Good morning! For your consideration today, I have a pair of European convertibles with sort of a ketchup-and-mustard thing going with the colors. They’re both manual transmissions, and they’re both residents of the San Francisco Bay Area. Which one represents more fun in the sun? That will be up to you.
Yesterday’s “competition” was anything but, and I kind of knew that going in. The Mitsubishi Lancer was simply outclassed here; it’s a fine little car in general, but the “full of sound and fury signifying nothing” O-Z Rally package on it didn’t impress anyone, nor did its questionable modifications. The Mazda 6 may not be perfect as it sits, but it’s a whole lot classier and more substantial car.
It goes without saying that the Mazda would be my choice too. I really like the first-generation 6, especially the liftback. A manual is a must in these cars, and the V6 is just a nice bonus. The lowered suspension and loud exhaust would have to go, though.
All right, let’s look at a couple of cool and colorful European drop-tops.
2001 Saab 9-3 Viggen – $4,495
Engine/drivetrain: Turbocharged 2.3-liter DOHC inline 4, five-speed manual, FWD
Location: San Carlos, CA
Odometer reading: 233,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
Saab made some weird engine choices early on, but once it discovered turbocharging, it was game on. Starting in 1978 with the 99 Turbo, Saab built a bunch of special cars that sent way too much power to the front wheels. This was one of the last and best, the 9-3 Viggen, named after Saab’s most famous fighter jet. This is a rare car; only 4,600 were built in total. This is one of just 738 convertible Viggens imported to the US in 2001.
Power for the Viggen comes from a turbocharged 2.3-liter version of Saab’s long-running inline four, which was originally a Triumph design, of all things. It makes 230 horsepower, and drives the front wheels through a beefed-up five-speed manual. Torque steer is a problem, I’m told, but that’s true of any powerful FWD car, especially one with a peaky turbocharged engine. This one has been enjoyed a lot; it has 233,000 miles on the clock, but the seller says it has been well-maintained and it’s in good shape. It has new tires and brakes to control all that power, too.
The interior is where the miles show. The leather is worn and split, and there’s heavy wear on the door panels. But somehow, it comes across as cozy and lived-in, not beat-up. Saab interiors of this era are a cut above, and they seem to be able to age gracefully. But I’ll bet there are some dead pixels on the vehicle info display; there always are.
This color is called Laser Red, according to the seller, and apparently it’s rare. It has some scuffs and cracks in the front bumper, and the seller says there is some old repaired damage on one rear fender, but it’s a good ten-footer.
2007 Mini Cooper – $5,000
Engine/drivetrain: 1.6-liter DOHC inline 4, five-speed manual, FWD
Location: Daly City, CA
Odometer reading: 104,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
The original Mini, built from 1959 all the way up to 2000, was offered in a few different body styles, including a convertible, briefly, but they were rare. When new owner BMW brought out the new Mini in 2001, it was built only as a three-door hatchback. But in 2004, a convertible was back on the menu. In typical German fashion, the convertible outlasted the hardtop; the second-generation Mini was introduced for the 2007 model year, but the convertible wasn’t moved to the new platform until 2009. This, therefore, is still the first generation. Did you need to know all that backstory? Probably not, but you do now.
This is just a regular Mini Cooper, not an S, so it has a naturally aspirated 1.6-liter engine and a five-speed manual, instead of a supercharged engine and a six-speed. It is, however, the upgraded Getrag gearbox, not the old fragile Rover unit. It runs great, and it just had a bunch of cooling system work done. The clutch was replaced at 60,000 miles, too. The fact that someone killed a clutch in just 60,000 miles is worrisome, but it was the owner before the seller. Hopefully the last 40,000 miles have been gentler.
I’ve always liked the interior of these, even though the speedometer is in the middle of the dash. (That’s the tach right in front of the driver.) It’s fancier than your average small car inside, and it has some cool touches like a bank of toggle switches for various functions right below the HVAC controls. If you can play with nice clicky toggle switches, who the hell wants to poke at a touch screen? It’s in nice shape inside, with only a little wear here and there.
The outside is in good condition too, even the top. I like this orangey-yellow color too; it reminds me of my old MG. The big trouble with the Mini convertible is that it has blind spots the size of Nebraska with the top up. I guess that just means you have to drive around with the top down more often.
You either like convertibles or you don’t; I get that. But not all convertibles are created equal. Some are leisurely cruisers, and others, like these, are made for a bit more fun. These are both good driver’s cars even with hardtops, but with an open top, you get sunshine and fresh air with your twisty roads. Which would you rather have: the fire-breathing Swede, or the frisky half-German half-Brit?
