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Date: Thu, 30 Sep 1999 20:03:45 +1000
From: Peter Wilkins <wilkinspnopsamnet.au>
Subject: Re: Saab 9-5 wagon vs. V70 Volvo


On Tue, 28 Sep 1999 23:47:11 GMT, "TKART" <TKartchnernopsam.com> wrote : >>There are two noted differences between the cars (that perhaps a Volvo >>owner may debate): A Saab will not likely leave you stranded. Very seldom is >>there a malfunction or failure which will prevent you from limping home. > > >We have owned six Volvos and only once have we been left stranded when an >alternator went out cause it was missed on the service, This car had 230,000 >miles. and here i am to debate this, but i am going to. Our next door >niehbors have a (89 or 90) Saab Convertible with 85,000miles they have had >it towed twice once at 20,000 miles when an electrical problem stopped the >car in the carpool lane, and once more with a bad clutch. When I asked them >what they thought about the car they said it is fun around town but not >worth the costs of repairs and the overall inreliability, they also talked >about how hard it is to find shops that will work on Saabs. > snip Having had both Saab's & Volvo's over 50 years of driving, I have to join in! I take issue with both previous posters, who can be accused of making generalised statements based on limited particular cases. I have been stranded with a 99 (auto transmission failure) a 900 (auto transmission failure) and a 9-5 (brake/transmission interlock solenoid failure) so the first guy is plain wrong. Saabs do fail, probably just as often and for similar reasons as Volvo's. My Volvo strandings (740's) were different: and in fact less severe. A burst water hose, ignition failure, empty fuel tank (oops). So I can't really criticise Volvo on the grounds of reliability! However, all my Saabs have been fun to drive, distinctive (to set you apart from the rabble), and just a bit quirky to make things interesting. My Volvos (740 sedan and waggon) have been good safe reliable transports that felt like trucks to drive. There was no comparison. Saab won hands down. When I went looking for my latest car just over a year ago, I quickly narrowed my search down to Saab and Volvo. I liked the lines and the performance of the S40, but it was far too cramped and small: couldn't lift my elbows without hitting the sides, and I really felt hemmed in as if in a coffin, and sitting up on top of the seats, not in them. The 70 looked like something out of the dark ages, and felt very cumbersome, tired and old fashioned. The Saab 9-5 was spacious, luxurious but still obviously a Saab (not like the 9000 which I never ever considered as a Saab) with enough of the old quirks to keep me satisfied. The 9-3 was still not available in Oz, so my choice was clear: a 9-5SE. I had teething problems with it, but they are all fixed now. The newer Volvo's just out here in Oz may be much better than the 98 models I tried out, but it's too late for me. I'm happy with my Saab. It used to be far more difficult to get good service for my 99 and 900 Saabs than it was for my Volvos. It was OK when at home, but more of a problem when travelling, if I needed a service. That has all changed: the newer Volvo's are just as computerised and as complex as the Saabs, and I see no difference in the servicing required: if you have a problem, go to a licenced dealer, is my advice. I would say the same for Ford or GM cars these days! So in my view Saab and Volvo are both good cars - but in the end it comes down to personal preference and the eye of the beholder. Me, I would go for Saab any day! -- Regards, Peter Wilkins (wilkinspnopsamnet.au)

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