Good morning. The title is a bit clickbaity - I did sell my Saab, but that was already last year. I had been commuting by bike for the last two years, had not driven it very much, the lockdown and curfews in 2020 had exponentially increased the rust (no chance to wash the salt off!). On top of that, the disintegrating wiring was really getting on my nerves. And worst of all, I was working way to much, so had neither the time or the nerve to properly take care of the car. So I sold it to young guy who has more time than me for a very small, but adequate sum (he is contractually bound to preserve the car and get it back on the road. I am getting regular status updates - car is currently stripped down, has already been welded and is currently at the bodyshop being repainted. New wiring harness already in place.)
Selling the Saab was a major thing - I had owned the car for 14 years (longer than any other car), and had personally driven ~385Mm of it's 685Mm total. I was identified as "the guy with the old 900 turbo", so... well.
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Farewell, old friend.
Anyways, things changed, I switched jobs, and now I have a 40km (one way) commute. In theory, I could take the train, but with the mask mandates, that is no option (you cannot show up to work drenched in sweat). It is highly unlikely that Covid restrictions in Germany will be lifted anytime soon, as they could come in handy suppressing any civil annoyances over the winter.
So I needed another car. Option a was to take the wife's 900 NG v6 and convert it to LPG. Problem is that the car is stuck at the garage, as all spare gear selector cables that can be bought simply do not fit...
So a second car. Friend is selling his Maserati. Nice car, but probably not the most economical to commute in daily. Another friend is selling his e46 convertible - 330i, running on LPG, and overall a very clean car. (I've never seen another e46 that is this well kept). The only downside: the price is reflecting this. 15k€ for a super nice e46 to then commute through salt and slush? Nope. It would just hurt to see this car being abused.
So I entered my requirements into the search engine of my choice:
- diesel or LPG
- leather
- cruise control
Most of what came up could be ruled out immediately. There were three cars that cought my eye:
1) a Vectra C
2) an Alfa 156
3) A Volvo V70 II.
The Volvo probably was the nicest, but it was ~700km away at the coast. Getting there and back without a car would be a nightmare.
The Vectra looked sound, but it thad the ugly, very agrarian 2.2 TiD. So I bought the Alfa. If there is one thing you can count on, then it is that, given the choice between a boring, reliable car and a formerly nice ****box, I will always opt for the latter.
So here it is (please excuse the bad photos - better ones will follow):
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It's a 1.9 JDT 16V - and it has an aftermarket DPF fitted. This means there is no active regeneration, so I should not have to worry about excessive fuel dilution. It also means I have the more efficient engine mapping - but it ensures I can still go into into the low emission zones, that clog every Germany city. Commuting over country roads, the computer reads 3.5 litres/100km - we'll have to see how realistic this is.
"Distinctive" trim level means everything you need is on board - power everything, ACC, cruise control, but most importantly some very nice, very supportive yet comfortable mid grey leather seats (which are in much nicer condition than the rest of the car).
The car has dents and dings front left and rear right, and on top of that, the one wheel arch is crusty, both sills are completely dead, trunk floor is rusty, and probably the footwells too. So basically the car is exactly in the shape that you would expect a 16 year old Alfa that has been driven in Bavaria, in the foothills of the alps, to be in.
And how did it perform? Exactly as expected.
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Afterr three days the AC compressor seized, the magnetic coupling failed, and the poly belt went up in smoke.
Repair (new compressor, new belt, pulleys, etc) easily doubled the purchase price. I expect this pattern to continue.
I am fully aware that this car will take a lot of effort. Will probably be out 8k€ until I get it where I want it to be (Starting with slightly over 1k€ pruchase price). I have already gotten a sense of this car's potential. The engine is nice (for a diesel - which means it is horrendous if you come fro a petrol background, but it is saving money), the interior is very beautiful and pleasant to look at, and the car's handling is superb. Even with the heavy diesel, it is only 1380kg. The steering is one of the best of all fwds I ever drove - maybe the OG 900 comes close. Precise, and above all, very good feedback (something modern cars have forgotten). Car turns in well, is quick to react, and the rear is reasonably and enjoyably lively. Yet, the suspension is neither unreasonaly harsh nor uncompliant.
When new, this must have been a very worthy competitor to a 3series, and I cannot understand how anybody could have preferred a bland an boring Audi A4 over this.
