1999 Saab 9-3 SE Convertible (manual)

Measured, mellow and smooth, but deceptively sharp and punchy when called upon, somewhat akin to Nat King Cole with a good ruby port. Not brash but solidly understated, this car is the epitomy of sophisticated european cool. Very easy to drive, the light pressure turbo isn’t snatchy or ‘all or nothing’ but can effortlessly despatch long mountain climbs or trucks with equal consumate ease and responsive, confident cornering. Turns every outing into an event – as Seinfield said, “black Saabs rule” in convertible car hire!

Heads turning wherever you go with the top down?!  If you haven’t driven a convertible before, the occassional ‘scuttle shake’ over significant bumps can make things feel briefly more wobbly than expected, but the handling is still deceptively sharp. You’ll need to take extra care reversing as the rear view is pretty limited with the roof up, (all the more reason to keep it down frequently…). Saabs have the quirky ignition key near the gearstick that you can’t remove unless in reverse, but you’ll soon suss that. Like many of our cars it’s manual transmission for a real driving experience, but unlike the MG you do get some help on the dials themselves to translate miles per hour into kilometers per hour for NZ roads. Nelson Tasman is ideal convertible weather but the sun is surprisingly strong – between November and March, a hat and sunblock are essential top down accessories.

Saabs like their Swedish counterparts are renowned for their approach to safety, coming with front airbags, ABS and innovative features like the Night Panel, that dims all dials except the speedometer to minimise distractions. Our Saab 9-3 Convertible has done many kilometers of trouble free motoring and whilst we’d love to guarantee that for your trip, in the unlikely event of issues you have full roadside assistance included in your hire charge. She’s regularly serviced and has to pass the Certificate of Fitness (CoF) test required for rental cars every 6 months.

Very good. We only acquire cars that we’re sure have been very well looked after inside and out and this Saab 9-3 Convertible is no exception. The climate control system has been overhauled to keep your body cool on those hot summer days and everything electrical is in full working order right down to the heated front seats, (not that we think you’ll have a need for those). The mohair roof with heated glass rear window keeps you snug and dry even in serious New Zealand deluges, (we can personally vouch for that).

That depends on how much you like to have the roof down and how many you’re sharing the fun with! If 4 are travelling you’ll all need to pack very light. With the roof up, around 2 suitcases and a couple of medium holdalls can be squeezed in the boot. With the roof down however, it does cut down on space to a degree. A group of 3 people have done a weeks touring fine though. Please refer to the Seating & Luggage tab above for exact dimensions. However if not all seats are occupied, you have those to belt in additional luggage on. We recommend always bringing multiple soft bags to maximise flexibility.

Easily as fast as the legal road limits allow……but of course, you can have a lot of turbocharged fun getting there….

“For girls and architects……”

“…and for gentlemen who aren’t architects, but secure enough in their manhood to be seen in a mohair hoodie, convertible or otherwise…. “

Classy and refined cruising, with effortless press on from the turbo when required. Lap up the sunshine, cosseted in tan leather comfortably seating 4 adults, and experience our stunning scenery from a whole new open air perspective. And should the evening air start to chill, merely engage the power soft top, flick on the heater built for Scandinavian winters and pipe your media player sounds through the concert quality CD stereo to restore that sense of well being.