dgl Posted November 9, 2005 Report Share Posted November 9, 2005 After many years of swearing by German cars and advocating them at every opportunity, I have fallen in love with a Swedish car! It's the Saab 93 Sportwagon. I have to say, it looks absolutely striking. I have just priced one up and am thinking I could be chosing one as my new company car. Think I'll be going for a test drive soon! Anyone have any thoughts on Saab? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser647 Posted November 9, 2005 Report Share Posted November 9, 2005 Saw one the other day. Looking good! Good choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattR32 Posted November 9, 2005 Report Share Posted November 9, 2005 They look nice but I can't help thinking of the Vectra chassis! My wifes uncle and Aunt have a 1.9TiD saloon that looks good but it cost a shed load more than my Astra, yet has the same engine (with less torque), is lower specced and is slower. Get one with a pokey engine, and I think you've got a nice car but also bear in mind that it's a GM vehicle with GM parts. Fine if you are paying peanuts for a Poxhall, not so good if you're paying over £20k for a "premium" car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R32North Posted November 9, 2005 Report Share Posted November 9, 2005 I thoigh the very same "93 Sportwagon, mmmmm, yummy!!", but then I also thought about two key facts a) GM chassis / GM parts (As per MAstra) b) Horrendous depreciation On the depreciation note, I looked at a 18 month old Sabb 95 which was £27 new and it was selling for £11k, with 41k on the clock. Also, saw some 93 Saloons with similar massive drops in price. If your thiking long termer (5+ years) then I think the Saab is a good choice as you ride out the depreciation, but if you chnage every two years os so, then you need to be rich or mad to buy a new Saab! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richy_uk Posted November 9, 2005 Report Share Posted November 9, 2005 I had 2 Saab 93 courtesy cars whilst waiting for my new car. Sorry to say, I hated both of them. Yes they do look striking on the outside, but the interiors (especially the materials) are awful. The second one I had was an Aero. If this is their top car, then forget it. And they also drank too much fuel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patently Posted November 9, 2005 Report Share Posted November 9, 2005 They look great. Absolutely gorgeous. I wanted one, really wanted one, so hard that it hurt, right up the moment I drove one. Then I changed my mind. And, as noted, their value drops like a brick. So do buy one, but s/h (ex demo?) and only if you don't want the ultimate driving experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattR32 Posted November 9, 2005 Report Share Posted November 9, 2005 Is that "Saabaru" coming out soon? Basically a good looking Impreza. Looks good and has 4WD unlike every other "sporting" Saab that has FWD - Both Alfa AND Saab need telling, premium cars with a dollop of power MUST have 4WD or RWD! Six - Obviously a typo of yours (£27 to £11k is massive APPRECIATION!) but that is just shocking! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimdiesel Posted November 9, 2005 Report Share Posted November 9, 2005 I am having a go in the new 2.8 Turbo tomorrow. You are right about the depreciation, but have you seen the discounts being offered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattR32 Posted November 9, 2005 Report Share Posted November 9, 2005 I think it should be decent with that engine. But if you like it, I'd kick the dealer in the nuts on price. I did and got a new shape, pretty rare (my particular model, not Astras in general!) car or £3k under list by playing three dealers off against each other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R32North Posted November 9, 2005 Report Share Posted November 9, 2005 [ QUOTE ] Is that "Saabaru" coming out soon? Basically a good looking Impreza. Looks good and has 4WD unlike every other "sporting" Saab that has FWD - Both Alfa AND Saab need telling, premium cars with a dollop of power MUST have 4WD or RWD! Six - Obviously a typo of yours (£27 to £11k is massive APPRECIATION!) but that is just shocking! [/ QUOTE ] The mileage was high on a 18 month old car and no doubt was a factor in the price being lower than it should, but its not uncommon for the over-spec'd Saab 95s to lose 40% + in the 1st year, but then they gain in latter years when the price doesn't drop as much, hence why they should be bough a) 2nd hand, or b) as a long termer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saab Posted November 9, 2005 Report Share Posted November 9, 2005 Unfortunately I'd be inclined to agree. The Sportwagon really does look good for a loadlugger, but it's unlikely to be discernably better than the equivalent Vectra which is at best an indifferent car. From the day that GM bought Saab they have been unprepared to invest