Date: Wed, 01 Jul 1998 08:31:44 -0400 From: doug <douglas75nopsamntmail.com> Subject: Re: BEWARE! SAAB Purchasers
I agree, I just got rid of a 97 900SE that I was leasing! I lost a ton of money but I could not put up with the crap anymore. I was at the dealer over 20 time isn only 9 months (15,0000 miles). Very sad! -Doug Kent Lester wrote: > Just a friendly warning to anyone contemplating a purchase of a Saab. > I've owned my 900s for 4 years now, and I love the car, but the service > by Saab dealers is abyssmal. Had I known how bad it would be as my car > aged, I would have considered another car. Problems include: > > 1. Ridiculous prices for common repairs. $100-$150 to replace a > radiator thermostat? (a $5 item at the local NAPA dealer.) $300 to > recharge the underpowered Air conditioner? I feel like a victim of a > con every time I step into the service department. > > 2. Confusion about the availability of loaners. They claim loaners are > available, but when I visit the service dept., they make some excuse > like "that's only for warranty vehicles" or "that's only for > appointments." Well, I've had appointments, and was told that loaners > were not available. No one seems to know the exact policy. > > 3. Unbelievably long service waits. My air conditioner just went out > and I was told TWO WEEKS before they could look at it. I live in > Atlanta, where the temps are around 98 degrees. > > When I mention that service is too slow and expensive, they say sorry, > we're overbooked. So why, I ask, don't you hire more technicians? Oh, > we're trying, they say. In the meantime. we Saab customers are paying > premium prices for repairs but not receiving premium service. I > wouldn't mind the high prices if the service was quick and efficient or > if I were offered a free loaner for service that takes longer than > usual. However, that suggestion is met with blank stares by Saab > dealers. > > There seems to be too much emphasis on selling new cars and not enough > on keeping us (once loyal) Saab fans happy. We, after all, are the > biggest base of potential buyers for those new models.