Car Choice: BMW or Saab for a classic drive?
Dave Davies has been looking for an old BMW 5 Series, but his wife likes a similar vintage Saab 9-3 Convertible. What should he do?
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A car for the head
I’d go for a BMW 5-series, especially the older E39 series, manufactured between 1993 and 2005, with many examples still around. There is a huge choice of petrol and diesel engine options in either the saloon or estate car format. Enthusiasts might think that the manual gearbox is best, but certainly there is no lack of fun with the automatic box, because in Steptronic mode it is superbly smooth. What ties all these key elements together and makes the whole greater than the sum of the parts is the brilliant rear-wheel drive chassis. The handling is never less than surefooted, and wonderfully entertaining when necessary. We found a beautiful privately owned grey car that seems perfect for Dave. It is a 2002 model BMW 520i, and yours for £995.
A car for the heart
It was easy to understand why so many people fell for the Saab convertible, being pretty, well screwed together and supremely comfortable, even though Saab stopped production altogether back in 2011. The one reason why they didn’t buy the 9-3 was because of its driver appeal – or lack of it. Still, some think it is much better to pose about in the slower 130bhp 2.0 9-3 convertible, and to leave the driving machine task to other makers such as BMW. Saab Airflow models from January 2000 had new alloys, a body kit and bigger rear bumper. We found a 2002 2.0 convertible from another private seller, and also in grey for around £1,000. It has a full service history and has covered 104,000 miles.
If you would like James Ruppert to help with your car choice, email james@freecarmag.com. For more motoring views visit freecarmag.com
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments