In 2001 I got a job where I had to commute 80 km five days a week. Snow, ice, sleet and rain could make my commute dangerous at times. I soon found out that I wanted to replace my 1991 Mazda 626 with a car that was safer. I narrowed my search down to three cars: Volvo S40, Audi A4 and Saab 9-3. My friend told me that I should avoid the Volvo ("since it was just a Mitsubishi in disguise") and the Audi ("because the quality was so-so"). An August afternoon I went to test drive a 1999 Saab 9-3 two litre turbo with 154hp. It was a thrill! This particular afternoon the rain was drizzling and when I gave the car a little throttle the car spun like crazy. For the first time in my life driving became more than going from one place to another. Suddenly driving was fun. The next year I spent some money to upgrade the car with an Aero trunk spoiler, Aero 17 inch rims and Viggen front spoiler, rear lower spoiler and side skirts.
In the fall of 2002, Saab introduced the Saab 9-3 Sport Sedan. I thought it looked great. But I was still in love with my first Saab. Then in the winter of 2003 I came across a nice looking Saab 9-3 for sale at an online market place. But the pirce was a bit high. A couple of months later the car was still for sale, but now the price was much more appealing! And in January I became the proud owner of a Saab 9-3 Vector 1.8t. The exterior color of the car was called Dolphine grey, and soon I just called my car Dolphie. During the winter I upgraded the car with an original performance spoiler kit by Saab and new Aero rims. And when spring arrived, Hirsch did a little magic on Dolphie.
Me and Dolphie went to Sweden lots of times. We even drove to Trollhättan, the home of Saab. Every time we drove down there I'd pet Dolphie on the dashboard and tell him that I loved him and that he was back home at his birthplace.
I loved my Dolphie because he looked extremely sharp. He had a great engine, great driving characteristics and he was truly unique. And I knew that if I was unfortunate and got involved in a crash, he would guard me with he’s own life and he would do it better than any other car on the market. My little Dolphie had a heart and a soul!
But in June this year it was time to say goodbye. I had decided to replace Dolphie with a new Saab 9-5. In July I finally got to test drive the new car and I placed an order. Now it's been two months of impatient waiting. To quote Tom Petty: "The waiting is the hardest part".
