This 1974 Saab Sonett was recently acquired from the original owner, who kept it indoors in his shop and off the road for 25 years. It remains in highly original condition with lots of original documentation included. The Sonett is largely rust-free with just some corrosion noted in the trunk from battery leakage. The original Oregon plates and dealer plate frame are both tell-tale signs of many years of undisturbed storage, and it’s listed here on craigslist for a very reasonable $2,495.

Thanks to Barn Finds reader Ikey H. for the find. To me, the Sonett is one of those tremendous outliers in the collector car market, as even a survivor like this one in great factory colors doesn’t command a premium price. From what I can recall about them, they’ve never risen to the point that enthusiasts swoon for them (at least, other than Saab enthusiasts), either due to a driving experience that doesn’t match the thrills-per-mile of other sports cars from the period or because they’re simply too far off the beaten path for the casual collector to appreciate.

I love period details, so the old-school Oregon plates and vintage metal dealer plate frame are two features I dig. The seller notes the owner prior to him bought the Saab new at Merle Taylor VW in Oregon, and the Sonett comes with its original dealer maintenance booklet showing plenty of reassuring service stamps. How, then, does a car that was clearly a regular to a dealer’s service bays suddenly fall off the daily rotation and sit idle for 25 years with no obvious ailment precluding it from driving down the road? The interior looks to be quite sound and needing very little work.

Engine-wise, the seller has done some diagnostic work that indicates there’s a healthy mill under the hood. He pulled the spark plugs, ran the starter for 30 seconds, and then performed a compression test, with results showing 120,120,130, and 140 PSI. For an engine that hasn’t run in 25 years, that’s an encouraging result for moving forward with a restoration but hopefully not an engine rebuild. While these cars are likely never going to catch fire to the point that their values rise significantly, they still represent an extremely good value for enthusiasts looking for something different.