[Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
[Profile/Gallery]
, Mon, 14 Aug 2006 11:07:09
Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup
Saab owners, I think, have always been in denial about something or other, though I think the cause of the denial has shifted significantly over the past ten years. It used to be, back in the 80's when Saab was riding high and the 900 was one of the coolest cars around, that Saab owners were simply fanatics, and were blind to a lot of the reliability and quality problems the cars had back then. The 900 and the 9000 I still consider to be two of the greatest cars produced, but they were far from reliable compared to most of the competition at the time. My 900, which I still own today, has never seen a day in its life when something wasn't wrong with it - seriously. But back then we ignored all that because there was something special and pure about the cars and their design. That type of devotion is what gave Saab its image, and created sites like this, among other things.
Today, Saabs are fairly reliable and have a fairly good level of fit and finish. My last Saab was a Viggen, which I wouldn't give high scores in any category; but I think the latest 9-3 feels better in that regard, and probably is. I have since moved to BMW's, and I can tell you categorically that they are in a different league. You pay for the improvement, of course, but it would be wrong to not admit the difference. So to use the two brands to compare, I would say that a Saab owner who believes that Saabs in general are of the same quality and reliability as BMW's in general, is certainly in denial - but it is denial that comes from defensiveness over his purchase decision rather than a particular devotion to the car or brand. But I don't think that there are a lot of current Saab owners like that. Most seem to judge their purchase based on value for money, so the fact that a more expensive brand might be a bit better is of no concern.
The denial among many Saab owners today is more about the brand itself. There are a lot of older Saab owners who for better or worse cling to the ideal of the 80's Saab, and a lot of newcomers who buy into that same vision, which in truth doesn't exist anymore. After all, the people who designed and built the current Saabs don't make jets, most don't speak Swedish, and design for the brand is necessarily now based on marketability rather than vision. Of course, there's nothing really wrong about any of those things - GM had to improve quality while keeping the cars in the same price range, which meant consolidating workforce and production; and they had to increase sales, which meant making the cars more mainstream. But it is disconcerting to me the number of buyers who believe that 'Saab' is today anything more than a style. I do think that it's high time Saab 'enthusiasts' wake up and admit that.
posted by 24.165.194...
, Mon, 14 Aug 2006 11:07:09
, Tue, 15 Aug 2006 12:36:07, Mon, 14 Aug 2006 12:08:10
No Site Registration is Required to Post - Site Membership is optional (Member Features List), but helps to keep the site online
for all Saabers. If the site helps you, please consider helping the site by becoming a member.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
