Save Money on Maintenance

Another great way to save money with Saab is its lower cost of maintenance. Like everything else in the Universe, the cost of maintaining an automobile has continued to climb over the past couple decades. Saab is no exception to this rule. But Saab one of the least costly to service of any comparably priced vehicle, especially when compared to other European compeditors. There are a number of reasons for this down through Saab's history.

In addition to Saab's reputation as the safest automobile in the world, Saab has long had the reputation for being one of the leaders in power train technology and development. This was a natural outgrowth of Saab's high-tech aircraft heritage. Saab pioneered much of the power train technology found on many vehicles these days. They engineered their very first automobiles to be front wheel drive so they could handle the winter conditions in Sweden. This innovation made them one of the most popular imports on the east coast back in the 1960s and since. But that was only the beginning.

In 1983, Saab introduced the first self-tuning engines with their "Automatic Performance Control" (APC). This innovation not only improved performance and economy, but also reduced the cost to keep the car in tune. Saab has led the way with engine management technology every since those days.

In 1985, Saab introduced their double overhead cam engine with self-adjusting valves thereby eliminating costly valve adjustments. Those valves were also driven by a timing-chain rather than a timing-belt like other cars. This eliminates that need to replace a very expensive timing-belt every 60,000 miles.

Saab switched from oil cooled turbo chargers to water cooled in 1986, allowing the oil change interval to be doubled. That cut the cost of turbo model oil changes in half of course.

Today, your Saab is retuning its engine millisecond by millisecond as you drive it and most of the typical maintenance requirements you once had to pay for have been eliminated. Oil changes and minor inspection intervals have been extended to 10,000 miles. Your recommended services at 10000, 20000 and 30000 are all paid for when you buy your Saab so you don't pay for any service until you reach 40000 miles! If you have any operating problem that strands you, Saab's free roadside assistance will come to you and do whatever it takes to get you back on the road again.

To top it off, Saab's warrantee covers the cost to repair any problem that might arise for four years or 50000 miles. That includes bumper-to-bumper coverage of everything but wearing items like tires or brakepads.

The cost of maintaining an automobile continues to rise, but Saab has been a leader in reducing those costs over its 60 year history. It's just one more reason why you are able to Save Miney With Saab!

Thanks for reading.
Jim Vickers

Saving Money with Saab Safety

In my last post, we talked about Saab's fabulous fuel economy as a way to save a lot of money these days. Today, I'd like to talk about another way to save that many folks overlook. You can save a substantial amount each year on the cost of your automobile insurance because the insurance companies love Saab's low, low injury claims cost. Every year, Saab receives the Highway Loss Data Institute's highest rating because insurance payouts for injuries are the lowest on Saab automobiles. As the cost of medical care continues to skyrocket, the savings for Saab auto insurance increase as well.

Yesterday, I had the pleasure to meet and show Kathy and Mike B. a new Saab Convertible. One of the many money-saving benefits I pointed to with the Saab Convertible was the fact that it is the only convertible on the market that has a 5 Star Safety Rating. Saab safety translates into several hundred insurance dollars saved every year! That is just one more great way to save money with Saab. Thanks for reading.

The Theme of Saving Money With Saab

The title says it pretty well. The general theme of this blog is all about how to save money on your costs of transportation. In particular, how can you save transportation costs with a Saab automobile? The Saab will save you money in far more ways than you might ever imagine. But I won't blow your mind with that right now. I plan to share all the ways to save money, one at a time, so you have a chance to respond or ask any questions you may have.

The first way to save money with Saab that I would like to discuss is probably on the minds of everyone who drives an automobile right now. Saab has always been one of the most fuel efficient automobiles in existence. Like so many other Saab attributes, this stems from Saab's aircraft heritage. Saab has always believed that form follows function. While other manufacturers have tried to increase their performance by increasing the size of their engines, Saab has always sought to increase performance by maximizing the efficiency of the Saab powerplant.

By way of background, Saab builds some of the hottest jet fighter aircraft in the world. They are one of the world's most technologically advanced manufacturers who began engineering and building automobiles right after WWII. So Saab pioneered a lot of the technology that has later been adopted by the rest of the automobile industry. Powertrain development and safety engineering are two prime area's of leadership for Saab.

Saab's high fuel economy is the result of a number of Saab engineering innovations. When Saab began producing automobiles, their first cars and every car since has been front wheel drive for traction in the Swedish winters. But front wheel drive also happens to be the most efficient driveline which consequently saves fuel.

Saab later adapted turbo-charging from their aircraft engines to their Saab automobiles in 1977. This innovation vastly improved engine power and efficiency. Turbo has been a hallmark of Saab since that time and Saab continues to lead the way with turbo technology to this day.

Saab then pioneered the self-tuning engine with their "APC" system in 1983. This was one of the very first computer controlled engine management systems on automobiles. This system was followed by numerous up-grades and other innovations such as Saab's direct ignition system, all of which made huge advancements in powertrain efficiency.

As a consequence of all these innovations, Saab automobiles are some of the world's most fuel efficient automobiles that provide their kind of room, comfort and high performance. For example, a 210 horsepower high performance Saab 9-3 Sport Sedan with loads of room and comfort will give you 30 to 33 miles per gallon on the highway at 65 miles per hour. There are a lot of little cracker-boxes with no power that can't do that well.

So, fuel economy is one major way to "Save Money With Saab". It is a very important way to save money, but there are many others as well so stay tuned!

Thanks for reading.
Jim

Sharing My 24 Years of Saab Experience

Hello! My name is Jim Vickers and if you have been anywhere near Saab in Orange County, California, in the past 24 years, you may know of me. I hope what you know is good! I began selling Saab automobiles at Beach Imports in Newport Beach in August of 1984 and have been with this same franchise (through three dealer owners) ever since. I've been with our Saab of Mission Viejo facility since it opened eight years ago but have just recently transferred back to our main dealership in the Santa Ana Auto Mall. Many sales professionals (I use the term loosely) are doing well to stay somewhere 24 weeks in the auto industry. So I have a lot of people ask me why so long with Saab? My quick answer is always because I love the cars and what they stand for. I could rave on for hours about all the reasons but I've save that for some future posts to this blog. Suffice it to say at this point that my wife, son, daughter and myself have been driving Saabs for very good reasons for 24 years or as long as my son and daughter have been driving.

The purpose of this blog is to share with those who are interested the insights concerning Saab that I've gained over the years. I'll try to focus on the information that would be of interest and of value to you, the reader. By all means, please let me know if I'm getting off that track!

Thanks for reading,
Jim