Guilford Saab in Connecticut closed after 34 years in business

Guilford Saab in Connecticut opened its doors in 1979 and has been in business for 34 years. Co-owner Nancy Elderbaum shared her thoughts in an open letter and talks about the familiar problems so many Saab dealerships faced in the last few years. The last day was January 18.

Her husband Phil passed away in December of last year after loosing his battle with cancer. The response and support from Saab owners was overwhelming but it just was not possible to keep the Saab dealership open because of large overhead cost, high discounts on new cars and the parts availability situation. Saab owners can take their vehicles to Land Rover Guilford for routine services like oil changes. Secor Saab in New London is the nearest dealer to go for Saab warranty work and other services.

Nancy Elderbaum's letter:

To All of Our Saab Friends,

It is with great difficulty and sadness that I write you this letter. After 34 years of business, Guilford Saab is forced to close our doors. As you may or may not know, my husband Phil lost his battle to cancer on December 29th. It wasn’t without a fight and a major effort on his part to try to be at the store every day to talk with customers and to support his employees right until the end.

Phil opened Guilford Saab in 1979 with a passion for the Saab brand and a vision to take the best care of all Saab owners and enthusiasts. He built a strong team to accomplish what he set out to do with great success. He enjoyed living in Guilford and was proud as he drove around the shoreline towns seeing all of the SAAB’s on the road, customers waving and smiling as they passed by.

As all of you have experienced, the takeover of SAAB by GM turned more smiles into frowns, and the recent and final blow to the wonderful brand came when all ties were cut to the retailers. Being put in that position put an end to all new car sales, it limited the parts availability and completely stopped reimbursement for warranty work. During that time there were many discussions and sleepless nights as to whether we close the doors and stop the frustration and financial burden, or try to continue on with the business to take care of our very loyal SAAB customers. Phil’s determination to continue to service all of his customers might not have been the best business decision, but he told me it made the customers happy and that was most important to him. Though the financial position we were put in strained the business, staying open made him happy and I wanted to help to keep that spark in him as long as I could.

Our last day of business will be Friday, January 18th. We have been in contact with Charlie Secor at Secor SAAB in New London to help you with your future SAAB needs. Secor Saab is able to perform all the warranty work and also provide you with exceptional service. If you have questions or comments, I would encourage you to contact Phil’s partner Susan at Land Rover Guilford, who has offered to discuss options, answer questions, as well as provide services and routine maintenance for your SAAB.

Again, as difficult as it has been to watch a wonderful brand and our 34 year history come to end, I send you this letter to let you know that we all thank you for your continued friendship and support over those 34 years. Phil was so proud to represent SAAB and though he knew quite some time ago that the end was near, he did everything he could to keep the momentum going, his team working and his customers happy. I feel that he accomplished what he set out to do regardless of all of the issues he faced along the way. I can’t thank you enough for being such a large part of our lives, with all of the memories and friendships that have been established over the years. I will cherish them forever and will smile every time I pass a SAAB on the road.

Sincerely, Nancy Elderbaum