I have been a Saab owner since 1983. I have owned a 1983 900 Turbo, 1987 900 base model and now a 1996 900S. I want to purchase a new vehicle in the next few months. What will I experience in a Volvo that I wouldn't from another Saab (besides not being owned by GM!). I know I definetly want to stay with a European made vehicle.

Why go from bad to also bad. I have a 1995 T-5R and recently purchased a BMW 330xi. What a world of difference. The quality in the BMW is very obviously better and it handles like nothing else. I've owned Mercedes', Saab's and now two volvos and I say stick with the German cars. They may be a little more common than the Swedish cars but I believe that they are far superior.

My 2 cents

Alex

IMHO the Saabs are overpriced, but you may be able to get a good deal since their sales in April were so sucky. I would only consider the Viggen or 9-5 Aero. The rest are, well, the rest. The 9-3 convertible rides like a truck. OTOH, I prefer the Saab interior to the Volvo. I prefer the Audi interior to Saab, Volvo, BMW, etc.

The S60 is interesting looking, but the performance doesn't match the price and the interior is slabby. The S80T6 is nice, you'll grow into it, but it's a big car. Feels big, relative to our A6 V8 quattro. I'd say check out the BMW 330 if you like to drive.

I haven't found Saab I like over my 87 900T other than the Viggen or the

9-5 Aero. I like the S4 Audi...and somewhere I read the S4 was going to get the 4.2V8...as if!

After 18 years of owning a Swedish made vehicle, I think I prefer to stick with a Saab or Volvo. Having a Swedish car after all is a lifestyle, not just owning a vehicle!

I am also used to a front wheel drive vehicle and I prefer a manual transmission. Don't really care if I have a turbo or not. The Volvo dealership is actually much closer to my house than the Saab dealership. Lately getting Saab parts has not been an issue and I presume it would be the same for Volvo parts. Are items like brake pads readily available at a local auto parts store?

Saab modular/component design makes the vehicle very easy for DIY projects (IMHO). Is this so with the Volvo?

If you don't mind, I'd like to hang out on this board for a while to get a feel for the type of problems being reported.

I must warn you, I do have a pretty strange sense of humour and I look for any opportunity to engage it and even post some off topic stories!

What do you folks think of the S60? This sure looks like a sweet car to me.

Thanks again.

I had a SAAB 900 turbo, and it was a nice car. One thing I noticed though, with mine and other friends who had them, is that they can get to that point over 100k where they really seem to nickle and dime you to death. I have a Volvo 850 turbo and even as an automatic it outruns and performs better than by SAAB did. I really did like the SAAB however, but really like the Volvo better. I have had a couple minor things go wrong here and there but nothing that cost me much. The newer SAABs have a better quality rating than they used to though, so it is probably just a matter of what car fits your tastes and comfort level better. Plus my Volvo seems much more roomy than the SAAB both as a driver and a cargo car. Good luck.

What kind of car are you looking for? 2-door, 4-door, wagon, sporty, stick or auto, etc. etc.?

Depending on your answer you might consider the other Europeans:

- BMW, see my .sig, I love it to death

- Audi, they're coming out with a new A4 that has been well reviewed

- Jaguar, don't laugh, it's a particularly good buy if you're considering used, because initial depreciation is steep

- even M-B, yes, they're steep, but the new C-class is sweet

IMHO Volvo's forte is the wagon market. If we were in the market for another one we would close our eyes and chose Volvo. For other types it's a wide open choice.

About a month ago I traded my two Saabs, a 1996 900SE convertible and a 2001 9-3SE hatchback for an S60 T5. I liked the Saabs, but hated the dealer. Since this dealership is the only one in the state (Kentucky), I had to change manufacturers. No regrets. I've put almost 3000 miles on the Volvo and I like it better and better the more I drive it. It's much more comfortable and better appointed than the Saabs, handles better (except for a larger turning radius that I'm still not used to), virtually no turbo lag or torque steer. It's not fair to compare the performance of the T5 to a 9-3 SE, because the T5 is in the Viggen class, but the 2.4 T I test drove felt livelier than the Saab. And now I've got 3 dealers within driving distance, although so far I'm very impressed with the one that sold me the car.

A few years ago, before GM, Saab closed quite a few dealerships, and, depending on where you live or how much long-distance travel you do, service can be a problem.

A replacement for the 9-3 is due next model year, and that could change everyting, but right now dollar for dollar, feature for feature, Volvo is a better car.

Without a doubt, the Saab wagon is undoubtedly a nice car, Saab did everything they could to build a wagon that could antagonize Volvo's wagons. But t/d that car and then go t/d a V70 2.4T or (even better) a V70 T5, no comparison to the handling around curves, to nose diving when you suddenly hit the brakes to the overall ride (not mentioning acceleration). Lastly, but equally important, that blind spot caused by the HUGE "D" pillar in the 9-5.

Yannis

What will I experience in a Volvo

> that I wouldn't from another Saab (besides not being owned by GM!). I

> know I definetly want to stay with a European made vehicle.

