O/T Mercedes car versus Saab

[Poppy]

Anyone any preferences.Old man like mercs but I am trying to interest him in a Saab.

[Guest peter]

Ask yourself which make has the most dealers and the highest sales and therefore the liklelihood of the best parts availability. Saab are good cars but aren't that popular. Think also about re-sale value. Personally I'd go for a Mercedes.

[nowtelse2do]

I'd go for the Jag :-D

Dave

[Guest peter]

What the one based on the Mondeo?.

[nowtelse2do]

peter - 2010-12-18 10:26 PM What the one based on the Mondeo?.

As famliy cars go Peter, not much wrong with the Mondeo.

Dave

Ps I'v notified the mod :-D

[Dave Newell]

And this has exactly what to do with motorhomes?

 

D

[Rayjsj]

I like the Toyota Yaris 'cause it can be 'a framed' behind a motorhome.

Try doing that with a Mercedes (unless it's an 'a' class). Ray

[Poppy]

Nothing really Dave.

[Derek Uzzell]

Rayjsj - 2010-12-18 11:39 PM

 

I like the Toyota Yaris 'cause it can be 'a framed' behind a motorhome.

Try doing that with a Mercedes (unless it's an 'a' class). Ray

 

I think you may be interpreting Poppy's "O/T" as "On Tow", whereas (given the question) it's more probably meant to mean "Off Topic". I hope that's the case, as towing any Mercedes or Saab could prove to be an interesting challenge for a Hobby Van and would almost certainly be illegal weight-wise.

[paulmold]

If you are talking diesel, late Saabs are nothing more than a re-badged Vauxhall Vectra and I wouldn't have another one of those , though I'm sure there are plenty of folks who think differently.

[Clive]

SAABs have been jazzed up Opel,s (Vauxhall) for years. That is until GM sold them . Who owns then now?

[Poppy]

I did mean O/T. No intentions of towing with the motorhome!

[EJB]

I am a real SAAB fan. *-)

They are now owned by Spyker:- http://www.spykercars.nl/?pag=1

Older 9-5s (pre 2004) are fine. Modern 9-3s and 9-5s are not too good.

The crux of most problems, particularly 9-3s, is mating SAAB engines to GM chassis giving rise to electrical and other problems.

They have been in limbo for some time but Spyker is about to change all that......but not instantly!!!! ;-)

 

PS. I wouldn't have anything else...except an XF Jaguar if I had two cars.

[BGD]

Be aware that Saab, as a volume manufacturer, are in the process of being closed down now.

 

Although that should mean little in terms of spares for older models (they mostly used parts from other GM cars) it certainly ain't a brand with a future.

 

Bit like Rover...........

 

 

 

My personal vote, if having only these tow brands to choose from, would be Merc every time.........but an older 2nd hand one if possible, designed and built before the Company sacrificed awesome build quality in the search for cheaper vehicles to compete with BMW et al who went "price & quality down" during the late 1990's.

 

 

 

 

If buying new now, I would go for one of the "new boys" from the Far East: Hyundai or Kia every time.

Utterly awesome quality, for buggerall money.

Sure, loads of tacky plastic, no soul, and no street cred at all.

But that simply means it don't get nicked or keyed, and your insurance is 50% less.

And with 5 or even 7 year warranties, damn cheap prices, Toyota-like component and assembly quality, cheap servicing, cheap spares........that'll do fine for me.

 

 

 

 

 

[EJB]

PSS. Just realised that my 9-5 is 10 years old this month.....could also reach 50,000 miles next year.....but possibly not *-) :-D :-D .

[EJB]

BGD,

SAAB have just introduced the new 9-5 and have never been in better shape.....I don't know where you found those comments?

[Rayjsj]

Think i agree with Dave ! sod all to do with motorcaravans. *-)

[BGD]

EJB - 2010-12-19 3:26 PM

 

BGD,

SAAB have just introduced the new 9-5 and have never been in better shape.....I don't know where you found those comments?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi EJB -

 

Sorry, not so.

The Company has never been in WORSE shape.

 

The Company (in reality the fixed assets) was sold off as a basically bankrupt sub-division of GM last January, to a small specialist car company called Spyker, which is really the toy of a very rich Russian(?) chap, who finances their ongoing losses from his other ventures.

