Saab, Sun and Scenery - Driving a 9-5 Aero to the Elan Valley.
Вставка
- Опубліковано 10 лис 2024
- Hop aboard with Geoff in his 2003 Saab 9-5 Aero Manual for a road trip to the beautiful Elan Valley in Wales. Saab, Scenery and (some) Sun. A little chat, a little driving and apparently, only a little water. Why is there no water?! Slow TV from Geoff for a lazy Saturday.
#saab #roadtrip #scenery #journey #adventure #exploring
Like the channel?
Support it with a membership.
You can become a GEOFFISTA, a GEOFFISTA SUPREMO or a COSMIC GEOFFISTA.
/ @geoffbuyscars
I'm 68. When I were a lad, every single Sunday without fail, Dad took my Sister, Mum and I out for a drive in the country. The idea was to drive down lanes we'd not used before. We'd end up in lovely countryside, Staffordshire Moorlands, Peak District, Derbyshire Dale's, Shropshire and North Wales, have a picnic either outside or inside the Ford Pop, weather permitting while letting the engine cool down enough so Dad could add more coolant. Eventually my Sister and I would be left with a Vimto and bag of crisps in the car while Mum and Dad had a drink in a newly discovered country pub before heading home.
How on earth did they afford it? Great days.
I am the same age and I still have the meths stove my dad bought for that purpose (1938 Morris 8)
Cost £60. He had to have a bank lone.
Same with my family, used maps that were huge. Often ended up in a random farm yard, making a hasty retreat hopefully before any-one saw us. They were the best of times.
69 now, happy times, great days, had to stop driving after 50 years and 28 cars last year due to seizures a close friend had seen and I knew nothing about. Cars and drives out were my main pleasure, life will never be the same, grateful for the memories of happy times.
Bless you Geoff, that's your most beautiful video in so many ways I can't even begin to explain. Thank you, made my day
Beautiful country scenery, thank you Geoff for the ride along!
Great video, I love that Saab 😊
What a lovely road trip Geoff. Some real escapism in this bonkers country. 👍😃
But imagine doing it in a modern EV like a Model X, Y or even a 3..
Comfort, safety, power, and so cheap to run
A few years ago I needed a cheap car in a hurry. Bought a 9-5 aero for a grand and ended up keeping it for three years until the turbo started playing up. Absolutely loved it fantastic car.
The 9-5 estate really is a great looking car! ❤
Good to see you back in one after all the Volvos. Nothing against them mind, just love Saabs. I can’t explain why, they just make me feel good 😊
I reckon most EV owners would never understand the idea of just going for a drive like you did there Geoff.
They can't, it's always a drive and a hour standing around in the cold while it charges..
Too much pre-planning involved!
EV owners don't even understand reality, or indeed anything. The notion of having fun driving a proper car, on a proper road, is completely alien to them. An EVangelist's idea of fun is spending hours on Social Media, insulting people for not liking something that they like. Miserable bunch.
EV owners are just full of negativity and are a drain on society 😉.
Stunning scenery. ❤ well edited
Amazing scenery, even with the low water levels. I love roadtripping with you Geoff. It's like the good old days. Beautiful car content. Thanks mate.
Apparently, the water has been drained to allow repairs and maintenance at the base of two of the dams. That's what one of the workmen told me a few weeks ago.
Yes, that’s what I was told too.
Believe everything you're told???
@@jackiefisher1820in this case absolutely. There are workmen working on the rods and pipes and the footpaths.
Even "seeing" and information given, by workmen as to what may be occuring, is usually still a "perception" in these "times"
Read between the lines, never at face value now - that's what "they"rely on
🩵🇬🇧
@@jackiefisher1820 Copied from the Elan Valley WEB Site.
Craig Goch Maintenance Work
Monday 24 June to end of July 2024
As you may be aware, we completed phase one of our maintenance work at Craig Goch at the end of 2022.
We are now planning to return to carry out the next phase of this essential maintenance work from Monday, 24th June, with diving works located from ‘Tommy’s Patch’. We expect this stage be completed by the end of July 2024.
Our work is being carried out by our contractor partners, Envolve and they will be working Monday to Friday 7.30am to 5.30pm. As this type of work is weather dependant, we may need to work during the weekend to get the job done as quickly as possible.
Due to the location of our work and for the safety of the public and our workforce, we will need to temporarily close the car park and road going over the dam for the duration of the work.
Pedestrian access will be maintained.
To complete this work safely, we’ll be temporarily lowering the levels of the reservoir, and this will allow us to safely carry out our work. Reservoir levels will be returned to normal when we complete our work.
