Charles River Saab, the oldest Saab dealer in the USA, is shutting down their Saab dealership and moving Saab parts and service to their Volvo dealership.
Charles River Saab is moving!
After 55 years in Watertown, Charles River Saab is moving to Boston. Since the bankruptcy of Saab Cars and Saab Cars North America, we have been working on other strategies to maintain our presence on Arsenal Street, but to no avail. Thus, having been left with a parts and service operation alone, we are going to move 4,820 feet across the Charles River and consolidate our resources and operations with our sister-store, Boston Volvo Village, on North Beacon Street in Allston/Brighton.
While we will have a new location, you will still find the same Saab staff and the same commitment we’ve always had to the Saab brand, not to mention our unmatched expertise and enthusiasm for Saab vehicles. Charles River Saab customers will enjoy the same services they’ve come to expect—loaner cars, car washes, detailing, shuttle service, the best parts department anywhere, and more Saab knowledge than any entity outside of Sweden. Plus, they will also benefit from some of the enhanced features our Volvo customers have enjoyed for years, including a variety of waiting rooms (don’t miss the quiet room with the massaging chair), shuttle service to Kenmore and Central Squares, and indoor service check-in.
From the Boston Globe:
Charles River Saab to hold farewell open house
Often, when a business shuts down, the owners tape an “Out of Business—Thanks for Your Patronage” note to the door as they lock it for the final time.
The folks at Charles River Saab in Watertown are going about it the opposite way: They’re holding a farewell open house on Saturday from 5-8 p.m. as the oldest Saab retailer in the Western Hemisphere shuts down after 55 years.
“We’re opening the doors for all the old employees, plus some customers, to stop by and say goodbye to the joint,” says service manager Pierre Belperron, who will be staying on site for a few weeks to close down operations at the Arsenal street facility.
Meanwhile the staff will be moving the service and parts operation about a mile down the road to Boston Volvo at 75 North Beacon Street, Brighton, another of the Village Automotive Group’s dealerships.
“We’ll continue to do service and parts work as long as there are Saabs on the road,” says Belperron.
Saab has been shut down and in bankruptcy since December and efforts to reorganize the company have been stymied because General Motors still owns many product licenses.
When the company ceased production, Charles River Saab had 70 vehicles in stock.
“Most were sold within 30 days and the rest within 60,” says Belperron. “Sadly, it was one of the biggest sales months in our history. A lot of buyers liked the fire sale prices even though the cars came without a factory warranty.”
Belperron says mechanical parts won’t be a long-term problem for those new Saabs; however, it may be a while before the company or aftermarket suppliers can offer body parts.
“Even if the company returns, prospects are that it would be three or four years before any new product comes to market,” says Belperron, the go-to person for Boston-area Saabphiles since 1989.
“We’re expecting about 100 folks to stop by,” he says, “including Felix Bosshard, the original owner of CRS.”
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