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Lovely to see. I do like a SAAB, even though I've never owned one. Was put off in recent years by GM ownership and I expect that DNA is still strong, but I wish them luck and success. I still like the idea of a good 9-5 estate, but I'm not sure I fancy any of the engines that were fitted to them in the past.
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One of my favourite cars was a 93 SE, from the period when they were mocked for being Cavaliers in drag (a 1994 I think), it was registered MxxxKAT anyway).
Brilliant seats, and a few quirky features. Among them the locking gear lever instead of a steering lock, and the 'black panel' which I liked - put all the dash lights out except the speedo.
What will seriously handicap them is people holding back for fear they will fail again, which could of course bring about exactly that. I don't know how they can overcome that.
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Had three Saabs, a 1975 99 Combi, a 1979 900 and a 1995 93. I really liked the first two but I just couldn't get on with the steering and scuttle shake of the 93. All of them had superb seats and ergonomics and the first two fantastic boot space. I still have a soft spot for the marque and would like to see it succeed but I think they are going to have a tough time in a very competitive market.
alfalfa
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Seems they are making pretty standard 9-3s. Weren't they supposed to be making electric ones instead?
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>> Seems they are making pretty standard 9-3s. Weren't they supposed to be making electric ones instead?
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No point in building cars people wont buy...
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It's a shame that the Saab/Subaru collaboration never got off the ground, because the 9-2X looked like a really interesting car, the quirkiness of the Subaru Impreza coupled with Saab refinement. Evo really like it.
www.evo.co.uk/carreviews/evocarreviews/47312/saab_92x_aero.html
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I had always imagined, that should I ever have enough money to retire, that I would buy a navy blue metallic SAAB convertible with black leather seats and a straw hat. None of those options look especially viable as things stand but you never know.
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My '07 Saab 9-5 diesel estate is possibly the best car I've ever had. Running at a steady 44mpg brim-to-brim (computer gives an optimistic 48mpg) with lovely comfortable seats, powerful stereo and climate control, plenty of poke and no looming problems, I can't think of anything better suited to my 50-mile daily commute and 200-mile+ family treks. I've done 13k miles in it since March without a hiccup, save for two separate punctures caused by road debris.
I hope the manufacturing side gets back off the ground, they have a great reputation. The parts supply situation has, I understand, always been good. At almost 140k miles, mine hasn't needed any yet :)
Last edited by: Dave_TiD on Mon 23 Sep 13 at 19:52
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1994 and 1995 cars would have been 900s, not 9-3s. The 9-3 came along in 1998, and I had one of the first - the subsequently-dropped 2.0 NA. Loved it, and neither it nor the 1996 900 it replaced felt anything like a Cavalier.
That GM 'DNA' Vic refers to was a key point in Saab's eventual failure: not because there was too much, but rather, too little. The Saab engineers took the Opel bits and re-worked them into something good. This cost money - too much money - and Saab lacked the economies of scale to compete with, say, Audi. It was a heroic failure, the company that when offered the chance to put its badge on a Vauxhall, said Nej.
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1994 and 1995 cars would have been 900s, not 9-3s
You are absolutely right about the nomenclature of the 1995 Saabs and of course the GM "DNA" started in 1994. I don't think GM really understood Saab and as you say it cost too much for too little return.
alfalfa
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GM didn't have a premium brand in Europe. They thought SAAB could do that job but it never turned out that way.
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>>1994 and 1995 cars would have been 900s
You're absolutely right of course. I had to scratch my head to remember which it was, and then I got it wrong.
The only black car I ever had. Swine to keep clean-looking.
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Some makes/models of cars were a right PITA to tune up, but I always enjoyed tuning Saab's as they tuned up well.
I had a 900 not so many years ago when we lived up on Bodmin Moor, nice car.
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SAAB - Fat lady coming back on stage? - Alanovich
