The ad for today’s Viggen droptop warns that the seller will be raising the price come convertible season, so you better act now. We’re going to go ahead and act now in deciding if this swift Swede is even worth his present asking.

Do you remember what happened to comic strip Little Orphan Annie when she was taken in by Oliver “Daddy” Warbucks? Yes, she did still have the same creepy dead, soulless eyes of a Haitian Zombie, but she also got to experience what a life of wealth and comfort was really like.

That’s the same experience that Saab got when the foundering Swedish company realized its savior in the American car maker, General Motors. No longer relegated to decades old chassis or those co-developed with 30 other market competitors, Saab was able to shop within the General store, picking up a platform only used by other members of the GM family. Saab was no longer an orphan, they were now a member of that global family.

Of course all good things must come to an end, and just like Annie getting dumped back in the orphanage by Warbuck’s rhymes-with-witch of a wife, so too did Saab return to the streets a cold and lonely orphan.

But before that happened the company popped out cool rides like today’s . The 9 superscript-3 of this era was based off of the very capable GM2900 corporate platform. At the time, that also underpinned, most notably, the Opel Vectra in Europe, and Saturn L in the U.S.. Hey everybody, remember the Saturn L?

This one happens to be both the convertible version and the desirable 5-speed Viggen (thunderbolt) edition, named after Saab’s Viggen fighter jets. That means it rocks a Volvo RM8 turbofan with afterburner for mach-2 capabilities and…. wait a minute, that doesn’t seem right.

Actually, the Viggen (car) got a turbo 2.3-litre (B235R) blessed with a bigger than normal intercooler, higher-flow exhaust and unique ECU mapping. Originally making 225-bhp, the 2000-plus editions got an extra 5 ponies, just for poops and pickles.

To make that moar powah usable the Viggen also was imbued with a stouter clutch, beefier half shafts and CV joints at the front axle, and suspension upgrades to make the car handle the road as well as it did the engine. At the time, the Viggen was the fastest road car that Saab had ever built.

This one presumably has all that, and the pics in the ad do evidence the unique Viggen heated seats and body kit - the latter supposedly improving aerodynamics over the standard 9 superscript-3 by over eight per-cent.

The car is silver over black, a color combination that was introduced on the Viggen this model year, and rocks only 84K. Externally it looks as nice as you could want, although I can’t figure out why it’s dragging its butt in a couple of the pictures. A particularly good dead hooker harvest this year? Also, it should be noted that the skinny spoke wheels in some of the pictures are a $500 ad-on. At the posted price the car rolls on the stock chunky monkey wheels.

The top is new, and under that is an interior that’s perfectly serviceable, but showing signs of wear on the driver’s seat and a general need to de-clutter. A handy screen behind the front seats keeps back seat passengers from pulling your hair or spitting on you. I would imagine it probably also helps with the wind when the top is down.

No engine bay shots are included in the ad - for shame, Saab 9 superscript-3 seller! - but the ad notes that regular maintenance has been followed on the car, and that it runs great. I’ll take it at its word as it seems like a really decent ad.

The question of course is whether or not any one should take this Viggen at its $4,500 asking price. And remember that should the weather get nice, the seller is going to jack that up to $6,000. He must own a gas station the way he’s playing with the price.

What do you think about this 2000 Viggen, with its low miles and hot mill, and that current asking price? Does that seem like a screamin’ deal? Or, is this a Viggen that’s too friggin’ expensive?

You decide!

Detroit Metro , or go if the ad disappears.

H/T to jzaleski23 for the hookup!

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