Could somebody please explain...

[santeria589]

I thought i'd take my 99 up to Stonehenge today to blow out the cobwebs when my better half raised an interesting point...
during the 1hr drive from Bournemouth I was carved up by 2 seperate 9-5 drivers. One of them decided that the humiliation of being passed by a 19yr old car was too much for him and pulled out in front of me at 65mph...
The second idiot thought that the speed limit on a country road was just a recommendation and did an impression of a strobe light with his main beams for 2 miles...

Now since I insist (as you do) on pointing out every Saab I see, the girlfriend cant help but do it as well and she came to the conclusion that most Saab drivers think they are 'kings of the road'...
She may be biased against Saab's but I most definitely am not, and during my 1500mile+ working week I see plenty of evidence of her point. You may think that I only notice the Saab drivers because of the car they drive but I assure you I notice any car that's being driven by a moron around me. The evidence points to Saab drivers being remarkably more ignorant than most.

This may seem a bit inflammatory and no doubt I'll be flamed mercilessly but hear me out...
I have all the time in the world for the people who inhabit this board, friendly and helpful to a man (and possibly woman) , so it seems odd that most Saab drivers I encounter on the road are arrogant fools with no desire to share the blacktop with anyone else.
Obviously there are exceptions to the rule but I'm buggered if they live round here.

One more thing - this only seems to apply to new Saab's, 9-5's especially. I sincerely hope no-one takes offence to this tirade and I sincerely hope that if you pass a white 99GL with polished 900 wheel trims then you'll smile and wave the correct amount of fingers at me .

John.

[James]

An unfortunate side-effect of SAAB's expanding customer-base, I guess. All these new SAAB owners have to come from somewhere, and a lot of them are more used to driving German automobiles ... You can take the person out of the BMW, but you can't necessarily take the BMW-driver out of the person

James

[1989agoodvintage]

Yes, a lot of newer Saabs are company cars. Everyone knows how people behave when it isn't their own car don't we

Basically I'd say that anyone driving a Saab > 5 years old has to be a fan, the rest well, some are some aren't. I can't promise that all enthusiasts are saints behind the wheel, I must admit to extractly a smug glee from embarrassing boy racers in their lowered 306's.

[rob123]

I don't think I am a 'competitive 'driver and have no problem being over taken by a 19 year old car, be it a Saab or any other make, as long as nothing drops off ( I am the guy who has posted "Michelin Pilots look new after 12K miles". You may think I don't even let the handbrake off, but you could be wrong )I think its fair to say having a ten year old 9000cse 2.3 and a MY2000 9.5 SE, I have a foot in both camps.Love to see the classic Saabs on the road, if you find me a touch too close, only means I am trying to get a better look thats all.Don't expect me to wave or flash my lights though Went to the Tamworth meet and even had some interest shown in my 'new' car, thanks guys for that.

[saabman]

Sorry mate but my 9-5 is not a company car and I have no problems with other Saab drivers,I usually find Saab drivers in the main drive like normal human beings unless they are upset by another motorist,Many times on this site I had read things like"wolf in sheeps clothing" "look of amazement when overtaken by a saab" and "gentle men racers" so we are not all saints behind the wheel,maybe it was two idiots on a 24 hour test drive from Saab.

[droyboy]

My 93 is a company car and currently looking to buy a 9000 carlsson as I'm a genuine Saab lover

Saabs are multi produced just like any other make of vehicle, if this was a Ford/Vauxhall/BMW site people would be saying the same thing and making all sorts of claims of other bad drivers, but why do we go on the defence when our driving abilities comes in to question (human nature) and in some cases egos.

A client of mine once claimed she must have a problem with her car (Saab)I must add, and asked why had her company been recharged for 7 wheels and tyres over a period of time, when I investigated the case I found that she had been kerbing the vehicle or denting the alloy wheels going through pot holes etc, when I presented to her my findings she went up the wall, yes you guest it Ive been driving for 25 years blar blar blar.

The morale of this story is ! some people stick to the speed limit and some hold up a que of vehicles and some take risks or some drive just like they've stolen it, but you cannot tell a person how to drive regardless of how bad there driving is or point the finger at some company car drivers.

We are all guilty at times !