Probably not an increase in IQ , Volvo is owned by Ford.

n/m

Ken,

What does your post have to do with anything? Besides being rude to a potential new member of this board, it was unintelligent. What makes you think he dosen't know that Volvo is owned by Ford? He made a reference to Saab being owned by GM, so maybe he's not too fond of GM owned products. Hey, I'll agree with that, there's not many GM cars out there today that I'd buy. He also mentioned that he wanted to buy "a European made vehicle". Look carefully. He said "made", not "owned". Last time I checked Volvos were still "made" in Europe.

If you're going to try to belittle someone with a legitimate question, at least be sure you know what you're talking about. Better yet, save it for for your close friends, I do.

Koz.

What will I experience in a Volvo

> that I wouldn't from another Saab (besides not being owned by GM!). I

> know I definetly want to stay with a European made vehicle.

I see this statment as your typical European crap is better than American crap aditude. Some how the "besides being owned by GM" makes any difference on your choice between a Saab and a Volvo. Especially since Volvo is owned by Ford. His IQ will not improve if he switches cars .

Ken,

I hate to tell you, but, while there are certainly some awful cars made in Europe, those that they sell here, are generally better than comparable American cars. For that matter, so are Japanese cars, and the Koreans aren't far behind. Why do you think American car companies are in such a hurry to buy up their overseas competition?

As for the IQ business, buyng a car almost allways results in a lowered IQ. regardless of which manufacturer you choose.

Koz.

American cars are not so bad and Euro and Japanese cars are not so great. Most American cars are cheap cars. It is hard to compare a Taurus to an S-70 . American drive trains are very reliable for the most part. Chevy, Ford and Dodge V-8s are almost bullet proof. American car quality has improve a large amount in the last 20 years. The Z-06 Corvette can out handle a Lamborghini Diablo.

Ken,

You can compare the Taurus to an Accord, a Camry, a Maxima, or a 626. If you had to choose between those cars, and you planned to keep it for the next 10 years, which would you choose?

Koz.

My statement was: "besides NOT being owned by GM!" You mis-quoted me and obviously misunderstood me. Trying to explain to you would most likely be a fruitless effort since everything to you is "crap".

Here is the deal. For sixteen years I owned Saabs when they were purely Saab - Scania. I then purchased a GM-Saab. I was not that impressed with the changes made. I liked the "classic" 900 much better.

If I go to Volvo, I won't have the experience of owning one pre Ford and it won't make much difference to me that Volvo is now owned by Ford.

As far as my IQ, it is true I am certainly Not the most intelligent fellow but I do happen to have a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering, a Bachelor of Science Degree in Advertising Psychology, an Associates Degree in Drafting and Design and an Associates Degree in Photography/Multi-Media.

I guess there is a fool on every board. Just my luck I had to run into you on my very first visit to this board.

Don't take it so personally , the IQ thing was just a little poke. I must admit that your reasoning make no sense to me.

If I go to Volvo, I won't have the experience of owning one pre Ford and it won't make much difference

to me that Volvo is now owned by Ford

I don't see how this affects the choice between a Saab or a Volvo.

PS . Just another jab for calling me fool. I work with many PHDs in Mechanical Engineering from MIT, can you install a spark plug.

nm

No but I actually do have a cold fusion experiment in the next room over. Not kidding.

You best work on you english first. As always you posts are of no use to anyone at all......same old ken.

You types just kill me with how childish you can be.

Steve F......last grade compleated 8th.....oh and retired at age 35.

.oh and retired at age 35

Who asked you. I am so impressed that you inherited real estate and money from mommy . Oh yea you were a line mechanic and screwed on 100,000,000 of the same bolts before that.

I usually don't read your post because they always say the same exact thing. " I have been going to the same service department for 15 years. I own a Volvo because the service people love me. A service department is the most important part of car ownership "

n/m

I have ALSO been a Saab owner since 1983!

I test drove the "new" '94-up Saab 900, but I was so unimpressed with it in '97 that I bought a Volvo, a V70T5M in Volvo nomenclature, T-5 is the high pressure turbo, and "M" is the 5-speed manual transmission.

I've had over 30 (thirty) distinct problems and recalls with the car. Mostly minor, but it did leave me stranded once (battery) and the sunroof did jam open in the long-term parking lot of Newark International Airport. While the rational person in me is rather disinclined to think about buying another Volvo, it IS a lot of fun to drive! The new V70 also seems to be, as they say, "a lot of car for the money".

Consumer Reports does not recommend any new Volvo model at present except the SV40. It recommends absolutely no Volvo models as used cars at the moment. CR does recommend the 9-5.

Given a universe including only Saab and Volvo, if I needed a car tomorrow I'd probably choose a 9-5 wagon, low pressure turbo and cloth seats.

Otherwise, I might look at a BMW or Audi.

My $0.02

-Uncle Olaf

'98 V70T5M, 67k, IPD stabilizer bars, Volvo strut tower brace and skidplate, V-1, Dunlop SP5000s

I just got a rental as my car was in for service and guess what I got? A Saab 9-5 wagon. To tell you the truth, it's a damn nice car! The ignition key needs a little getting used to, but other than that, I was pretty impressed with the car. The acceleration is a little weak, but if you have it in sport mode, the turbo kicks in much quicker. Now, I can't compare the rental to my car as I have a coupe but it would be a difficult decision to make IMO.

Mike H.