We’re planning to return in May 2025 to complete our work.
20 June 2024
Love that car!
Great scenery! The SAAB 9-5 shines in that environment! SAAB would have needed this 20 years ago ...
Love the video Geoff
Wentto the Elan Valley around 35 years ago beautiful place, nice to see it again
There is every point to this video, it unfolds naturally, perfect 🩵☀️
Great video, stunning scenery. Just gotta love the SAAB
Oh, the Saab ❤ now you know why I love mine so much 😊
Best cars I ever had, my first was a gorgeous Saab 90, Silver with a blue vinyl roof and blue interior, then two 9-5 estates and when the kids left home a Midnight Blue 9-3 convertible. Fabulous car. Don't ask me why I now have a 1995 Range Robber P38 and 2010 Range Robber Sport...mind you V8's sound fabulous and no child slave labour went into their production.
@robertedwards1543 nice!
My hubby got me into Saab's, when I met him 20 years ago he had a 99, then he had an OG 9-3, 2 of them, then he had a 9-5 estate, and then I got my NG 9-3 SS which I've had for almost 10 years now, and hubby has also got a 9-3 again now. He wants a 9-3X and I want a TurboX 😎
💚🔥 my heart and ancestors lay in this sacred place. Good times & best memories 💚 elan valley
Great video capturing the beauty of Wales. Love the underwater video footage. I'm a Welshman married to a Northern Irish girl and when I took her to see that area, she fell in love with it. I now live in Northern Ireland and if you get a chance, come over and take a roadtrip down the Ards Peninsula then get the Strangford ferry and drive over to the beautiful Mourne mountain region.
Great drive in Geoff in your car and keep up the awesome work you do with your show 😮👍👍👍👍
Nice looking car great scenery my dad used to take use on road trips on the weekend use to love it thanks for the memories 👍 great video
Great to see so much Saab appreciation ❤ I'm fed up of people who don't know them slagging them off 😢
I believe Saab was bought by General Motors and their later models had Vectra underpinnings and Fiat diesel engines, the brand never recovered.
@@webrumrunner yes thanks for that 😏
Lovely video Geoff. Thank you.
Geoff can you do a piece on the car insurance industry. Namely the practice of insurance companies in a “no fault claim “ providing replacement car hire, as per the policy. They then transfer the matter to a company to manage the claim. Despite indicating throughout that the other party was at fault two years later the policy holder is notified that the policy holder is the claimant and that it is the cost of the hire car that is being challenged ? I am beginning to find out why that is being challenged. This must be very common and yet we do not get any responsible guidance on this.
Sitting having my brunch on sunday 22 sept, such a calming watch, more please 😊
Thank you Geoff. A simple and lovely film of all that is best in our country. You have inspired me to do the same thing and just drive for the love of it…hopefully the wheels and tyres will survive the perilous use of Englands roads.
Fantastic video Geoff!
There is a lovely little campsite on the road to Aberystwyth (just before that massive old lead mine!). Every car i have had since 2005, took to the campsite with tent for a road trip, see the dams!
Oddly, maybe sadly?? my favourite drive has been in a 12 YO Audi 3.0 A6 Allroad. Absolute pleasure to drive.
Thanks for the video, really enjoyed it. The water level is low because of the wet summer they let most of it out prior to the inevitably wet autumn which would cause higher river levels further down. If you look at the Severn and Wye lower down they've both been reasonably full all summer, that is in part because of the release from the dams. Also consider maintenance which is best done when dam level is low. Notice that most of the ruined road is where it's been repaired.
They lowered the levels because they were carrying out maintenance work over the summer.
@@bobstirling6885 glad it's not a conspiracy or something 😉
Great video, and many happy memories of doing a road trip there in 22 in our Aston Vantage. Agree with everything you say in the video, especially government & council! That Saab was a great car, and as you know shared many components with the Cavalier, which was a good reliable car - I recognise the door tabs (stalks in the door that show if door is locked or unlocked) from my old Calibra (also Cavalier based).
Great video lovely scenery
Used to live near Church Stretton, what a fantastic area, so many quiet roads, almost like my native Northumbria.
Cool vid, great car too.
That place rings a bell, went there years ago - a very steep road there with hotel at the top?
🩵🇬🇧
@@angelakenyon7490 There's a Gliding place on top of the Long Mynd? Not so sure about a hotel (Tan Hill Inn in Yorkshire is great though), and I lived there 20+ years back.
Great video, Geoff ! Could have watched another hour of this no problem !👍 Please do more of these trips, possibly call them Geoff's Tours, or Geoff's Trips, from GT.
