24 replies to this topic

[jonwat]

Filling for bankruptcy reported in Pistonheads & various other sites.

Really nice motors that pioneered FWD.

[alan]

A sad day - architects and dentists the world over will be looking for new cars...

[Roger 912]

I was sorry to see the demise of the original SAAB 2 stroke car of the 60's. Lovely car and won quite a few rallies if I recall correctly.

[surferphil]

Really nice motors that pioneered FWD.

I don't think either of those are true.
I can't say anything was remarkable or notable about SAAB, maybe that Tony Scott advert in the 80's (earned him the job as director of Top Gun) and that they burnt a lot of oil.

Ugly cars owned by awkward people IMHO.

[ronin]

I had a 1980 Saab 900 Turbo back in 1980. The sucker broke down so much I became a Saab mechanic and opened my first repair shop....I hated when the rods would go through the block and then kill the gearbox on the way around.... Thanks for the memories Saab.

Oh yeah I did have a 930 killer when I was done with the modifications to the 900..

[USAndretti42]

We had a Saab 900 Turbo 16V at work for a while and it always gave me a headache when I drove it because of the road noise. Only car I've had that problem with. Too much understeer and turbo lag as I recall.

I liked the way the ignition key was on the tunnel and locked the gearstick in reverse but, there again, I hate how so many manufacturers put the key out of sight on the side of the steering column. Were noted for being very ergonomic and not followers of fashion but lost their way, probably before GM bought them. So they ended up as not being mainstream but not special either so why would you buy them?

Always a shame for a manufacturer to go down the pan and people to lose their jobs but, as far as the actual product, it won't be missed by many, particularly Paul C.

[NedaSay]

... Not quite over for Youngman, that is trying to salvage Saab or more likely to pick up the pieces! Trolhahatan factory, part of the staff and other intangible assets are interesting to a chinese car maker on the rise and on the prawl for international recognition!

[MikieP]

Started driving SAAB's with the 1978 99 Turbo 3 Door. 238k miles later off to the scrap yard (cracked head). Picked up an used 1986 900T for $1500 in 1990, 278k miles later still parked on the street in front of the house and being driven 3 - 4 days per week, 64+ miles round trip. Only getting 8 lbs boost now but still turns in 32mpg. Then picked up a "spare" 1985 900T hatchback for $1000 in 1992 just in case. Sold the 1985 900T at 225K miles for the same $1000 this year and the kid loves it. Also had a 9000T 1986 from new and it went away at around 256k miles to another kid who couldn't handle the turbo boost and rear-ended another car and killed it. 9000T was not a mechanically great car (cat, turbo core, brakes, wheel bearings, but boost was nice for its weight. All in, the 1978 was the better of all of them, esp handling wise - anti-sway front and rear, Koni's, and other niceties not found on the later 900T's.

Back in 1980, I was the only one in town making it through the snowed in streets save the plows. SAAB brought Turbos back to the public consumer and had the best engine management (APC) of the time. Loads of space (93 cu/ft) behind the front seats (heated), heated folding side mirrors, 33 mpg on the highway, and then, GM bought 'em and killed them using GM shelf parts for things like suspension, etc. Terrible cars. After GM took over (1993) they became utter junk on many points and I never looked at them again. Oh yeah, I did have a close friend look after them, he was a SAAB Master mechanic and worked for several dealerships. lol

When the remaining 1986 900T finally commits suicide which appears imminent, I hope I can find be yet another Toyota Venza as its replacement. For certain, the 900T will be sorely missed (for its utility).

Edited by MikieP, 23 December 2011 - 04:47 AM.

[Buddsy]

I don't think either of those are true.
I can't say anything was remarkable or notable about SAAB...
Ugly cars owned by awkward people IMHO.

Im not really a great Saab fan but at least they seamed to offer very different designs from most of the other car makers. I think the car market place could become even more similar in design to each other with out Saab mixing it up a bit.

Buddsy

[surferphil]

They just looked more and more like Volvo and Mazda to me. Seem to fill the gaps between other brands rather than expanding the range of car design in the market. I can't think of any SAAB on the road from the last 10/20 years that was very different from anything else, have you got a particular model in mind?

[Paul C]

Saab were like a sad old pet that needed putting down.

Speak to anyone really passionate about Saab and they will 100% always be talking about:

Cars they used to make.

Not the 'deputy headmaster' also ran crap they have been churning out for the last few years.

Saab are like Woolworths, it's like 'Boo hoo, it's so sad they are gone'.

But at the time of death they were hideously sh1te and not like the 'good old days' that the people that (no longer shopped there) lament about.

I'm glad.

[Ruud]

I still drive my '89 Classic Saab 900c with much pleasure.

As a matter of fact...........this is also Saab..........
Undermentioned a couple of Saab odometer positions from members of the Dutch Saab-Forum.....................
745.000 km Thom Saab 99 2.1-16 LPG 1982
556.000 km Gerardus Saab 9000 LPT 2.0 LPG 1996
490.094 km turbopilot saab 99 GL CM4 LPG 1979
468.800 km Bibi Saab 900 GL, LPG 1984
453.000 km emiel00 Saab 9-5 2.0t LPG-G3 1998
451.781 km Mikey Saab 900NG 2.0i LPG 1997
450.000 km Peter Lucas Saab 9-5 2,3 SE aut. LPG 2001
445.300 km Vjenne Saab 9-3 2.0 LPG 1998
438.350 km Tool Saab 99 Turbo II Benzine 1979
434.000 km Gijsmondria Saab 9-5 2.3t Benzine 1997
425.000 km Data58 Saab 900 2.0i LPG 1996
423.000 km nelfrikandel 9-5 Estate 2.0t AUT LPG 2003
415.000 km paulzee 900T8 benzine 1989
415.000 km emiel00 9000 2.0i LPG-G3 1997
410.908 km Injectie 9000 CSE LPG 1997
410.328 km Paul Viking 9-3 TID Diesel 1999
410.000 km Twingo 9-3 TiD Diesel 2000
408.000 km Tenfour 900 Classic 2.0i LPG 1993
One million kilometers with a Classic Saab is far from rare; there are several ones on the Continent........

