Reportedly stored for three decades and purchased at the estate sale of a car collector, this 1970 Saab 96 appears to be in nice condition inside and out. The seller has provided a nice variety of photos, including (are you sitting down?) an engine photo! They have it posted here on craigslist in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, and they’re asking $8,500. Here is the original listing, and thanks to Rocco B. for the tip!
With a trunk compartment accessible from the outside and a longer front end for the upcoming V4 engine, Saab’s 96 was a nicely upgraded car compared to the previous 93 model. The 96 was made from 1960 through 1980, but we received them until the end of 1973 here in the U.S., along with the 95 station wagon.
We’ve only seen four 1970 Saab 96s here on Barn Finds over the years, and two were very similar to this car, except for this example having great-looking plaid seats compared to plain brown vinyl in the other two examples. The Silver Sand (sometimes seen as Silversand) paint looks almost perfect from what I can see in the photos, but we don’t know the history of the car or whether it’s been repainted or has had any bodywork. Here’s what the trunk compartment looks like. Nice.
The seller says this is an original interior, but I don’t believe Saab offered plaid seats in the 96 in 1970. I couldn’t find any photos of one with plaid seats, at least in this pattern. In any case, this is one instance where I’ll take a non-factory feature over plain-looking vinyl seats. We get a glimpse of the back seats, and they look as nice as the front seats do. I’m not quite sure what color the seats are; they appear blue in the back seat photo and brown in the front seat photo. The only thing I see inside is some possible warping on the top of the padded dash.
The clean engine compartment looks great, and it houses what should be a Ford Taunus 1.7-liter OHV V4, which was rated at 64 net horsepower and 85 net lb-ft of torque. That power is sent through a column-shifted 4-speed manual to the front wheels, and the seller says they had to do a bit of work when they got this car out of its 30-year slumber, including rebuilding the brake system, cleaning the fuel system, replacing the clutch, and replacing the tires. It’s said to run and shift well, and it sure looks great to me. Hagerty is at $7,833 on the low end for a 1970 Saab 96, and this car looks much nicer than that. How much is this car worth?
I’d rock it. While being partial to the two-stroke three-poppers — the only early Saabs I’ve driven — this one looks very nice, and apparently has had the prep work needed to make it a useful driver.
Never seen plaid seats in one of these either, but agree with Scotty that they look “right.” I’ve always loved the exterior design, from the “92001” prototype right up to the very end of production. You can’t mistake them for anything else!
The price seems okay, too. All in all, a pretty fair deal all the way around.
Looks nice. I too have always wanted one of the two cycle free wheeling models. Jerry Seinfeld rode around Seattle with Fred Armistad in one…seemed very appropriate for that town.
To think Saab had these in the showroom and the 99 at the same time! Quirky but fun or so I’m told, they did well in rallys (Monte Carlo comes to mind, tho with a 2 stroke). Heard that they had a problem with rust however but this looks like it’s been gone over well.
Ruggedly simple and a mileage miser for its day. Be a great winter driver so long as the new owner steers clear of salty highways. Looks like a good price too.
Highly effective anti theft device: not just as a manual, but as a manual on the column and a 4 spd at that. Hide the shift pattern on the dash and you can leave the keys in the ignition LOL.
Kudos, Scotty G. and to Rocco for finding it in the 1st place.
I think I’ve learned way more about these Saabs on Barnfinds than anywhere else. I like the plaid seats too they just fit very nicely. I’ve been wanting to drive one of these with the 4 speed stick on the column. I completely agree with Nevadahalfrack, leave the key in it, take the shift patern off, step back and get a good laugh out of someone trying to take it.