[Ron Mummert]

In my less than humble opinion the SVX crumbled due to its association with the Subaru name. Here we have a cute, tough, mudcar maker trying to be a purveyor of luxury cars. Do we buy wedding dresses at L.L. Bean? Toyota, Nissan & Honda assumed correctly, at least in this country, that no aspiring yuppie type would be seen "trading up" from a BMW 3 series to a Deluxe Datsun. Now a LEXUS, you say.... why, Dahling, won't the Joneses simply cringe with envy! Retaining the Alcyone name could have made the difference, especially in the early '90s when the SUV (gag) & van craze was in second gear, about to peel rubber into third. Yeah - bad timing, too.
It wasn't just Subaru. Cadillac Allente, Buick Reatta, Chrysler Maserati - All half-heartedly dipping toes into strange waters with little future commitments. How many "certified" techs hide when they see one of any number of abandoned models waiting for service?
The Miata was an instant success - cute, small, convertible, reasonable price, from a company noted for small, decent, reasonably priced sedans. The 929? Large, luxury, expensive... from Mazda? Nah...Let's buy an Acura Legend. The second generation 929 was, in my opinion again, the best looking sedan to ever come out of Japan. Go to a 929 "club" & you'll find the same problems we find in terms of dealer support. Yup... Life wit' cars just ain't fair sometimes. We can't get parts; we can't get service, but at least we got good taste, & most importantly, we got each other.

Ron.