“If Saab’s future seems jolly rottenThere’s something you’ve forgottenYou can buy a heavily discounted brand new carWhen you’re feeling in the dumpsDon’t be silly chumpsJust walk into your nearest Saab dealership – that’s the thing.

And…always look on the bright side of life…Always look on the light side of life…”

First of all, we hope Monty Python won’t mind altering their song from The Life of Brian. We’d also like to note that we are in no way making fun of the fact that, unless something unexpected happens, Saab is closing shop – for good this time, leaving thousands of workers unemployed.

We’re just trying to say that, in the event the liquidation of the car company goes through, there are consequences but not all of them are bad for consumers.

Even if Saab joins Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Saturn, Plymouth, Morris, Triumph, Frazer Nash, Rover and all the other defunct car brands in the automotive afterlife, the Earth will not stop turning.

There are still Saab dealerships out there, with plenty of new cars in their lots. More specifically, according to Cars.com’s inventory lists, there 1,659 new Saab models including: 781 units of the 9-3; 49 of the 9-3X crossover, 135 units of the 9-4X, 692 units of the 9-5 and two 9-7Xs –though, unless there’s a huge discount, we would probably pass on the last one.

Sticker prices range from $23,475 for a 2011 9-3 Base sedan to $59,300 for a 2011 9-5 Aero Sedan. However, if Saab does indeed become history, dealers will be forced to heavily discount the remaining cars.

“You’re likely to see fire sale prices at the remaining Saab dealers as they try to clear out their inventory,” said Joe Wiesenfelder, Cars.com executive editor and senior analyst.

“Granted, the vehicles might have lower resale value, but if you’re paying less to begin with, you’re not taking as much of a depreciation hit as an owner who paid top dollar for a new Saab a year ago,” he added.

The good news is that you will buy a brand new, and in certain cases, modern and competent model such as the 9-5 and 9-4X, at bargain prices and/or with very compelling finance. If you don’t plant to resell it, this sounds like a good deal.

On the other hand, depreciation will be huge if you ever want or need to put a “for sale” sticker on your Saab. Moreover, as the cars age, finding parts will become more difficult – although using GM parts may somewhat help.

“There will always be people who are able to service Saab vehicles, but the bigger concern for owners might be an eventual shortage of replacement parts,” notes Wiesenfelder.

And then there is the issue of warranty, which at this point no one knows who and if will honor it, and servicing which, with no outlets, will become more difficult.

“When we’ve lost automotive brands in the past, such as Mercury or Pontiac, their warranties were honored by their parent companies,” said Wiesenfelder.

“With Saab, an independent entity, we’re in uncharted territory and there is some uncertainty around continued warranty coverage. The company itself is liquidating rather than restructuring and remaining in business, which could result in lower resale values, depending in part on how much warranty support remains.”

Story References: Cars / Kicking Tires

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