Date: Mon, 08 Mar 1999 12:26:03 -0800 From: RED <davharnopsamnet.net> Subject: Re: Is Saab's Reliability a thing of the Past?
adrian c wrote: > > > > > What's worse is to blame a car company for the quality of their > > used cars. That makes no sense. Not only has Saab not seen the > > car in many years, but I can't believe you have enough faith in > > your fellow man to be certain that he's taken good care of a car. > > It just doesn't happen. > > > > Saab Reliability does not mean used cars are as good as new. A > > car is only as good as the treatment it gets from its owners. When > > buying a used car, ESPECIALLY from a dealer, you've got no contact > > with the owner, and no guarantee what that car has been through. > > To buy a car because a dealer tells you it's in good shape, or > > because it looks like its in good shape is foolish. To do it > > twice in a row is stupid. To do it twice in a row and blame a > > company that had little or nothing to do with it is virtually > > libelous. > > What absolute twoddle (for your definition read rubbish) > A well manufactured car will have longevity, which may be affected by > driver abuse. However this will be picked up by the factory trained > service agents (yes they do see the car after it is sold). This in turn > reinforces the used values and perceptions, a la Mercedes & Volvo. > > If a Saab dealer is selling a used car then it must have been fully > inspected and should therefore be trustworthy. If a saab dealer is > incapable of seeing something wrong with a car or worse of diagnosing it > then they should not be in that business. > > > > > -Justin > > Except for the idea that it's libelous to say so, I have to agree with Justin for the most part. The time is long gone when we can assume that everyone operates inside the rules, according to the system, and with the best of intentions toward his/her fellow man. I worked for several years beside an emigrant from England here in the US. I was astonished at the faith with which she and her husband accepted the word of people they dealt with. They were continually being taken in by people who did poor work, or made promises they couldn't keep. What was more astonishing was that they just kept on doing it and getting screwed over again and again. (Well, they both had PhD's so that explains part of it.) In the car arena, I remember when she bought a new car and wanted a sunroof. The car whose color and equipment she liked did not have one. The salesman told them that an aftermarket sun roof would be "as good as a new one." Almost everybody around her told her that this was not true, but she just wouldn't believe them because the salesman had said it would be OK and she regarded that as the authoritative word. Nedless to say, the sunroof leaked and caused rattles somewhere. I do admit that it LOOKED better than I thought it would though. I understand your logic about the expectations ao SAAB technicians and the fact that a car is likely to have been serviced by SAAB technicians. But, unfortunately, in today's world I'd regard your thinking as foolhardy Bob
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