1976 Saab 99 GL front three-quarter on a dirt road image - CraigslistThe seller of today's Nice Price or No Dice Saab claims it to be "a fun, funky Swedish car that gets stares and comments everywhere I take it." Let's see just how funky fresh we find its asking price.In the beef-growing regions of the U.S., there's a phrase for those thought to be posers and charlatans: "All hat and no cattle." That's not exactly a fair idiom for the 2002 Dodge Ram 4x4 we looked at on Thursday, although its excellent condition and low mileage implied that it hadn't worked a day in its life. To be fair, being the automotive equivalent of an oversized shiny belt buckle isn't the worst thing to be. Being an overpriced version of that shiny belt buckle, however, brings added ignominy. At $28,500, our Ram didn't come across as the bargain of the century, a fact you all addressed in the comments and reflected in the massive 96% 'No Dice' loss it suffered at your hands.AdvertisementAdvertisementRead more: 7 Used Hondas With Superb Reliability You Don't Want To IgnoreA Saab story1976 Saab 99 GL at a car show image - CraigslistThe 1976 Saab 99 GL that comes our way today is a car you almost never see anymore. Introduced in 1967 as an executive-class car, the 99 served as Saab's range-topper until it was supplanted by the 900 in the late 1970s. Evidencing Saab's limited resources, the 900 wasn't an all-new car but rather a revamped version of the 99, with a longer hood, a different dashboard, and several other minor changes. The family lineage between the 99 and 900 is unmistakable, however.This 99 is an upmarket GL in the standard-of-the-time two-door body style. Designed by Swedish industrial designer Karl-Erik Sixten Sason, the bodywork features a wraparound windscreen offering excellent visibility, a forward-opening clamshell hood, and a scooped rear window that leads to a sloping trunk lid. Painted in a very '70s hue of "Sienna Brown," the car rides on complementing gold-painted Panasport-style alloys. Aside from those wheels, the car appears to be laudably stock.The Triumph of partnership1976 Saab 99 GL 2.0-liter engine image - CraigslistPower for the 99 comes from a 1985cc SOHC inline four-cylinder. Interestingly, there's a direct connection between this Saab's motor and the one under the pointy bonnet of the Triumph TR7 we looked at on Wednesday: they are of the same design. When the 99 was in development, Saab looked to several other manufacturers for an appropriate engine to power the new, larger car. The company settled on a newly designed four-cylinder engine from Triumph, which was going into the Dolomite and, later, the TR7. Being half of the V8 intended for the Stag, it could be mounted at a 45° angle, thus offering a low hood line for improved aerodynamics.AdvertisementAdvertisementAlways eschewing the norms, Saab mounted the engine backward in the 99, sitting atop the transmission, and driving it through a drop-down chain. While early engines for the 99 were sourced from Triumph and carbureted, by the time this larger 2.0-liter mill was introduced, Saab had taken engine production in-house and added Bosch fuel injection.According to the seller, this 99's engine was completely rebuilt in December of 2021, work that also saw a refresh of the clutch and cooling system components, along with brake and suspension bits. The four-speed manual was rebuilt at the same time, giving the car a whole new lease on life.Soccer balls1976 Saab 99 GL Dashboard image - CraigslistIt now has 155,000 miles on the chassis, and those miles and the car's age do show a bit on the interior. Despite some minor flaws, the wide, flat seats look wonderfully comfortable in their beige broadcloth upholstery. Additionally, almost all the plastic bits seem intact, and the dash sports what appears to be a period-correct AM/FM/cassette stereo head unit. Again indicating how different Saab liked to be, the seatbelts don't feature a traditional latch but instead slide under a locking finger in the center-mounted receivers. Naturally, the ignition switch lies ahead of those just behind the shift lever.CraigslistAs noted, there is some noticeable wear in the cabin. Both the driver's and front passenger seats exhibit some fraying at the shoulders. The rear bench is mostly intact, save for a tear in the vinyl at the seat base. The right-side armrest on that back seat also shows some age-related damage. On the plus side, the seller says the car will come with a factory service manual, three boxes of parts, and a set of four desirable soccer-ball alloys. The title is clean, and the car comes with what the seller describes as "that lovely vintage wool smell." I think we all know exactly what they mean.Slowly selling1976 Saab 99 GL Rear Three-Quarter Image - CraigslistThe seller, in fact, appears to be a Saab aficionado and says they are slowly culling their collection. Or at least that's the rationale given for this rare 99 appearing on Craigslist. It appears to be a melancholy parting as the seller laments that they have owned this 99 for 42 years. Heck, that's a long time for any relationship.AdvertisementAdvertisementFor the Saab to find a new, preferably long-term home, there's the minor matter of the $14,900 the present owner is asking for the sale. That makes for quite the conundrum, as on the one hand, that's not chicken feed, but on the other, where would you find a classic 99 of this caliber for less?What's your take on this Saab and that $14,900 price tag? Does that feel fair given the car's rarity, mechanical state, and overall condition? Or is that too much to add this collectible to anyone's collection?You decide!Denver, Colorado, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.Help me out with Nice Price or No Dice. Hit me up at robemslie@gmail.com and send a fixed-price tip. Remember to include your commenter handle.AdvertisementAdvertisementWant more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox, and follow us or add us as a preferred search source on Google.Read the original article on Jalopnik.
