The sad news came down today that GM has run out of options for unloading Saab, and will instead shutter the company. Saab introduced their first car, the 92, back in 1947, and gained a reputation as a builder of quirky but safe automobiles. In the 1970s, with the introduction of the rally-bred 99 turbo, they also became known for performance, albeit for the small-engine set. A deal with Koenigsegg fell through in November, and while Spyker expressed interest, it seems they were only window shopping. So now it’s all over but the turning off of the lights.
Saab will now join Oldsmobile, Saturn and Pontiac as brands that GM has fitted with concrete galoshes and pushed into the icy depths of the Detroit River. Looking at newspaper ads for the remaining Saturns and Pontiacs feels almost ghoulish, and now you can add Saab to that list of walking dead. It’s always possible that a white knight will come in and scoop up the company at the last minute, but that seems unlikely.
Since dealerships will need to unload inventory, good deals on these Swedish meatballs may be had, possibly making Saab an addition to your consideration list if you’re in the market for a car.
Now, federal law mandates a manufacturer to maintain a five-year supply of parts following a model’s demise, but that doesn’t mean that the new wrench-turner down at the Cadillac dealership two-years hence is going to have a clue what to do when your 3-year old Saab comes in on the flatbed. So, with that in mind, would you buy a new, or recent, Saab now that the company will be no more?
Saab story via Jalopnik
Image sources: [automobilemag, beepwork]
Hooniverse Asks- Would You Buy a Saab Now?
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This makes me want to buy a Saab more. I never really seriously considered a Saab, but now I might.
Of course, I'm on this website and, therefore, not exactly normal.-
Freak!
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While Saabs have always been "interesting" because they're weird, they've never held any appeal for me, so the answer is no.
I've raced two LeMons races in a Saab and I still don't get the appeal, but I love Fox body Fords so my opinion doesn't mean much. -
I know a guy who wants to sell a very pretty Sonett III for a reasonable price. I've always wanted it, today's announcement makes me want it more. Unfortunately, I'm not willing to buy additinal toys or give up one to get it.
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Yes, absolutely (if I were a thousandaire). I'd probably try and find a Saab specialist, but at the same time, there's enough shared tech going on that a GM dealer should be able to handle maintaining one well enough. Maybe just start building a good relationship with a Buick dealer and hope that being trained on the upcoming Regal is close enough.
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9-3X Aero SportCombi, 6MT 280hp turbo 2.8L V6 AWD. (Your crazy moon language means nothing to me!). As regards parts and service, since they're all GM parts-bin cars anyway, it's not like they'll be all that mysterious to service staff when viewed from beneath. We tend to drive our vehicles into the ground anyway (30k++ miles/year on the WRXagon), so resale's kind of a moot point. I'm a believer in GM powertrain engineering, so it's all looking promising.
Stopped by the Saab shantytown at the LA Auto Show. I really felt bad for the folks working there. For some terrible reason they had lots of space and like 4 cars, one of which was the 9-5 concept. So really 3 cars.
The_Missus and I sat in a 9-3 wagon, as it's a notch bigger than the WRXagon, and the aforementioned stat sheet has me interested.
The experience was _not_ pleasant. Maybe it was just b/c it's a clapped out demo model that's been on the circuit well past it's sell-by date, maybe it's a down-spec'ced example, but the seats were crap, the driver control surfaces were crap, numerous plastic handles were busted, etc, etc. My '06 WRX is no paragon of interior design, but this thing felt like it was from 2002.
Ah…the Answer to the question at hand…I'd consider one if I were shopping, but then I'd probably end up buying somthing else.-
"9-3X Aero SportCombi, 6MT 280hp turbo 2.8L V6 AWD"
Heard they are rare as Unicorns..-
Per the search below, there are like 6 nationwide.
Oddly enough, they're all on the east coast. Saab = east coast Subaru?
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Don't forget the fuel economy. My dad and I were amazed at how thirsty the V6T is, though a lot of that could be the fact that you have to get it with AWD.
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My search, if intensedebate will parse the humongous autotrader links…
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/searchresults.jsp?l… -
Does a Saab 9000 count as recent? If I could find a good enough deal on a manual 9000 Aero I might. That or a beater 900S. Might consider a used 9-3 convertible for the wife, those things are going super cheap anyways. http://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/ctd/1507214703….
I've seen nice 9-3 5-speed turbo convertibles for less than $3500 too. -
I would not buy a new one.
I would for sure consider a two-stroke 95 or a 1993 900 turbo. My Dad drove one of these until I was about three years old and he sold it to a friend who held onto it for a year or two. I have a faint memory of riding in the back.
<img src="http://peacetek.net/saab-95/1973-saab-95-right.jpg" style="width: 600px; height: 400px; border: 0" alt="imgTag" />
The image I found could possibly be the same car. I think has Washington plates. It's the same color but in much nicer condition and has a roof rack that may or may not have been on our car. -
I would buy this one: http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?ct=p&ca…
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9-5 Aero with manual trans: http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?ct=p&ca…
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The ones I would buy are all used anyway, so my answer is Yes. But that guy from Ohio's gonna buy up all the good ones, so I guess it's moot.
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The only GM-engineered Saab that really gooses my loins is the 9-3 Viggen, though a four-cylinder SportCombi might be a neat runabout if the price was right (You'll probably be able to pick up front-drive 5-speeds for under $20k before all's said and done.). As it is, I'm really in no position to replace my Benz, and probably won't be for some time.
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I just discovered that they made a 9-7x AERO, basically a Saab TrailBlazer SS. I might could take the wife into one of those as a replacement for her TrialBlazer in a few years, if I could ever find one. Saw an interior pic of one and noticed that they replaced one of the cup holders with the ignition switch to give it some Saab-ness.
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…which is the stupidest thing ever.
(The key thing, that is)-
Agreed. The TrailBlazer has 3 front cup holders, which is nice: one for driver's drink, one for passenger's drink, and one for cell phone, keys, sunglasses, etc. The 9-7x has one! the ignition switch takes the place of one, and two 12v plugs take the space of the other one.
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Yeah, I always find my 3 cupholders to be full. I keep the crappy little removable ashtray thingy in one for change, coke in the other, and phone in the other. But it works.
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You have cupholders? I suppose the Miata is supposed to be minimalist, but to be honest, after owning it this long I'd almost forgotten what a cupholder is used for.
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I just saw that too. I didnt realize the 9-7x had the V8 in it. Color me impressed. But yeah, I need a cup holder.
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Not just any old 5.3L V-8 (fairly common for the 9-7x), but the AERO got the 6.0L 395HP LS2! These things have to be super rare, only built for 2008 and 2009. I think I have only seen two or three 9-7xs in the flesh anyways, let alone the AERO. Apparently all of them are all wheel drive too.
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Well, better dead than Red, I suppose.
Would I buy one now? I would, if they'd sell me a brand-new 9000. -
For the price, there are better, quirkier cars to be had. I do like SAABs, but they are the distilled essence of mundane. When you mention to someone that you drive a SAAB, there is the initial reaction of "really, interesting" followed immediately by "wait, SAABs are not cool anymore, what with it being a pimped platform now." Maybe now that SAAB is dead, the brand will have more panache with the laypeople.
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I wonder who will sponsor Versus' coverage of Le Tour de France now?
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I would dragon a viggen and not care who saw me.
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This saddens me. I remember riding around as a ltlle kid in my grandmother's two stroke Saab. My other grandmother had an Oldsmobile.
![http://peacetek.net/saab-95/1973-saab-95-right.jpg"](http://peacetek.net/saab-95/1973-saab-95-right.jpg"){kind=link}
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