Saabs far more $ than Audis!

[Robert W Obrien <rwo@u.arizona.edu>]

I'll only comment on this once. Sorry for the BW. But I speak as one who
had a pair of '86 9000 Turbo 5-speeds prior to the coming of the 5kt. 

Saab parts are more expensive, or comparable. Never has the Audi been out
of service for more than a day. The Saabs made me think that two-week
waits for service/parts are normal. The dealer service is a joke, and
third-party parts are even worse. THREE MONTHS for an AC compressor! 

I love the engineering behind the Saab- great inspiration- but I think the
execution will be their execution at the hands of GM, pardon the pun. My
family has had seven Saabs not including mine, from a '79 900GLi to a '95
900SE convert, and it is *always* the same story.  Part of me will be sad
to see them go (Saab is rumored for termination by the parent company) but
the other part is glad that I didn't follow Dad's advice WRT his Audi
experience ('74 Fox!) and bought the 5000 anyway. 

By the way, he hates the Barcaloungers (says no one's back is shaped that
way) and the window switches under the elbow in the 5k. But I think he's
jealous of a car that feels more solid, is equally fast, and cost 8% of
what his new Saab did... at 170,000 miles...hmmmm!
Regards,
Rob