Today’s Saab may be less born of jets than orphaned by Opel, but it’s still kitted out the way most of us would like. Will its price however have you saying how Swede it is?
It has been said that you should hate the sin, but love the sinner. Yesterday’s was seen by many of you as sinfully good, but its price was viewed as a veritable den of iniquity, resulting in a narrow 53% Crack Pipe loss. That’s close enough in my book that anyone who might buy that cool ride shouldn’t feel at all bad about their wallet lightening.
Today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe BMW is a car that the factory never built. Instead it’s a melding…
Today’s candidate is a decade newer than that BMW, and its a bunch cheaper too. It’s also just like Batman.
On second thought, Batman lost both of his parents while this -which does fight for right, what with its stick shift and wagony goodness - still has its Opel mother kicking around. I guess that would more accurately make it like Forest Gump.
I like Saabs. Actually, allow me to refine that statement, I like the weird Saabs. I loves me some backward-facing radiator two-stroke triples and free-wheeling drivetrain. I like the 99 with its weird pinched end styling and ignition between the seats. I find it hysterical that the Saab, a company known for logical, aircraft-inspired design once looked to England’s Triumph when they needed a new engine.
Saab stopped producing cars like that a long time ago. Sadly for enthusiasts of the marque, they more recently stopped building pretty much anything entirely. In between those events however, the company was bought by GM and was given a bunch of hardware to play with from that mega auto conglomerate’s other harem loungers.
This 9-3 is an example of that cross-pollination, resting on the GM global Epsilon platform, and rocking a turbo DOHC V6 that can call itself cousin to that powering certain Cadillacs. Here that engine’s 250-bhp and 258 ft-lbs of twist are channelled through a 6-speed manual.
My recollection of driving one of these is that the mechanism for rowing you own is kind of notchy and imprecise, but hey, YMMV. Oh, and did I mention that this one is a wagon and an Aero?
That means it’s one of the best looking 9-3s, and gets hunkered down on its 5-spoke alloys nicely. From the pics, those alloys show a little curb rash (damn you, curbs!) and the body likewise evidences what looks to be some scraping on the back bumper below the side marker. The headlights - which are HID units - also show the miasma of age which can make a car look old beyond its years. That’s an easy fix if you have a Walmart nearby or are adroit at buying shit on the Internet.
Years are just one factor in a car’s useful lifespan, while miles are another. This SportCombi has 146,000 on the clock, or just a little more than the average 15K per year. Despite that the two-tone black over white interior seems to have held up well, the seats apparently not showing any padding, and the hatch area appearing appreciably pristine. The ad notes that the car is loaded like your uncle on St Patricks Day, and also claims the car to be very well maintained.
The asking price is $6,975 which, based on a little research looks to be on the low side. Of course that could be a factor of the miles being on the high side. What’s your take on this cool and kitted Saab, is $6,975 a fair price for this Swedish longroof? Or, is that, like its mileage, just too dang high?
You decide!
Tulsa OK or go if the ad disappears.
H/T to Sportwagen! for the hookup!
Help me out with NPOCP. Click to send a me a fixed-price tip, and remember to include your Kinja handle.