[siwatkins]

Mine isn't a company car either. I think there are a lot more company drivers who perhaps couldn't get into the BMW they wanted, or wanted a change from the usual, than there were. I can't say I've noticed any 9-5's being particularly badly driven though. I think a healthy dose of coincidence was going on in the original posters trip

It might also be due to Saabs gaining greater acceptance with a younger market than before. Younger drivers are a greater risk according to the insurance companies, consequently, you could map that across to those who drive Saabs if the Saab owner demographic is moving downward in age.

Simon

[Fawlty]

It was obviously Cackson and Willllllson.

Or someone late for a meeting who doesn't like people driving at 35 mph in a clear 60 zone.

Although I believe there are those whose sole reason for owning a powerful car is to discuss its superior BHP in the pub before driving home at 3 mph, for most drivers the prime point of owning a fast car is surely to get from A to B in the minimum time sensible driving allows. The definition of "sensible" is where the questions start - I certainly don't include legal in my definition. It'd be nice to think Saab = sensible, but I don't think the converse is true either. I freely admit that I drive fast, but I'd like to think that it is not without consideration for other road users. I don't think I carve anyone up, but their perception of the available overtaking space may be different to mine. I have absolutely no problem with being overtaken, although it seldom happens. If someone (normally someone miffed at being overtaken) "challenges" me to a race, I invariably concede before starting, as I consider that dangerous. But I do sometimes get angry at people dawdling along when I have business to attend to - as does anyone in a country area when there are tourists or weekenders around.

[john]

It was obviously Cackson and Willllllson.[/b]

That comment alone made me laugh!

[sgould]

When I was young and lived in the far south west we used to go emmett baiting - trying to make tourists drive faster than they wanted to, until they pulled in and let you by .

We reckoned the best car for the conditions would need to accelerate from 15 mph to 35 mph in half a second, with a top speed of 40. Alas, no one made one of them!

[Dave Beddows]

Is this similar to 'I haven't been in an accident in 50 years - but I've seen hundreds'

Originally posted by Fawlty:
I don't think I carve anyone up, but their perception of the available overtaking space may be different to mine. I have absolutely no problem with being overtaken, although it seldom happens. If someone (normally someone miffed at being overtaken) "challenges" me to a race, I invariably concede before starting[/b]

[captain aero]

There's a lot of chat about performance and quick driving on this site but generally I don't think SAAB drivers drive any worse, better or differently than other motorists. There are just significantly more SAABs on the UK's roads now.

[Saaboteur]

I took a colleague out in my (non company) 9-3, and his first comment was "bloody hell - this thing is quite nippy isn't it?"

His expectation was that as a saab driver I would be tootling along at 35 on a duel carriagway. I certainly don't hang about in my saab - that's why I bought it - but I don't break the law and I don't hack other motorists off by flashing at them (I really hate that - it's the driving equivelant of peeing in the street, sheer yobbishness).

I can't say that in more than a decade of saab driving I have noticed saab drivers being any worse that others, though as out friend says, there are certainly more of them on the roads now.

But when saab try to reposition themselves in the market place by comparing their cars to jet fighter planes, you can't expect to see cotton-tops behind the wheel of every saab you pass!

[santeria589]

Fair and valid points from most of you...
I expected the reaction of some others as well, no-one likes their driving being questioned at the end of the day (even indirectly on a message board!!!) As for me, i've been driving 1500+miles per week for the last 8 years or so and consider myself an average ability driver... not too fast and not too slow, able to judge road conditions and adjust my driving style accordingly. I have only caused one accident through error and been in only 3 caused by others, I suspect some of you may have seen a few in your rear view mirror judging by some of the comments here.
And I dont give a damn who thinks I should go faster than is safe on unknown country lanes just because the moron wants to get home/to a meeting/to the pub quicker.

As regards the age demographic of Saab drivers, I can in all honesty say that I rarely ever see a Saab driver under the age of 35-40, and that significantly reduces the chance of meeting an attractive female Saab enthusiast.


I take back what I said about it predominantly being Saab drivers, maybe I do notice them more because I held the niave view that most of them would be forward-thinking and enlightened individuals like ourselves.

John.

'80 900GLe
'85 900t16
'83 99GL

BTW; of the 3 accidents I encountered through no fault of my own, 2 people lost their lives. I refuse to believe anyone who tells me they are an excellent/safe/sensible driver... I'm sure those 2 people thought the same.

[Fawlty]

And I dont give a damn who thinks I should go faster than is safe on unknown country lanes just because the moron wants to get home/to a meeting/to the pub quicker. *[/b]

Like I said, consideration for other road users