Silver Saab Sedan Stereotype

On this day, I found three silver Saab sedans.  Each time I see a Saab at all I kinda crack a smile, sometimes only internally, but often externally, flexing all those smile muscles in my face that we heard so much about as students in physiology class.

I smile because I once inherited a run down Saab which was very good to me.  I loved that car...great power, sportiness, utility (hatchback)...in fact I loved it so much that I drove it beyond the point of typical operation.  I had little expendible cash at the time, so when the sunroof started leaking, it wasn't trade in time, it was red duct tape time (my Saab was Carmosine Red Metallic like the one below).  This car was so much fun that I continued using it when reverse stopped working, and  when the ignition wouldn't work on a hot day, requiring putting the key in ice for 5 minutes before the ignition. Even scarier, I continued my long 500 mile sprints to Boston when the engine mounts were blown out, causing crazy rattling and never knowing if the engine might just fall out somehow.   I just didn't want to see her go, but the time to sobb for the Saab came...my 9000 turbo soldiered on to 268,000 miles, when at last it left me stranded in an airport parking lot 100 miles from home- after travelling 23 hours from Australia.   This was a breaking point and so the directions for the tow truck driver had to be to the dismantler... but I surely shed a tear.  This car was special - it had a certain je ne c'est quoi - a saab-ness that made it hard to part with.

I further shed a small tear, mostly a tear of worry, when GM invested in a Saab auto spinoff (so rarely do these live up to expectations, but lawyers benefit, so. Anyway, different blog post).   GM plunged completely into Saab in 2000...or rather (I should be more precise), GM made it a wholly owned subsidiary in 2000.   The marketers at GM swore Saab wouldn't lose it's Saab-ness, but surely it was diluted year after year as more GM shared parts became part of making Saab profitable (a handicap likely brought on through the brand bruising of GM's ownership itself), but that's a long story for someone more expert than I.  Here's a video link for someone preferring to watch than read.

This blog is about those three silver Saab sedans. A different smile I get when I see a Saab is because some very good friends drive cars similar, with one friend driving one identical to the cars I saw- a silver saab sedan.  That internal smile turned to an external smile when I noted the driver of the first car - a professor type replete with beret, trimmed beard and some steampunkish oculars.  Awesome! The stereotypical Saab driver!   This made me smile for I've had much experience with Saab owners of the US Northeast, who often turned out to be professors wearing elbow patch sportcoats and beards.  I brought my case for this stereotype to a fellow auto-knowledgeable colleague in the US Midwest, and she thought I couldn't have been further from the truth...

Her case for the Saab driver stereotype was rooted in the gay / lesbian community. Except the convertibles, which were for successful professional women.  I heard plenty of this line of logic when I disclosed that I once drove a Saab.   I couldn't get a good look at the second silver Saab driver I noticed - even after racing around some traffic to get a good view.  However, I did spot a rainbow flag bumper sticker and some sort of "equal marriage for all" message on the back window.   Second stereotype...check. This is easy.

The third silver saab sedan I noticed was when I was leaving Trader Joe's, unsuccessful in finding decent grits...Southern food hankering again.  This Saab's driver blew away all stereotype's entirely- a miss so far from the stereotype mark as to cancel out any points earned in having the earlier drivers match the type.  This driver was a young man with a coiffed mohawk haircut, wearing some punk like earrings.  He was certainly enjoying the saab-ness of his car as he turbo'ed right past my anemic suv.

We often rely, or rather over-rely on stereotypes, and mass decisioning in our lives.  I would encourage you to step forward, pretend you're a Saab driver, and stand up for all that drives you individually.   Wear it proudly.   I for once, savor the smile silver Saab sedans give me...that, and alliteration.