The last new Saabs arrived in Australia in 2011, a mix of 9-3, 9-3x and new 9-5’s. Since then we know the story worldwide has been Saab’s demise, the saga involving NEVS and the rise of ORIO AB. But here in Australia things haven’t been so up and down I suppose. Saab Australia closed in 2013 with the loss of 6 jobs, we were fortunate enough to have a small population of NG9-5’s but no 9-3 Griffin’s.
So where do we get parts? Well, we have one official importer of genuine parts Alec Mildren a former Dealer and most of the ex-dealerships still service cars in the capital cities but nothing exists regionally. Which leaves us with the dilemma of ordering parts from dealers, shopping online or going to one of the few Saab dedicated wreckers located in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. In my opinion I’d like to see ORIO AB properly launch service programs and a proper website with web shop, but seeing as we are a small market I find this unlikely to happen.
What about the car supply? There is a steady stream of classic 900’s and 9000’s all the way up to modern 9-3’s and 9-5’s. Prices are low which makes the market a great for potential buyers.
To Be Continued…
