...While sauntering down the boulevard in one of the more fashionable districts around town, I espied a 2004 Chevy Malibu whose owner had outfitted it with Saab badges and a Saab grille! He even went to the trouble to put the ignition switch between the seats! Moreover, he even had the audacity to put a "9-3" label on the boot.
Some people are without scruples....
Ha ha. Nice troll.
Platform engineering allows a company to do the non-customer-noticed stuff once and do it well, and spend their money on things that the customer cares about to differentiate products. Do you really care if the struts on your Mercedes are the same as on a Dodge minivan? Or do you care about things like the navigation system and leather seats?
So why do you care that the same platform is used on the Malibu as on the
9-3 (among others)?
A few years ago just a few days after Daimler acquired Chrysler. I saw a beat up Dodge Caravan fitted with a large MB emblem on the rear gate on my way to work. The emblem must have been taken from a Mercedes ML-320 SUV. Either his family or his friends must have convinced him to take it down later for that was the only time I saw it.
Do you really care if the struts on your
Yes, but not so much as I would care if I had a C Class and people mistook it for a Neon.
Because I got embarassed when I point out an '04 to my friend (who knows nothing about Saabs) and he says, "What's that? A Malibu Classic?"
Saab stopped making cars in '02. The name has since been kept alive by Opel, Chevy, and Subaru.
Yes, I do in fact...
Or do you care about things
No, not really, I can find my way around on my own and leather seats are more work to maintain than they're worth (I have two cars with them right now)
Because it'd be cheaper to just go by a Malibu, if I buy a Saab (or other unique marque) I expect it to be unique and have some individual personality, that's what I'm paying the premium for.
Does it really matter if someone else thinks you have a Neon?
Why is that even remotely embarassing to you?
Yeah. They are for single moms and computer geeks like you.
Because Chevrolet=White Trash.
On Fri, 30 Jul 2004 10:23:38 -0400, Holden Caulfield wrote: (someone else wrote, but H.C. neglected to include their name,)
Overgeneralize much?
Riiiight. Um. Some of us buy these cars because we enjoy them for what they are, and are able to do that without badmouthing others and their vehicles. Apprently your motivations differ.
No, just a keen observer.
Some of us eat McDonald's... doesn't make the food any better.
I woudln't be badmouthing Chevy were they not manufacturing Saabs.
I can't wait to see this new Mexican-built "Saab" SUV. Quit trying to defend the indefensible. GM sucks.
I've never seen someone confuse "keen observation" with "making incorrect blanket statements" before.
Relevance being what?
They're not. Shared components do not equal "manufacturing".
Apparently you have confused me saying "Wow, this guy is really acting like a prick", with me defending GM for some perceived fault you feel they have.
OK, so why don't you go buy a different brand of car then? Maybe something German?
I've known a lot of Neon owners, and they all fall into one of the mentioned categories.
If I have to explain it you wouldn't understand.
Shared components do not equal "manufacturing".
The components aren't manufactured?
No thanks. I'm looking for a '91 SPG. BMWs are OK, but far too common, much like Chevrolets.
That's nice.
Saab has been using parts manufactured by others forever, "Holden". Bosch, Electrolux, GM, Ford, etc etc etc. Doesn't mean Bosch, or Electrolux, or GM, or Ford, manufactured the Saab _cars_, it means they made some _parts_. A car, you see, is built of _parts_, by the manufacturer. It's really very simple.
So, what's your goal in participating here, exactly, "Holden"?
Don't forget the Mitsubishi turbos.
To lament the fact that Saab no longer makes cars.
It's more than shared parts. The thing *looks* like a Malibu. And there's no available hatchback; thus no stuffing sofas, bookcases, file cabinets, refrigerators, etc. in the back. Most unpractical for a descendent of a car (NG900) that epitomized practicality.
The "Saabaru" is an insult to true fans of Swedish engineering. And the
9-5, in addition to bearing more than a slight resemblance to an Opel, looks nowhere near so stylish as the late-model 9k.In short, I just don't like phonies, and the new "Saab" models are, in the words of Del tha Funkee Homosapien, "FAKE AS F--K!"
Dave, don't tell me you were actually such a sucker as to *buy* one of those overpriced Malibus?
*hooohooohaaaaahhaaaaaawaaaahhooooooheeeheeee*
See? You _do_ get it.
Oh, so you're a one-trick pony then, just here to rant about what you feel is true and a problem.
Maybe you haven't noticed, but Saab _always_ redesigns cars 1/2 at a time. 93 -> 96, back end. 96 to 96-5, front end. There will be a hatch.
I'bve never seen "c900" misspelled that way, but OK
In your opinion. And you know what they say about those.
Well then, I guess we won't be blessed with your presence here much longer. What a shame.
Nope, but I'm going to look at a 99 Turbo next week.
My, what a complete waste of time you are.
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