Alinfrance:
michel:
Outside of being underpowered, what other problems did your Saviem have?
As I stated earlier it was poorly made in comparison to other trucks of the day and needed more time in the workshop than most.It just didn’t get close to the build quality of most trucks of the day,I suppose there are plenty of drivers that would sing their praises on the Saviem I’m just not one of them its difficult to remember exact problems after 34 years but there are people who seem to know everything about them and even who owned each one so I’m sure my opinions count for nothing among blinkered enthusiasts.Having said all that who really cares what one persons opinion is of such a bygone day. 
Evening all, Alinfrance, you do seem to have “your arse in your hand”,( to quote a Black Country expression), may I suggest that you grow up a little!
Nothing I have written was meant to upset you, I`m really interested to know what was wrong. If you had a real stinker, lets hear the facts, what went wrong, why was she in the workshops, was she ultra cheap to buy, or a second choice, for so many seemed to like the SM, I am a little puzzled at your “it was cheap rubbish” comment, such a generalisation really does need to be explained in a little more detail for it to be credible.
No, I`m not a “blinkered enthusiast” who knows all there is to know, (in fact I wish that I could remember more)! Far from it, I am perhaps less of an enthusiast for any Marque than most, my background is really “boots in the mud”, but I have always loved lorries, and lorry driving, and I am just lucky to have done the things that I have done, and driven, bought, and sold, and operated the vehicles that I have over the last fifty odd years. But Renault, (Saviem, and Berliet), provided bread for my family for many years, and I worked with them throughout Europe and the US, and I still have fond memories of the personalities, and products.
I`m just intregued as to what were your problems. Logically it would be nice to know where your lorry came from, which Dealer, Franchise, or non Franchise. The reason that I ask such a question is that the very last produced SM36.280s for the UK were built August 1977. Even allowing for slow sales, anything registered 1979 would have stood somewhere for a long time! 1978 the lead vehicle for the heavy tractor market in the UK was the Berliet TR280, not the SM 36.280. This was the first market in Europe where this change of emphasis happened. But even though I was not in the UK, I can remember just how enthusiastic the UK Saviem Dealers, and the UK Import operation were, and I am really surprised that your “problems” were not rectified. Personally I can remember the After Sales personalities, Jean Paul Nivolet, the late Barry Gibson, and the late Pim Van Den Berg, John Collinson,Paul? (Yorkshire man ), and just how hard they tried to help anyone with product problems, be they owner driver, or small, or large operator…there just was no deliniation between them, and the Sales staff were just as supportive, (unlike so many other Importer, or Home Manufacturers staff), rarely had so much effort gone into supporting the customer. And because the vehicle parc was so relatively small, then personal contact could be retained.Something must have really gone wrong for you to be so negative…pray please explain…
I feel the need for a “stiff” Bollinger to fortify me for the fray…but did not those SMs have a magical Turbo whistle,…enough to awake the “cowboy” even in my old bones!!
Cheerio for now.
he laughed his head off as I recall and told me that he had indeed two of the said ties in his wardrobe but wouldn’t dream of wearing one in such illustrious company !!He and I “hit it off” as pals from that moment,great chap,for a Frenchman 
Cheers Dennis.
