Originally Posted by garagelogic
Okay, you know what, I refrained from saying anything in the “Saleen trashed the Camaro” thread, but enough is enough. While everyone is entitled to their own opinion and is free to buy whatever car they want and, if they desire to do so, have it massaged by an aftermarket tuner, some things need to be said.
One. If you watch the YouTube video where Steve Saleen was addressing the crowd at a gathering of Mustang aficionados, it is true that the Camaro was the focus of his humor. However, if you really believe that he was trying to take credit for the design and engineering of the car, then you are really, really reaching. Like others have already pointed out, he was simply stating that he “built” the Camaro used in the Transformers movie (which he did, based on the templates provided to him by GM, on a different cars chassis). What would you expect from someone who has been invited to speak to a bunch of Mustang owners? A diatribe about how great GM products are? How many of you on this forum, let alone at a gathering of Camaro-specific enthusiasts, poke fun and take pot-shots at the Mustang and Ford?
He said more than that. And if he was thinking about doing business with GM he should have been more professional regarding his remarks. As a business person he should be smart enough to know that Chevy guys are, by default, going to "refuse" to buy his product just because his name is Saleen. So, he should have taken every opportunity to bring Chevy guys to him not distance himself by cracking jokes. I don't care who his audience is. He said it, he's accountable for it. Period.
Two. I am confident that the vast majority of people who have said they would not buy a Saleen Camaro or purchase any of the parts he is going to offer for that car are not basing that decision off anything remotely related to how the final version of the Saleen Camaro will look/perform. They are basing their decision on the mere fact that, in the past, Saleen chose to build his cars around the Mustang platform. Although it is a very flimsy reason, so be it. However, I will let you know that the vast majority of the people who are likely to hold that opinion are not in the target demographic that Steve Saleen is going after, so I’m not sure that the money you don’t plan to spend on his products will ever be missed.
We won't buy it because it is not a good value. Some won't buy it because it says Saleen on it. We won't buy it because we don't want mustang guys to be able to tease us for having a Saleen Camaro. We won't buy saleen for a multitude of reasons. Bottom line is it is Saleen's job to get us to buy it or be content to have new customers who know nothing about the history of his business. I would argue that the average car buyer isn't interested in Saleen, And Saleen, as defined by his relationship with mustang owners, is marketed directly at enthusiasts. So, again, Saleen needs to come up with a plan to get us over the fact that he's a long time ford guy who has no problems making fun of the same people he wants to buy his product.
Three. I am a fan of the earlier fox-body based Saleen Mustangs but, like many others I know, I was not a big fan of a his SN-95 based cars and even less so of the 2005-2009 versions of the S197 platform. I consider his later cars too flashy, busy and over-the-top for my tastes.
I respect the product. But both Roush and Saleen will be fighting the battle of winning Chevy enthusiast over. That won't be easy. The name recognition that serves them so well now, will only serve to hurt them where we are concerned. Enthusiasts won't want to associate their cars with long time Ford Tuners. Call it immature if you want. But I'm sure a die hard Mustang guy won't want Callaway on their car.
Four. Saleen did/does a whole lot more than simply modify Mustangs. If you will actually take the time to read about the man and all the things he does, you’d be surprised on how much knowledge he has and what he has brought to the table in terms of aftermarket performance. If you think all that Saleen brings to the table is a body kit and some go-fast aftermarket goodies for Mustangs, then I suggest you take a look at the S7.
No one is questioning his experience or automotive knowledge. What does Saleen bring to the Chevy table that any of the other long time Chevy tuners don't know. As it is now Saleen, as he is with the product he currently sells, has done nothing to get me to consider his product. He needs to convince me it's worth my money. Until he does he's no better and has no exclusive knowledge that I can't find somewhere else.
Five. From a business perspective, Steve is doing exactly what he needs to do to position his company for continued success and bring his own unique visions to the marketplace. Not only is this good for Steve Saleen, but it’s great for the domestic automobile industry as a whole. If you hold such a myopic view of things that you cannot see this, then I can do nothing but simply feel sorry for you.
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