The Death of SAAB cars

I had an 89 turbo convertable -- great car. GM ruined the company...

I guess that whole "Born from Jets" lame advertising campaign didn't work out so well. They may have been born from jets but grew up to be twin-props. I don't know if they ever produced a serious car. Maybe when they used Subaru's engine and drivetrain, but even then it was nothing spectacular.

Originally Posted by ld111134

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I owned a '96 900 Turbo. A great car - understeer and torque steer.

FTFY

They just restyled the 9-3 a few years ago, and began offering AWD. Too late for anyone to notice though


Saab is the only car made by GM I entertained buying. I'm also a sucker for having the ignition switch in the center console

not all may be lost:

http://money.cnn.com/2009/12/20/auto...ffer/index.htm

Originally Posted by M. Charles

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Today the official death of SAAB cars is announced.

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/to...cle6961723.ece

I never owned one, but the owners I've known have been very passionate about them. For those who do/have owned them, what made them so special for you?

Have had a few.

A 1980 5 door GLE. This was a configuration they stopped bringing to the US in 1981 or so. Absolutely amazing car. Cavernous interior with the rear seats folded. Was in the passengers seat when we went off the road and airborne. Did a half twist mid air, bounced on the ground roof first and rolled over a few times. Ended up with car on its side. Climbed out of the sunroof. Pushed the car back onto all four wheels. The impact had not collapsed the roof and probably saved our lives. Car was of course totalled. Still miss that car.

A 1987 4 door. After the stellar accident performance of the GLE, Bought a 4 door in 1994. Kept on driving it till mid 2000s. Donated it to some charity in the last days of the tax write off. Should have kept it.

A 1993 3 door. This was the last year of the "classic" saabs. (convertibles were classic till 1994). Pretty good and solid car till the combination of an icy bridge, low sun and the snow flying off the suv in front caused a demise. Wanted to buy another one but got my wifes older volvo 850.

In the mood for something like this:


IMO Saabs were amazing cars. The ergonomics were unmatched. Several small things were a decade or two ahead of others. If you dropped you hand between the front seats, you could not miss the switch for the map light. Even now, in so many cars, one has to fumble towards the top of the rear view mirror to find the switch. The buttons for the front and rear windows were different to feel. The rear ones had a ridge across the middle. So one more operation that did not require taking eyes off the road. The seat position was very vertical and provides an excellent view of the road.

RIP Saab.

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nothing of value has been lost

Volvo was and is far superior.

The standard 9-5 is a great car, especially for longer highway trips. Comfortable seats, just enough luxury, and a nice light feel on the road. Purists might not like it as much, but I never cottoned to the 900 or previous sedans.
I have a 2004 that has had a small raft of body work done. Parking lot dings, mostly. The question now is whether to trade it and get a new 9-5 while the model still exists or being SAAB-like and thrifty, ride it to its demise for another 5 years.

had a '99 griffin, gearbox broke down three weeks after warranty exceeded, cost to fix it was twice the blue book value, rip worthless seinfed car.

I was a Saab fan for many years ... until in the middle of nowhere and on a holiday to boot ... my remote (lock/unlock/alarm) went dead. I was to discover there was literally no way to deactivate the alarm and start the car without an active remote.

I hear this technology flaw was changed in later models. But ... that didn't make up for what had happened. I moved on to other car brands.

This might seem slightly counterintuitive, but do you guys think now would be a good time to buy? My car just got flooded and I'm thinking that if the insurance company totals it a SAAB might be a good choice. Always wanted one and they've got to be cheaper now, right?

Originally Posted by matt22616

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This might seem slightly counterintuitive, but do you guys think now would be a good time to buy? My car just got flooded and I'm thinking that if the insurance company totals it a SAAB might be a good choice. Always wanted one and they've got to be cheaper now, right?

Although I was a fan of some older models - I would say no.

You will face dwindling parts and service support and very low resale value (you may have a difficult time selling it at all a few years down the track).

I looked at SAAB this past summer and yikes, the interior materials would be downright embarrassing in a car half the price.

I don't recall the interior being so hard and cheap two decades ago riding in a 900 convertible. I was just a kid so maybe my memory is off.

It's a shame SAAB had the misfortune of being partly owned by General Motors.

Originally Posted by HomerJ

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I looked at SAAB this past summer and yikes, the interior materials would be downright embarrassing in a car half the price.

I don't recall the interior being so hard and cheap two decades ago riding in a 900 convertible. I was just a kid so maybe my memory is off.

We looked at 9-3's a couple years ago and ended up getting the new bodystyle Jetta because my wife thought the the Saab seemed more like a Saturn