I did! Thanks for the ride, and the beautiful scenery 😃
Hi Geoff,
If you ever make it up to North Wales and fancy a brew, let me know and I'll pop the kettle on...
Thank you for all your hard work making these very enjoyable videos, please keep up the great work...
Take care and keep yourselves safe...
Andy...
Hi Geoff - Brill vlog & editing . Scenery is great & as i remembered it from my last visit to Elan valley many years ago - bare foot - you must have bison skin tough feet - thank you for the trip out 👍😎
Great video Geoff and scenic drives are always uplifting and refresh the soul.
Ahhhh, that was a nice, chillaxing, road trip vid to come home to watch on this dreary wet day today! Awesome those reservoirs, especially the ones you can see sunken villages in. Did you know Maggie Thatcher wanted to flood/turn the whole of Wales into a reservoir to supply the whole of England? I'm so glad she didn't manage to.....
Regreshing video! Thank you for taking us on this trip.
Thank You Geoff, a very nice video with beautiful scenery along the way, i liked that old Dam so beautifully constructed in its day, also the wonderful old stone bridge. I enjoyed your choice of music a nice selection. I have been over to the UK twice now and i sure enjoyed my travels around the UK i love all the amazing history of Britain. Look after that nice Saab 👍 Au
Lovely scenery!
Lovely film Geoff, if you find yourself in west Wales on a trip stop by and I'll take you to the best chippy in the world
The Elan Valley waterfall trail is really cool...
Geoff, I don't know how you do it but I could sit and watch your vids for hours. No matter the topic, always interesting. It's a shame about the water levels but never mind. Great video as always fella
Loved my 9-5 Estate. Sadly not an Aero but humble 2.2TiD. No frills but the more you lived with it the more you appreciated its engineering. It did everything well, comfortable, spacious, safe, economical etc. A good example of SAAB design is that their focus was always 40 -70 acceleration not 0 - 60. Overtaking is when you need acceleration so makes sense! Great cars!
Same up north. The reservoirs are all way lower than usual but we've had a decent amount of rain.
Really good video Geoff well done 👍✅
Your road trips are not pointless because you enjoy them and so does your audience. They are my favourite and I wish you would do more. You add a bit of humour too just like the good old days of Top Gear or The Grand Tour. Perhaps you could take over where they finished.
Cracking video Geoff! Loved it! Even enjoyed the background track!👏👏
In years to come, kids won’t believe that you used to be able to just ‘go for a drive in the country’. How sad will that be!
Great video as usual, Geoff. Here, in Portugal, we have some fantastic roads to drive like you did. You must try the EN 222. Free and joyfull. Cheers!
Beautiful!
Yesss! Fantastic! Yeh we were all different Human Beings more than 2 years ago Geoff! ;-)
owned 7 SAABs , best marque
Thanks for the ride.. 👍
Hi geoff.
My first big motorcycle trip was along the elan valley. Turned left at devils bridge, down to tregaron, mountain road back to beulah,back home to whitshirshire.1997.
Very nice, cheers, Geoff - but gosh that is cold for mid September!
Malvern to Leominster was my school run back in the very early 2000’s. In a BMW 530d M sport. What a drive.
One of my favourite parts of Wales
Thank you Geoff. As kids We used to regularly go up the elan valley on Sunday drives with the whole family. Great to see the scenery and impressive civil engineering from a time when our governments actually did nice things for us .
Really nostalgic for me as I now live in Australia
Where's all the water gone ?
Spent 20 years living in Wales. Made me homesick until I saw the rain at the end.
GREAT COUNTRY..GREAT TRIP...GREAT DRIVE...NICE ONE GEOFF
Yes I did enjoy it Geoff thank you 😂😂😂😂😂😂❤
I do this road trip on my bikes and cars all the time it’s a good stress relief.
❤❤❤❤great video thanks
drive with Geoff, nice one , thanks
As your mate Tony might say.........."Global Warmin My RRSE!
They are a fine looking car. Especially in profile.
The video had a point to it. So pretty. I loved it.
absolutely brilliant geoff
That first dam is Craig Goch dam. I was working there 2 years ago and I guess the work isn’t finished since the water level is still being kept low. Was great fun reversing an artic truck full of ROV equipment onto the middle of that dam every morning for a month 😅
Nice one Geoff. 😃
The low water levels are on purpose, it’s OFWAT AMP8 in the regulated water industry which means dam and infrastructure inspection time so the water companies can assess and allocate money for repairs.
Really? That's interesting, are you an inspector or working on any dams? Would love to know more...
