The Shooting Brake, revisited.
So I’ve finally had a chance to drive and ride in a Volvo C30, which is a very nice car.
it’s underpowered for the money it costs, but not dramatically so. it’s also small. it looks like it should be bigger, in pictures, but if you’re going to toss a couple shotguns and a dog in the back, they better be doubles in short leather cases. An assembled auto would be impossible.
Still, a shooting brake isn’t supposed to be exciting or luxurious, it’s supposed to take you and your dog(s) and guns and maybe one of your friends to a place where you can shoot some birds. For that, this would be a fine ride. Nicer still if it came with either a little more engine for more performance, or a little less for better economy. the 5 cylinder seems to be the worst of both worlds. Still, I like the way it looks, for a volvo, and is reminiscent of the old 1800 Estate.
14 comments Og | Uncategorized
There’s one a block or so over. It’s got that whole so-homely-it’s-cute thing going on in spades.
The back window is what gets me the most.
(Personally, in another year or so, I’ma start browsing the want ads for a used Saab 9-2X Aero…)
The 4 doors is what ruins the Aero for me. That, and the fact that I’ve worked on SAABS and they’re the quintisssential monday-friday cars. Get one made on wednesday, and you have a fine auto. The area where I live is littered with disabled saabs sitting in driveways because they are still being paid for, and are too expensive to fix.
Yeah but the 9-2X Aero only says “Saab”; it’s really a Japanese-built Impreza WRX without all the cop-attracting, high-school-study-hall-doodle scoops and wings. :)
Well, that’s a different kettle of fish.
Assuming you can find someone who hasn’t driven it like an 18 year old and toasted the engine, it would almost be worthwhile.
have to take the damned ignition out of the console, though. That’s a real bit of dumbassery there.
“Assuming you can find someone who hasn’t driven it like an 18 year old and toasted the engine, it would almost be worthwhile.”
The Saab nameplate and a lousy marketing campaign kept those drivers away, which was why it was a sales flop.
And only being on the market for two years and Saab’s shaky future prospects should depress its near-term resale value because people will be worried about spare parts…
(…which they could get at the Subaru shop. :D )
Damn, now you’re making ME think of one of the damned things.
Bob Lutz spent a couple pages in his new book about how much of a piece of crap it was.
Apparently he was responsible for the project, and was extremely unhappy with it in every way.
Doesn’t mean it’s actually a bad vehicle; Lutz is one of those guys who hates compromising, and it seems the whole thing was one giant compromise. Sometimes that can make a decent car.
Og, I don’t get it. You already have a pair of shooting brakes, your Exploders.
The best Shooting Brake I ever drove whilst hunting, from pigeons to elk, was my Dad’s old ’54 Willys 4X4 Wagon. With only a 72hp engine (the old Iron Duke), it was underpowered, but not in the boonies, where it’s 5:31 rear end and low-range transfer case put down the ponies in usable fashion. Only problem with ‘Ol Maroon was getting to the hunting grounds, at 50 mph, occasionally daring 55. Other than that, it was the perfect Shooting Brake.
Yeah… but they don’t get particularly good gas mileage for the several hundred miles of driving Og often does in a single day.
Oh, the Exploders do a fine job and I have no complaints, it’s just that there’s something… elegant about having a sporty, small vehicle that has only one purpose, to go shooting.
Yeah, that’s like following the tradition of hunting dangerous game with a double-rifle instead of something more modern.
It’s what you do when you call yourself “Bwana”.
You say that as if it were a bad thing.
There are some critters for which a double is not the best choice, it’s the only choice. Hence the PH’s all still carrying them.
And once you’re somewhere where everyone calls you Bwana, you kind of start to enjoy it.