wrote in message
...
On 25 Jul, 00:26, "DanB" wrote:
wrote in message

...





On 24 Jul, 21:40, (SteveH) wrote:
Adrian wrote:
(SteveH) gurgled happily, sounding much like
they
were saying:

We're all petrolheads, but I can guarantee that the average bloke
in
the
street places Saab pretty much up there with the other prestige
brands -
and streets ahead of Vauxhall.

The average bloke in the street is well aware that recent Saabs are
just
tarted-up Vectras.

I'd disagree - people may know they're owned by the same company that
makes Vectras, but I don't think many are all that aware of the
platform
sharing.

Having looked one over at the County Show I went to a couple of weeks
ago, I wouldn't touch one with yours.

Aside from them being a bit ****e and likely to depreciate like
buggery, any company that tries to market their cars as 'Eco
Power' (IIRC), when they're just as ****e on fuel as anything else,
sucks.

I assume you mean the Saab?

Indeed.


You're a bit of a Vx man iirc? What are your thoughts on the Vectra VXR?

--
Dan
Clio R27 F1 #65

"Douglas Payne" wrote in message
...
wrote of Saabs:

Aside from them being a bit ****e and likely to depreciate like
buggery, any company that tries to market their cars as 'Eco
Power' (IIRC), when they're just as ****e on fuel as anything else,
sucks.

Yeah, I mean 'Ecotec' was a much cleverer marketing ploy, wasn't it?


Yea but there was never really an advertising campaign saying "We have
Ecotec engines, they're well economical!" like Saab are doing with these
Ecopower things. You know, the advert with the guy that over takes a truck
and it's banging out about big engine power, from a smalll engine with small
engine costs.

--
Dan
Clio R27 F1 #65

On 25 Jul, 00:58, Douglas Payne wrote:
wrote of Saabs:

Aside from them being a bit ****e and likely to depreciate like
buggery, any company that tries to market their cars as 'Eco
Power' (IIRC), when they're just as ****e on fuel as anything else,
sucks.

Yeah, I mean 'Ecotec' was a much cleverer marketing ploy, wasn't it?

It wasn't plastered all over the car in big letters on a trade stand
with a euro standard 'energy rating' placard sitting on the windscreen
pointing out it was actually quite ****e on fuel though, was it. ;-)

In fact IIRC it was just the name of the engines they were doing back
then rather than a full on, leading the campaign for the range with
the term concerned headlining it.

This thing was a 9-3 estate IIRC, with 'ECO POWER!' in huge letters up
the bottom of the doors.

--
JackH

On 25 Jul, 01:06, "DanB" wrote:
wrote in message

Aside from them being a bit ****e and likely to depreciate like
buggery, any company that tries to market their cars as 'Eco
Power' (IIRC), when they're just as ****e on fuel as anything else,
sucks.

I assume you mean the Saab?

Indeed.

You're a bit of a Vx man iirc? *What are your thoughts on the Vectra VXR?

Heh

I used to be into them up until I had the misfortune to mistake an
early Vectra as something worthy of buying.

Rapidly went off them then, although I've had a couple of late
Cavaliers since which were alright, and to be fair, only today I was
out in the Astra at work and noted it really does have a cracking
chassis... I'd like to try a 1.9 16v CDTI one at some stage, if I'm
honest. :-)

The Vectra VXR... not really paid much attention to it if I'm honest -
one thing I have noticed is that whatever the top Cavalier / Vectra
has tended to be in the past, they seem to attract a certain type of
'geezer' round this way. :-)

--
JackH

wrote:
On 25 Jul, 00:58, Douglas Payne wrote:
wrote of Saabs:

Aside from them being a bit ****e and likely to depreciate like
buggery, any company that tries to market their cars as 'Eco
Power' (IIRC), when they're just as ****e on fuel as anything else,
sucks.
Yeah, I mean 'Ecotec' was a much cleverer marketing ploy, wasn't it?

It wasn't plastered all over the car in big letters on a trade stand
with a euro standard 'energy rating' placard sitting on the windscreen
pointing out it was actually quite ****e on fuel though, was it. ;-)

In fact IIRC it was just the name of the engines they were doing back
then rather than a full on, leading the campaign for the range with
the term concerned headlining it.

This thing was a 9-3 estate IIRC, with 'ECO POWER!' in huge letters up
the bottom of the doors.

Was it set to run on Ethanol or something? Saab have been into that for
ages too. I remember reading that they were developing a variable
compression engine that moved the cylinder head depending on the boost
and demand for power. It sounded kind of cool.

I'm just asking cos Saabs have had an engine called EcoPower for ages.
My next door neighbour has a 9000 with an EcoPower engine IIRC. Don't
think its particularly powerful or economical.

I'm fairly immune to advertising on the telly because I don't watch
telly. I wasn't at your county show either. )c:

--
Douglas

On 25 Jul, 01:15, Douglas Payne wrote:
wrote:
On 25 Jul, 00:58, Douglas Payne wrote:
wrote of Saabs:

Aside from them being a bit ****e and likely to depreciate like
buggery, any company that tries to market their cars as 'Eco
Power' (IIRC), when they're just as ****e on fuel as anything else,
sucks.
Yeah, I mean 'Ecotec' was a much cleverer marketing ploy, wasn't it?