@@nixswatson I used to work in the Water industry.
I live about 25 mins from there Geoff in mid Wales, another good reservoir to visit close by is the clywedog, good twisty (B4518) road to get there too, can even get a coffee at mine if you’re passing 😄
It’s colder there than usual Geoff and here in Western Australia it is warmer than usual
Enjoyed it ❤👍👍👌
But soo beautiful ❤
Geoff's hunting magic mushrooms... ;)
Just totally luuuuurve upland U.K. .................
Elan Valley is one of my favourite places. But I normally come in from Devil's Bridge.
Nice one Geoff 🧡
You are developing the score and cinematography of your content with 5% content of on why councils can't fix the roads or reduce council tax due to the cost of their policies, pensions and the cost of financing the decanted fine wines from other parts of the world. SAAB Rocks BTW. Keep it up.
Let's go Saabing, babe!
Remember when Saabs were only for doctors and above!
Didn't they build jets and fighterplanes?
Would like to drive one!
😁👋🏻👍
..
YEP...I Enjoyed it.!!!🤔
..
🤣🤣🤣
A drone to film the scene would be awesome in a video like this
Welcome to Mid Wales only 20mph in Rhayader on that route Geoff, so enjoy the rest of the drive.🎉
I'm surprised how low the water is considering that it has rained all summer. Maybe someone has pulled the plug out!🤭😏. Lovely scenery (until it started to rain just then.
nine degrees!!!!
could see my breath again this morning, da fuk. My car's ancient with no thermo', but my fingers tell me how cold it has been all effing year!!
Frequent single figure temperature "summer" (and before) mornings/days; that eternal breeze is always cold, regardless where it blows from.
: /
cracking wee glen, carry on dude : )
Looks like how it was in 1976!
Still with an extra 4/5 million in the Black Country I'm sure the volume from a Victorian fan will swiftly be reduced!Watchout 2026!
Lots of love from Wolverhampton.
Great video….one of my favourite places. I know all the places you stopped at. You should try doing an easy off road green lane in a budget 4x4….the views are even better
Geoff you live in the northern hemisphere, I’m 78 I remember that most years are different from the previous. Go back to 1976 warmest summer for 200 years empty reservoirs followed by the wettest winter for 200 years, some scientists predicting that we’re going back into an ice age? Last free day on parts of the south coast 21st of September, which means at some point in history there was frost on 21st September, nothing really changes that much in our lifetimes.
Nice.
Geoff be very careful overtaking at 13.45 if someone would be coming out that drive, and just looked right and pulled out, you could of been dead, careful mate, i love you video's and don't want to see your demise, i always tell my kids especially the older one who drives that, when your ever coming out of a junction to always look both ways, just incase someone like you at 13.45 is overtaking as failing to do so could mean the end of you, be careful mate 👍
Road surfaces have never terrified me so much until I started cycling my son 8 miles a day, in his trailer, to get to school and back..
The pot holes and loose gravel are a death trap
Im hoping to visit the Elan valley and Rhydar this year. I think we have now had enough rainfal this weekendl to sell some back to Wales. 😂
Our roads in Wales are crap. The elan is Beautiful
Our roads in Wales are less crap than Englandshire for sure. Certainly less BPM (bumps per minute)
@@davewalker7126 depends where you live in both countries. I'm in the north with family in the south and a family member who has driven north to south for many years as I did in 2022
@@stephenrichards5386 I live in Powys - to be fair I think our roads are pretty good, and so do the hundreds of bikers who use it as a playground each weekend.
@@davewalker7126 I've driven Powys a few times because i have friends family in the south. The scenery is stunning even in winter but the roads ? The bends were all treated with anti slip surface but that was badly damaged. I can understand why a motorcyclist would think they were great road but a business traveler would struggle to concur
To help: got notified about this Vid, Geoff
its been raining all summer. the welsh must be stealing it at night.
Stour pot to Bromyard is a wicked road but the surface is shocking
Well, apart from your seemingly undying enthusiasm for cars from that country (and my undying paranoia about said car manufacturers) it was a fun trip... OH, and then the moisture in the sky and the boiling temps... well, I still enjoyed the outing with you! GGG!!!🤣👍💥
Bet the headlights are like candles, ours are.
Jag XE 2.0 t petrol. 8 speed ZF box is a joy, only 198 bhp but takes off line rat out of a drainpipe. Has flappy paddles in Sport mode but you do not need them. Saab Aero is a great car.
I don't see much spraying going on this day of your road trip temperatures not great but scenery looks fantastic though 👌