Saab 9-3 Tid in Chicago

amorfeusz

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 29, 2003
Location
Seattle, WA
TDI
2004 Black Passat GLS Wagon 150k+, 2009 Jetta Sedan
So I'm driving down I-90 today and I see a blue 9-3 Saab with something that looks like a Biodiesel sticker on it's rear bumber... it took me a moment to ask myself "what the.." I had to push the 90hp beetle and and my fiancee's nerves as I was changing lanes to catch up and make sure I wasn't dreaming...

The Saab was clearly a TID model and had the license plate "DSLSAAB". I don't think the driver noticed our beetle's biodiesel license plate or TDI badge - he was a bit confused when I waved to him before having to exit the highway LOL

Anyone else see one of these driving around?
 

jpltdi

Veteran Member
Joined
May 14, 2001
Location
N. Virginia
I think this car may have been at TDI Fest 2005. I wasn't there but I recall someone had imported a Saab TID and brought it to the Fest.
 

leicaman

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 24, 2004
Location
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
TDI
2015 Golf TDI SE, 2005 TDI GLS, RIP
Oh you mean this car? I saw this at the 'fest in 2005. This is an image taken at the fest in Wisc.

Of course taken with my Leica M4...
 
Last edited:

leicaman

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 24, 2004
Location
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
TDI
2015 Golf TDI SE, 2005 TDI GLS, RIP
Now of course the big question is what kind of oil does he run in it? I bet he uses something good like ELF 506.01
 

MAW

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 5, 2003
Location
Rockford, IL
TDI
2009 Jetta Sportwagen
I got to drive that Saab, and all I can say is wow. Ultra smooth and very quiet. No smoke as it had a dpf. A real nice machine.

Mark
 

truman

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 18, 2000
Location
columbia,MO,usa
TDI
'05 Passat Variant, Still miss the 03JW
IIRC, the guy w/ the Saab was a former Saab dealer. I think he said that it took about a year to get the car past the Feds- mostly bureaucratic BS, and about $10k plus a lot of direct contact and little help from Trollhaten. Definitely a cool car.
 

vwestlife

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 1, 2004
Location
central NJ, USA
TDI
1997 B4 Passat TDI sedan (sold)
I believe if you import a car that's newer than 25 years old, you have to prove that it meets all applicable U.S. safety and emissions standards.

Meanwhile, I seem to recall that you can bring a car from Canada to the USA without restriction if it's at least 15 years old, but I'm not sure about that. :confused: I'm just waiting for when I can bring down a Lada Samara from Canada and legally register it here! :D (Russian-built Ladas were sold in Canada until 1997.)

If in doubt, get in touch with a Porsche 959 enthusiast group. There are people out there who have been extremely determined to get the 959 legally into the USA. I believe they even bought one and crashed it, to prove that it met U.S. crash test standards.
 

vwestlife

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 1, 2004
Location
central NJ, USA
TDI
1997 B4 Passat TDI sedan (sold)
BTW, I saw this car at a New Jersey car show in 2005. Yes, it's a SEAT Toledo with a VW 1.9L Turbo Diesel in it! It didn't have U.S. plates, but the owner drove it to the show anyway. He said he had some kind of "dealer permit" to import it. :confused:






p.s. It's based on the Volkswagen A2 (Mk2) Golf/Jetta platform!
 

vwestlife

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 1, 2004
Location
central NJ, USA
TDI
1997 B4 Passat TDI sedan (sold)
That same red SEAT Toledo 1.9 TD was at the Spring VW Show at Englishtown, NJ today... with a "FOR SALE" sign on it. No price or other details given. No sign of it ever being legally registered in the USA, either -- it has the same Euro plates as before. I have always been intrigued by this car, but its highly questionable legality is telling me "stay away." :eek:
 

bhtooefr

TDIClub Enthusiast, ToofTek Inventor
Joined
Oct 16, 2005
Location
Newark, OH
TDI
None
vwestlife: That's what buying a wrecked Mk2 diesel that somehow didn't get totalled is for.
 

vwestlife

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 1, 2004
Location
central NJ, USA
TDI
1997 B4 Passat TDI sedan (sold)
owr084 said:
Click on the full detailed specs and they get it right - turbo gas...

Besides, 205hp at 5500 rpm just ain't right for a diesel ;)
Back in the mid-'90s, Mercedes had a 3.0L 6-cylinder 24-valve DOHC diesel that had a redline of 5500 RPM. Of course it didn't produce a peak output of 205 HP at this RPM, but it did prove that "the party's over at 4000 RPM" is not a universal rule for diesels.
 

bhtooefr

TDIClub Enthusiast, ToofTek Inventor
Joined
Oct 16, 2005
Location
Newark, OH
TDI
None
Indirect injection makes all things possible.

The party's not over until 4800 on my car... :D

(But, it's one slow party...)
 

atc98002

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 24, 2006
Location
Auburn WA
TDI
2014 Passat TDI SEL Premium (sold back), 2009 Jetta (sold back), 80 Rabbit diesel (long gone)

ursus-2

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 28, 2007
Location
tyr
TDI
jetta
this tdi engine of this saab itsuse in some car brands of GM in europe .this engine its made by isuzu in poland ,actually they are using fiat tdi engines in their car a 1,9 tdiwith 120 hp and 150 hp
 

rotarykid

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 27, 2003
Location
Piedmont of N.C. & the plains of Colorado
TDI
1997 Passat TDI White,99.5 Blue Jetta TDI
vwestlife said:
BTW, I saw this car at a New Jersey car show in 2005. Yes, it's a SEAT Toledo with a VW 1.9L Turbo Diesel in it! It didn't have U.S. plates, but the owner drove it to the show anyway. He said he had some kind of "dealer permit" to import it. :confused:






p.s. It's based on the Volkswagen A2 (Mk2) Golf/Jetta platform!
The same drive train I installed in my 1985 Jetta .
 

VWannabe

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 2, 1999
Location
Lawrenceville, GA USA
The party's not over until 4800 on my car... :D

(But, it's one slow party...)
This has to be the funniest thing I have seen you say on here in a while! I know, my dad had two of these. But a 1986 diesel Golf is a veritable rocketship compared to a 1965 MB 190 D. Speeding protection at it's finest. By the time you got up enough speed to pass the speed limit, it was time to slow down again!
 
Top