I believe – though I’d have to go back and check – that no Saab has ever lost a Showdown. And that’s not going to change today, because both cars we’re going to look at are Saabs. One is a V4-powered oddball from way back in the day, and the other is a turbocharged hatchback from the GM years.
Yesterday was all about Cadillac, and it will surprise no one that the big Eldorado took an easy win. And I was thinking about it earlier today – it’s actually a pretty good deal. I mean, it’s only about 83 cents a pound!
That DeVille is a pretty nice car, but I think I’d look for one a couple years older with the 4.9 liter HT engine. I had a 1989 DeVille with the 4.5 and I liked it quite a lot; I sold it because I was commuting and 15 MPG just wasn’t cutting it. Between these two, though, the Eldorado is an easy choice.
Who doesn’t love Saab? Well, lots of potential buyers, or else the company would still be around. Enthusiasts all seem to at least love the idea of Saab, with its oddball and often brilliant designs and its spicy turbocharged engines. But it seems like most non-car-people didn’t quite know what to make of the Swedish airplane company’s strange front-wheel-drive cars. They got less and less weird as time went on, to the point that one of its final models was literally just a Chevy Trailblazer. It still didn’t help. But long before those days, there were these two. Let’s take a look.
1971 Saab 96 – $2,100
Engine/drivetrain: 1.5-liter OHV V4, four-speed manual, FWD
Location: Kyle, TX
Odometer reading: 80,000 miles
Operational status: Was running a year ago
This rusty little jellybean represents the first step in Saab’s de-weirding. Originally, Saabs were powered by three-cylinder two-stroke engines, but in 1967 they switched to a four-stroke engine like everyone else, albeit an unusual one: a V4 from Ford of Europe.
The V4 powers the front wheels through a four-speed manual transmission with a column-mounted shifter. This one isn’t currently roadworthy; it was running a year ago, but old gas has gummed up the works. It will start on starter fluid, but won’t stay running.
Inside, it’s dirty, but it’s actually not in terrible shape. A good cleaning and some seat covers would help a lot. Most of the little bits of trim are still there, which is important, because you’d have a hell of a time tracking down anything that’s missing.
The paint is pretty much gone, but it looks like it only has surface rust. Repainting it would still be a lot of work, but at least there’s no welding involved. It’s complete except for, unfortunately, the center of the grille. I’m sure some Saab enthusiast has a stack of them in the loft in their garage, and will happily sell you one for way too much money.
1999 Saab 9-3 – $2,200
Engine/drivetrain: Turbocharged 2.0-liter DOHC inline 4, five-speed manual, FWD
Location: Austin, TX
Odometer reading: 115,000 miles
Operational status: Runs well, but needs brake and suspension work
The great-(great?)-grandchild of the 96 is this car, the first-generation 9-3. It looks just like the 900 that preceded it, but under the skin are a bunch of changes to improve safety. Luckily, GM’s interference in Saab was minimal at this point, and the car still has the character and weirdness that Saab fans love, including the ignition switch in the center console.
Saab embraced turbocharging way back in the ’70s, and never stopped. This 9-3 has a turbocharged 2.0 liter four-cylinder powering the front wheels through a five-speed manual. Several versions of this engine with different power levels were available; I think this is the middle version, making 182 horsepower. The engine runs great, but the car’s brakes and front end need work before it’s roadworthy. The seller says the brake pedal starts out OK then goes soft, which sounds to me like a bad master cylinder. It also has a vibration in the steering wheel at certain speeds, which could be a lot of things. The bad brakes mean you should probably tow it home.
The interior is in decent shape; there’s some wear on the driver’s seat and the steering wheel rim, but not bad. All the power features work, as does the air conditioning, which just had the compressor replaced. It also has a removable refrigerated drinks cooler that was apparently a factory option, but it doesn’t work right now. I assume the hula girl on the dash is included, if you ask nicely.
The outside looks really good in photos. The seller says it has some dings and scrapes, but they must not be bad at all. The paint is nice and shiny, and it has factory alloy wheels – sadly not the trademark Saab three-spokes, but sharp-looking nonetheless.
It’s a crying shame what happened to Saab. We need more weird cars around. Luckily, the brand has a loyal following dedicated to keeping the cars on the road. I’m sure you could find plenty of help fixing up either one of these. Which one would you rather put back into service: the rusty old V4, or the sleek black modern turbo?
“was running a year ago” – photos do not support this assertion
I had a 9-3 just like that (except automatic). It’s small inside–the passenger footwell is cramped and I wish it had an armrest between the seats. Things also broke on it, but I’ll always miss a few wonderful things about that car. Saab’s idea of ergonomics meant I could operate the climate control without ever looking, and it was also the only auto-climate control that I’ve really liked. The raingutters around the windshield never let any drips hit the side windows. Those headlights gave every impression that they were giant glass bricks polished till the downroad illumination was exactly right. When you hit the gas, the tach, speed, and turbo gauges were lined up so they all swung to life together. Ya, it was a good car.