any real money and Saab has had to make do with (often) aging Vauxhall components and I don't believe that things have changed that much since then. In addition my experience of Saab dealers has been fairly bad. Both in sales and service they come across as disinterested and unhelpful whilst happily charging outrageous prices. On many occasions I've had head-bangingly frustrating conversations with service managers / mechanics who appear to lack even the most rudimentary knowledge of the product they are supposed to be expert in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scooby_simon Posted November 9, 2005 Report Share Posted November 9, 2005 My Dad had a 93 and liked it. Complained about the interior and the gener GM feel to it. Just sold it and now has a brand new V50 soot chucker and loves it. Considered a V50 ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgl Posted November 9, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2005 All comments taken on board. It will be a company car, so depreciation is not an issue. I guess the proof of the pudding (whatever that means), will be in the driving. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wallachie Posted November 9, 2005 Report Share Posted November 9, 2005 I test drove a 9-3 Vector with my old boss just when they came out, it was before he got his license back so I had to drive it. I thought it was rubbish, ESP kicked in all the time, very bumpy, scuttley ride and the interior quality was awful. Beside the seats there were grab bar type things, which almost fell apart in my hand! I wouldn't even consider one, compared to some other cars in that price bracket. I would also recommend the Volvo V50 touring, great car! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewNiceMrMe Posted November 9, 2005 Report Share Posted November 9, 2005 David, I had a look at Saab 9-3 TiD's amongst all the other options when I was looking for my Soot-Chucker. I agree with you that the Sportwagon looks very nice indeed. However, when I went and looked in detail there were a few things that put me off. A lot were to do with the dealers, Western Saab. They're fairly local to me and I went along on a Sunday initially. To my surprise they were closed. Completely. Gates shut, the lot. So I parked outside of the main grounds and wandered in. This allowed me the opportunity to have a good look around all the cars on the used car forecourt (which was spread around 3 sides of the building). The first thing that struck me was how badly kept almost all of the cars were. I doubt very much whether an Audi or BMW in such condition would have made it onto a forecourt. The cars were filthy too. You could say this was because it was a Sunday and they'd not been valeted - but these hadn't been touched for about a week or so IMO. The other thing that I noticed during this visit was that the alloys were awful - on every car. The design of them was just horrid. Only the Aero's had a decent looking alloy. I went back on the Tuesday (or Wednesday, I can't quite remember) of the same week and this was the visit that put me off most. The service was appalling. This thread has only just reminded me of it and I should have posted about it at the time (god knows I posted about everything else!). It took an age to get the keys to look in a particular car and it was clear to me the salesman thought he had better things to do. I never actually got to drive the car but one thing I'll not forget was how noisy the car was. Okay so it probably hadn't been started up for a while - but it was genuinely Tractor-like. Much louder than a 320d or A4 TDi. Sitting inside the car I'd have to give it credit for it's seats - they were superb (and leather) but the rest of it disappointed me. The build quality wasn't what I'd expected. It wasn't low end, it wasn't high end - it ws just run of the mill. I arranged to go back and test drive one because they couldn't let me drive it at that time (no idea why!) but I ended up cancelling for some reason and then went down the A4 route. Just thought I'd pass my own experiences on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattR32 Posted November 9, 2005 Report Share Posted November 9, 2005 Methinks Saab should be sent this thread so maybe they realise they aren't impressing what I would call their core customer profile. It's a shame because they used to be well made and a bit different rather than overpriced Vauxhalls. (Just to reiterate, although I like the mk5 Astra, I think most of the rest of the VX range, Vectra included, is dull and dreary skip fodder). