Used Saab Prices Drop in the UK, but Experts Say it Won't Last Long

It's only logical that consumers either turn away or are more cautious price-wise when it comes to buying a used car from a brand that has an unsure future like Saab. And while many people are patiently waiting to see what's going to happen with the Swedish carmaker, "Used Car Expert Magazine" says that used Saab prices in the UK have been falling for the past 18 months.

As an example, the magazine says that the average price for a two-year-old Saab 9-3 2.0t has dropped from close to £14,000 in the January '09 to just over £11,000 in January '10.

"The Saab brand has long been under-supported by GM in the UK and dealers have been discounting stock to get rid of it - most notably Stratstone who have been advertising a half million pound Saab stock clearance," said the magazine's Editor, Matt Tumbridge.

However, Tumbridge believes that the price drop is only temporary and that used Saabs will go up again.

"Prices won't be soft forever, even if they close it down. Rovers, which are nowhere near as good, are now very firm in terms of used car residuals. Saab have a following, are close to BMW in terms of style, performance, comfort. It's lunacy that prices have been so soft so long and as soon as Saab's future is clear, prices will firm up. Now is the time to buy," Tumbridge said.

According to the magazine, a 2008 Saab 9-3 2.0t with average mileage of 12,000 can be yours for £11,000 - £14,000 (more than £10,000 down from a new one) while 2006 year model with 40,000 average miles can be had in the UK from as low as £7,000.

In comparison, the magazine says that a £7,000 budget will only buy you a 2003 3-Series at best. For a 2006 BMW 320i ES (2.0-liter, four cylinder model with 150HP) with average mileage of 29,000, prices are said to start from around £11,500 but the magazine claims that £14,000 is a more realistic price.

Source: Used Car Expert - Today's exchange rate: 1 British Pound = 1.62 USD

2008 SAAB 9-3 GALLERY

GM Extends Deadline for Saab Bidders, 2010 9-5 Sedan Production to Restart

General Motors has dropped a December 31 deadline for Saab bids and will soon restart production of certain models to the pleasure of the Swedish brand's employees, dealers, interested buyers and of course, the automaker's fans. However, this doesn't mean that GM will not be closing down the brand if it doesn't find a suitable buyer.

"We are preparing the wind-down process. At the same time we are open to options, to bids that come in. Therefore the deadline has also been dropped," said Saab spokesman Eric Geers.

Reuters reported that Spyker CEO Victor Muller said in a text message that GM had extended the deadline for a final offer from the small Dutch supercar maker until January 7 adding that he believes there are other bidders also interested in Saab.

In addition, Saab announced today that, following a holiday shutdown, it will restart production in January for its all-new 2010 9-5 sedan and 9-3 Convertible models.

"We have the orders and we have to deliver them as usual. We also have the orders for the 9-3 and others. The factory has to continue again," Geers said.

Via: Reuters

What Should GM do with SAAB's 2010 9-5 Sedan and 9-4x SUV?

Unless you have been living under a rock, you've probably heard about GM's decision to close down its SAAB brand after it became clear that the Spyker deal could not be completed in reasonable time - or so the Detroit automaker claimed.

Some say, there's still some hope left for the once innovative and quirky Swedish brand as during the wind-down procedure, a savior might come forward and express interest in Saab as a whole or a part of the company.

There's even talk about a second life in China as GM could sell more Saab assets to BAIC or another domestic maker.

In any case, one of the first questions that arose after GM's decision, which, let's not forget, will leave several thousands of workers without a job, is what's going to happen with the production-ready 2010 9-5 sedan and the almost-ready 9-4x crossover?

Bear in mind that the premium sedan is based on GM's Epsilon 2 platform, also used on the Buick LaCrosse and Opel Insignia / 2011 Buick Regal, while the 9-4x shares its underpinnings with the new Cadillac SRX.

Officially, General Motors has not said what it will do with these two cars nor with the current 9-3s.

In what concerns the two new models, we can think of several options that GM may have including killing them off entirely, rebadging the cars under a different name and even selling the rights / assets to another automaker - although, common sense says that the last option is probably the least likely to happen for obvious competitive reasons.

So, here's the question we would like to ask you, our readers: What do you think General Motors should do with the new SAAB 9-5 sedan and 9-4x Crossover?

PS: The photoshoped 2010 SAAB 9-5 sedan with the Buick snout was made just to prettify the article

2010 SAAB 9-5 SEDAN

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SAAB 9-4X BIOPOWER CONCEPT

New Saab 9-3 Turbo Edition Models for UK Market

Doing what it knows best lately, Saab launched another special edition series, this time for the 9-3 range in the UK. And yes, the 'Turbo Edition' is nothing more than a new trim level that is available on both the sedan and SportWagon variants of the 9-3 with the 1.8-liter turbocharged gasoline engine and the three variants of the 1.9-liter diesel (120, 150 and 180HP).

The new 9-3 Turbo Edition models are equipped with standard 17-inch alloy wheels, leather interior, heated front seats, dual-zone climate control, 9-speaker 150w audio system with MP3 compatibility and cruise control. Prices start from £19,995 for the Saloon and £21,071.60 for the SportWagon.

Engine	Price
	Saloon	SportWagon
1.8t	£19,995	£21,076.60
1.9TID (120PS)	£20,495	£21,571.60
1.9TID (150PS)	£20,995	£22,076.60
1.9TID (180PS)	£22,495	£23,576.60

New Saab 9-3x Crossover on Video

Saab is joining Audi, Subaru and Volvo in the high-riding station wagon segment with the presentation of the new 9-3X Crossover that will be officially unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show. We have already posted all the initial details and photos of the 9-3X, so unless you missed out - if that's the case, then click here, we'll let you follow the jump to watch the first official video of the car that was filmed somewhere in Southern Sweden.

Saab's New 9-3X Crossover Officially Revealed - High Res Image Gallery

These are the first official photos of the new Saab 9-3X, a 'crossoverish' station wagon in the style of the Audi A6 Allroad and Volvo XC70 that will make its debut at the forthcoming Geneva Motor Show. Based on the station wagon variant of the 9-3 that Saab calls Sport Wagon, the 'X' model will be available with either a 210HP 2.0 liter turbocharged petrol engine combined with the firm's XWD four-wheel-drive system or a 180HP 1.9-liter TTiD diesel engine with front-wheel drive.

In terms of performance, the 2.0 Turbo XWD which is available with both a six speed manual and automatic transmission can accelerate from 0–60 mph (96 km/h) in 8.2 seconds (Auto: 9.1 sec) and reach a top speed of 143mph - 230 km/h (Auto: 137mph). The front-wheel-drive only diesel variant performs the 0 to 60 mph sprint in 8.3 sec (Auto: 8.8 sec) and has a top speed of 137mph - 220 km/h (Auto: 134mph).

As is the case with other vehicles of this sort, compared to the standard 9-3, the ride height has been raised by 35mm on the 2.0 Turbo XWD model and 20mm on the FWD diesel version. But that's about all that's mechanically different between the 9-3X and its Sport Wagon sibling, as there's no special tires or toughened suspension here.

While it's as much of an off-road model as the standard 9-3 Sport Wagon, Saab's designers have tried their best to make the 9-3X look the part. Protective cladding aside, the 9-3X gets new dark grey bumpers, skid panels with a matt aluminum finish, 5-spoke 17-inch alloy wheels, aluminum-colored lower door strips and roof rails with the same finish

There's no picture of the interior, but Saab claims that the 9-3X's cabin features a unique trim, with dark metallic finish to the door trims, glove box and gearbox surround plus unique sports seating features grey fabric inserts in the black leather upholstery.