For Saab lovers, the 96 is a great choice – it’s significantly updated from the original 92, yet you can clearly see the ties back to the original design. And it’s common enough and recent enough that it’s both affordable and driveable. Nonetheless, it’s rare to find one in the lower four figures, so it’s happy occasion whenever one pops up. In this case, it’s a final (in North America) year car, so it should benefit from all the production improvements over the model’s 13-year production span (which continued to 1980 elsewhere). You can find this 1973 Saab 96 for sale for $3000 in Austin, TX.
While the untrained eye might see this minimalist design as a VW Beetle, enthusiasts found them much more fun to drive. And the later 1700cc V4 added some power, and due to its more conventional powertrain, made the car easier for ordinary people to own and drive. This particular car’s faded pale yellow paint and slightly lumpy bodywork suggest it’s had some combination of rust and a careless driver, but outward appearances suggest the car would work well as a driver. The car is said to run well, and has new tires. A front quarter panel is included, so expect some damage that can’t be seen in the pictures.
This is not a great picture in terms of the detail it gives, but the car does look great in front of this mid-century flat roof home. While it wears Colorado plates, it can’t have been photographed in Colorado since a roof like that would collapse under the weight of snow. The seller mentions a stash of parts that is also listed for sale.
The interior looks decent, and while the newer seats from a 900/9000 are surely comfortable, and the color matches, the style is really too modern. It is nice to see a wood-rim 3-spoke steering wheel – this must be from an earlier Saab, before they cared about crash testing. With any luck, you should need to do nothing more than a good cleaning here. Will you be one of the lucky few when Chinese electric Saab owners start trying to collect their favorite marque’s heritage, creating a 911-like price bubble?
Rusty But Trusty 
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