Still feeling sad about the demise of Saab? Over here at RustyButTrusty, the flag drops to half mast every time a Saab drives by, because you know the time is approaching where people won’t see these as daily drivers. Later Saabs also have a rather limited enthusiast base, having been bland-ified by GM and super-depreciated as a result of their utilitarian nature. You can hardly find a 9000 for sale, and if you do, it’s often $2K with scratches, fading, and a blown turbo. Nonetheless, the older cars continue to maintain enthusiasts’ attention, and that’s why you can find this 1968 Saab 96 Deluxe for sale with bidding at $3050, reserve not met, and 2 days left to go in Knoxville, TN.
Off-white colors work really well on these cars, and the earlier pressed-aluminum grill gives a more vintage look. Like the wedge car dream garage mentioned in an earlier article, this car could look great in a 50s/60s aero dream garage, including a Citroen ID/DS, bathtub Nash, Hudson Hornet, any Tatra, and if you’re feeling spendy, a Tucker. Saabs always were much more unconventional than their Volvo compatriots, with distinctive powertrains and styling.
This car looks in pretty good shape, and is said to have rust limited to a few typical Saab areas, none of them structural. The seller brought the car from a barely running state to a healthy driver, and demonstrates the car’s abilities on a test drive video. He lists of a number of new parts, including fuel pump, Weber carburetor, ignition parts, clutch, and tires, all of which should significantly help its reliability.
The interior looks in good shape too, although the top of the dash seems to have some sun damage. Given the simplicity of the dash, though, it should be reasonable to have a dashboard re-manufacturer fix this one up. The interior is distinctly mid-century modern, and the car would look great parked in front of a mid-1950s home with lots of straight lines and Danish furniture.
The engine looks really clean as well, as you’d hope from something that’s had significant work done. Issues with the car include a broken speedometer, disconnected choke, trim attached with adhesive, and failed wipers. Overall, this should be a fun and fairly durable classic, with good back roads performance – the hardest part will be resisting the urge to channel Carlsson on the nearest dirt road.
Rusty But Trusty 
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