Saab cars for sale

Overview

Saab built cars for people who wanted something demonstrably different — aircraft-influenced ergonomics, ignition keys between the seats, wraparound windscreens, and an early and enthusiastic commitment to turbocharging. The company is gone, but its cars retain a devoted following.

History

Saab Automobile grew out of Svenska Aeroplan AB, the Swedish aerospace firm founded in 1937. The car division began in 1945 with "Project 92"; the first Saab 92 was built in 1949 at Trollhättan. The 96 sold nearly 550,000, and the 99 of 1968 introduced the design language — wraparound screen, self-repairing bumpers — that defined everything after it.

Saab pioneered a string of practical features: headlamp wipers in 1970, heated front seats as standard in 1971, and wastegate-controlled turbocharging in 1976. The 900, launched in 1978, sold close to a million. General Motors took 50 per cent in 1989 and the rest in 2000, then sold to Spyker in 2010. Bankruptcy followed in 2011, and the brand rights lapsed in 2014.

Buying a used Saab

Parts supply is better than the company’s demise suggests — much of the mechanical hardware on the later 9-3 and 9-5 is shared with General Motors Europe — but brand-specific electronics and trim are genuinely scarce.

Buy from an owner who has used a Saab specialist, and accept that the enthusiast network is now a large part of the ownership experience. Turbo models are the ones worth having and the ones most likely to have been driven hard.