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Hello fellow Saabers,
I'd like to blame GM and am certainly unhappy with how Saabs have deteriorated by my standards over the course of partial then total ownership by GM.
I can't blame them entirely for everything. I've been driving Saabs for 23 or so years, starting with used and eventually our first new one in 93 (last of the classic 900 turbos). Using that model just to look at numbers on the net, I see that our 93 900 was one of 33,500+ (900) units that year, down from the peak of 88,000 plus (900) in 1984 (from http://www.trollhattansaab.net/archives/2007/08/saab-classic-900-production-figures.html).
Saab likely needed help to survive - and although GM was not my choice for a partner or owner, it is what we got stuck with (did anyone else see the Wall Street Journal article back in 93 or 94 where someone from GM talked about saving money on things like braking systems that the consumer would not see or notice? I saved the article and have thought for years it was a terrible omen of GM not understanding us from the start... does anyone here want to cheapen their fantastic Saab brakes to improve someone's profit?).
The point of view we have is that we DO blame GM but also recognize the myriad factors that played a role... we drive (by most people's standards) "quirky" cars (which I HATE hearing - they aren't quirky, darn it, they are ENGINEERED - form SHOULD follow function in my book).
When you creep up to owning 5 at one time, people notice and ask questions and our family is happy to be the ambassadors of Saab locally. When people have asked why we drive them, why we like them, etc. I unleash myself... showing people the unique features, performance, safety and convenience (you won't break your kneecap in an accident on the key chain since it is between the seats, you can pass anything in a pinch on the highway to get a safe distance between you and that semi truck wandering into your lane, and you can get a 6 foot sofa in the hatch... all while pulling off 30 MPG's, and having superior handling on icy roads (I know I am preaching to the choir here).
People were amazed by the cars when someone took the time to give them a tour, a ride or heaven help us, let someone get behind the wheel of one of our babies.
I KNOW we have been responsible for MANY people we knowing getting Saabs. While they have declined in numbers on our street in recent years, MANY neighbors, MANY friends bought Saabs because of us.
I know that in a similar sense, we will have an impact on future car purchases of similar groups of people - including explaining what our issues are with GM.
Our older Saabs didn't have the mass appeal that many look for or purchase because they just go with the flow (what everyone else drives)... so I understand why GM tried to make them look like everything else. That does NOT mean I approve. It is simply trying to deal with facts (that I don't like).
I find it even more amusing to have owned 6 Saabs and have run up over half a million miles collectively and not suffered outrageous repair costs. I worked in a used car dealer for a while where the owner wanted to buy and sell used Saabs but then tried to convince me that they were maintenance nightmares. I did his financial work for him. I went ahead and showed him that he was spending more money on average on American and Japanese car repairs to make them ready to sell than the Saabs. The other annoying factor with that boss was that he went to auctions and would buy the cheapest Saab he could find that was blowing smoke / antifreeze, etc. and then brought it to his mechanic and got angry when he found out it had a blown turbo, cracked cylinder head, etc. The man was not a genius.
And to all the other people who hear and repeat like parrots how expensive Saabs are to maintain, I remind them that we are not wealthy and manage to keep 5 Saabs in perfect running condition... and when we compare how often these people get stuck with Toyotas, Nissans and the like and their repair costs, they sheepishly tell me they are ready to look at Saabs and see why we are so committed.
We have influenced people's buying decisions before and we will again... and GM is likely not on the list of things we recommend!! (I am trying to be polite - guess how I REALLY feel!)
I'll shut up now. Please blame my ranting on a lack of sleep due to spending time refreshing web pages all day and night awaiting news of Saab's sale, and having "Saabmares" as I have taken to calling them (dreaming that Saab is being shut down - I am not kidding - it bothers me that much).
9 up! Saab up!
Best wishes to all.
posted by 75.16.16...
, Tue, 22 Dec 2009 13:28:00
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