SAAB and Subaru = SAABaru

[Murphy]

i know this isnt new news and youve all heard but could someone explain this to me

i read about the 9-2X and WRX, an how it was supposed to be a partnership thing before Subaru left GM

what years did GM have partial ownership of Subaru?
is GM still tring to get rid of SAAB? ...now that they dropped them into debt
GM took ownership in 1990 right?
if they sell SAAB who do you think will buy it up, is it possible they will be independant again?

i love SAABs and i respect SAABs but i will never buy a GM product, but i will definatly be looking at a new SAAB if GM ditches them

[entirelyturbo]

FHI didn't leave GM, GM had 20% share in FHI. Then, just last year, GM just up and sold off all their shares of FHI (I want to say that GM bought those shares of FHI in 2000). Toyota bought enough of those shares to end up owning 8.7% of FHI, becoming the new largest shareholder of FHI, and the rest went to private investors.

Yes, the 9-2X was just a pussed-out version of the Impreza wagon. I say pussed-out because the suspension was softened up a tad and the interior was refined a little more.

Also, look up the Chevy Borrego concept car. That was a SUV crossover thigamajic that had a Subaru drivetrain.

I hate to say it, but if GM is thinking of breaking their ties with Saab, that will likely mean that they will KILL Saab, not put them back out on their own. Saab is a complete GM subsidiary, owned by GM 100%, and I believe GM bought them out in 1991.

I personally am not a big fan of Saab. I respect their belief in turbocharging (for example, the old 9-5 V6 had the world's only asymmetrically-turbocharged engine), but nothing they do will make up for the 900 and its backward-ass motor.

[jamal]

Yes, the 9-2X was just a pussed-out version of the Impreza wagon. I say pussed-out because the suspension was softened up a tad and the interior was refined a little more.

I wouldn't say that. It was more like a better version of the Impreza wagon. It has the STI steering rack, aluminum control arms, and you could get an aero with leather, a sunroof, and HID lights for less than the price of a WRX.

They were made 04-06 I think. The 06 got the 2.5t but not the 4-pot brakes.

[Murphy]

whats wrong with the reverse longitudinal motor? i rather like the 900Turbo, weve had 5 900s, and one 90' 9000
only 2 of the 900s ran when we bought them, the first 88' 900 we had, we reused the motor 3 times after my sister and my mom totaled all of them, the 900Tubo had over 300k on the motor and just gave out fimaly

i thought GM gave out a while back, oh well, i do remember hearing about Toyota though, arent they going to make Imprezas at the same factory were Toyota is making Corollas?

[evolutionmovement]

What's wrong with a reverse motor?! Replacing any accessory. It's also on top of the transmission = bad CG and it's farm tech. Good for durability, but not for power or favorable weight. Admittedly, I liked the looks of the old 99s and I have an illogical soft spot for Sonnets. If only that Ford V4 could be replaced by an EJ22... Almost bought a 900 until I saw under the hood and bought a repair manual. Like the solidity of the build and interiors.

IMO GM should be using Saab as a low (for GM) volume 'experimental' division making hybrids and such with aerodynamic emphasis more in line with the original Saabs or something resembling a Citroen DS or SM in concept. They won't be for everybody, but they shouldn't be and their technology could trickle down to other brands. There are plenty of cutting edge types who would love it (plenty of them are buying things like Priuses now). The big Americans need to realize that they can't take a medium-volume near-prestige marque and make it large volume and prestige. Ford needs to figure that out for Jaguar and Volvo, too. I like Volvo's design direction, but the cars themselves are too generic underneath. Still, I'll be checking out the C30 probably if it doesn't take too long to come out and cost much more than a Mazdaspeed3 (which it shares platforms with). Jaguar...well, they should just let it die or sell it off, but I think at this point it's just a pathetic retro-shelled irrelevance and within reach of only a miracle to save. But I haven't liked them since the early XJ6. William Lyons is long gone and his cars should've gone with him.

I don't know about the Imprezas, but they're making Camrys in Indiana with the Legacy.

[Murphy]

lol yeah Camry and Legacy ...not Corolla and Impreza

i never thought of a company being an expiramental brand, that would be interesting to see

i changed a clutch in 2 and a half hours with that reverse motor, that was probably the best thing about it, even if i only put in one clutch
the only prob with the motor was shit always getting stuck in the feul lines and the pump gonig out, had to change the pump on all of them, the one on the 9000 went out twice

[206er]

my pops used to have a 99, those are freakin bad ass. from what I hear the 900 turbo motors swap in as well.
96's are pretty cool too in a vintage rally car sort of way.

[Brat4by4]

i never thought of a company being an expiramental brand, that would be interesting to see

Geo, Scion...

[scottzg]

id buy a gm over any saab.

[AWD_addict]

The ergonomics are a bit weird in SAABs. Why make a wheel that telescopes but doesn't tilt?

[entirelyturbo]

Why make a wheel that telescopes but doesn't tilt?

Like the Crossfire...