This 1972 Saab Sonett lll was recently purchased from the original owner, who is said to have kept it in a garage on a trickle charge for occasional drives around the block. The car sounds to have seen very little additional use over the past 20 years, though has recently been made roadworthy again with a tune-up and new fluids. Described as original with 80k miles, it looks unusually clean inside, out, and underneath the hood for an unrestored example. Find it here on Craigslist in Burlingame, California for $7,900.
Excluding worn finish around the front bumper and grille area, the car presents very well for an original Sonett, with apparently excellent fiberglass and good paint. OEM “soccer ball” wheels look good as well, though the seller makes no mention of fitting new tires–hopefully these aren’t badly cracked or flat-spotted. A Swedish flag provides a nice pop of color on the black tail panel.
The interior looks very well-kept and looks completely stock, too–note the old radio, wheel, and shift knob.
Seats are of the correct type, but the colors are kind of odd for a car with reddish-orangish exterior paint. Door panels and carpets appear to be in nice shape also.
It’s pretty rare to see the 65 horse Ford V4 in one of these cars without heavily flaking air intake or rocker cover paint, but this one looks quite fresh underhood. Note the interesting crossmember/coolant tank. Says the seller: “I found this car in a garage where it has been for the last 20 years. It was on a battery charger and the owner would start it and drive it around the block and put it back, to make sure it was always in excellent running shape. I just got it all current so it is road ready. Also just got a complete tune up and got all the fluids changed as well.”
This one’s priced solidly in between number three and number two condition according to Hagerty. Perhaps a bit on the high side, but well-kept originals are scarce, and this one looks to have a lot of life left in it.