WHAT IS IT?
The second generation Saab 900 lost a bit of its “Saabness” after General Motors acquired the brand and started sharing some parts. Arguably, the company may have ceased to exist far earlier had GM not made the investment. Nevertheless, we believe the car market was better for having the innovative and unique brand around and the 900 certainly wasn’t as cynical of a vehicle than the re-bodied Trailblazers that came later. But we digress… The 900 was a midsized wedge-shaped FWD Swedish masterpiece to some and a relatively rare oddity to many. This example is a 900 S rather than the more lauded 900 Turbo. It had a twin-cam inline 4 with less power than the turbo but perhaps with the benefit of easier servicing and better reliability. Turbos had a direct ignition system that tended to fail as they aged but the S did not, so that’s one advantage as Saab is no longer with us and parts availability tends to wain. Has any other carmaker been able to make 3-spoke wheels as stylish before or since?
WHY THIS CAR HAS BEST ONE ON THE PLANET CHOPS
This seems to tick all of the TBOOTP boxes like originality, low miles, the desirable manual transmission, overall fantastic condition and even a lively color combo. Saabs were highly usable cars offering comfort, fuel economy, interior and luggage space even in their convertible forms. The hatchback sedans and coupes all seem to be used up and harder to find than these precisely because they were more likely to be primary drivers but even cabriolets with less than 100k miles are rare. This one has 17,000 miles and had a mechanical reconditioning after a reported decade-long hibernation but remains entirely stock. We like cheap, cheerful, and interesting cars and this one seems to fit the bill nicely. Sure, it’s not a turbo, but is a bit more speed really the only definition of a great example?
The 900 was a midsized wedge-shaped FWD Swedish masterpiece to some and a relatively rare oddity to many.
https://carsandbids.com/auctions/Km1aLX76/1998-saab-900-s-convertible
Proving there isnt a cool car out there that GM can’t ruin. What is the Swedish word for “bland”? The low miles and nice condition make it possibly the most un-exciting best on the planet.
I agree with Alan. I think maybe the best thing one can say about this generation of 900 is that it wasn’t susceptible to the oil sludge issues of the B205 and B235 engine in the 9-3 that replaced it. Ringing endorsement, I know, right?
One could say that without GM, we wouldn’t have had a Saab to kick around any more by 1998. I had a 9-5 with the terrible GM V6 and that wasn’t right in any way, but the 4 cylinder engines on these were all Saab, no? I’ve driven a fair number of earlier 900s, particularly a 1989 Turbo convertible and they certainly had their quirks. Were these second gen cars “boring” or just “less flawed” than their predecessors?