Honda Audi and Saab.....

[Tak Cheung <tcheung@gandalf.rutgers.edu>]

Err...sorry to Audi diehard fans....more rambling....

Since a fellow netter is thinking of jumping ship from Audi to Saab...and
being a relatively new owner of a used Saab and someone who has went thru
more than a few Audi's....guess I would comment further.

I don't do my own maintenance on these cars, I only fix the minor annoyances,
like simple electrical problems, fixing up bad fit and finishes.  Having a
working wife on a fast track and a 4 yr old, there just isn't enough time
to play with the cars other than trying to pin point problems for other
people to fix.

One thing for sure, having an Audi and a Saab of similar vintage ('91 and '92)
respectively, I have to say the Audi has better fit and finish than the Saab.
I had to get the sunroof on the Saab re-aligned, headlight assembly refitted,
all the adjustments on the hood and tailgate needed fine tuning for better
fit.  I told the Saab dealer out right "it's a nice car, but it got the
fit and finish of a GM car (yes, GM now owns a big portion of Saab, for better
or for worse, you decide).

Given I have owned three 5k series '85, '87, '91, the fit and finish for each
of them actually improved with newer models.  The '91 has no squeak from the
dash (a common problem with older VW/Audi).  But my '92 Saab 9k squeaks like
my then '79 Scirocco and get this: the new '95 9k still has the same dash
and setup (happy squeaking new Saab 9k owners :).  The complaints I have
with the 5ks are: the door panels squeak and flexes with the doors, which 
I have not found in my old Integra.  Sorry folks, the Honda folks know to
cut those squeaks down.

As for people considering working on the late model Saabs, I say forget about
it.  The manuals alone cost a fortune, and they are in multi-volumes....
not to mention those special tools and computer diagnostics.  Oh

Most importantly, the Saab group isn't set up as nicely as the Audi group and
it is kinda moderated which I find somewhat less fun :(....

I wonder what's the Honda's equivalent before there was a Honda...I would
say VW/Audi :)....

Tak Cheung
'91 100, '92 Saab 9kS