoe - they get some decent storms and have enough terrain to warrant a full weekend. That and they have really awesome night skiing.

Post up when you plan on heading out, you might just find some company to ride with. :nana:

Re: n00baru

Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2010 11:02 am
by missvenezuela85
chicken n waffles wrote:hey there. welcome to the forum. you should come out to the hard times meet tomorrow night down in springfield. glad to see a 4 door flavored wrx. not a big fan of the current hatch body style.

:dots:

Re: n00baru

Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2010 11:04 am
by missvenezuela85
Blixa wrote:Thank you all for the welcomes.


HappyIdiot - I think I know MissVenezuela from SubieGirls.com. Looking forward to meeting you two.

:)

Si!!!!! And sometimes NASIOC :nana:

Re: n00baru

Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2010 11:21 am
by chicken n waffles
missvenezuela85 wrote:
chicken n waffles wrote:hey there. welcome to the forum. you should come out to the hard times meet tomorrow night down in springfield. glad to see a 4 door flavored wrx. not a big fan of the current hatch body style.

:dots:
don't take offense. i used to drive a baja turbo, ya know...

Re: n00baru

Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2010 11:44 am
by missvenezuela85
chicken n waffles wrote:
missvenezuela85 wrote:
chicken n waffles wrote:hey there. welcome to the forum. you should come out to the hard times meet tomorrow night down in springfield. glad to see a 4 door flavored wrx. not a big fan of the current hatch body style.

:dots:
don't take offense. i used to drive a baja turbo, ya know...

I was going for the sad banana but I didn't see one so this was next fit...

Re: n00baru

Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2010 3:42 pm
by Mr Kleen
:hijack: I find it a little ironic that Subaru said the reason for the new hatchback body was to help the WRC program. now we're left with no Subaru factory WRC team and a body style that's really divided the established fan base.

Re: n00baru

Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2010 7:40 pm
by captainslow
Complacent - thanks for the resort tips. Definitely been meaning to check out Snowshoe and Whitetail.

Just as a FYI - for VA people, if you ever have to drop your car off somewhere, check for the tax decal when you get it back.

I drove my car home from the dealership last night and noticed that about 90% of my Alexandria decal had been ripped off. What little of it remained had fingernail tears in it. I don't usually check for these things and just happened to notice it then. I don't think it got stolen at the dealership b/c the car was there all day and whoever wanted it could have taken the time to peel it all off. I think it occurred at the car wash in Falls Church (Soft Touch I believe it's called) this past Sunday, where I don't usually go but I had to get the salt off the car and my usual place isn't open on Sundays. That's the only other place it could have happened in the past 2 months. Now I have to go to Alexandria City Hall during my working hours to get another one. Ugh people steal anything. I had removed my Sirius radio and GPS from the car but they got the decal anyway. Just something to keep in mind.

Re: n00baru

Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2010 10:35 pm
by zaxrex
That is piss poor. It would have been faster for them to switch out the whole plate instead of trying to peel off the sticker.
Sheesh, the quality of criminal minds these days...

As far as a car wash place, I hear NAB International does a good job :twisted: :rolllaugh:
Sorry it wasn't open.

Re: n00baru

Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2010 11:53 pm
by complacent
Blixa wrote:Complacent - thanks for the resort tips. Definitely been meaning to check out Snowshoe and Whitetail.

Just as a FYI - for VA people, if you ever have to drop your car off somewhere, check for the tax decal when you get it back.

I drove my car home from the dealership last night and noticed that about 90% of my Alexandria decal had been ripped off. What little of it remained had fingernail tears in it. I don't usually check for these things and just happened to notice it then. I don't think it got stolen at the dealership b/c the car was there all day and whoever wanted it could have taken the time to peel it all off. I think it occurred at the car wash in Falls Church (Soft Touch I believe it's called) this past Sunday, where I don't usually go but I had to get the salt off the car and my usual place isn't open on Sundays. That's the only other place it could have happened in the past 2 months. Now I have to go to Alexandria City Hall during my working hours to get another one. Ugh people steal anything. I had removed my Sirius radio and GPS from the car but they got the decal anyway. Just something to keep in mind.
On the bright side - Old town center during lunch?!? Awesomesauce. All the pretty people gather there, especially during summer months. I've spent/wasted many an hour there getting vehicles registered/de-registered/etc. My god I miss living in Old Town! :cry: