Tell us about yourself

[nordwulf]

These forums are a bit impersonal at times. We often know a screen name, an avatar, the car and the place where we live. I have known some people here for many years but I don't really know you.

So gather around the campfire and have a drink. Tell us where you were born, where you lived, your occupation and so on. Tell us about the place where you live. Your family. Your plans for the future. Philosophy on life and more light conversation topics. Perhaps someone can bring a guitar so we can sing a few songs.

[Shazam]

I guess I'll go first...

Born in a small town called Canandaigua, raised there my entire life. Canandaigua is a pretty cool place to live. Winter population of approximately 10,000, summer population of about 15,000-20,000. It's mostly because of a gorgeous lake which the city sits on the north end of. But prices on the lake have become so ridiculous, only the very wealthy can actually afford to live on it or own property on it; buying out the small cottages that once used to surround it and building large massive mansions that are only lived in for two weeks out of the year.

I currently live less than 5 minutes north of what is considered the "city of" Buffalo. I live here because I'm a college student at the University at Buffalo, going for Civil Engineering. Currently a junior and finishing up the semester, and still hoping to hear back about internships for the summer. Buffalo tends to get a bad wrap as a "dying city." And while compared to it's once great size of 600,000 people in the city, it now lingers around 260,000. There are quite a few old factories and empty places, but I like the city. Quite a few festivals, we have a pro hockey team, Niagara Falls are just 20 minutes away, Toronto just a hour away, and housing is cheap. Winters are over played here, and really aren't that bad besides the ridiculous amounts of salt used, and maybe the one crazy storm.

I hope to get a job at a company that can benefit me and that I can benefit them too, and allow me to have a great career. Also, one that will allow me to get a nice C900 and keep my NG900 as a winter car... and a garage to keep all these Saabs.

I got into Saabs because I was fortunate enough to have my parents buy it for me and my twin brother for our 16th birthday. Then three years later I came across an extremely cheap '73 96. It was extremely cheap because it has virtually no floor... still working on fixing that. I'm fortunate enough to have a dad who lets me work on the 96 over the summer and take up his garage spot, and use his tools.

[Burnsside42]

Turning 27 this year - shocker right.

Grew up in Jenkintown, PA - small small town less then 1 mile square and they have 2 Volenteer Fire Houses.

Turned 21 - moved out and bought my first home - a townhouse in Telford, PA (next to Souderton, PA)
Worked for Sears Auto Center for a little - then Fred Beans Saab dealer for a few years - took a break and fixed school buses, ran a bus garage shop, returned to a Saab dealership in West Chester for about 8 months - Saab went belly-up - I am now learning to fix BMW's back in Doylestown @ a dealership.

I live with my wife and two large dogs and a turtle - in my second home, our first - Lansdale, PA It's an old farm house which was MOVED to Lansdale in 1920 - my one neighbor is a pair of retired grumpy seniors in need of assistant living or a burial plot.

Future plans are to open up an Independent Repair Shop who specializes in Saab's & BMW's

First Saab I bought and drove was a 1987 9000 Turbo 5SPD with 264K - I think I was 17 when I bought it for $375 Prior to that I had a 1988 VW Fox which was my fathers old car at the time.

I also learned how to drink with Saab owners via Carlisle and Owners Conventions. Many GOOD times and memories - some not as much - but still would never give them up.

[Burnsside42]

I've been there. It's Philadelphia, almost. I used to bring my car for servicing to Victor Sports Cars, a Saab only dealer in Abington. In Philadelphia, I once was at a stop light (not near a dealer) and there was one Saab in front of me, one in back. That 3 Saab combination never happened again.

Victor Sports Cars has since closed.

It's about 30 minutes NORTH of Philly - and it's nothing like Philly

I still have a plate from VICTORS - also the showroom has become an adult book store and the other parts of the dealership are now other things - one being a body shop.

I was not "Saab aware" when he was still in business - however I was trained by one of his former techs who is currently still working for Fred Beans Saab - who was formerly Werner Motors Saab & Volvo in Colmar PA.


Here's my first 9000 sporting a junk yard found Victor plate circa 2004;


And if you look close - another junk yard found tag located below my 3rd brake light circa 2005;

[SaabKen]

Born in Taiwan, grew up in Taipei. Moved to Canada in 1976. Studied geology for my B.Sc.. After that I got a tech. diploma in GIS. That led to jobs in urban planning & transportation planning with regional planning authorities. Since 2011 I changed to private sector job as project manager in transportation data collection/surveying.

Got interested in Saabs in early '80s, I recall the first time I saw a black C900T at the Vancouver auto show. Blew me away ! But starting with my first car in college every car I owned was Japanese. In late '90s I was contemplating a Volvo 740GLE Turbo or 850T wagon. After months of test driving and shopping to no result, my wife said: "Why don't you try looking at Saabs, since you like them too ?" That turned the light on and after another year of shopping around, I finally found a nice 1993 9000CSET belonging to my Saab indie mech's brother.

A year after getting the 9000, I looked around Vancouver and found no Saab clubs, so I decided to start my own. 10 years on, the 9000 simply cost too much in endless service and repairs. So I'm taking a Saabatical while the 9000 went to a good friend/fellow member in our club. I get them all stoked these days when I show up at our monthly meets in either my Subie Outback wagon or Honda Odyssey

Miss the old gal !

[SaabScott]

Frank ... that first pic you posted looked like something from the yet unreleased footage taken at the Cleveland Saab camping trips from a few years back (need to resurrect those I think).

A little about me ...

First off, I'll be turning the big FOUR-FIVE this year (makes me something of an old guy here, doesn't it).
I was married for 20 years, have 2 kids from that, the oldest will be 21 this year and my youngest just turned 14.
I am engaged to the most amazing woman (sorry guys ... your mates me be really good, but mine, well, she's the BEST), she has 2 kids, turning 13 and 10 this year.

I am currently waiting to hear if I make it past the "top 3" for a new gig ... something I really want (I'd be working for a non-automobile manufacturing Swedish company).

I have been involved with Saabs since March 2003, about a week before I bought my '96 900SET and I have been President of The Saab Club of Canada since April 2005 (holy crap, has it REALLY been that long???).

I am a dog and cat person but have no interest in having either. Until about 2 years ago, I had cats my whole life ... funny how things change.

I am on my 3rd Saab and have put them through approximately 425,000 kms (264,000 miles) combined and have likely driven almost 4 times that in my lifetime.

I love flying (very seriously thought of becoming an Air Force pilot when I was in school) and travel, especially when I can do it with my lady.

And I will save you all by NOT posting a picture of myself.

[nordwulf]

I think Scott just called me an old guy.. I turned 45 about a month ago. When you can't remember the last time you were asked for your ID when buying alcohol, I guess you're getting up there.

I grew up in the northeastern part of the Netherlands. I moved there when I was 1 year old so I pretty much consider it the place where I am from. The place was about 30 miles north of Amsterdam. Cities and towns are much more compact in the Netherlands so it was a world away from Amsterdam in a rural area.

Me and my family lived in a windmill and we had a huge garden with tulips. As it was below sea level, I occasionally had to plug the dikes with my finger (yes, I heard the familiar jokes before). We wore typical Dutch clothes and wooden clogs were the only kind of footwear I knew for the first 16 years of my life. My family worked in the fields and made cheese. Picture of the old place.



Oh wait.. we just lived in a town in a regular house with a regular life. My family was in the furniture business and had their own factory. The picture above is actually typical of the area where I grew up. I lived there until I was about 20 when I moved to a different town to go to school. First I studied computer science for a while but that didn't seem to be my thing.

After that, I went to school/college for automotive business (marketing, management, technical) int he Netherlands for 2 years. Those were some of the best years of my life because it was a great school and all students and teachers were car nuts. That school offered an automotive exchange program with Northwood University in Midland, Michigan where I got a BBA degree in 1990. That's also where I met a lovely American girl. She moved back to the Netherlands with me where we got married a few years later.

She got a bit homesick so we decided to move back to Michigan in 1994. A divorce, another wife (an Aussie this time) and another divorce later, I am still in Michigan. I did live in Southern California about 5 years ago which was a great experience. During that time, I still had a house here in Michigan which I wasn't able to sell because of the market conditions. So that's why I quit y job in SoCal and moved back to northern Michigan.

It is a very nice place to live when you like nature. The Great Lakes and many inland lakes with crystal clear water are just awesome in summer time. I live in a small town on a beautiful lake with a nice main street, good businesses and steady employment in the IT business. It's a typical American town with street festivals every Friday in summer. No crime to speak of and you can buy a pretty nice house on a few acres for less than $150K. The UP and northern Ontario is only a few hours away. It's a quiet area but still a few larger cities within 30 - 60 minutes. Pretty much perfect of it wasn't for those 6+ months of winter. However, I never had a chance to try snowmobiling and this area has some of the best ski mountains (well, more like hills) in the Midwest.

But I am restless and thinking about my next move. Main goal is to find a job I really like and hopefully something in the Automotive Business. Or something with a lot of travel. Maybe somewhere south where it is warm in winter. I am also thinking of moving back to Europe but I am not sure if I can live in Holland again. The UK or Germany are a possibility. The only problem is if I leave the US (still on a Green Card), I won't be able to move back after a year of living outside the US because I will loose my Green Card. Choices, choices, choices..

Sorry for the long story. And this was even the short version!

Boyne City in summer.

[SaabKen]

Nice 'Vette in that pic, Frank.

Holy cow, you mean Scott, Frank and I all turn 45 this year ? Wait, I believe TunnanXWD and DavidM are older than us. Much older

You mean you don't all live in windmills ??? Here I thought ..... (btw, one of our ex-premiers is Dutch, and he was also a businessman who ran a touristy operation called Fantasy Gardens ..... yes it had a windmill). He had a bit of notoriety (well actually lots) when he was criticized for not pronouncing British Columbia correctly, cuz he'd say "Britis Columbia"

Stay longer, keep greencard, maybe even apply for citizenship. In times of instability you'd never know .......

[Shazam]

If you apply for citizenship, do you relinquish your citizenship in the Netherlands? Doesn't exactly seem like a bad thing if you don't plan on going back there, unless of course there some other perks you'll miss out on.

[nordwulf]

Yes, I will loose my Dutch citizenship if I get American citizenship. My Dutch citizenship allows me to work and live in any European country. So it is either one or the other. I have to renew my Green Card every 5 years and the only thing I can't do is vote. So there really isn't much difference between being a citizen and a resident alien for me. Except when I break the law when they can throw me out of the country. I could have applied for American citizenship when I was married to my first American wife and kept my Dutch passport but I didn't know that at the time.