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgl Posted November 9, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2005 Thanks for your comments MrMe... I am really surprised by everyone's thoughts and opinions. I obviously have completely the wrong idea about Saab. Whilst I do not know much about them, I considered them to be a quality brand with a good reputation. I think I will go ahead with a test drive, but certainly exterior appearance alone will not be enough to lure me away from Audi! It's amazing how an experience at a dealer can completely put you off. I had a similar experience with a VW dealer, rude, uniterested and generally unhelpful. I think as a car fan, sometimes we expect dealers to be as enthusiastic about cars as we are, when in fact, it's just a job to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparky Posted November 9, 2005 Report Share Posted November 9, 2005 I back up MrMe's comments too. Before purchasing my A4, I took a 93 out for a bit. I liked the looks (it had the nice alloys on it) and it seemed really good. This was a hot day mind, and it wasn't until a second test drive in a much colder engine, did I spot just how loud it is. It shifted OK, nothing wonderful, but it certainly drank the fuel - even with the new Fiat diesel engine in it. The interiour quality just isn't up to par these days. If you've had enough of German cars, why not look at Volvo? The Saab dealers I dealt with were amongst the worst I have experienced in my short car buying time. Not interested, never returned calls, only sent out details on the 3rd request. Not impressed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattR32 Posted November 9, 2005 Report Share Posted November 9, 2005 David - When wife's uncle (with a new 9-3 1.9TiD engine, the same as my 1.9CDTi engine but less torque) looked around our new Astra, I could see his face drop. Ours looks fresher (not necessarily better), has better 1/2 leather sports seats, the same size wheels and tyres (same make too), has a more solid interior, bigger brakes, is marginally quicker (it's a fair bit lighter), has a lot more space, and has better spec. He paid well over £20k, we paid under £16k (£3k off list). Enough to annoy anyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgl Posted November 9, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2005 I take on board your comments MAstra and I have to be completely honest with you, here goes..... I am a badge snob when it comes to cars and given the choice between the two, I would probably take the Astra, even if I preferred the Saab. Does that make me a bad person? I am sure there must be others on here that are the same, otherwise more of us would be driving Skodas!! OK, just me? I'll get my coat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewNiceMrMe Posted November 9, 2005 Report Share Posted November 9, 2005 In many respects I expected Audi and BMW quality - but that's certainly not what I got. Nonetheless, they are still a quality car. I've mentioned before on here that a colleague of mine has an Aero and has had to keep it because of depreciation and the P/X he was offered. However, he's been treated appalling from start to finish by a different dealer to the one I visited, so it might not just be a one off. As a company car though they should definately be on a list to look at. Don't write it off, because you might have a completely different experience and be lucky enough to find a good dealer nearby. It's only when you look away from Audi and BMW that you realise just how far behind a lot of the other manufacturers have slipped in some respects. Not all, but that reassuring 'clunk' of the doors and the feel of all the switchgear is easily forgotten until you look elsewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Posted November 9, 2005 Report Share Posted November 9, 2005 its a Vauxhall saying that, its a nice looking one, I like the look of it on the adverts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattR32 Posted November 9, 2005 Report Share Posted November 9, 2005 I'm quite sure you got that second sentence the wrong way around!!! Totally fair enough. I was the same for a long time until I threw off my badge snob chains and tried literally everything on the market - The results really suprised me. If you told me a year ago that I'd own an Astra, I would have laughed at you - A lot! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patently Posted November 9, 2005 Report Share Posted November 9, 2005 I have to second (third??) the comments about Saab dealers. Last time I decided to change cars, I went onto the Saab website, found some tempting cars, and clicked to say that I'd appreciate a brochure and contact from a dealer to arrange a test drive. Two weeks later (!), brochures arrived in the post. By the time a dealer actually called, I'd decided on a 330Ci Sport, ordered it, taken delivery, and run it in. So that's why Saab didn't get a look in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgl Posted November 9, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2005 [ QUOTE ] I'm quite sure you got that second sentence the wrong way around!!! [/ QUOTE ] I'm quite sure I got it the wrong way round too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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