1977 Saab 99LE Unrestored running, driving Survivor NO BARN FIND!!!!!

1977 Saab 99 LE LE Description

Please be patient. There are a lot of photos on this listing so you can see as much of the car as I can show. They begin AFTER the text and may take some time to load to you computer or tablet. Due to size, they may not load to some smart phones.

This is a 1977 Saab 99 GL. Seen another lately? If you have, you probably have it in your own garage. As one of the later models in the series, it has much better parts availability than the early 70’s models, where an amazing number of parts are no longer available. Selling it out of my own collection, as I have some serious medical bills due and I’d love to hang on to it, but it’s a runner and driver, so its got to go. Last driven on the day these pictures were taken, when I took it for lunch and to shoot the photos.

It was in running condition when I got it a little more than a year ago, but just barely. Ran rough, steering really sloppy, and generally had not been run much for the last couple of years. That’s changed…. we have taken it to the next level. Now, you could drive it anywhere you want to any time you want to. Turn the key and go. Also please be advised that you are going to get noticed…..when you go to lunch, when you stop for gas, at the Post Office, the Grocery store…you get the idea. Alas, over $100k in medical bills and a lot of discomfort trying to drive a manual transmission means its time to cull the herd. I’d love to see it go to a good home.

Its well equipped for a 1977, with alloy wheels, 4 wheel disc brakes, pop out rear windows, folding back seats, 3 point belts and the like. No air conditioning, cruise control, power windows, locks, and manual steering..

Read on for more descriptive information

Exterior. Topaz Yellow is the official name of the color in all of its 1970’s glory. Overall, a car that is in age appropriate condition for never having been painted. Reasonably shiny, with no chaulking to speak of. Since its not been painted, its going to show some flaws, but that part is to be expected. A very small amount of rust, but not in the usual structural places….worst part is just inside the right rear pop out and around the left tail light housing. I’ve tried to include pictures of each so you can see the extent. The ususal spots are super clean, the bottoms of the doors, front suspension mounts, the pan, the cowl. Looks to have led a charmed life. All of the glass is present and in good or better condition, all of the trim is present and attached to the car, lenses are clean and uncracked with exception of the right rear marker light. E-code headlights that are nice and bright, bumpers were dechromed some time ago, but the rubber strips are good. Take a good look at the pictures below and you’ll see that for being almost 40 years old, its pretty darn nice.

The Interior. Its all there in its period popular brown and tan.. The radio has been upgraded to a single CD unit. Great for those 70’s compilations. Door panels are decent, with a little shrinkage. Rugs are nice, seats are nice, headliner is nice, sail panels are nice. All of the windows work, the heat works, all of the controls work, but the horn is a little funny…sometimes blows strong, sometimes just a little bleat, sometimes nothing. The clock even works and keeps decent time. A couple of wrinkles on the dash covering, but they can be smoothed out with a little effort and some more modern adhesive. Overall, about as nice its going to get without a full restoration job.

Drivetrain. This is a 1985CC inline 4 with a 4 speed manual transmission….standard equipment. Starts right up, idles smooth, shifts well, stops decently, runs cool with good oil pressure. NO SMOKE, no funny smells. All of the controls work, tracks straight and pretty much does all of the things that its supposed to do. The ride is firm, but assured. Yup, technology and electronics have changed a lot since this was designed, and today the cheapest new car on the market does tons of things these won’t do.

Want navigation? Pull out the map!

Want A/C? Find a place to park and go inside!

Want a big audio System? Roll the windows down and listen to the guy next to you….Or better yet, listen to the world around you.

It’s a CIS car, so parts for the fuel system, ignition system and such are readily available. Saab, like most of the Northern European manufacturers of the time bought many of the electrical, fuel delivery, and brake products from other suppliers such as Bosch, ATE, Girling, so many of the parts are still readily available off the shelf. I’ve had a number of Bosch CIS equipped cars, and this is the easiest starting and smoothest running on I’ve had in years. The pictures of the interior and the engine compartment with the engine running on an 80+ degree day so the gauge reading is reflective of it sitting at idle for at least 20 minutes while they were being taken.

