Yes, it did have that quality, but it also had the added bonus of engine
mount and wishbone buggering.

The reason I was selling it in the first place was that the body work
was shabby, the front handling felt odd, even though I had done the ball
joints, and shocks and springs, and at slow speeds in 1,2,3, it would
occasionally pop out of gear, especially in 1 and 2 at manouvering
speeds when turning tightly. I thought gearbox gone or going. Decided to
sell the car and put what I would spend on it, with what I got for it,
and get something better (different it turns out, not necessarily
better). But I have this sneaky feeling that changing the left hand
engine mount and upper wishbone bushes, and maybe even the ARB bushes,
that car would have driven as good as new again, for just a couple of
hundred quid.

The Celica by comparison needed new shocks and springs after a couple of
months, needed new trailing arm bushes and rear diff cushion and ARB
bushes all round, rear engine mount, has play in the rear diff/one rear
drive shaft and so bangs on gear shifts if you shift quickly, needed new
discs and pads allround, New exhaust system, leaks/uses more oil than
the Saab did, even though I thought it was just the rocker cover gasket
failed (hardened rubber gasket and signs of lots of oil down the back of
the engine), but seems to use more since replacement, about 1 1/2-1 3/4
litres per 1k miles. Oh and I've put some semi serious scratches to the
paint work in parking incidents when I first got it.

Seriously considering a 2.3 FPT 9000 now and cutting my losses.