1999-2009 [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup
This rant is a several months in the making, but here is goes: Foolishly, in September of last year I moved from Seattle Washington to Houston Texas for a work (yes, I did this on purpose) with my 3 Saabs.
Since that time I've concluded that out of the 8 other states and 3 countries I've lived in with a Saab of one kind or another, no place was more frustrating than here. The Stealers are absolutely the worst, one of which just up and went out of business without warning, and there seems to be only one indy shop in 200+ miles, but even they prefer working on Volvos (also, incredibly, on purpose) leaving poor unsupecting people like me stranded with no parts, substandard service, and highways clogged with so many bad driving huge SUVs you'd rather be in a bomb shelter.
I won't mention any names (Nxcess, Performance, Ron Carter) but when I had the belt tensioner break on my 9-3 (big shock btw) they told me it would be 6 days to get it, and almost as long for the belt. What dealer doesn't have these very common items in stock? Houston dealers evidently. Last week when calling for the PCV kit, I was quoted an outrageous $128 for just the kit, and between $250 and $600 in labor if I wanted it installed! The damn kit is what, $50 at SaabSite or E-europarts?
At wits end, and fed up this month when both cars were down and seemingly unrepairable due to the lack of immediately availble common parts, I briefly condsidered trading in and buying an new 9-5. So imagine my surprise when that weekend, there were actually no sales staff available at one of the dealers, and nobody answering the phones at the next closest one. Guess they really don't need the business, though I can't tell. Unlike other cities I've lived in, you can drive for weeks and never see another Saab in Houston. Possibly because to some of the enligthened folks here, driving a swedish car is akin to being a communist from what I hear.
BMW is starting to look better and better every year. It was fun before, but now that I have to live in fear of being stranded for days and weeks at a time at the mercy of incompetent and lazy dealers, I really just want a car I can drive all the time and not worry about.
Any other Houston Saab owner's feel my pain? I know I've seen about 4 of you on the road so far...
posted by 98.199.64...
No Site Registration is Required to Post - Site Membership is optional (Member Features List), but helps to keep the site online
for all Saabers. If the site helps you, please consider helping the site by becoming a member.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
