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In Britain, right up until about the last face-lift of the 9-5 they had a very good reputation for reliability. Terrible for resale though as over here when new they were pitched against 3 & 5 series BMWs and lower end Mercs and they just didn't hold their value in comparison.
They were and still are popular especially as a secondhand purchase. Over here people thought of them as an unusual but classy alternative to the German brands as was/is Alfa Romeo. Another thing was that a lot of companies had BMWs as company cars driven by reps' and they were everywhere whereas a Saab was rarer, more distinctive.
Saab is/was a very popular vehicle on the East Coast, particularly New England. It featured very good handling and cornering in addition to being a good snow driver. Hopefully this niche brand will reappear again in the future. Former Saab owners generally gravitate toward Volvo, Volkswagon/Audi, or Subaru.
... once GM began fiddling with the company, it was on a sharp downhill slide from which it could not recover...
Agreed. The mid 2000 were showing this in some models.
I was pleasantly surprised by my 2 Saabs with the 2.3/4 in large cars (9000 and 9-5). I had owned many V-8 "supercars", a few BMW big 6s, and assorted Japanese cars. I learned to respect the (genuine) Saab 4's durability, reliability, and real-life performance. Most manufacturers are now offering Turbo 4s for affordable performance and mileage.
One other comment on Saabs and other similar "Eurocars", as they age, it's nice to have a convenient, skilled, independent mechanic nearby...if you don't do the work yourself
I love my '05 9-3 Turbo 5 speed. Best car, hands down I have ever owned. 160,000 miles and still going strong (knock on wood). Excellent in snow and great gas mileage no matter how fast I drive it.
There are still plenty of Saab's on the road in NJ.
I saw a number of ads for new 2011 9-5 models at blowout prices after the bankruptcy happened. As in the high 20K range. Kind of wish I'd had bought one - there's a former Saab dealer not too far from here that still works on them.
I remember test-driving one about ten years (or more) ago - the salesman kept showing us how the dashboard cup holder did that breakdance maneuver when it was activated and deactivated. It was kind of interesting but sure did look like the first component that would break.
Got my first Saab back in 71. If I recall correctly it was a 63 or 64 shrike, given to me by my boyfriend who was the service manager at a Saab dealership. Only had it for about a year and he replaced it with another that was in a bit better condition. A couple of times when it was in the shop and the loaner cars where out to paying customers his boss let me take his old Jaguar. That was fun.
Friends teased me about having an old car that was a two stroke and a new motorcycle that was a four stroke.
Split up with him and headed for CA from NY. Blew up the engine in Wentzville, MO. Called him collect at his shop and had him send me a rebuilt engine. My brother and I replaced it in the campgrounds, with the campground owner giving us a hand with the loan of some tools. He even let us dispose of the old one by simply putting the tiny thing in the garbage can there. Had to baby that thing over the Rockies and the Sierras til I got to the bay area. Had that one for a few years and eventually got a wagon, still another old two stroke. It got hard to find competent mechanics to work on the old models and so in 81 I broke down and bought a brand new Honda.
But I sure did love my quirky old Saabs and the guy who got me started with them. We remained friends until his death in 2005.
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