16V Turbo Powered: 1973 Saab 99

This next car tugs at my heartstrings a bit...not just because turbo...or because those wheels are wicked, or because manual gearbox...but mostly because I do miss the ole Draken DT project car. A more modern 16-valve turbo engine might give the 99 some needed thrust, but it won't fix the fact that this 46 year old hunk of steel was born of Jets but built by a bunch of crazy Swedes who thought exposed wiring terminals were fun and that a flywheel should be at the front of an engine. Find this 1973 Saab 99 16V Turbo here on eBay bidding for $916 with 4 days to go, located in Hatfield, MA. Tip from ME. 

Soccer Ball Kicks: 1975 Saab 99 EMS Coupe

This next car really tugs at my heartstrings...because no matter how terrible a vintage Saab might be on paper with regards to acceleration, handling, reliability, parts availability...etc...it is still a sweet car, I do miss the ole Draken DT project car.  And those soccer ball alloys...hrrrnnngggg...me gusta mucho!!  And with Bosch fogs?  Welp...I wonder if the wife will forgive a second Saab "sight unseen" purchase?  The couch is comfortable anyway. Find this 1975 Saab 99 EMS offered for $6,400 in Berkeley, CA via craigslist. Tip from Safety Fast.

900T Engine Swapped: 1975 Saab 99

It is always Thorsday here at DT, but today is also All Saints Day, so you might expect the next car to be a Volvo P1800...but SURPRISE, it isn't.  It is, however, powered by a later model turbo engine and in serious need of a coat of paint that doesn't look like a used piece of chewing gum and a set of shoes with an appropriate offset. Find this 1975 Saab 99 here on eBay bidding for $2499 CAD ($1910 USD) with 4 days to go, located in North York, Ontario, Canada. Tip from Bill.

Epic Project: 1973 Saab 99 Rally Build

We get a lot of tips of rad cars for sale here in the DT inbox, all of which are amazing to receive, but some of which stand out from others. When we get the same car tipped on the same day from two different readers, and opening the ad produces an audible "ooooh!" reaction, then we know it's gooood. Underneath the patinated yellow exterior of this one lies the yet-to-be jumpstarted heart of a future rally monster. Find this 1973 Saab 99 Notchback project car for sale in Monrovia, CA for $6,000 via craigslist. Simultaneous tips from Sean S. and Rock On!

Hella Cool: 1977 Saab 99 EMS

The Saab 99 was released in 1968, some 20 years after the release of Saab's first production automobile, the funky looking Saab 92.  Oddly enough, one of the original contributors to the design of the 92 was a Swedish born designer named Sixten Sason, who lead the design of the Saab 99 but unfortunately did not live to see its release.  Find this 1977 Saab 99 offered for $5,500 in Farmingdale, NY. Tip from FuelTruck.

Basket Case: 1972 Saab 99

This next one goes out to the adventurous of spirit and the criminally insane.  Because, let's face it, you are one or the other if you ever consider purchasing a $500 Saab 99.  Find this 1972 Saab 99 offered for $500 somewhere in the East Mountains of Mordor. Tip from FuelTruck.

Solid Gold: 1974 Saab 99 EMS

 The Saab 99 was first released for public consumption in 1967 for the 1968 model year as a somewhat up-market replacement for the aging Saab 96, which continued production alongside the 99 for many years.  Today's version is a EMS notchback -- Electronic Manual Special and covered in the single year Sunset orange paint, but if you think the color is shocking, just wait till you see the asking price.  Find this 1974 Saab 99 EMS offered for $15,000 in Oklahoma City, OK via craigslist.  Tip from Dillon.

2-For-1: 1978 SAAB 99 Turbo

The Saab 99 was released in 1968, some 20 years after the release of Saab's first production automobile, the 92.  Oddly enough, one of the original contributors to the design of the 92 was a Swedish born designer named Sixten Sason, who lead the design of the Saab 99 but did not live to see its release.  A decade later the nuts at Saab decided to release a turbocharged version and the rest is history.  Find this 1978 SAAB 99 Turbo offered for $1200 (with a spare parts car) near Tacoma, WA via craigslist. Tip from Zach. 

Draken Is Still For Sale: 1978 Saab 99 EMS

Many Saab enthusiasts have called and talked with me about buying the Draken, but none have pulled the trigger on a purchase.  Time for a price drop -- now asking $3000 for this 1978 Saab 99 EMS-- click here for the details.

Come Join DT This Weekend at Coffee & Cars with Pelican Parts

Nothing better to do this Saturday morning than gawk at other people's cars? Yeah, us neither. That's why we'll be heading down to the 2nd-ever Coffee & Cars with Pelican Parts, a low-stress gathering of SoCal's finest Euro Trash. Come join us, have a brew (of the hot caffeinated morning variety), let us gawk at your cars, and you can make fun of ours.

Draken Update: 3...2...1...Ignition?

It isn't often that a car leaves me stranded.  Problems are common with the junkers I've driven over the years, but with the exception of a totally grenaded clutch, I can't recall a time that I've needed to call a tow truck in the past decade or two...but that was before I purchased a '70s Saab.  This is a continuation of the story of the Draken and part of Daily Turismo's Project Car series.

