Fellow car nerds, you’ve all heard the phrase “Saab story”. An old-timey phrase that reflects poor decision-making and leads to membership in the society of Saab ownership.

Well, guess what, I have joined that club and I LOVE it. Will I be Saabing myself to sleep soon? Maybe? Do I care? I do not. Why? Because this 2004 Saab 9-5 Aero wagon is BADASS. Daddy like.

Also, I’m in the 40-year-old dad club and think other like-minded folks will appreciate the wonders of such a car. It has 220,000 miles. The driver-side door handle is held on with electrical tape. Its former name was Martha. Did I mention it’s a wagon?!

Thus far, I’ve cleaned the windows (they were filthy!), mounted the license plates (quite a job!), replaced the hood struts (because 2 x 4s aren’t so safe), and changed the oil! This last bit had me VERY excited.

I got the kids involved, I pulled out my custom-modified ramps, I made a huge mess. And I got to wash my hands with that orange-bottled Gojo pumice soap stuff. Does it get any better than this? It does not.

For those of you who get why a 20-year-old turbocharged Swedish wagon with a million miles and worn-out paint is excellent, go check out the long-form intro to this evolving Saab story on Substack. I’m already excited about writing it.