I have been a loyal saab owner for many years. I currently own a 2007 93 aero, which I absolutely love. However, when my car was in a bad accident, it took three months to fix it due to not being able to find the parts. As a result, I am seriously considering selling it because I figure the parts issue is only going to get worse over the years, and I don’t live in a city where saabs are easy to find. So, in my research for a new car, I am trying to figure out what other cars out there are similar to saab’s awesome handling and power. Of course, volvo comes to find, but are there other makes and models out there that others can recommend? I love my saab because it is so easy to drive and zoom in and out on the highway. I have never driven anything like, and I have driven other luxury cars, including audi and acura. Any suggestions are appreciated!
Your 07 SAAB is pretty much a GM/SAAB amalgamation.
For power and handling in a small/mid-sized car, check out the MazdaSpeed 3. You can pick one up, brand new, for about $25k
Check out a BMW 3-Series. After driving your FWD SAAB, switching to a RWD car will give you an appreciation of what excellent handling and power are really like (with no torque steer).
There is a reason why the 3-Series has been on every Car & Driver Top 10 car list for the past 20+ years without interruption. I do not recall seeing SAAB on a recent list.
You suffer from the “Green Eggs and Ham” syndrome! There are many cars for sale in the USA that are as good or better handling than a SAAB. The Mazda 3 Speed, Hyundai Genesis Coupe, BMW 3 series, and many others. Nearly all carmakers have a “Sport” version of their regular cars. Even the Ford and GM compacts (Focus and Cruse) have them.
As the Dr. Seuss book said: “You may like them Sam I am”!
Try a Buick regal, it’s a Opel I think and you can get the 2.0 turbo engine.
I agree with “Doc, two tone” and others. . Spending your driving time in a fwd sedan does little to cultivate your appreciation for a car that handles very well. Sure, SAABs may be good handling for a fwd car, but as two tone says, try out BMW and gain a new perspective.
The only car with similar handling and perfor,mance to a SAAB is another SAAB. All the other manufacturers have evolved.
Test drive some other makes. You may be surprised.
There are a lot of potential replacements, as you can see from above. How much are you willing to spend?
Wait a little, a Chinese company bought the Saab name and all the tooling to manufacture them.
“Wait a little” …or wait a LOT…not clear that they’ll actually make the same vehicle any time soon, some claims that they’ll try and make an EV, or who knows?..
Keith, I thought Spyker bought SAAB???
As I recall, the Spyker deal later fell through as a result of inadequate funding.
Spyker’s plan was sort of similar to the guy who owns the newspaper stand on the corner thinking that he can buy and run a major newspaper.
I spotted an article on my earthlink news the other day but only just gave it a quick scan, I’m really not interested in Saabs, never much cared for them. I guess they are like olives, an acquired taste. I haven’t eaten my six olives yet nor have I driven a Saab six times.
Cadillac has a couple of sport models, some are even available with a manual transmission. Visit a Cadillac dealer or website for more specific info.
It’s confusing, the Spyker deal fell through, then I’ve just heard they’re involved in some way again. Only thing I’d bet on is that GM gets sued some more…
Good point, Uncle Turbo, the new Caddy ATS is a BMW 3-series competitor, apparently does a good job of it.
I know I for one have lost track.
I agree with everyone; there are a lot of good options out there. But perhaps it’s a “SAAB thing”, like a Jeep is a “JEEP thing”.
Spyker could not affford to keep Saab going and gave up, i.e. declared bankruptcy. The ASSETS are rumored to be bought by a Chinese firm who will produce a “Swinese” vehicle with components from both countries.
What do you know, it was here that I saw the article, on the homepage.
http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2012/09/saab-could-reappear-in-2014.html?cmp=cartalkfacebook
Thanks for the link.
Ummmmmmm…I think I’ll cross SAAB off my shopping list…
“…I think I’ll cross SAAB off my shopping list…”
It appears they crossed us of their list, too.