RE: Last Saabs up for auction

RE: Last Saabs up for auction

Friday 30th November 2012

Last Saabs up for auction

Never-before-sold 9-5 estates included in Swedish fire sale



It seems doubtful Saab will return in a meaningful form, so this could be the last chance ever to buy a brand new Saab. Administrators are selling off the last remaining factory stock, including the never-before-offered estate versions of the new 9-5.

The 69 auction listings include a handful of the 33 9-5 SportCombis built before the company imploded, a car that'll guarantee you global exclusivity, as long as you don't mind left-hand-drive.

Nowt rarer than a 9-5 Combi
Nowt rarer than a 9-5 Combi
This 9-5 Turbo4 SportCombi comes with a 220hp 2.0-litre petrol and should be a supremely swift, comfortable and practical luxury barge in its own right. And with some neat design features like the full-width LED taillights, we think it’s rather cool, too.

They’re hoping it'll go for just over £36,000 – but the current highest bid at the time of writing is a comparatively bargain-tastic £11,225. Or take your pick from 190hp diesels or lower powered 180hp petrol turbos.

The majority of cars are the new 9-5 saloon, including the company car used by former CEO Victor Muller. Loaded to the gunnels with extras, this shiny black Turbo6 Aero model came with the same 2.8-litre turbocharged V6 that’s currently fitted to the Insignia VXR, although here it’s detuned to a still-significant 300hp.

Muller's car: Promises much, delivers less?
Muller's car: Promises much, delivers less?
That made it good for 0-60mph in 6.1 seconds, and although it’ll never be the last word in driving dynamics, the all-wheel-drive system should offer plenty of grip. This one’s yours for just under £22,000 at the moment, though the auctioneers are hoping the final price will be closer to £40,000.

There are a few of the 9-4X crossovers based roughly around the Cadillac SRX. The sole three-litre V6 petrol tells you what market these were aimed at. Same goes for the 9-7X Aero,Saab’s US-market attempt to rival BMW’s V8-powered X5s with a rebodied Chevy TrailBlazer. Highest bid is somewhere around eight grand at the moment, if you're brave. The auction ends December 16.

9-5 Aero looks fantastic and costs little
9-5 Aero looks fantastic and costs little
Unsuprisingly Saabs are stunningly cheaply here. First up, this 2008 9-3 XWD Turbo X. As a 280hp mile-muncher, there's little to beat it for £9,700. Or there's this first-generation 9-5 Aero estate with 250hp in a great colour combination with history and ‘sensible’ miles, whatever that means. Or if Shed Of The Week money is all you’ve got to play with, there’s this rather lovely (and slightly rare) notchback classic 900 Turbo 16 S. It’s a bit leggy, but ‘that’s nothing for one of these, sir’.

Author
Discussion

Petrolhead95

Original Poster:

7,043 posts

153 months

Friday 30th November 2012
quotequote all
£36,000 for a SAAB? That's a bit steep!

richb77

887 posts

160 months

Friday 30th November 2012
quotequote all
Excuse me for being in the wilderness.

But I am sure the last Ii read Saab had been saved by some Eco friendly lot that where going to continue manufacture until their hybrid/electric nonsense was viable?

Or did I just dream it all?

dasvolk

18 posts

144 months

Friday 30th November 2012
quotequote all
Well, they WERE going to be bargains, until you wrote this...

Krikkit

26,500 posts

180 months

Friday 30th November 2012
quotequote all
Petrolhead95 said:
£36,000 for a SAAB? That's a bit steep!
List price. Seems quite reasonable for what the 9-5 would've been.

Garlick

40,601 posts

239 months

Friday 30th November 2012
quotequote all
£36,000 eh? I like it, but not sure I'm brave enough...

FreiWild

405 posts

155 months

Friday 30th November 2012
quotequote all
If I had the money I would get one of the estates in a heartbeat!

HTP99

22,443 posts

139 months

Friday 30th November 2012
quotequote all
Will they come with any form of warranty?

Fartgalen

6,630 posts

206 months

Friday 30th November 2012
quotequote all
HTP99 said:
Will they come with any form of warranty?
No, they're sold without warranty.

HTP99

22,443 posts

139 months

Friday 30th November 2012
quotequote all
Fartgalen said:
HTP99 said:
Will they come with any form of warranty?
No, they're sold without warranty.
Thanks,

So they are expecting top money for a car that is no longer produced by a company that, as it stands, no longer exists so there is really no dealer back up apart from a few specialists and also no warranty.

