Since the car itself will basically cost you nothing, instead of first assuming the worst, first take it to a knowledgeable mechanic for an evaluation for about $100. If the car is safe to drive and reliable or can be for a reasonable cost and you like driving it, you may want to keep it.
On the other hand, if it’s not, you’ll probably recoup the $100 by selling it on Craigslist instead of scrapping it.
Long term I agree with the other posters that a Saab, especially a 13 year old Saab, is never a good car to buy but as long as it’s only costing you normal maintenance, then what the heck.
Think of it as a disposable beater that you’ll dump at the first significant repair but will save you money as long as it’s running.
I thought I remembered a SAAB back in the 60’s but now that I think about it, it was a Volvo. The photographer had a Renault and my neighbor stewardess had a Peugeot. Most though were Fords, Chevys, and Plymouths.
Just for fun, I checked my area. Zero craigslist ads for Saab’s in north Mississippi. 2 ads for Memphis. Well, 3 ads, but two ads are for the same car. Guy must be desperate.
Apparently they weren’t real popular here. I believe Memphis did have a Saab dealership at one time, though.
I’m not surprised they weren’t popular in your area. A rural area means farms and that means more trucks. Saab didn’t build small trucks, and they were under the Scania brand. They built small cars and maybe they were not popular in Mississippi until much more recently. I recall seeing Saabs in the 1960s, but I grew up in the D.C. area. I knew someone in the early 70s with an old 2-cycle Saab near D.C. Maybe having the Swedish embassy nearby sparked an interest in Saabs. Just a guess, I didn’t know anyone from the Swedish embassy. Anyway, a small brand would not likely get out of the larger cities.
What was Saab’s main selling point / claim to fame? They don’t appear particularly performance, luxury, reliability, or value (low price) oriented? No offense to Saab fans. Just curious what they were known and touted for.
SAABs are known for being solidly built. With many cars if you hop up on the hood the risk of caving it in is very good. On a SAAB, no problem.
For those familiar with the BBC show Top Gear they dropped a Volvo on top of a SAAB from 15 feet up and the roof didn’t even cave in.
They hold the road well and IMHO, they’re just fun to drivel especially with a turbo and manual transmission The normally aspirated cars are a bit anemic in the mountains is my main gripe.
Back in the day the Aspen, CO police department used SAABs for close to 30 years and so did Vail, CO. Trying to portray an upscale image I guess The previous Ford and RWD Jeep Cherokees were not cutting it in the snow.
They were very popular around here and actually in any snow country. Saab was an aircraft company and the cars were very strongly built and light. Great in the snow and did well in World Rally Championships. You frequently saw them with big light bars on the roof for lighting up rural winter roads and trails.
Actually back in the 70’s my neighbor had two of them. They were front wheel drive and he was a fan. He bought the second one so he could overhaul the engine on the first one over the winter. I don’t know if it was a 2 cyc or not but he picked the engine up and just carried it down stairs. He had engine parts all over the basement but seemed to get it together again by spring.
I sort of remember those 2 cycle Saabs. Weren’t they a 3 cylinder, with a 4 cylinder distributor cap with one hole capped off? (It’s been too many years.)
A guy I worked with in the 80’s had one years before, back when he taught college in NYC. He bought it new and the mfgr guaranteed the engine for life. I forget how many engines he said he wore out.
Ah, yes, ok! Rally car inspired. Makes sense. I assumed they had some quality that sort of made them special to some people other than just transportation.
