Car Choice: BMW or Saab for a classic drive?

Dave Davies has been looking for an old BMW 5 Series, but his wife likes a similar vintage Saab 9-3 Convertible. What should he do?

(BMW)

A car for the head

I’d go for a BMW 5-series, especially the older E39 series, manufactured between 1993 and 2005, with many examples still around. There is a huge choice of petrol and diesel engine options in either the saloon or estate car format. Enthusiasts might think that the manual gearbox is best, but certainly there is no lack of fun with the automatic box, because in Steptronic mode it is superbly smooth. What ties all these key elements together and makes the whole greater than the sum of the parts is the brilliant rear-wheel drive chassis. The handling is never less than surefooted, and wonderfully entertaining when necessary. We found a beautiful privately owned grey car that seems perfect for Dave. It is a 2002 model BMW 520i, and yours for £995.

(Saab (Saab)

A car for the heart

It was easy to understand why so many people fell for the Saab convertible, being pretty, well screwed together and supremely comfortable, even though Saab stopped production altogether back in 2011. The one reason why they didn’t buy the 9-3 was because of its driver appeal – or lack of it. Still, some think it is much better to pose about in the slower 130bhp 2.0 9-3 convertible, and to leave the driving machine task to other makers such as BMW. Saab Airflow models from January 2000 had new alloys, a body kit and bigger rear bumper. We found a 2002 2.0 convertible from another private seller, and also in grey for around £1,000. It has a full service history and has covered 104,000 miles.

If you would like James Ruppert to help with your car choice, email james@freecarmag.com. For more motoring views visit freecarmag.com