Sabre



The Sabre is a muscle car that appears in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories and Grand Theft Auto IV. In GTA Vice City, it is fairly widespread, being predominant on the main (west) island, while in GTA San Andreas, it can be found in all three cities (mainly Downtown Los Santos), some towns, and on the highways connecting them. Being a 2 door makes it a bad choice for drive-bys or carrying an entourage. It is also used as a gang car by the San Fierro Rifa. In GTA IV, after collecting all thirty cars for Stevie he agrees to purchase cars from Niko Bellic, with the Sabre fetching $2,000.

Design
The Sabre from the Grand Theft Auto III era closely resembles a 1970 Oldsmobile Cutlass, but without the split grille (but the front bumper is still intact) and the trunk is larger and the back window is awkwardly small (similar in size to the rear window on the convertible version). The name is a parody of Cutlass, seeing as both Sabre and Cutlass are swords.

The Declasse Sabre in GTA IV is more modern, resembling an '80s muscle car, actually appearing like a "corporate cousin" of the Willard Faction. It resembles a 1983-1988 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS (the other models have different front ends), the front end resembles a 1983-1985 Dodge 600 more so than the Monte Carlo SS but could be meant to emulate the front of the Monte Carlo SS. It features decals on the sides (somewhat like the Monte Carlo SS) reading: "Sabre 550SS". There doesn't appear to be a base model of the Sabre but the Tahoma from GTA San Andreas is based on the standard Monte Carlo however it has been made into a four door. There is also a Sabre GT in GTA IV, but is based on an older version of the car, and looks more like the previously featured Sabre, this is awkward since both Sabres emulate Chevrolet SS vehicles, yet only the older one bears the GT trim level.

GTA San Andreas
Acceleration and speed are very impressive since it has a V8 engine. The Sabre's handling is arguably among the best in GTA San Andreas, and the brakes are excellent. However, being the rear-drive muscle car it is, this vehicle's drivetrain is overpowered, leading to occasional burnout and fishtailing, and a general decline in performance in wet weather. Its frame is sturdy and can take a fair amount of damage, but its intense power and heavy construction mean the car is able to survive very few high-speed collisions.

GTA IV
The Declasse Sabre features a 550ci V8, coupled to a 5 speed gearbox in RWD configuration. Acceleration is good, though not impressive; and it's top speed is relatively the same as other vehicles in its class. Due to the heavy frame and very soft suspension, the Sabre has a tendency to flop about in turns, making oversteer common. The suspension is pillow-soft, and thanks to it, the Sabre practically lollops through turns, with a vague and numb sense of direction. Braking is fair, though without ABS front wheel lockup is common. Crash deformation is very good, and the Sabre can still take many direct hits before failing or catching fire.

Variations
The Sabre Turbo is a turbo-charged version of the Sabre vehicle. The Cholo Sabre is a variant used by the Cholos gang in GTA Vice City Stories. The Cholo Sabre is painted tan with a fat stripe running through the center.

While the Sabre in GTA IV assume a more modern appearance, a high performance variant of the Sabre similar in appearance to the Sabre Turbo, dubbed the Sabre GT, is available in GTA IV. In addition, the standard Sabre is one of the cars that can be found in total disrepair in GTA IV - a rusted out version of it that spews huge clouds of brown exhaust and backfires randomly. The rusty Sabre has vastly inferior performance besides the cosmetic differences.

Modifications (GTA San Andreas)

 * The Sabre can be modified at any TransFender branch.
 * Color
 * Nitro (all)
 * Wheels
 * Car Stereo
 * Hydraulics

Locations
GTA San Andreas
 * Spawns regularly around Los Santos
 * Spawns around San Fierro Rifa gang turf
 * Found in the parking lot across Zero RC in Garcia, San Fierro (only when wanted for export)
 * Available at Easter Basin, San Fierro every Monday after completing export lists. Import cost: $15,200

GTA Vice City Stories
 * Parked behind a house, just left of Avery Carrington's construction site, in the little island near Washington Beach, Vice City
 * Parked among decrepit houses in southern Little Haiti, Vice City


 * Parked across the Fire Station in Downtown

Trivia

 * In the GTA Vice City trailer, there is a Sabre Turbo with a split grille, there are also regular Sabres with split grills on early screenshots - much like the car it is based on (a 1970 Cutlass) - But they were later removed.
 * In Grand Theft Auto IV, the three default radio stations in the Sabre are Integrity 2.0, WKTT Radio and PLR.