Despite being referred to as being in “very original condition,” this repainted and partially reupholstered 1972 Saab 95 appears to be in really nice condition and has a very reasonable asking price given its apparent cosmetic condition. This lighter green Swedish wagon is posted here on craigslist in Buena Vista, Colorado, and they’re asking $5,900. Here is the original listing, and thanks to Mike F. for the tip!
A few of the photos here are composites. A lot of the original photos were at Batman angles, for some reason. Those photos are in the back, slightly blurred and lightened, and then the photo is rotated to show a horizontal image, as you’d expect to see for a horizontal vehicle. That’s why sometimes you see blurry edges on photos here. If you click on the craigslist link, you’ll see the original photos. I couldn’t find a 1972 Saab 95 brochure, but here’s one showing the 1971 cars.
Another composite photo here, and it’s showing what looks like a really nice car, located in what is commonly known as the “Banana Belt” in Colorado, the Buena Vista area. We don’t know the condition of the body before it was painted this lighter green color, but it looks straight. You can see the darker factory color inside, and I also noticed some overspray on the passenger door gasket, which isn’t a big deal. They must have really liked this lighter green color, not to use the factory green that would have matched the interior when the doors were open. The roof rack and skis are included, by the way!
As with the exterior, from what we can see of the interior, it looks great. We don’t get to see the back seat, but the seller shows two photos of the rear cargo area seat that folds out, giving this small car seven-passenger capacity! Take that, gigantic 2026 SUV. They say that the front seats were recovered in “original style” vinyl, but it doesn’t appear to have the nice, nubby, woven texture, so I’d want to look for a fabric closer to what would have been there. And, of course, repaint the exterior to match the original color. Hagerty is at a little over $12,000 for a “good” condition car, so this could be a great deal if it checks out in person. I’m guessing the non-factory color change on the exterior hurts the value a bit.
The engine compartment – and kudos to the seller for including an engine photo! – looks much cleaner than I expected. Very nice. This is a Ford Taunus 1.7-liter OHV V4 with 64 net horsepower and 84 net lb-ft of torque when new. Backed by a four-speed column-shifted manual transmission sending power to the front wheels, the seller says this one “runs good, shifts fine, and stops ok,” but should be trailered due to sitting for a while, and it needs brake and carb adjustments. This looks like a really nice 95 wagon to me, and with some tinkering could be a fun car to own. Any thoughts on this one?
I was hoping to see the two cycle engine in there. Oh well. GLWTS.
2-Strokes were last sold in ’68 alongside the V-4s. The last models had reduced displacement (850 to 800cc, less than 50 cubic inches to avoid emission laws) and oil injection. The V-4 was more powerful and better to drive on freeways, the 2-stroke was fun because it was more “foreign”,
Yep.
I believe ‘67 was the last year for two stokes and the first year for V4 4 strokes. My ‘67 had a 2 stroke 3. I like this wagon (aka 95).
1968 was the last year for the “corn popper.”
Saw one of these once in an eye-scarring orange with the personalized license plate “ECLECTC”. Good fit right there..
Is that a boom box speaker system on the rear under the rearmost passenger seat?!?
Regardless, a frugal grocery getter that’ll stand out in the supermarket parking lot-when it finally gets there. Undoubtedly a fun one to go out and about with, just a simple and honest old Swede that’ll hang in there for quite awhile more using just basic mechanical love.
The distinct, boombox-like appearance of the third-row seat assembly in the classic Saab 95 wagon (produced from 1959 to 1978) is a byproduct of Saab’s quirky aviation-inspired engineering and extreme space-optimization. Saab’s engineers didn’t intentionally set out to build a piece of audio equipment; they simply needed a sturdy, self-contained pod to tuck away a clever folding seat while keeping moving parts protected from cargo. The resulting utilitarian design just happened to look like a retro boombox.
The box structure mimics a vintage 1970s radio or boombox due to several practical, mechanical design elements:
1) The “Dual Dial” Plastic Caps: The most striking visual features are the two large, circular plastic knobs or discs on the front face of the box. While they look exactly like radio tuning dials, they are actually protective plastic covers or mechanical pivots meant to shield the hinge hardware, latching mechanisms, and structural mounting points of the folding seat.
2) The “Speaker Grille” Texture: The rectangular box features a rigid, textured, and sometimes grooved or slotted paneling. This was designed for maximum structural rigidity using lightweight materials, but it strongly resembles a speaker mesh or boombox casing.
3) The “Tape Deck” Hatch: The box itself is a self-contained housing that neatly swallows the seat bottom and backrest when folded completely flat into the trunk floor. The rectangular perimeter lines make it look like a cassette player door or front-loading electronic component.
4) The Rear-Facing Concept: Because the seat unfolded into a rear-facing bench, the base enclosure had to face the back of the car, putting all of this utilitarian, mechanical “face” on full display right at the tailgate opening.
Source: The Autopian
Now I’m wondering which of their writers. It doesn’t sound like Jason Torchinsky but this car is right up his alley.
Love it –
Aww the old screwdriver in the carburetor trick to keep it running, decent looking wagon!
thats not a screwdriver, its the bracket for the air filter
Your right, getting a little blind in my old age!
Did y’all see this one?
https://www.craigslist.org/view/d/nederland-1968-saab-96-dl-v4-polar-white/qZneJy3xSz6tEu7mk4cq4N
Yeah I sent it in to BF….
Nice old SAAB story in that CL ad!
We found a 1969 96 at the Chevy dealer in Littleton, NH to replace the Land Rover that, for some reason, always needed work. Ever since that car I’ve had a mild obsession with the 95. However, after dealing with 2 transmission bearing issues I’m puchase-shy. I suggest a solid 20-30 minute freeway run that would reveal bearings heating up and seizing, In those early 70s The Saab was great though. FWD and free-wheeling were a ton of fun in the North Country winters and it was a great freeway cruiser, bearings being the exception.
I do like the non original color green. Whenever I hear needs carb adjustment that makes me cautious. Maybe an in person check with compression.
These were/are wonderful little cars!. Quirky? Yes, but with know how and the large support by fans, durable and reliable. Excellent winter/ mountain cars! With a set of Hakkapellittas on all corners and a set of cable chains, one can cross any pass in Colorado in the worst of conditions. This is a great snag for the price!
My dad bought a brand new ’71 Saab 96 from Gaston Andrey in Framingham MA. Have a lot of great memories of that car growing up.
So whose gonna buy it? A very unique car, in deed!
95’s are getting really rare to see. A wagon 95 is even rarer! My buddy owned one and it was fun to drive. I never owned one… too many other cars to be fiddling with!!
My childhood! I grew up with SAABS, mostly 93’s. I learned to drive in a SAAB
4 on the column!
The v4 was like a race car compared to the ring ding ding!