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.

From just $85 per day or less, 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 epitome of sophisticated European cool. Very easy to drive, the light pressure turbo isn't snatchy or 'all or nothing' but can effortlessly dispatch long mountain climbs or long trucks with equal consummate ease, and gives responsive, confident cornering. The roof is electric and there's even a button to lower all 4 windows at once to maximise the open air experience. It 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, or when you put the electric roof into action to raise or lower it?!  If you haven't driven a convertible before, the occasional 'scuttle shake' over significant bumps at low speeds can make things very briefly feel a bit more wobbly than expected, but this settles down hugely at normal speeds and the handling is deceptively sharp. You'll need to take a bit extra care reversing as the rear view is more limited than a normal car with the roof up, (all the more reason to keep it down then...). Saabs have the quirky ignition key near the gearstick that you can't remove unless in reverse, but you'll soon suss that. It's a manual transmission for a real driving experience, but unlike our MG you do get some help on the dials themselves to translate miles per hour into kilometers per hour for NZ roads. New Zealand is ideal convertible weather but the sun is surprisingly strong - between November and March, a hat and sunblock are essential top down accessories.

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, it's had a recent new clutch for smoother gear changes, 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 the rare 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 large and 2 medium soft holdalls can fit fine 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 in the car though. Please refer to the Seating & Luggage tab above for exact dimensions. However if the rear seats are not occupied, you can belt in additional luggage into those. We always recommend bringing multiple soft bags to maximise flexibility, as many hard suitcases just won't fit.

The 1999 Saab 9-3 was the first year of the subtle re-modelling of the very successful 900. Costing $54,000 nzd when new, roughly $95,000 nzd in todays money, the 9-3 was marketed as the thinking persons alternative to the premium German marques - individual, sophisticated, different, sporting yet safe, a convertible for all seasons. Although Saab ceased production in 2014, it still retains one of the most loyal followings of any brand, probably second only to Alfa Romeo, and with good reason.

Well actually, someone enjoyed the RentAClassic Saab convertible experience so much, they featured it in their own song....and it cameo guest stars with Dr Ashley Bloomfield who was our much lauded Director General of Health during the Covid Pandemic - so it has to be "Made in New Zealand" by Analise Tremlow playing in the video below. But the 3 other songs in the playlist were the best ones actually made in 1999:

Check out the rest of our classic best road trip driving tracks here and put RentAClassic on your play list… 

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.... "