Even ......one million MILES..... with one and the same Saab is also possible......
http://www.jsonline....s/29181064.html

undermentioned a message from 12-6-2006......
MILWAUKEE — As a traveling salesman, Peter Gilbert has put a few miles on his car — 1,001,385 miles, to be precise.
It took the Glendale, Wisc, man 17 years to cross the million mile mark with his 1989 Saab 900 SPG. He recently donated the durable vehicle to the Wisconsin Automotive Museum after Saab verified the mileage.
The transmission was rebuilt at 200,000 miles and the hood and a few other parts replaced after eight deer collisions, but otherwise it has original equipment.
Gilbert bought the Saab for $29,000. It was his treat after a divorce, and he took meticulous care of it. He used premium, synthetic oil in oil changes, changed the tires every 45,000 miles and strictly followed the maintenance schedule.
He drove the car seven days a week, racking up the miles as his work took him through rural Wisconsin.
Not burning oil
"When I hit 600,000 miles, the car still wasn't burning oil," Gilbert said. "That's when I thought it could go a million miles."
But Wisconsin's harsh winters took a toll on the car. Its sporty exterior still looks good, but road salt has rusted its frame. Gilbert realized it might no longer be safe if he hit another deer or had a serious accident.
"There was no point in driving the car any longer," he said. "Even though it might have gone another million miles."
He had it detailed and parked it at the Hartford museum, which houses a number of rare vehicles.

In 17 years the car used more than 600 quarts of synthetic Mobil-1 motor oil, which can travel significantly more miles between oil changes than regular oil.

In its time, the car burned two tanker-truck-loads of premium gasoline and averaged about 28 mpg.

It went through about 22 sets of tires, changed every 45,000 miles.

The transmission was replaced at about 200,000 miles, but the engine was largely untouched.

The engine head gasket was replaced three times because constant warming and cooling stretched it.

Then Gilbert bought another Saab with fewer miles.

Edited by Ruud, 23 December 2011 - 11:34 PM.

[surferphil]

That's the beauty of a well maintained car 'Motorway miles' 1 careful owner...

I see the dig at my burning oil comment but you are talking about a car made by SAAB over 20 years ago, do you think if they had been reliable and look good in the last 10 years they would be bankrupt? I think their cars would be everywhere.

[robert87hci]

As a mechanic I worked on many 900 models, never figured out why they installed the engine backwards making maintenance items like belts such a pain in the arse to get at. I saw so many bad upper ball joints pass state inspection because inspectors did not know how to check them. Heater fans really sucked to replace. I did some transmission R&R's on the 9000 cars. Most auto manufacturers use 10mm, 12, 14, 17 and 19mm fastener bolt heads... not SAAB... they use 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19mm bolts. Real pain to remember where each one goes. No loss in my book.

By the way my 1988 Audi 80 Quattro has gone over 600,000 miles with a engine replacement at 267k for burning oil. Drivetrain / transmission original.

Edited by robert87hci, 28 December 2011 - 10:55 PM.

[mikeh]

I currently have a1980 900 turbo and the trans blew up. I mean catastrophic failure. The only reason Im fixing it is because its pretty rare in these parts and its in pretty good shape otherwise. If that weren't the case, i'd junk it. It is difficult to work on. I'd much rather work on my Lotus.

[rocket63]

Mmmmm Saab

[TBD]

They just looked more and more like Volvo and Mazda to me. Seem to fill the gaps between other brands rather than expanding the range of car design in the market. I can't think of any SAAB on the road from the last 10/20 years that was very different from anything else, have you got a particular model in mind?

Actually they looked more like Opel and Vauxhaul, which they in fact were.
It went downhill with Saab after GM took over, which sounds a bit familiar to the Lotus experience with GM.

[red vtec]

The cars all start to look the same partly due to the fact most car companies are owned by only a few big players, when I was at Ford they owned 7 brands including Aston Martin, Mazda, Land Rover, Ford, Think (electric cars), Volvo etc. Also all the big boys work with each other, there were BMW. Merc etc engineers onsite. Not to mention tie ins with Sony for radios etc

There subsidurie Visteon manfactured dashboards, speedos, climate control systems for many manufacturers. GM has an equivalent called Delphi. Therefore it all gets mixed up.

Look at Audi and Lambo for another example. R8 and Gallardo run same engine, switch gear, and I belive the RS range do as well.

SAAB were Retro cool, but that was the issue they were Cool once.

[Kimbers]

Correct that Saab lost not only its die hard fans but also its way under GM. the first thing they did was base them all on the Vauxhalls. So the 93 was a Vectra etc. Rubbish really. How to take a (albeit small) profitable company and destroy it!

[Bibs]

http://www.indiancar...s-assets-55251/

Looks like Lotus are in the running to buy SAAB's assets?!