Stu R

21,410 posts

214 months

Friday 30th November 2012
quotequote all
Two things that cross my mind are (1) it's probably a parts bin anyway, so mechanicals can't be that hard to source if it goes wrong, and (2) god forbid anyone have a minor prang in one, can't imagine getting a replacement panel will be an easy task - think the first thing I'd want to do is take some moulds hehe

Doesn't seem a particularly good bargain IMO, rather a fine way of watching a 5 figure sum depreciate into a pittance overnight for something that doesn't have a huge list of redeeming features to justify the risk. Still, there's probably plenty of people that'll snap them up.

43034

2,963 posts

167 months

Friday 30th November 2012
quotequote all
I had a 2002 9-3 with Aero body kit, picked it up for £1k and it was running Stg1 220bhp.



Lovely car for the price. Problem was, the engine went bang. Delicate engines I've been told.

Picked up another Saab, this time a 9-5 estate for £400. 150bhp, 5 month Tax, 12 months MOT and a huge wad of receipts too! £70 for a remap and I'll be back at 220bhp and 360nm of torque.


Hellbound

2,500 posts

175 months

Friday 30th November 2012
quotequote all
So if someone rear ends your fancy new Saab Combi estate, you can pretty much write it off. Shame.

J4CKO

41,287 posts

199 months

Friday 30th November 2012
quotequote all
I had a Cosmic blue 9-3 as well, I think they are aging very nicely, I know the Saab purists get a big sniff and it is basically a Cavalier underneath but it is the last Saab to actually look like one, they are essentially worthless now but I think Aero's and other higher powered ones may stabilise and even go up a bit.

Like the new 9-5, shame it died so quickly, would be interesting to have the estate but I would imagine body parts for either would be hard to get

Fetchez la vache

5,568 posts

213 months

Friday 30th November 2012
quotequote all
HTP99 said:
So they are expecting top money for a car that is no longer produced by a company that, as it stands, no longer exists so there is really no dealer back up apart from a few specialists and also no warranty.
... and no chance of parts as the estate was never even released...

MadDog1962

890 posts

161 months

Friday 30th November 2012
quotequote all
43034 said:
I had a 2002 9-3 with Aero body kit, picked it up for £1k and it was running Stg1 220bhp.



Lovely car for the price. Problem was, the engine went bang. Delicate engines I've been told.

Picked up another Saab, this time a 9-5 estate for £400. 150bhp, 5 month Tax, 12 months MOT and a huge wad of receipts too! £70 for a remap and I'll be back at 220bhp and 360nm of torque.

Excellent sheds of the week? :-)

Saab Aero

18 posts

137 months

Friday 30th November 2012
quotequote all
It has been reported the the 9-5 Sportcombi that are being sold cannot be driven on the road. Sorry to burst the bubble, but they were prototype ones. They never passed regulation, such as crash tests, therefore cannot be used. Still gorgeous though! Victor's car does seems appealing though, as does the 9-3 Independence Editions. A very rare car... only 30-odd cars were built.

Saab Aero

18 posts

137 months

Friday 30th November 2012
quotequote all
43034 said:
I had a 2002 9-3 with Aero body kit, picked it up for £1k and it was running Stg1 220bhp.



Lovely car for the price. Problem was, the engine went bang. Delicate engines I've been told.

Picked up another Saab, this time a 9-5 estate for £400. 150bhp, 5 month Tax, 12 months MOT and a huge wad of receipts too! £70 for a remap and I'll be back at 220bhp and 360nm of torque.

Lovely cars there. Was the remap the work of MapTun by any chance?

Canningmister

33 posts

140 months

Friday 30th November 2012
quotequote all
I love Saabs, it's soo sad to see them go. I am on my second now, would love a 9-3 Turbo X.

43034

2,963 posts

167 months

Friday 30th November 2012
quotequote all
Saab Aero said:
Lovely cars there. Was the remap the work of MapTun by any chance?
Thanks mate.

Nah, the remap was by Karl from UKSaabs. It was already on when I had the car.

deltashad

6,731 posts

196 months

Friday 30th November 2012
quotequote all
What a shame, never owned a Saab. Always liked them, a kind of classless car, the quick turbo's were great sleepers. One of my dad's colleagues had a 9000 Carlson as a company car, it was rapid.

A hooligan tool you can smoke a pipe in.

Bye Saab.