Pearl Jam are touring Australia at the moment, and whilst I won’t be seeing them (bummer) it does remind me of one of my favourite road trips of all time, during which we had a cassette tape of TEN on auto-reverse for an entire week.
Remember when auto-reverse was the biggest thing in audio? I digress.
This whole dealer upheaval, price upheaval and model range upheaval has me in a spin. Will the car company that I’ve grown to appreciate, even love, look anything like it does now in three or four years from now? Will it have the same qualities that drew me to it in the first place? Will there be a Saab motor car that I can not only appreciate, but genuinely aspire to?
I’m still alive when it comes to Saab. I fear that the company is turning its back on its own history, but remain hopeful.
The next 9-3 has a big burden to bear, doesn’t it?
Sorry if that was all a little too dramatic, but sometimes you just have to write what you think.
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Per Eklund, standing on top of his car having just driven it to victory at the Solberg Extreme Motor Show. From Rallycross.com
I’m not sure what was involved in this event (and I think it was mostly for laughs and a good show), but Per beat some good competition to win the best-of-three final round.
In the ‘Real Deal’ class Per Eklund (SAAB 9-3) beat 2009 FIA European Rallycross Champion Sverre Isachsen (Ford Focus ST) in the final after both drivers won their semi-final from respectively Morten Bermingrud (Citroën C4) and Camilla Antonsen (Ford Focus).
Per also hired out a car to another driver, who drive the Saab 9-3 to victory against Marcus Gronholm to take the ‘Golden League’ event.
Hat tip to Mike Jager, as usual.
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So what goes into renovating a kiss-ass dealership in the US?
Try a gymnasium, masseuse, manicurist and every other amenity under the sun.
Read and enjoy this article from the Chicago Tribune on a new Cadillac/Toyota/Chevy/Scion dealership. This takes some money.
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I must say…..
In considering my thoughts as posted at the top of this article, I was compelled to consider the appreciation I have for my own modern Saab.
Yes, I prefer the older stuff, but I’ve got to say that my more modern Saab really is one heck of a nicely sorted machine now. I’d even go so far as to say i’m more attached to it than what I was to my Viggen. It doesn’t look anywhere near as good, but it does drive every bit as good.
They really made something great out of that car. The 900/9-3 was my least preferred Saab when I first saw it back in the 1990s. If only I’d known then what I know now.
Bottom line: in spite of my fatalistic outlook, this company’s clearly capable of some brilliant, brilliant things.
Have a good Sunday.
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{ 11 comments }
Thank you for your comments.
I spent part of Saturday looking for unauthorized Saab service in case I get cut off out here in the deserts of West Texas. After all, anyone who can buy a new Saab should be able to pay for warranty work out of pocket if they need to pay for it (push comes to shove).
The other part of the day I went and looked at the last 8 new Saabs, 1-2009 9-5, 1-2008 Turbo X, 1-2009 9-7X, 2-2009 9-3 comforts, and 3-2009 9-3 tourings, on my dealers lot. 7 out of 8 cars I would still consider buying, but I already have the best two Saabs that were on the lot.
We will see what comes.
Thank you for your comments.
I spent part of Saturday looking for unauthorized Saab service in case I get cut off out here in the deserts of West Texas. After all, anyone who can buy a new Saab should be able to pay for warranty work out of pocket if they need to pay for it (push comes to shove).
The other part of the day I went and looked at the last 8 new Saabs, 1-2009 9-5, 1-2008 Turbo X, 1-2009 9-7X, 2-2009 9-3 comforts, and 3-2009 9-3 tourings, on my dealers lot. 7 out of 8 cars I would still consider buying, but I already have the best two Saabs that were on the lot.
We will see what comes.
“Pearl Jam … TEN on auto-reverse for an entire week.”
Yea Swade, great album … I remember, we had this one on auto-reverse for nearly half a year …
my “auto-reverse” sickness was Wall of Voodoo “Mexican Radio”…
Swade, Its good sometimes to write exactly how you’re feeling here, heaven knows we all spout off more than enough!
good, bad or indifferent, you always provide us some really great and interesting reading!
kiss -ass dealership… holy cow! But to be honest, nothing worse than a parent with kids having to try and juggle everything around to take a car for service… with a place like that, she / he simply takes them along!
i’m a bit too young for autoreverse.
but one of my favorite things to do in my saab is to shift and get the rpms to move along to a certain song im listening to. lately its been U2.
just a dorky Saab performance to music thing.
TEN,a 90s classic that still top on my favorite albums:)
The next 9-3 ,yeap it will have alot of burden to bear and it will be tough but i am excited.
Btw, a CGI-competition of the next 9-3 would be cool:)
Swade, I think what we have to deal with here is 20 years of relative stagnation with SAAB. Now there is a lot of ground to make up, things need to change drastically in order for the business to survive. I believe that the soul will remain intact and become even stronger, not weaker.
Alive, but just barely… somewhere in Czech Rep., summer of 2008.
http://fotogalerie.hasicido.cz/thumbnails.php?album=172&page=1
From a generation newer, 50% heavier, airbag equipped MB E W210 one would expect better result then from the C900. Also the toll is similar 3 people in serious condition, the driver from SAAB and both driver and passenger from MB. No additional info was provided, except that it was the SAAB driver who went through the center line without reason.
Great to see you’re getting into the 93. Its a design classic in my view, not just for a Saab. As for Pearl Jam – I missed out on the Sydney tickets as well but I’ll never forget the first time I heard Stone Gossards solo on the title track.
Swade, if you really want your Monte to look like your Viggen, you just need one of these Aero bodykits:
http://www.netcarshow.com/saab/2001-9-3_aero_coupe/1600×1200/wallpaper_05.htm
NAME CHANGE to K…g:Saab needs to turn its back on a lot of things. Including it’s image and get a different type of customer or branch out. If I hear the word ‘quirky’ associated with the car , one more time, I’ll puke. I’m sick and tired of being associated with quirks.
They need to start off by a name change. They need to change the name to ‘Koenigsegg’. I’d rather buy a ‘Koenigsegg’.
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