Saab to shut down

[pauldun170]

Saab 99 and 900 series (pre Opel\GM platform introduced in 94) were pretty cool cars with the turbo slapped on.
during the 80's and early 90's they were standout cars.
After that, they were an silly manufacturer of overpriced mediocre four bangers.

Volvo designs aren't half bad nowadays.

[Homeslice]

Originally Posted by pauldun170

Saab 99 and 900 series (pre Opel\GM platform introduced in 94) were pretty cool cars with the turbo slapped on.
during the 80's and early 90's they were standout cars.
After that, they were an silly manufacturer of overpriced mediocre four bangers.
.

Why do you think the old ones were superior?

Every time I saw a road test, they were always low-ranked, and there were a lot of complaints about torque steer. The current models might still have torque steer, but they're a lot better looking IMO.

[Rider]

Originally Posted by Homeslice

Why do you think the old ones were superior?

Every time I saw a road test, they were always low-ranked, and there were a lot of complaints about torque steer. The current models might still have torque steer, but they're a lot better looking IMO.

My Maxima has loads of torque steer and it got good ratings. If you stomp on it and you aren't holding the wheel tightly when it shifts form first to second it will yank the wheel out of your hands.

[Homeslice]

Originally Posted by Rider

My Maxima has loads of torque steer and it got good ratings. If you stomp on it and you aren't holding the wheel tightly when it shifts form first to second it will yank the wheel out of your hands.

That kind of torque steer isn't all that bad..........The worst kind is when you get torque steer just crusing down the road/highway and stepping into the gas to pass someone, like the Pontiac G6 I rented recently. It was so irritating that it would be reason enough to buy the 4-cyl instead of the V6 in that car.

[Rider]

Originally Posted by Homeslice

That kind of torque steer isn't all that bad..........The worst kind is when you get torque steer just crusing down the road/highway and stepping into the gas to pass someone, like the Pontiac G6 I rented recently. It was so irritating that it would be reason enough to buy the 4-cyl instead of the V6 in that car.

My maxima is the same if you are going slow enough for it to kick all the way down to first which it will if you are going below 30-40. 6500 redline so it will kick down to 1st gear rather easily.

[pauldun170]

Originally Posted by Homeslice

Why do you think the old ones were superior?

Every time I saw a road test, they were always low-ranked, and there were a lot of complaints about torque steer. The current models might still have torque steer, but they're a lot better looking IMO.

I didn't call them superior.
I called them "cool".

By the time the Opal chassis model came out in mid 90's, they were no longer cool because there were "cooler cars" on the market.

A 900 Turbo was a quick car in the 80's that had a unique look. In an era before traction control and nanny devices became common, a Saab turbo was a better bet than a BMW or Benz (at equal price points) if you lived in an area that saw a lot of snow. It handled well, accelerated well and it had euro snob appeal.

When the 90's came along, the market had changed and Saab's formula was no longer competitive.