It wasn't plastered all over the car in big letters on a trade stand
with a euro standard 'energy rating' placard sitting on the windscreen
pointing out it was actually quite ****e on fuel though, was it. ;-)

In fact IIRC it was just the name of the engines they were doing back
then rather than a full on, leading the campaign for the range with
the term concerned headlining it.

This thing was a 9-3 estate IIRC, with 'ECO POWER!' in huge letters up
the bottom of the doors.

Was it set to run on Ethanol or something?

No blurb for that attached to it anywhere from what I could see.

*Saab have been into that for
ages too. *I remember reading that they were developing a variable
compression engine that moved the cylinder head depending on the boost
and demand for power. *It sounded kind of cool.

I'm just asking cos Saabs have had an engine called EcoPower for ages.
My next door neighbour has a 9000 with an EcoPower engine IIRC. *Don't
think its particularly powerful or economical.

I'm fairly immune to advertising on the telly because I don't watch
telly. *I wasn't at your county show either. *)c:

I wouldn't have been normally - went with the youngest and her school
(1). :-)

Thoroughly enjoyed it and got to see something I never thought I'd see
in the flesh - 'The Wall of Death' :-D

(1) Incidentally, the last time I went to said show was with the same
school when the same age as my daughter

--
JackH

wrote in message
...
On 25 Jul, 01:06, "DanB" wrote:
wrote in message

Aside from them being a bit ****e and likely to depreciate like
buggery, any company that tries to market their cars as 'Eco
Power' (IIRC), when they're just as ****e on fuel as anything else,
sucks.

I assume you mean the Saab?

Indeed.

You're a bit of a Vx man iirc? What are your thoughts on the Vectra VXR?

Heh

I used to be into them up until I had the misfortune to mistake an
early Vectra as something worthy of buying.

Rapidly went off them then, although I've had a couple of late
Cavaliers since which were alright, and to be fair, only today I was
out in the Astra at work and noted it really does have a cracking
chassis... I'd like to try a 1.9 16v CDTI one at some stage, if I'm
honest. :-)
************************************************** **

New shape Astra? Look around for the 888 - CDTi, sports switch gives you
200bhp / 330lbs/ft. It also has HUGE brakes - Triple 8 racing 4 pot
calipers and 335mm grooved discs, nice lightweight Triple 8 racing BTCC
wheels, and uprated, stiffened and lowered suspension, -30mm iirc.
Unfortunately they only made I think, 100 of them, so they're quite rare and
hold value quite well.

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/560756.htm

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/620990.htm

Available in other colours too, no doubt there are some witty comments about
chavs chariots, ripspeed extra, or some other broken record digs, but you'll
notice it's just a standard SRi bodywise, just with the XP sports pack
extensions. I think you'd like it ;-)

--
Dan
Clio R27 F1 #65

"AstraVanMann" wrote in message
...
Test it an decide. The auto LPT I drove was nice, but a bit wallowy
and the steering was silly light. But still a nice place to be when
driver and front passenger get to choose their own vent temperature.

All well and good, this modern fancy fandangled dual-zone malarkey. But
the air all mixes together in the end....


The end being the people at the back. Some systems work remarkably well. I
like it icy cold, Charlie likes it furnace hot* and the 9-3 works well in
this respects.

*minor exaggeration for Usenet purposes.

--
The DervMan
www.dervman.com

"Elder" wrote in message
t...
In article ,
says...
Douglas Payne gurgled happily, sounding much like
they were saying:

They do have comfy seats though. And a button which turns all the
dash lights off except the speedo. And the ignition locks the
transmission in Park when you take the key out.

It's in the middle still, but I don't think it does the locking
anymore. Or maybe it does on the autos.

The 2002 Manual 9-5 Estate we have in the stable locks the car in
reverse when you remove the key. I was assuming there'd be a similar
arrangement in the Auto.

I think it's just the current-shape 9-3 that doesn't.

Ah right. OK


Yes. It has an electronic steering lock when you take the key out, but you
don't have to have it in any gear whatsoever.

--
The DervMan
www.dervman.com

"Douglas Payne" wrote in message
...
wrote:
On 25 Jul, 00:58, Douglas Payne wrote:
wrote of Saabs:

Aside from them being a bit ****e and likely to depreciate like
buggery, any company that tries to market their cars as 'Eco
Power' (IIRC), when they're just as ****e on fuel as anything else,
sucks.
Yeah, I mean 'Ecotec' was a much cleverer marketing ploy, wasn't it?

It wasn't plastered all over the car in big letters on a trade stand
with a euro standard 'energy rating' placard sitting on the windscreen
pointing out it was actually quite ****e on fuel though, was it. ;-)

In fact IIRC it was just the name of the engines they were doing back
then rather than a full on, leading the campaign for the range with
the term concerned headlining it.

This thing was a 9-3 estate IIRC, with 'ECO POWER!' in huge letters up
the bottom of the doors.

Was it set to run on Ethanol or something? Saab have been into that for
ages too. I remember reading that they were developing a variable
compression engine that moved the cylinder head depending on the boost and
demand for power. It sounded kind of cool.

Yes. Biopower? High RON stuff...

I'm just asking cos Saabs have had an engine called EcoPower for ages. My
next door neighbour has a 9000 with an EcoPower engine IIRC. Don't think
its particularly powerful or economical.

No it isn't, but that defeats some of the point of it.

I'm fairly immune to advertising on the telly because I don't watch telly.
I wasn't at your county show either. )c:



--
The DervMan
www.dervman.com