My wonderful E39 BMW has been so (relatively) trouble-free for a high-mileage German car that a part of me is always seeking out something just a little dumber and more troublesome. Today’s SBSD offers two cars that fit my usual desire for something Swedish and manual, with an extremely risky feature.
Our good friend Mark had to go into the shop for a little repair yesterday, so please keep him in your thoughts this week. You might see some other writers picking up the SBSD slack for a few days. Don’t be alarmed. We look forward to having Mark back as soon as the “check engine” light clears.
Friday gave us the choice between two strange French cars and, unsurprisingly, the Matra-Simca Bagheera won out quite handily. This seems like the right choice to me, as the three-abreast seating in a sports car is quite rare, and this is a lot cheaper than a McLaren F1.
You can’t turn the Bagheera into a tiny coffee truck, though!
2004 Volvo C70 T5 Turbo Manual – $9,000
Engine/drivetrain: 2.3-liter high-pressure turbo inline-five with a 5-speed manual
Location: Mamaroneck, NY
Odometer reading: 121,000
Operational status:Â Runs and drives well
When someone says a car is “rare” on Craigslist, I immediately roll my eyes. Often this is just Corvette Owner’s Disease, where it’s the only C6 Z51 drop-top made on Arbor Day with the automatic, beige roof, white paint, and chrome wheels. In this case, I think the owner of this grey, manual, T5, convertible C70 might actually be correct.
The first time I saw the C70 was in an advertisement for the Val Kilmer reboot of The Saint, and it was a coupe in that beautiful Saffron Metallic color. The coupes are probably the rarest, as the convertibles seem to have outsold them about 7-to-1 in America. This makes sense to me, and I knew a lovely older woman who was my supervisor at an internship who had two convertibles. I’m pretty sure both were automatic.
In fact, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a C7 convertible with the T5 engine package (good for about 242 horsepower and nearly as much torque) and the manual transmission. With an Ian Callum-penned exterior, these have a wonderful presence. I prefer the coupe to the convertible, but today has a theme!
This one is in “excellent” condition according to the seller, and looks it. The basic things that might go wrong with these cars have all been addressed, including the timing belt/water pump, alternator, plugs, and brakes. The attached window sticker confirms my suspicion that the much larger wheels were not stock. Volvo has excellent wheels on offer, though these don’t bother me.
The price is a little high, though if it’s not the best C7 convertible in America, it’s maybe the nicest one for sale.
2001 Saab 9-3 Viggen Convertible – $5,900
Engine/drivetrain: 2.3-liter high-pressure turbo inline-four with a 5-speed manual
Location: Mount Kisco, NY
Odometer reading: 137,942
Operational status:Â Runs and drives well
What’s amazing is I’ve found two Swedish manual convertibles with similar displacements and conditions, all the way down to the aftermarket wheels. In this case, the 2.3-liter turbocharged motor spreads that displacement over four cylinders and probably produces a little less power. It’s also FWD, so torque-steer is probably something you’re going to fight with.
These are the GM-era cars and thus share a platform with Opel/Vauxhall and Saturn. Does that bother me? It does not. These still look great, and the Viggen version adds both a neat spoiler and the Viggen badge on the fender. What else do you want?
The seller here only claims the car is in “good” condition, and that it “drives and runs very well.” It looks quite clean to me, and the seats and dash both appear in surprisingly good shape for a car nearly a quarter of a century old. I wonder if this owner would take a straight-up trade for the E39… is that a terrible idea?
You have two great options here if what you want, specifically, is a Swedish car with no roof, a “high-pressure” turbo, and a five-speed manual.
Top photo: Craigslist sellers
I have had a SAAB 9000 T and while it was fine, I’m ready to try a Volvo.
That these were both convertibles, made this a lot harder for me. Because I have a congenital aversion to convertibles.
Give me a Volvo sedan with a 5M+ transmission and I might pull the trigger.
I wouldn’t want to own either of those, so I’ll just choose the cheaper Saab.
I’m betting money the Saab is being sold by a curbstoner. I searched the number, so it’s not just a hunch. Volvo by default.
Having owned and loved an 850 wagon and a five-door NG900 – both manual but N/A – and always kinda coveted both of these, this was tough, especially without evidence that the Saab’s top goes down and back up. Still had to go with that Viggen, though; it’ll need a set of wheels, and I find the Volvo a bit more handsome, but the price differential makes the decision for me.
Having owned a 900T and a 9-3 convertible, I’m biased, but the price difference alone sealed it for me. Test drove a used Volvo convertible when I bought the used 9-3, and the cowl shake was so horrible to the point I barely made a short distance before turning around.
They’re interesting cars in isolation, but all Volvos should be rear-wheel-drive and all Saabs should have two-stroke engines, so I have to abstain.
Let Mark know make sure a person is a doctor before letting them put a finger or a camera up his but. Better safe than sorry
I’m taking the viggen Saab. Solely because I don’t waste my imaginary dollars I imagined doing a lot of work to earn those and I am not wasting them. Although I’m not much of a viggen I love me some meat(y) tires. Although I appreciate the honesty on the condition as opposed to the
Runs Great
Only needs this one cheap easy to install part
Ran when parked. This one really gets me, of course it ran when parked that’s how it got there.
I voted for Saab because at $9k the Volvo is too much, even if it does look like a very nice car, and also because with the top down the Volvo has about the same amount of cowl shake as a 1980s Chrysler LeBaron that had the roof cut off to make a convertible.
This is a tough one. They’re both great cars in good shape, and both are a little fussy (the C70 was Volvo’s most trouble-prone model from that era for sure, and the Saab is a Saab). I think the Saab edges out the win for me because it’s the Viggen trim, even though I prefer the 900 and 9-3 body styles that came before and after this generation.
Went Saab only because I had a chance to snag a late 90s, normally aspirated, 5-speed convertible 900 around the same time I was shopping for a (then) 15-year-old 2004 G35 as my beater/daily. The Saab would’ve been half the price, and probably twice the headache, but damn. That was definitely the One That Got Away.
Too late now, but I can get a slightly newer and much faster model’s back.
(Edited to add: Those alloys are quite dreadful, though–not sure why I hadn’t noticed before.)
I gotta take the Saab(story)…I’m not very interested in newer Volvos, I still like it though and it’s a great car for someone. That Viggen is awesome…it looks slick and looks like a lot of fun. I will enjoy cruising in it very much. It’s nice these are both stick. Good luck w/ everything Mark!
Yep, same with me. Title and all.
Somewhat tough choice. I went with the Volvo mostly because I don’t recall ever seeing a square nose convertible Volvo anything.
That was harder than I thought. But my dad’s S70 turbo diesel sedan was nicer than my (later model) 9-³ turbo diesel wagon. So C70
Saab 🙂 My uncle and my grandparents both had OG9-3s, so growing up the smell of the leather was everywhere and will always have a special place in my mind. Viggens are still quite fast as well!
I can’t handle any more analysis paralysis today!
First off: all the best to Mark, I hope he comes out of the pitlane in an Ollie Bearman fashion.
Second: France.
Third: both are splendid choices, and the parity of the tally reveals it. I voted the Saab because it’s a little quirkier and cheaper, but the Volvo is also a fantastic car.