What Whiny Porsche Fans Can Learn From Saab

2012 Porsche 911 GT3 RS. Photo courtesy Porsche Cars North America

If there's one thing in life I hate more than anything it's whiners. We all know people who are never satisfied with anything, who always pine after "the good ol' days" when everything was obviously so incredibly superior and who find fault in so much that surrounds them. Sadly there are many Porsche fans who fall into the whiner category.


I love Porsches and don't have anything against the brand or the culture in general, just to get things straight before I continue.

2013 Porsche Boxster S. Photo courtesy Porsche Cars North America

The Porsche fan whining picked up when the 911 switched from air-cooling to water-cooling, with people declaring the car was "ruined" and wouldn't be as reliable. I know Porsche fans and owners who still swear the only "real" 911s are air-cooled models. In more modern times Porsche fans complained like hell when the Boxster was introduced in the '90s. These people called the Boxster all kinds of names and some still refuse to accept it as a "real" Porsche. The truth is the Boxster likely saved Porsche from going into bankruptcy, and who knows where that would have led.

In recent years there has been quite a bit of whining going on about the Porsche Cayenne and Panamera. Personally, most of the people I've known who complain about these two models are people who haven't driven them, while those who have say they are amazing vehicles (especially the Turbo models). But of course people complain that they are front-engine, larger vehicles that are better suited for everyday driving and so that means they're not "real" Porsches (okay, there are other reasons cited for this not-a-real-Porsche classification, but they're just as silly in my opinion).

2013 Porsche Cayenne Turbo. Photo courtesy Porsche Cars North America

Even if you think the Cayenne is ridiculous and you lust after a 911, you can't get away from the fact that Porsche is now flush with cash thanks to its SUV and sedan. In the United States alone half of all Porsches sold are Cayennes, making it a huge cash cow for the company. I say anything that allows Porsche to build more versions of the 911 is a good thing, not to mention other high-performance models like the Cayman R.

These whiny Porsche fans could learn a thing or two from watching Saab and its ugly, slow death as an automaker. Saab was like Porsche back in the day: both automakers produced very few cars that fit into a niche in the market. The big difference has been that Porsche has expanded out into more mainstream product channels, meanwhile Saab engaged in some badge engineering with a Subaru Impreza wagon and a Chevy Trailblazer of all things! Saab could still be alive today if it had produced vehicles like its too-little-too-late 9-4 back when things weren't so grim (and it wasn't owned by GM). Porsche fans could be crying about the death of their beloved automaker at the hands of GM or some other automotive behemoth that loves to buy companies and then destroy those companies like a child pulling the legs off an ant before frying it slowly with a magnifying glass.

So to the Porsche fans who are still whining and bitching and moaning about the Cayenne, the Panamera and other upcoming "baby" versions of these models, I say stop your whining and enjoy the fact Porsche is around and doing so well!

The Irrelevance of "Buy American Only"

2013 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. Photo courtesy General Motors

I remember when I was a kid there was a huge push in the United States against Japanese vehicles. My family formerly owned a big Ford LTD station wagon that was a hunk of junk, so there was little love for domestic cars in our household. In fact all but one car we owned were Japanese and were super reliable. I would watch the news at night and see videos of rallies at different domestic car dealerships across the country where people literally bashed in Toyota Camrys and Honda Civics with baseball bats and monster trucks as a way of taking out their frustration for what American automakers claimed was "unfair business practices." At the time I was puzzled about why people were so outraged.


In the end it has been proven that Japanese automakers weren't engaging in unscrupulous business practices and instead were doing some rather innovative things. Still, American automakers leaned heavily on people's patriotic sensibilities, saying that buying American-made automobiles was the patriotic thing to do.

A lot has changed since then, although some people haven't gotten the memo that the term "buy American" is pretty much irrelevant at this point. The fact is that many "foreign" cars are manufactured in America and there are even some "American" cars that are manufactured elsewhere.

2013 Honda Pilot. Photo courtesy American Honda Motor Co.

Case in point: the Honda Pilot and Ridgeline. Both are large vehicles made just for the North American market, and both are manufactured at Honda's factory located in Lincoln, Alabama. German automaker BMW has a plant in South Carolina while its rival Mercedes-Benz has a large plant in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. I could go on, but hopefully you get the point. These factories are staffed by American workers on American soil. Some of the vehicles manufactured in them have been designed and engineered by Americans, which is a smart move considering Americans know pretty well what appeals to Americans.

Conversely, there are many examples of "American" cars that are made outside of this country. The Chevrolet Camaro is a prime example of this, with the current generation being manufactured in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. I should note that General Motors has announced the next generation of the pony car will be made in Michigan once more. Still, there are other "American" cars manufactured elsewhere (like the new Chevrolet SS, which will be made in Australia). 

So the next time someone tries to guilt you into "buying American" to show your patriotism, remember that they are just ill-informed about the current automotive manufacturing business.