There aren’t many cars that have a 20-year run like the Saab 96 did. This example is a 1970 Saab 96 right in the middle of the run and it’s a “Good daily driver” according to the seller. This 96 can be found on eBay in Three Rivers, Michigan with a single bid of $2,700 and there is no reserve. This example, being a 1970 model, has what some would say was the more-refined engine option, a V4, as opposed to the pop-pop-popping two-stroke triple. Let’s check it out.
The Saab 95/96 was on top of my master wish list of attainable cars – as opposed to the Toyota 2000GT, Jaguar XK-120, etc. – for years but I never did get one. They were produced from 1960 to 1980 and I for one am sorry not to see small, independent car companies like Saab anymore. Towards the end they were under the GM umbrella, first 50% and then in 2000 the remaining 50%. They remained a GM entity for a decade when they were sold to Spyker and finally the doors were closed in 2012 after a contentious failed bid to sell the company to a Chinese manufacturer. It was a 63-year run for one of the most interesting companies to ever produce cars.
But, as Paul Harvey would say, “You know what the news is, in a minute you’re go-ing to hear the rrressssssst of the story..” An EV company in Sweden bought the rights to the bankrupt Saab in the summer of 2012 and began plans to produce an EV based on the Saab 9-3. Enough of that, back to this 96. The seller has “had this one for around 3 years. Found it in Penn. One of the previous owners did the work of making it a solid ride. The so so respray was at least done in the original color.”
This car really looks good to me, much nicer than a lot of them that have been for sale over the last few months in this price range. Sure, the driver’s door appears to be sagging a bit and there are other things to tinker with, but overall it really looks great. The seats look like they’ve been recovered at some point and I would absolutely redo them back to what would have been, I believe, the light olive green as seen on the door panels. They mention that the “Speedo is not functioning (so milage [sic] is best guess ) and I’ve just found a cable that should work so I’ll leave that for the next owner” and also some good news, “Free-wheeling is working and I love it.”
The engine and engine compartment both look much nicer than I would have expected on a sub-$3,000 Saab 96. This is a Ford Taunus-sourced 1.5L V4 that would have had around 65 hp. These upgraded engines were more in line with folks who wanted more of a long-distance car as opposed to the three-cylinder two-stroke engines, but I prefer a pre-1968 Saab 95 or 96 with the corn-popper triple for the quirky factor. And as they say, if it ain’t smokin’ it’s broken. The seller mentions that the “brakes were redone and added an electric fuel pump.” This sounds and looks like a really good example for hardly any money at all compared to what a nice original or a restored 96 would be. Have any of you owned a Saab 96?
1977 v4 super (72hp) since 1985 in my possesion.
Great little cars. Like the old saying…it’s more fun to drive a slow car fast than it is to drive a fast car slow.
I couldn’t agree more, putting my 96 trough its paces on a gravel road, never exceeding 50 MPH is way more fun than driving my 07 9-3 Aero
Why do people even mention mileage on a 48 year old car?
i love these cars, if it were mine id put minilite wheels on it and a period roof rack
and drive it and drive it and drive it
This looks very good along with the design of the body !
Looks like a realistic non price gauging offer on eBay !
I hope no flipper gets it!
I really like these little Sabbs. One of my lotto list cars is one of these and then doll it up to look like a vintage rally car. Removable vinyl stickers and driving lamps would be enough to present the illusion for me. All reversible modifications only. The look may get old after some time.
This is a nice looking car. The interior is a bit of a mishmash. The one thing I would want to know about is the underside, i.e. floor, trunk and rockers rust or repairs.
My little old lady 67 two stroker. Mostly original paint and the original interior .43k miles.
Swedish gals are cute, but this car is hideous!
There’s an advantage to that, Jack. If one were to buy this car and take it into a city known for high auto thefts (examples: Newark, NJ or Jacksonville, FL), it would never, ever be stolen. The reason? No thief would know how to get it out of gear or start it.
That’s why I love daily driving a 3 on the tree. 75% of people my age don’t know how to drive standard, and when they do it’s always a 5 speed.
Hideous? No way.
Hey Scotty, you know that remainder of money in your “car fund”? Couldn’t be spent on a better classic. Very nice cars, and reasonable. Now, what about parts for a defunct automaker?
My first 96 V4 was exactly like the one in the picture , Savannah Beige I think the colour was called here in the UK , it was followed over the next 10 years or so by 2 more 96 V4’s , a V4 95 and a two stroke 96 I bought as a project but never finished and was sold on when I moved home. They were always fun to drive, especially in deep snow ! I’d have another tomorrow I I had somewhere secure to keep it and relive some of the fun I had over 30 years ago .
I actually drove one of these when I was about 14. It was my brothers girlfriends 1968, same color, 4 speed column shift. It ran on premium fuel only. It accelerated up to 60 pretty quick. After that, it behaved like a typical 4 cylinder.
Me too, Bob. When I was 13 or 14, my folks had friends in Franklin, Mass. and they had 2 Saabs,, one like this only older and a 2 stroke ( 93?) and a newer wagon. The 93 wasn’t being driven, for some reason, me and my brother got it running, and they had a huge yard, and we drove it around. 1st time I shifted a 4 speed on the column. I remember, it smoked profusely.
Luke
Interesting garage. My first car a Carmen Ghia and my second was a 2 stroke Saab 96