Saab produced the first generation of 900s from 1979 to 1994. The model was as close to mainstream as the quirky company would get. In the last few years, the 900s have been increasing in value. Although this example is less desirable with a soft-top and automatic transmission, it still presents the opportunity to own a factory turbocharged vehicle with lots of character at a reasonable price. This Saab 900 Turbo was listed for auction on eBay with no reserve. The bidding ends November 26th.
The Saab is finished in what looks like factory Scarab Green with a khaki soft top. The exterior appears to be in good condition for its age. The seller notes that the convertible top can be operated manually. The car was owned by a single family which often leads to it being looked after properly. The car’s aerodynamic shape was ahead of its time with an extremely low drag coefficient.
Saab’s roots in aviation are apparent in the cabin as well where all switches are easily reached. The 900’s interior is tan leather with some minor wear in line with its age. The dash is black with what appears to be wood around the gauges. The 900’s odometer reads just over 67k miles which is very low for this model. The car is equipped with heated seats and a unique center console-mounted ignition switch.
A 16-valve 2.1-liter inline-four sends power to the front wheels via a 3-speed Borg-Warner automatic transmission. Saab 900 owners often rave about the driving experience of these oddballs. The car was designed with excellent weight distribution and handling. Despite having just 160 horsepower the car is said to be very fun. There’s a whole cult following around these cars and it’s not without reason. If you want to become the newest member of the Saab 900 fanatics bid on eBay before it’s too late.
Low mileage garage queen will make a nice car for someone after taking care of the deferred maintenance and replacing the top cylinders. Leather is still supple and I didn’t see a crack in the dashboard which is a unicorn these days. The automatic transmission is the elephant in the room but overall not that bad reliability wise. This car could be a real score given presentation isn’t doing it a favor.
The automatic transmission used in the original Saab 900 is a front-drive variant of the ancient Borg-Warner Type 35 or 37. This is probably the last production vehicle that trans was used in, at least for the U.S. market. From what I’ve read over the years that transmission will usually last only about 100,000 miles, and swapping the slushbox for a 5-speed stick shift is a popular conversion for these cars.
I’ve also read that there are no replacement windshields available for these convertibles so be careful on gravel roads and stay away from construction vehicles!