'04 Saab 9-3 convertible offers much to warm up to

0 Comments | USA TODAY, January, 2004 | by James R. Healey

This being the dead of winter -- and winter it is, in force, across much of the USA -- timing seems right to evaluate a convertible.

It's a time-honored approach. Sports Illustrated , for instance, swears that its winter swimsuit issue is to get you thinking about warm places, warm weather, as a respite from largely inhospitable winter.

So let's wallow in thoughts of top-down driving on dry, winding roads to freshen our grins. The vehicle for that is the 2004 Saab 9-3 convertible.

It's been on sale since October, but you might not have noticed. Just 755 2004-model 9-3 convertibles were sold last year. Quantities have been limited, and Saab's waiting for adequate supplies and warm weather to begin the marketing hoopla.

The 9-3 convertible has for years...