Are You Sad Saab Is Gone Or Good Riddance?

Yes, I am.

I'm a bit disappointed that SAAB is shutting down. The brand was slowly on its way to redefining itself --- similar to the Cadillac resurgence.

I believed that SAAB could have been fully developed into a brand offering a full line up of vehicles ranging from a Cruze-sized small car up to an Impala/G8-sized flagship full-size cars. SAAB could have been in a better position to partner with some European automakers to produce some exciting vehicles that would be well-received and desirable globally.

The state of the global economy is no place to truly cultivate a fledgling brand. It would have taken some time, but SAAB could have become relatively strong in the market is they focused on the top competitors only.

I agree dumpsty.....I am sad to see them go they had so much potenbtial to redefine the swedish auto market. they will be missed on my behalf great car company that was under the wrong management thats all i can say

Good riddance, the saab owners I know will never buy gm products again due to their experiences with those cars.

One of my last car was a Saab - had it for 5 1/2 years and was one of the best cars I've ever owned.
Not a single problem during those 5.5 years.

That's because it's a GM, I dunno why, but the SAAB owners I know have vastly different stories.

I'm very Saab about this.

Personally...

I see it as more a Mercy Killing than anything.

Any day the auto world loses a company that has or had a good name and cool inventions is sad. Saab may have been hurting when GM bought them, but GM had no clue how to build them up to a great company. GM couldn't even build themselves into a great company. I wonder how it would have been if VW, Toyota or someone else had purchased them. GM diluted the brand too much. The current 9-3 became just another car. Looks ok, but lost character. What is really sad is that the new and now stillborn 9-5 looked like a glimmer of hope that maybe GM had awaken and was going to actually make the company cool again. The latest concepts they had looked really good IMO and now will not see the light of day. I had a 900 back when I was younger and loved it (pre-GM model) and it was quirky, no doubt, never really gave me any issues. But after that the GM based ones never quite matched up again... Saab... Born from Jets, Death by GM. RIP.

Well said.

It is a sad day indeed. Saab had so much potential but it always struck me that GM did NOTHING, absolutely NOTHING, to further that potential.

Saab would never have been a volume seller anyway, but they had a distinct target market that placed value on individuality, dare I say a bit of quirkiness, and of course style - something Saab was known for (a unique style, that is). It's funny, but in my circles I have three friends who drive a Saab. Two of them are artists, the other, she is a teacher. I seem to recall that those were the "types" who generally bought a Saab.

What a sad die. And to think I almost bought a 9-3 over my C230.

who ever pretends be a petrohead should be sad about this news. Man this is a whole brand. Killed! I like Saab! But I hate Pontiac and I'm sad it's dead too!

Saab on its own was a very innovative company. GM killed it years ago in spirit before this final blow. Typical GM mistakes try to brand engineer there way into everything. I see people blame the unions and auto workers at GM for the sorry state it's in but they're not the ones that design the cars, or made the inane marketing decisions’ to "okay" truly awful products, or suck the entire ethos out of the Saab line. GM never got Saab the X9 was the perfect example. I watch these GM executive leave GM like rats jumping off a sinking ship, I have no sympathy for them or the company they ran so poorly.

I will miss the Saab of pre-GM days I will not miss the Saab that GM ran in the ground, and I will never own a GM vehicle.

sad to see it go...although it didn't quite have the same cache after GM acquired it.

If I had to guess where the Saab buyerv would flock, it would have to be Volvo for comparable style and price ranges (maybe Audi for the A4).

Sad. BTW why don't they sell it to Chines?

JUGNU

I don't know what "Chines" are, but I am assuming you are referring to the Chinese.

I'd rather they go out of business than whore themselves to the Chinese. It'd be like the Chinese MG.

Sad to see them go. I always liked them for their quirkiness and the fact that they weren't like anything else on the road.

Still remember biting back mild panic the first time I drove my aunt's, and couldn't find the ignition. Fun times.

I see them going to VW.

001

Non -innovative , glad they're gone.. shut the door on the way out please !

Saab has been gone for years. I do miss the old 90's and 900's.

SAAB always seemed to have potential, but not a whole lot else going for it.

SAAB died when GM took over.

SAAB was dead before GM put them on life support for two decades.

Government run GM death panel has its first casualty.... Who's next???

You know, companies like BMW pride themselves on being "innovative" or "independent". I obviously agree with BMW to a certain extent b/c I've owned six of them. However, when I think about certain brands truly representing what real "independence" is, I think about the cars that make us question what makes the design of anything (albeit this medium is an automobile) attractive, elegant, intimidating, and so on.

Only two automotive companies stand out in my mind as being "innovative", "independent*"and genuinely progressive and those are Saab and Citroën.

I have never owned a Saab but that doesn't mean I don't love them. Just because I love Meryl Streep doesn't mean I want to stick it in...


I have been into cars as long as I've been alive. I am a huge German car fan but I honestly can't remember the first time rode in and/or drove a BMW, Benz, or Audi but my first time sitting in my neighbor's Saab as an 8 year old truly stands out. The console-mounted ignition, the night panel, the...Swedishness. They were the first cars on which I remember noticing the third turn signal (sidemarker). I know that's random but I remember that! Same with headlamp wipers! It's so...pointless yet poignant for whatever reason.


Regardless, This is a very sad moment in automotive history.

*= pre-GM

You bought your 17 year old son an almost new Saab, LOL. Now there is a good lesson in responsibility. Here, have a car. I may be only 28, but I was never handed a car for graduation or anything of the sort. Want a car, go buy one. No money? get a job. Want a cell phone, pay your monthly bill for it. Want to drive the car, get insurance, buy gas, etc. Spoiled didn't work in my family.

Back to the Saab leaving us question. The problem is that as stated, Saab has two extremes. Those who love the cars and continue to own them, and those who hate them (numerous reasons). There is no middle ground as you see with Camry and Accord. People don't shrug at them, its a yes or no black and white comparison for Saab. That has been their trademark for years and apparently the base has left them, namely when they switched off completely from hatchbacks. The 9-3 convertible was probably the Saab I would see the most.

Having things or being given things does not make one spoiled. You're judging someone based on what they own and/or how they got it. That is called stereotyping and its usually wrong. Way wrong.