A local dealer will sell me a new 2011 SAAB 9-5 sedan, with all options (leather seats, 4WD, etc.) for 40% off the sticker price (sticker is $52,000).
AS we all know, SAAB is history-these are the last ones made.
Given the huge discount, does this make up for:
-the lousy resale value?
-the iffy spare parts situation?
-possible future difficulty of getting dealer service?
It COULD be the deal of a lifetime…then again, maybe not.
What do you think?
I would say no. That is still a lot of money and it won’t be worth anything when you need to get rid of it. A lot of people love SAABs but I always found them plain odd in design and not especially reliable. I certainly wouldn’t trust one of the last ones the workers threw together before locking the plant doors.
SAAB = Swedish Automobile Always Broken
Getting warranty work done could be problematic.
Resale value will be marginal.
Five years from now, service might be hard to find.
But SAAB owners are real cultists, if you are one then go for it.
ETA: Shag the most true statement ever made in advertising was the one made by SAAB “We don’t build cars, we build SAABS”
The rumble I’m hearing from different sources is that getting warranty work done on a Saab is going to be problematic at best. From what I understand, SOME Saab-GM dealers MIGHT be able to do it, but straight GM dealers and whatever Saab dealers there are left won’t. Combine that with the fact that the workforce who built the car knew for months that their jobs were about to go the way of the dodo, and I wouldn’t take gambler’s odds on the quality of their work.
If it were me, I’d go for it but try to get the dealer to take an additional 10 percent off his asking price (a round 50 percent) and take it on as a project car. But I think that spare parts for this car are going to be hard to come by and expensive to boot.
I didn’t think much of parts and service availability for SAABs when the factory and dealership network were in place. Forty or fifty percent off isn’t much of a bargain if you’re faced with needing a critical part that’s simply not available in the not-too-distant future.
Not in my experience. I’ve owned 2 SAABs over the years and only had one issue with them. TBH, I have no idea what they are like now but I would be reluctant to buy one with the company having gone under.
My brother in law owned a SAAB. Bought brand new about 5 years ago. Gorgeous car. Very luxurious! Damn thing was always in the shop for one thing or another.
He finally had had it and traded it in. Lost money on it…but he was soooo glad to walk away from it.
At the very least, I would try to acquire at least two of each of the proprietary electronic modules (ignition, engine computer, emissions sensors, etc.) used in the car, as well as a factory service manual. Perhaps get the dealer to throw them into the deal. While service items like shock absorbers and batteries are generic and can be sourced from just about anywhere, these modules are going to be rare and won’t get anything but even more rare. And even if they don’t fail and you sell the car later, you can still put them on EBay and make a mint.
I like these numbers. Get two for the price of one. Store one as a parts car. Use the parts car to keep #1 running as long as desired. At that point, part both cars out. There are specialty shops that purchase old Saabs already, have been for years.
A friend of mine had a Saab a few years back. He told me, “They call it a Saab because that’s all you do after you buy one.”
Mrs. J. and I tried twice to look at Saabs years back when the company was still viable. Both times we wandered around the showroom for an extended period without anyone coming up to ask if we needed help (at typical dealerships the lot lizards descend on you within microseconds of coming in). Guess we just didn’t look upscale enough to be Saab people.
I’m not sure we’d even qualify to be considered now. Can ralph124c share his secrets? 
As we all know, the SAAB 9-4x is a sister coil to other GM SUVs made in Mexico.
There were only about 457 of these made but there is sure to be a large supply of parts left over as production was abruptly stopped. In terms of the basic drive train, you will always be able to get parts. Most of the electronics control are probably also the same as the sister coils with really on the sheet metal and interior switches to be an issue.
Dealers in my area sold out at between 25-35% off MSRP.
The 9-5 is also built on a basic GM drive train but the difference here are probably more pronounced with a little more to be concerned about in terms of spare parts.
To your question, is 40% off sufficient ? My answer is probably yes. You won’t get a warranty but there are other sources to get some protection for a couple of grand. The 40% number corresponds to one of the best deals I have seen if the car was not a demo or has more than a couple hundred miles.
If you don’t mind, please share the dealer details with me, I might be able to use it as pressure on my local dealer.
BTW. I purchased a 9-4 aero last week for my wife and like it so much that I am considering a 9-5 for myself.
Will there be GM parts for the 9-3?
(My ideal car is a BMW x1 or an Audi Q3 but neither are in the US yet. Gotta be small so I can parallel park in the city.)
So right now, top of the list is an Audi A3.
Supposedly, GM will provide service for any Saabs made while Saab was owned by them.
I expect it is too late, but if they offered that kind of deal on the convertible, I would buy one without hesitation.
I love my 2005 Saab convertible (minus the stories of having the first one Lemon Lawed out) and fully expect parts to be available as well as mechanics able to work on them.
Another former SAAB owner…had a 95 Arc Wagon that was the best car I ever owned while it functioned.
However, in the 3 short years we hung on to it, the AC system failed and needed a full overhaul, many different engine sensors failed resulting in many surprise abrupt breakdowns stranding us, and it never wanted to start reliably to the mystery of every mechanic we tried to fix. The LCD console displays also crapped out twice and needed replacement. We dumped it right before the extended warranty was up.
That’s actually not the stupidest idea, assuming you have the storage for the parts car. And the first thing I thought when I saw that the dealer is offering 40% off is, “Oh, that’s just BEGGING to be haggled to an even 1/2 off!”
I know nothing about SAABs, but, as a general rule, I would suggest you buy a car you really love. If the auto in question does it for you, then why not? If it doesn’t, then I wouldn’t buy it just because it seems to be a good deal on the surface. $31,200 can buy you a lot of car. Also consider fuel economy when making your choice. Good luck!