Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2006 21:08:39 +0100 From: Greg Farris <farrisnospam.org> Subject: Re: Lifetime of Saab
In article <4sgdj9FvnuvcU1nospamindividual.net>, DaveHinznospaml.com says... >Did you have any facts to add to the discussion, or should I just expect >you to come up with more errors like your claim about Saab making a >model called the DKW... (slight chuckle) I admit my phrase was not well formulated. By "model" I meant "example" - the thing they were emulating! I actually saw the ambiguity, but out of laziness I decided to credit the reader with sufficient understanding - but then - need I say more? I do apologize for the ambiguity. Contrary to what you seem to think, I do not believe or profess to be any sort of expert on Saab automobiles. If you read the thread I don't think you'll find any assertion of the sort. In 1990, when I bought my 5th Saab, the company sent me a book, "The First Forty Years," and I read it. I'm sure many others here have as well. Not enough to make one an expert, but just enough to know that DKW (and BMW, and Volvo) are not Saab automobiles! > >You're also apparently unaware that sometimes ones doesn't have to to >"research" on a topic, if they already know about it. Do I have to >"research" that a workable turbo went into production in 1977? >(insert quibble about the word "production", go ahead if you must). Do I detect a short-term memory failure? I was only responding to your own claim of "pretending" to do research! This was supposed to be so compelling as to preclude any possible rejoinder on my behalf! (A usenet classic - I'll have to remember that one!) For my part I have not done, or even pretended to do any research in the context of this discussion. > >Wow. That was a really long sentence. You seem obsessed about this >"forever" word. Well, that -IS- the topic of this discussion. It would appear I need to remind you of your own argument. Your argument is in defense of the proposition that Saab engines last "forever". I know it was not you who made that claim, and I accept that the claim was made with some degree of hyperbole, but my objection to it is the basis of your reaction, and if one is to credit you with the least grain of sanity, it can only be that you believe this claim to be true. So what did you think about the high mileage >listings? I have an axe that's as old as me and will survive me. It has had three new heads and four new handles . . . I have also owned six Saabs, and changed out about that many engines and gearboxes. Those listings do not say anything about that. I do think it's interesting that many of the cars that have inspired the most boastful claims for longevity and reliability are those that were developed with no pretention other than to make the cheapest, most accessible transportation. The French 2CV. The Volkswagen Beetle. The early Saabs. The Mercedes, incontestably better engineered machines, do not have vociferous fan clubs in the background, measuring mileage statistics! GF Yes, on a cosmic time scale, these cars don't last "forever", >nobody has claimed otherwise. >
