YIKES! Saab owners need your regrets.

Post by **jimmy57** » 20 Dec 2011, 18:42

So SAAB Car' long battle to cling to life seems over. The bankruptcy filing to liquidate to pay creditors is pretty harsh.
GM didn't like that last bid by a Chinese company and gave it a thumbs down and SAAB Cars ceases to exist.

So long ol' Swede Brother!

SimLyons · Post by **SimLyons** » 21 Dec 2011, 00:28

They just could not sell enough cars to create a parts market to sustain the business. Well, that's part of it.

What language is spoken by the new owners of Volvo Cars now?

Post by **precopster** » 21 Dec 2011, 06:56

Well it ain't over yet!!

Post by **fazool** » 21 Dec 2011, 10:14

I've never owned one but would be disappointed if Saab truly ceases to exist. When other companies like Pontiac or Mercury went out of business, they were simply digested by their parent company. They shared platforms with other cars so there was redundancy (in the 21st century who needs both a Firebird and a Camaro?).

But, Saab is truly unique and they don't have that redundancy. Of course, on the other hand, they are so niche-market that perhaps it simply isn't sustainable.

Look at some massive business leaders from the past:

-General Motors was once the largest company in the world and they had to close two divisions and skirt bankruptcy.
-Kodak was the world leader in camera and film and they invented digital cameras and they are withered to nothing.
-IBM was the trailblazer and world leader in computers and they are out of the hardware industry.

The list goes on and on. I've personally worked for three companies that invented their entire industry and all are out of business now (their competitors are still in that market space though).

I always had the impression that Saab was quality design and good quality with a very unusual design style. It could have worked but they never marketed anything. I never once saw a Saab commercial or advertisement anywhere. Ever.

Kind of hard to get customers when you don't tell them you have a product.

I wonder who the Chinese bidder was. Was it Greely? They bought Volvo and Fiat.

Post by **matthew1** » 21 Dec 2011, 11:08

I've never owned one but would be disappointed if Saab truly ceases to exist.

Agreed. We all lose when a competitor goes down.

I drove a 2000 9-5 cross country in 1999 and I loved it. It was a fantastic car.

IBM got out of a commodity business and into very high margin services, and put up a huge win. They let go of what they invented and moved on. Must have been hard, but they did it. That points to smart management.

Kodak. Risk-averse management? They had a good thing going with high-end sensors, but that's gone now. There is, or was, room for them somewhere, but they just stuttered for 15 years... like meeting the hot secretary from Floor 3 at the office Holiday party and just locking up.

Saab, I just don't know. There is room for quirky, which was the adjective that stuck with them all these years. Look at the Nissan Cube. I think Saab simply got caught not knowing whether to stay with quirky or go against Lexus/BMW. Like Kodak, they just locked up, paralyzed.

Post by **matthew1** » 21 Dec 2011, 12:34

Justin, I know your family had a 900 or two. What say you?

Post by **jblackburn** » 21 Dec 2011, 18:50

What a shame. I blame GM for most of this. They are great cars and will be sorely missed.

We had a 1985 900 - the base, no frills 8V version - that served our family loyally for 21 years and over 300,000 miles before the engine threw a rod. Best car we ever had, no doubt about it. It was also the slowest thing in the world - foot on the floor going up an entrance ramp to the highway it could muster up about 45-50 mph, but still ridiculously fun to drive. It was every bit, if not more so, as finicky and quirky as the S70 is, but I suppose there was far less to go wrong with it - we never had many problems with it aside from it stalling a lot and it being a challenge to find 3rd gear when you needed it. The 900 design carried on, for the most part unchanged, for more than 10 years before they finally changed it. It was just THAT good of a car to drive.

I very nearly bought another 900 to replace it at the age of 17 - a 1989 16V hatchback which had a TON more pep than mine, but the owner backed out as we were going to sign the papers for it.

I test drove a 2001 hatchback 9-3 SE model, but I didn't like the auto transmission or the incredible turbo lag. However, the newer 9-3's are just AMAZING to drive and I did want one for a while. But as hard as parts were to find for the 1985, and with Saab now bankrupt, I fear those parts will be harder than ever to find and make owning one a hassle.

: Here's our 900 at its favorite time of year

otis44 · Post by **otis44** » 21 Dec 2011, 21:54

jblackburn wrote:What a shame. I blame GM for most of this. They are great cars and will be sorely missed.

I test drove a 2001 hatchback 9-3 model, but I didn't like the auto transmission or the incredible turbo lag. However, the newer 9-3's are just AMAZING to drive and I did want one for a while. But as hard as parts were to find for the 1985, and with Saab now bankrupt, I fear those parts will be harder than ever to find and make owning one a hassle.

007_5A.jpg

I hate to see Saab go under as well, I have always kind of admired them, but always been somewhat afraid of them due to the fact I know nothing about them and as you mentioned the parts issue. I owned a Peugeot diesel station wagon once, that kind of weaned me from quirky cars with limited parts availability.

adk793 · Post by **adk793** » 23 Dec 2011, 12:42

I drove 2 different volvo's before I ended up switching to Saab, not exactly because I wanted it. I had a 2000 S70 GLT/SE, awesome car, and after it saved my life in a crash, I decided for another one, this time a 2000 V70 XC AWD/SE. That car was just a nightmare in repairs, every couple weeks, something went wrong. So I sold it, and was on the market for a used car, it was only going to be a Volvo. After having my aunt total her 960 wagon, we needed another wagon, so I happened to come across a 9-5 wagon. I went out and test drove the 9-5 aero wagon, and I just couldnt say no. Yet everyone told me, Saabs are hard to fix, expensive on parts, unreliable, just stay away from it.
After buying her the 9-5 aero, I looked through a bunch of Volvos, there was just nothing that was worth my money. So one night I found a 2004 9-3 linear sedan 5speed, went out to look at it, It was bright red, still with the swedish plates from the overseas delivery. The original owner seemed to have maintained it, it drove well, so again, I just couldnt say no.

I liked all the little quirks about it, center mounted ignition, the night panel, the way it drove, everything. I was scared to own a used car after my Cross Country, but it turned out to be the most reliable and amazing car I have ever owned. Its been over a year and all ive done is extensive maintenance, changing everything step by step that I could so this car lasts me a while. Its just cool, different, definitely a niche product. But I love it.

But in comparison, Volvo is just the royal king, and Saab is like the prince. I work as a valet attendant, and on those rare occasions when a Volvo comes by, I sit inside and say wow, this is awesome, I just feel so at home. The Saab is nice to have, its just too smal for me, but the "Volvo for life" in me is still there. I liked the XC, big, powerful, durable, luxurious, a car I can do anything with, go offroad (which I did on my XC), drive 6 other people, cary big loads of cargo. thats what I love, and will buy myself a volvo in the near future.

I still love Saab as a brand and hope Pang Da, the chinese investor that wanted to buy the company makes the best of the situation.