Test Driven: 2011 SAAB 9-3X SportCombi

On December 18th, Saab Automobile filed for bankruptcy, bringing its 64 year offbeat history to an unfortunate end.  Saab enthusiasts are some of the most vocal and most possessive of their brand, and undoubtedly, they will mourn the loss of this name.  Around Thanksgiving weekend, I decided to add another car to my wagon test–Saab’s own wagon, the 9-3 SportCombi.  At the moment, it’s the only wagon Saab sells in the United States, and when I got to the dealer, the car I drove was already discounted by $9,000.  This amount is no misprint–and any new car marked down this much is either a demo, or the dealer seriously needs it off the lot (in this case, the latter).  But, when I started the engine, I forgot about Saab’s financial woes, and asked myself this question:  Despite all the gloom and doom, is this car actually worth buying right now? Read the rest of this entry »