The sweetener which GM had to add to the deal to get anyone to buy (Sabb had been up for sale for a long time previously, but no-one wanted it because of its accumulated trading losses and thus debt burden) was that GM would absorb the prior trading debts, so a buyer would buy the assets "clean".

Since then, Saab has twice revised downwards its projected sales even after this bailout from bankruptcy. It was, is, and remains a VERY sick puppy, losing millions, with sales volumes and revenues plummeting through the floor; and surviving now month by month only on the back of Antonov's bank balance.

 

 

 

Wikipedia mentions some of the saga:

 

"On January 26, 2010, General Motors confirmed that Spyker and General Motors had come to an agreement allowing Spyker to purchase Saab, subject to regulatory and government approval; the sale was completed on February 23, 2010. General Motors will continue to supply Saab with engines, transmissions and also completed vehicles in the shape of the new Saab 9-4x from GM's Mexican factory. The deal includes a loan from the European Investment Bank, guaranteed by the Swedish government. It comprises $74m in cash up front, payable to GM by July 2010, and shares in Spyker to the tune of $320m (US).

Saab announced that it was going to build its US headquarters in Royal Oak, Michigan. A new Saab 9-3 was confirmed for 2012, while production restarted at the Saab plant in Sweden in March 2010. Victor Muller, CEO and founder of Spyker Cars stated in an interview that the take-over was financed solely by Vladimir Antonov with the knowledge of General Motors.

In October 2010, the Company revised its production target for the year to 30,000 to 35,000 vehicles from 45,000 vehicles as a result of longer time was needed to recover from plant shutdown for two months at the beginning of the year and reverse liquidation proceeding. It was reported that it was the second time forecast was cut in less than three months."

 

 

 

[EJB]

I've read more than I care to remember over the past year or two about the whole saga and am very optimistic ;-)

See who's right in a year or so ;-) :-D :-D

[Mike B.]

Poppy - 2010-12-18 7:50 PM

 

Anyone any preferences.Old man like mercs but I am trying to interest him in a Saab.

 

Without doubt the Mercedes. I am on my 4th consecutive one now and change them about 100k or about 3 years (which ever comes 1st) You get breakdown cover free from Mercedes providing the car is serviced regularly for 4 years and if anything can't be fixed, they take it away and lend you another one until it's fixed (FOC).

You have power, reliability, looks and comfort. Never faulters (Except in snow but at least it tells you when you have no traction!!) and the body work is guaranteed 30 years. I would suggest you go for an ex company car if 2nd hand as it will be high mileage yes but maintained meticulously and will do over 200,000 miles easily on a Merc Deisel engine. My last one sold 31.08.2010 had 118k on her and she looked and drove like new.

Mike

[Guest peter]

Dave Newell - 2010-12-18 11:21 PM

 

And this has exactly what to do with motorhomes?

 

D

Perhaps they want to A frame it. :D

[michele]

Poppy my dada has the Saab . never again

[Rayjsj]

peter - 2010-12-20 9:40 PM

 

Dave Newell - 2010-12-18 11:21 PM

 

And this has exactly what to do with motorhomes?

 

D

Perhaps they want to A frame it. :D

 

 

I know what about 'A framing' the motorhome 'Behind the Big Merc.' Oh wait thats a bit like 'caravanning' isn't it ? 8-) Ray

[Poppy]

Well, the merc has won!

[T8LEY]

Before you do anything rash this is what you get from a Saab:-

 

I bought my first one in 1966, it was a Monte Carlo rally winner and I wanted it badly. It had used up all the numbers on the mileage recorder before I sold it.

 

By the time I got the second one I had a young family. Pictures in the press of crash survivors walking away from a Saab convinced me that was the car I must have. The car had been hit, side-ways on, by a train. SIPS is just one of many Saab innovations.

 

I had so much confidence in Saabs by now that my third one had done 91,000 miles when I bought it. It finally left me with 250,000 on the clock, original mechanicals and running like new. I recall stories in 2006 of an American covering a million miles in one similar to my next purchase, my current Saab.

 

This one is 18 years old and just coming of age, of course. It's only done 135,000 miles so it will probably be another 18 years before I need another.

 

All my Saabs have been petrol engined.