Save The Saabs: A Collection of Saab 99s

Driving a Saab 99 around the street says a few things.  It says; I'm cool and am willing to drive something that will leave me stranded at any time.  I'm an 80s chiropractor stuck in the 80s. I enjoy fixing wiring issues.  I love jazz.  Tweed rules!  One strange observation from driving the Draken around town is that I don't ever recall seeing a Saab 99 on the road in the past few decades, although it may have been for lack of trying.  The 99 blends into the background and looks Saab-ish, but not noteworthy and could be at a glance confused for an early 900.  I can say with some certainty that since buying the Draken, I haven't seen another on the road or rusting in someone's driveway.  Like survivors of polar bear attacks, it is an elite club with some suffering required.   Funny enough, all of the Saab 99s I've found via a quick interweb search are not running...but that isn't the point.  Let's take a look at the best Saab 99s for sale around the country and see what pops out.

5k: Yellow Bird: 1979 Saab 99 Coupe

The Saab 99 is no stranger to the pages of this website, particularly given the gin and tonic fueled purchase of the Draken.  The number of available Saab 99s on the market at any given time is very limited given the number produced. My personal theory is that some savvy Saab collector is storing them in a giant multi-level warehouse in preparation for their inevitable ascension to overpriced collector classic status, but the sad truth is that many have been welcomed to the crusher's warm embrace on the way to being reborn as can openers, un-galvanized fencing nails, faux-antique wagon wheels and other things that rust slower than a 99.  However, if you keep your eyes open you will occasionally find a good one, like this 1979 Saab 99 Coupe offered for $3,500 in Rhode Island via craigslist.

Coffee Brake: Welcome To The Draken: 1978 Saab 99 EMS

Another day, another Daily Turismo Project Car -- time to introduce everyone to Draken (Dragon in Swedish).  I decided it was time to pick up something inexpensive to use as a part time driver while fixing up a few of my other cars.  The criteria was simple, just a car that has seating for two adults, three kids, costs about $3k and can be manually shifted.  The three thousand dollar price range on Los Angeles craigslist is like a minefield full of life's bad decisions; finding the right ride took a few months.  Japanese econoboxes and 'Merican sedans reign supreme, but the occasional German, Eye-talian and Scandinavian depreciation special shows up.  I ended up test driving an E28 535i and a few other common "enthusiast" cars but when I stumbled upon the Draken, I knew it had to be mine.

Draken Is Mine: 1978 Saab 99 EMS

If you've paid close attention to the posts on this site, you may have seen a failed attempt for this writer to pick up a classic Citroën DS wagon -- it didn't work out and I still harbor homicidal feelings towards the low down son-of-a-gun who bought that from under me...ANYWAY...I am still in the market for a low buck classic/funky driver to pick up for fun and this 1978 Saab EMS offered from a very reputable West LA Saab mechanic is going to be mine...ALL MINE.

10k: Low-Mile Red Rocket: 1977 SAAB 99 GLE

The SAAB 99 and its 900 successor seem to appear fairly often on these pages; despite an apparent bias towards the Volvo end of the Svenska bil spectrum, we do actually make an effort to talk about the other car maker up there...you know, the one that was "Born From Jets" and has since died and been reborn a few times in good Viking fashion. There isn't really another vehicle that looks like the 99/900 - and whether you think that's a good thing or a deal-breaker may say more about your own eccentricity than the little front wheel drive vehicle's. Find this 1977 SAAB 99 GLE with a claimed 58,000 miles for sale in Saugerties, NY for $9000 negotiable via craigslist.  Tip from Sean.

10k: Behind The Scenes: 1972 SAAB 99 SSE FI 5-spd

For a change of pace today we are going to roll back the curtain a bit and show some of the behind the scenes banter that accompanies the discussions regarding potential DT cars.  The features you see on these pages are not simply the latest stuff to hit the tips in-box or the most watched cars on ebay --au contraire, they are heavily vetted examples of only the finest fun cars, cheap daily drivers, vintage classics and custom junk on the road. That isn't entirely true, because sometimes when my kids have stomach flu or Hunsbloger has gone on another bender and needs to be bailed out of a Tijuana jail cell, the posts are chosen at random and belched out like a game of rapid fire Volvo themed mad libs. That only happens about once a week, so 6 out of 7 days the potential candidates are carefully considered like Charlie Sheen picking a bride to be - and today it is our pleasure to share some of that dialog, this time associated with this crap brown 1972 SAAB 99 with SSE FI 5-spd swap offered for $8,000 in Whittier, CA via craigslist.

5k: Swede Speeder: 1978 SAAB 99 Turbo

The SAAB 99 was launched in 1969 as the successor to the 2-stroke or V4 powered SAAB 96, but the 99 was powered by a Triumph sourced inline-4.  Needless to the say the Triumph engine had reliability problems; SAAB replaced it with a Swedish version of the engine in 1972 and the rest is history.  Find this 1978 SAAB 99 Turbo for sale in St Paul, OR for $4,500 via craigslist.