Actually, that is pretty important to know. Reliability of the 1st gen wasn’t great, but by 2007, they should have had most major issues sorted. The 2nd gen, however, took a nose dive in reliability and is a major reason so many people regard the modern Minis as having 70’s British car reliability. The 3rd gen has bounced back nicely and is actually a very reliable car (at least by European car standards).
On cars like this, once the top comes off, “fun” is a lot different, and often not correlated with “fast” or “powerful”. I have a very fast (modded sky turbo) and a very slow (geo tracker) convertble and I find myself taking the slow one more because it’s kinda ridiculous and less of a handful anyways. Still plenty of fun too. Neither of these cars is going to be setting hot laps around a track anytime soon.
The Mini has my vote, as the Saab appears to be much more used up.
I think I would prefer either car in coupe format, but today I would take the Mini because I like yellow.
In defense of the Mini’s clutch replacement is it possible that BMW spec’d a short replacement interval or someone did it out of an abundance of caution? I agree it’s unlikely, but I have replaced a clutch once and helped a friend do it twice, and in all three instances we pulled out perfectly fine parts and installed OEM replacements. Usually we already had some portion of the car torn apart, so it was a “while-you’re-in-there” situation.
I’m a Saab fan through and through, this was another pretty easy choice. If the Viggen has been kept up (as it appears it has), it’s the better choice anyways. It even has it’s Play-Doh 5-spoke wheels! Set aside a grand to straighten those… 😉
This particular ’01, with the stick and in Laser Red is one of just 100 that were retailed in the USA. I would wager fewer than half still exist.
The SAAB is a very attractive car and would have been first choice except for the mileage. The Mini will have problems, but I would think would be better to work on with parts availability. An aside, I imagine San Francisco can be hard on clutches depending on where you are driving.
I’d probably regret it, but the Mini looks fun for scootin’ around town in.
The Viggen is pretty neat, but that Mini is in terrific shape. Slow car fast is the theme for today: MINI.
Saab’s 233,000/rock solid engineering
vs.
Mini’s 104,000/(BMW bits – meh reliability – burned through one clutch already)
= Hmmmmm
I choose red.
That’s a nice Mini but let’s get real here, I want the damn Viggen. Badly. Always. Especially as a former owner of a non-Viggen 900.
Really, the hardtop in Lightning Blue is probably my very most desired car? This is pretty fucking close lol.
To Valhalla with the Saab!
Ze Mini via Deutschland just doesn’t quite do it for me.
The Viggen could be on fire and I’d pick it over the Mini. They are so, so ugly as convertibles and the R57 is known to be horrendously unreliable. Run, do not walk, away!
I’ve no interest in buying a car closing in on a quarter million miles. Just can’t do it. The Mini wins by default.
My friends live very close to both of these. I sent them this article. I will be disappointed if they don’t come home with one.
TIL the Viggen wasn’t intercooled
I learned to drive in a SAAB. More of that, please.
The Viggen is a better base car. It’s just that it’s higher mileage than anything I’ve ever owned. At least it looks good for those kind of miles.
Have heard not great things about the BMW Minis, and those blind spots make my FR-S look generous. Seems like a Saab, and sunscreen, story today.
The Saab is going to be more fun. No question.
However, with less than half the miles, for basically the same price, and knowing I can get Mini parts easier than Viggen parts, I’m going to have to go with the Mini. It’s a summer beater either way.
I have friends who owned each of these. The Viggen owner was much happier so that was my vote.
That said, tough choice here due to the mileage and condition.
The Mini is yellow and has way fewer miles. Plus, it’s not an orphan.
Saab for sure. Oldschool single turbos are just so much fun. It’s all fine then nothing nothing then woosh. Plus watching the boost gauge they all had out of the corner of you eye completes the edge of your seat feel this setup imparts.
Having just finished replacing the whole interior of my car, I think I’d be willing to tackle the interior of the friggin viggen, so SAAB it is!
The Mini would be a lot of fun despite the modest power, it has half the miles, and an interior that isn’t coming apart at the molecular level in the sun. In a world of heavy tall vehicles, this would be very refreshing.
Once you get past the shiny red paint, the Saab looks tired to me. That kind of torque steer is fun the first few times but then gets old, and I always thought these Saab interiors were rather plasticky and cheap feeling for a premium brand. I like the 5-door Saabs, I’ll pass on the convertible.
For me, a ragtop would be a fun car to take out occasionally. I’ll take the Saab because it is more fun. The Cooper might have my vote if it were an S, just due to lower miles, but I feel a Viggen is worth the effort of keeping it on the road.
The Saab looks huge in the photos, I guess I’d go MINI.