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We tend to avoid “industry news” here at the Smoking Tire because covering it requires writing about things that are mostly, even to a car guy, as boring as watching an entire season of Spec-Smart Car racing. But here’s a bit of industry news that you might find interesting, especially if you thought now was the time to take advantage of a deeply discounted, brand new Saab: Now that the company has entered bankruptcy, your warranty is gone. That gorgeous new 9-5 that you thought was the second coming of Sweden’s auto business? Not covered. The 9-3 SportCombi you just picked up for the ski house in Aspen? Not covered. But what about the 9-4, which everyone knows is just a rebadged Cadillac SRX? Not covered. But what if you wanted to buy one of the 1,200 or-so brand new, zero mile Saabs sitting on dealer lots right now? Expect to find a window sticker reading something like: As-is, No Warranty.
Should you worry about this? It’s not like Saabs are unreliable cars. Actually it is, and according to TrueDelta’s reliability survey, they are less reliable than the competition. It’s not just warranty either, hit the jump to see the list of everything Saab is no longer doing for their customers.
This memo, which we clearly stole from Autoblog, must be terrifying if you own a recently purchased Saab, especially since these cars are now worth approximately zero and you’ve just realized you’re upside down in it.
If you’re one of about 9 people who read this site and drive a Saab (especially if you just found out your warranty expired early) leave your Saab stories (pun intended) below.
Source: Autoblog
Are you kidding? have you ever seen a Smart try to go around corners? It would be hysterical to watch!
That's actually kind of true. In fact, I've done that myself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcoOgew-OgY
Maybe I could pick up a new one at the local dealer for $1k. Surely there is a deep discount to get the off lots.
I had the same thought. Local dealer still shows normal (msrp) type prices. Maybe I'll contact them directly and see what happens.
We have a new post addressing this. Dealers are offering up to $18k off. But make sure you are in it for the long haul. http://www.thesmokingtire.com/2011/saab-discounts…
What a mature post. Just when I though Matt was tolerable on The Car Show… My 2010 9-3 wagon will be fine. It's been in production for a long time with lots of parts available. Free dealer maintenance is a joke. Don't know what you're seeing on TrueDelta, but newer SAAB reliability has been fine. You might want to switch your name to the less than truth about cars.
sure there are lots of parts available, but the point is, now you have to pay for them. TrueDelta's reliability survey is user-generated, and compared to contemporary 5-series and Lexus GS models, the Saab is the least reliable of the bunch.
Yes, TrueDelta is user generated. Hence, the low number of data points and resulting NO reliability rating for 2009 and up for 9-3 or 9-5. You really can't go off of 2005-like data to make your claim.
Yes, paying for repairs will not be fun. Try not to rub it in too much. This might be a better post as a warning to those who are considering getting a SAAB dirt cheap. The 9-3 seems to be a safer bet considering its tenure. A warranty does no good if you don't use it. I basically never saw the Mazda dealer again after buying my wife's Miata.
It really does suck, I LOVE the looks of the 9-5 and was seriously considering one…..onto my 335d….
we love the 335d. And we also like the looks of the current-generation 9-5. It's too bad Castriota's design for the 9-3 will probably never make it to production, as we can probably assume it would have been bad ass.
Can they LEGALLY suspend all recall work?
yes. a company that files for bankruptcy protection can, essentially, get out of doing anything that costs them money, including recalls, warranty claims, and paying off existing debts.
Holy Snikes not doing recall work is just wrong though.
What do you guys think about checking out a local dealer seeing about massive discounts?? I'm sure they want to get rid of all the stock.
as long as the discount outweighed any potential warranty/recall/service costs for the first 4 years of ownership, it's not a bad idea.
good thing my saab is a 1987!
Wow. If you leased one would you not have to pay?
THEY don't have to pay. If you leased one, you definitely have to pay.
So what happens to all of the Saab dealerships now? Are there any Saab cars going down the line in production or were the production lines shut down several weeks before? What if you own a used Saab does this kill your trade-in values?
As we've seen with the bankruptcies of GM and Chrysler, it does not necessarily mean dealerships will shut down, however, at the moment, it seems like cars are not in production and don't have any immediate sign of starting up again. I'd argue that trade in values will be affected, but much more so in cars that still have a factory warranty than those already out of warranty.
I contacted a couple Saab dealers. The only one to respond said they're not permitted to sell any Saab vehicles at thtis time.
interesting…..
Time to get rid of my Saabaru 9-2x Aero. Even though it's made by Fuji Heavy Industries, Subaru mechanics tell me to take it to a Saab dealer where the Saab mechanics are clueless on the car. They issued a recall for lower control arms rusting on 2002-2007 Impreza, 2003-2008 Forester and 2005-2006 Saab 9-2x. I should've just bought a Subaru…