Tough choice – I would LOVE a 96, but that one is waaaay more of a project than I have time for, and I don’t do hoopties (or “patina”). So I’d have to shine up that 9-3. It’s similar to my favorite of all the Saabs I have owned, a ’95 NG900SET 3dr.
The 96 is a 1971? If it weren’t for the lights I would have guessed 1951.
I’d have selected the “Both” option if it was available, if only to keep a Saab from losing SBSD.
Get the 96 running, clean it up a bit, and you have a fun, little, patinated curiosity to drive on the weekends or out to Cars and Coffee.
The 9-3 doesn’t need a whole lot to make it a functional daily driver.
Tough call, but practicality wins for me today, so 9-3 it is. Sorry, little guy, I hope you find a good home.
As the former owner of both a 96 and a NG-900, the 9-3 here is the right buy.
Nothing against the 96, it was fantastic. But this is priced too high for the condition.
This is a tough one. I’m going with the 96, though, with the idea of making at least the outside pretty again. I love the look of them, so just leaving the patina wouldn’t work for me. Plus, it looks like something that even I might be able to repair The 9-3 is a cool car and in far better shape, but a good looking 96 is way cooler. And as a plus, I wouldn’t have to worry about smogging the thing!
My parents have a ’73 95. It can be a bit of a hassle to get work done (they’re not doing any serious wrenching themselves), but there are still Saab specialists out there in most major metros, and you can always order parts from Europe. I helped my parents get a new fuel pump shipped from Germany last year!
I always think I would go the old V4 route when looking at Saabs, specifically a sonnett, but they are almost always non functional and scarily rusty in places I don’t feel like fixing properly is worth the money.
this 9-3 is decent as is, the maintenance things like brakes and bearings scare me considerably less than the 71 V4 motor and rust.
Modern Saabs really don’t interest me. While a 96 wouldn’t be a keeper for me, it would be fun to tinkey with that V4 and see if I could refresh the thing. I wouldn’t paint it, but some of that shine juice stuff would be worth a try.
9 3 All day. Mechanical repairs way less the cosmetic. Find a better driver’s seat..do the mechanicals, detail it. Drive it for awhile. Flip it for a profit. Bought a 99 back in the day for $300. Metallic red. Faded red interior. Need a headliner. Upholstery shop opens up across the street! New owner needed money for food! $100 was the best deal I’ll ever get. And it had a sunroof! Owner had nothing nice to say when I picked it up!!! Lol! Put 3 new tires on it. 165r15
same as a VW bug. Got 3 installed for $100! Detailed and made a nice profit on my investment. Oh and on the drive home after buying it I was burning up! The heated seat was on. My first experience with those! It was not a Sob Story! Hahaha
Since there wasn’t a “both” option, I went with the 9-3. I’d actually drive it. But the 96 seems like a fantastic deal for the right person.
I already have a car that works so I’ll take the 96. I’ve always wanted one.
iirc there was one time a saab lost, but I think it was in really rough shape, or maybe it was up against a much nicer volvo.
Okay, so hear me out.
The 96, with that beautiful patina, would make a great rust mod. Clean it up some, fancy up the interior just a little. It’d be a head turner.
Next, we do a battery-electriv conversion. Swap in a new drive, plenty of space for batteries and wiring, and boom. Instant post-apoc electro punk cosplay.
So what that I’m not an electrician? So what if I have zero body or mechanical experience? So what if I don’t have the cash in the bank.
I don’t care, because this is my Saab story.
My coat is the one with the cease and desist letter in it.
I went with the 96 because at least it would be an interesting project.
My first car was a 67 96. Bought it because it was cheap and the few things it needed I could do. To my surprise, it turned out to be a blast to drive. I had more fun with it than I did with my later GTO. I’d still have it if it weren’t for the floor falling out of it one day – New England is hard on cars.
I have faith in that Cologne engine. Nothing went amiss with mine, despite my teenage enthusiasm.
Four speeds on the column is the start of the weirdness. I see no freewheeling lever on the floor like my 67 had, so IRL I’d look for one that had it (allows clutch-less shifting which is easier in heavy traffic), but between these two, nostalgia wins. 96.
Any Saab enthusiast know when they got rid of the freewheeling?
The freewheel was on the 96 all the way through its run (last cars sold in the US were ’73s, the 96 was built up till 1980). I’ve never seen a V4 car with an intact freewheel–every one I’ve seen got neutered/disabled along the way.
I thought only the 2-strokes had the freewheel, as it was necessary on 2-strokes because of how the oil mixes with the fuel.
Is the freewheel actually useful on a 4-stroke?
Not particularly useful with the V4, no, but it’s still entertaining. The real problem, however, is that the freewheel mechanism in these is somewhat fragile, an issue that’s made worse by the greater power and torque of the V4. Everything’s fine once the freewheel is fully engaged but it’s a good idea to increase engine speed gently, treating the freewheel like glass, until feeling it engage.
Then, and only then, floor it.
If done wrong, well, there’s a reason so many have ended up being permanently locked out of freewheel mode.
Thankfully, the guy who sold it to me told me that he was gentle with it and I should be too. Otherwise I have no doubt 16 year old me would have killed it.
