SAAB 9-5
Despite his status as the best basketball player of all time and the honour duly given to him by The Good Car Guy (most especially in his junior high school playing days) Michael Jordan attempted to un-retire too many times. Nobody even attempted to deny his inherent talent, his grand stature as the game’s brightest light, and the fact that his first un-retirement resulted in three consecutive championships. But, imagine how we would remember MJ if he’d completed his career before the current century.
Now, the Saab 9-5 will never be recalled as the best midsize luxury sedan. It was, however, in its day, a bright shining Swedish light. Turbocharged refinement; class and charm. Still, what was once respect turns quickly into regard, then faint reminiscence, and just before the wretching; rejection. We don’t want the 9-5 anymore, and despite arguments to the contrary on behalf of its power and its content, the Saab doesn’t cut it in a field of candidates – both bigger and smaller – that outperform it in terms of desirability.
And guess what, Saab execs: at this price level, desirability counts for plenty.
—–
Alternatives: Round trip with stops in Goteburg, Stockholm, and Kiruna; Audi A4; Cadillac CTS
Necessary Incentivizing To Switch To The Good 12 v2.0: Buy 1 Saab 9-5, receive 50% off Cadillac CTS-V.
Anything Else? If General Motors has a future, or if it can sell the future of Saab to somebody else, Saab appears to have hope… at least in terms of product.