While described as having some rust issues underneath, $750 seems like a deal for a Saab Sonnet that is claimed to have still ran when parked a year ago. The Sonnet is a true oddball, both in terms of its existence and its appeal; the’ve never become hugely valuable despite being fairly rare with low production numbers. Still, they’re eye-catching and a fun footnote in Saab’s quirky history. Find this one here on craigslist in Maine or go here if the ad disappears.
The body of the Sonnet is fiberglass, so no real issues to worry about there. However, floor / chassis rot is common, and this example suffers from it. No photos of the rusty areas are included, which is disconcerting, but at the price point that it’s offered at, I suppose rolling the dice is expected. The stripped Sonnet body next to the orange car may at least point to a seller who knows what’s truly bad and what’s savable, however.
The interior isn’t as rough as I’d expect, either, for this price. The seats are those awesome, deep buckets that came standard on the Sonnet, and the funky center stack appears largely intact. Hard to tell if the dash is cracked, but it’s definitely sitting exposed to the sun here. The three-spoke steering wheel, sport buckets and overall appearance gave this Sonnet a racy appearance somewhat undermined by its low power output.
Still, the third iteration of the Sonnet is the one to buy, in my opinion. It came with the torquier Ford of Germany-sourced V4 engine, making about 74 b.h.p. and 87 lbs.-ft. of torque. Rack-and-pinion steering and front disc brakes were also part of the package, and while the curb weight climbed a bit with this generation, I still think the engineering improvements offset the higher weight. For $750, would you take a chance on the floors being swiss cheese? Thanks to Barn Finds reader AMXBrian for the find.
Cool! A “Baby Opel GT”
This would make an awesome all-electric conversion!
The back end of it looks like a Datsun b210 of the same era.
I wonder what the beige car is in the background!
I just passed this on to someone in NH who loves these things. Knowing him, it will be sold Monday…
@Mr. Bond:
That’s a Sonnet II, or the generation prior to the car that’s for sale.
I agree that the beige car looks like a Sonett II. The seller appears to be a Saab person. There is a newer Saab in the driveway. The Orange Saab III could be a good parts car. If you were to restore the car it would take a lot of sheetmetal work (chassis). Most if not all the metal is available from supplier out west – Mark Ashcraft.
http://markashcraft.com/parts/
Bob
“Could have rolled over” haha…no Sonett has ever rolled over 100k If you drove a Sonett that long you’d be a hero!
I’d be worried this one would be far too rusted to save being where it is. Engines are bullet proof…body structure, eh…not so much
And…it’s Sonett, not Sonnet (before someone else says it :)
It is worth the price for the set of soccer ball wheels and the body and glass alone.
For sure
I always liked the looks of these. Too bad it’s way up in Maine and I’m in Tampa. Shipping would be more than the sale price.
Just called the owner and he is very knowledgeable about these and also has a Sonnet II. The rust is generally in the sills and light gage metal structure. That is both common on these and very easy to fix if you know someone with a TIG welder and a grinding cut off wheel. Almost all of this sheet metal is straight with simple bends so fabrication is not that difficult.
The passengers floor and trunk pan need either patching or replacement and he does not have the bumpers. These are not quick cars but they are a great deal of fun to drive and are far better looking in real life than even the photos show. They are also much smaller and this comes from a man that owns a couple
I certainly hope someone restores it to new. On the fun index this is towards the top of the smiles per miles chart.
Must be a some sort of a record of typos: Saab Sonett