Both of my Sonett V4s had functioning freewheels. They let you shift sans clutch once you set off in first gear, but otherwise are very much a liability, and the lack of engine braking takes some serious getting used to.
Amusingly, very early 99s had it too.
Thank you.
hehehe Saab went from using a Ford engine to using GM shit 😛
I voted for the GM, as it’s running, while the Ford doesn’t run.
luckily this 9-3 still used a Saab motor I guess.
Kinda-sorta. Many, many changes for the worse in the name of fuel economy in the 9-3, though the 5spds are not nearly as sludge-prone as the autotragics are, and IIRC ’99s were better than the later cars. IMHO, the “GM” Ecotec that the NG9-3s had is a far better motor. But for all intents and purposes, Saab engineers designed most of that one.
The 9-3, a few Rock Auto orders later, and a set of Finland’s finest Nokian Hakkapeliittas (or a set of Michelin x-ices from Costco) later – and make it a winter beater.
I drove one of these OG 9-3’s as my daily for about 6 years.
One time, I was driving Boston to Detroit and had to meet my girlfriend in Brooklyn to pick her up to make the journey back west.
as I got into the city, my brakes essentially went to the floor. bottom 10% of pedal travel only just started to slow me down. Sounds very similar to what’s going on with this 9-3. Thankfully being a 5 speed, I could manage being brakeless in Brooklyn and Manhattan. I was traveling at very calculated speeds, anticipated turns and stops, and the people of NYC did not appreciate my driving style.
My car is from Michigan, and it turns out while I was in Boston, my father, unknowingly used the parking brake, a no no on a car of such prominent corrosion. Essentially my parking brake shoes were stuck on, and were boiling the brake fluid. I had no tools and a time crunch to pick up the girlfriend so on I went.
Eventually I got back on the freeway towards the Midwest and in mid Pennsylvania, my brakes came back, the shoes wore down enough to cool and all was good.
Fun times, I chose the 9-3, drive it home, there is no stopping it.
Aye that’s a crazy story. I’ve had the brakes go out on me twice while driving and another time as a passenger. Thankfully was able to come to a stop without hitting anything but didn’t keep going after that lol
I’d take both, but if forced to choose I’ll happily take the 96 home.
I learned to drive in a 96, complete with the twine holding the overrunning clutch out because it’s a wonky detail that sometimes fails. That twine was there for years.
Sometimes when it snowed in NoVA, Dad and I would throw a couple of shovels and buckets of fireplace ashes into the trunk and go bombing around, trying to get stuck. Being native Minnesotans with a bit more experience in snow than typical Virginians, we didn’t encounter much traffic on such days and found all manner of virgin snow to get sideways in. Getting stuck didn’t happen often; the SAAB’s power output was modest but those tall, skinny tires punch right down through the snow to the asphalt, and the V-4 is cantilevered completely forward of the front axles. The 96 goes where you tell it to go when the snow flies.
Yeah. I’ll take the Troll home and make him the stout wintertime hero he was meant to be.
9-3 for me. That one looks like it’s not too far gone to fix, drive and enjoy. Those are the correct wheels on that spec of 9-3 in ’99. The cars eat AC compressors on the regular, so a fresh compressor is a big bonus.
The 96 looks like a very solid base for a restoration. It might even still have floorpans intact and still connected to the firewall. Running and sorted, a 96 is also a hoot to drive in that ‘slow car, fast’ mode.
As for the grille, there’s plenty of Saab people who won’t sell you one of the spares in the attic, they’ll gladly box it up and ship it to you, gratis.
Tow it home? What kind of wimps are you? It’s a manual, just downshift and use the little bit of brakes you have. And there’s an emergency brake handle right there, just drift your ass home. Duh
That was my first thought too. I’ve done it more than once.
BTDT – I can afford a tow these days.
That 96 is the perfect vehicle for a Muppet character, maybe some sort of Scandinavian bear.
“Ahh, a bear in his natural habitat, a SAAB 96.”
Surely you meant a Swedish chef?
Bork bork!
I’ll get the patina 96 running again in no time 😎
In regard to efficiency as a platform(combination of mass and aerodynamics), finding any stock-bodied car to beat the Saab 96 is nearly impossible. It has a CdA value similar to a 1st gen Honda Insight, is lighter than a Miata, and would make a badass EV conversion or fuel economy miser with a modern combustion or diesel engine, both variants which could also simultaneously be go-fast track monsters and reliable daily drivers in the same car.
100% the 9-3.
The 96 is interesting, but the Taunus V4 is unpleasant, even with a balance shaft, and that car needs it all. Good resto candidate.
Now, about the Vanagon Westy and the Volvo Amazon in the background … can we do a package deal?
That 9-3 is a great buy at 2 grand, even if it needs some work. Up in the northeast, they’re rare as hens teeth because they’ve all rotted from years and years of daily abuse. This is the one to get too…not paying the Viggen premium but still plenty of power, not the sloppier-but-still-okay Epsilon based cars, and a proper hatchback. The 96 is certainly neat, but a solid 9-3 or NG900 turbo is a tough car to beat.