I do mostly Volvo, Saab, and VW cars, with a soft spot for the 70’s and 80’s models. They are decent to drive, pretty reliable, and have just enough nostalgia (and brakes) to be entertaining and comfortable to drive in traffic.

This one has a couple of concessions to technology, and the aftermarket items added make it better car for regular use…

The aforementioned CD player

An aftermarket Mallory ignition box. Not quite period correct, but works really well

Aftermarket kyb Gas-A-Just shocks. Really popular on the 900 series as a upgrade.

This one got to spend some time in the workshop so it can be used on a regular basis:

An oil and filter change. Was not quite due, but I noticed a small oil drip and investigated the cause. Not anything major, but since these usually leak from a bunch of little places, we went over it

New tie rod ends. I swear they were original to the car,

We rebuilt and relubed the steering rack.

A coolant flush.

A fuel system cleaning. Nothing like a good cleaning to make things run a lot better.

A fresh battery just installed. I pulled the date code on the old one and it was 9 years old…amazing. Now we know it was cranking a little slow….

It also got a general fussing over to adjust all of the little things that a car always seems to need. Nothing specific comes to mind, but everytime it was taken out, we came back and did something to make it run better.

The result is a car that is a responsive pleasant driving car. It all works as it should, heads down the road as it should, and its ready for its new owner. Just understand you are looking at a 40 year old survivor!

These were expensive cars when they were new. You could buy a loaded Chrysler New Yorker for what this cost new. My folks did, and it went to the scrap yard in 1983 ‘cause it was such junque… This has enough quality in design and materials that its made it to 2016 pretty much intact.

Its got a spare which looks good. Has all of the tools. We have 4 keys, two rubber heads, two plain. Tires are about 80%, and are Nexen, as the offerings from the major brand folks are pretty limited these days in the smaller sizes. Because of the lack of power steering, they are in the factory size. Title in hand. Title shows exempt on the miles, and as I don’t have a fully history on the car, my best guess is that it the odo reading plus 100k I’ll be putting a few more miles on it over the next week just to make sure I have not missed anything it needs to be the best it can be so we’ve added a few miles to the listing.

Here are some answers to the most frequently asked questions that I get on my listings:

What’s the worst thing about this car?

Kind of wish it had a few less miles, but other than that, nothing known that has not been described or pictured in the listing that I am aware of.

What’s the best part of the car?

It does everything its supposed to do.

Could I drive this car back home

Can’t see why not. I would note that the cars of this vintage tend to have really short gearing. Up to about 60 to 65 mph, it runs along fine and seems to be happy. Remember, this is when the national speed limit was 55. Above about 70, things get really busy, so this is not one I’d be heading down the freeway at 80 in. Probably run just fine, I just don’t have the heart to do it.

The reserve, which WILL NOT BE DISCLOSED, is not unreasonable given the condition of this car. It’s a used car, not an investment in automotive art SO IF YOU ARE REASONABLE, I WILL BE TOO . Please take an opportunity to look at the photos, ask any questions that you might have, and then feel free to press that bid button………

A Few words about condition, business philosophy, and why I’ve listed on E-Bay since 2001.

I try to accurately describe the listed vehicle to the best of my ability, but like you I am human, but assure you that I will not hide any known defects that materially impact the vehicle. I want you to feel “comfy” pressing the bid button! I don’t offer anything that I would not and have not driven myself, but please understand that all vehicles are complex machines and what works perfect right now may not the next time. Just like a new pet from the shelter, its first act as new member of the family might be to “mark its spot”. If you have doubts, PLEASE ask for the inspection report!!

I’ll be glad to share any additional information that I have about any item listed, and about the marque in general, but please understand that its up to you to determine if the car listed in this auction is the right one for you. Please don’t assume….it’s a good way to be disappointed…the only ‘stupid’ questions are the ones not asked, and after the auction is over is not the time to determine whether or not y’all want the listed vehicle!

Even NEW CARS might need some attention…like the 7 window regulators that have been put on my spouse’s car over the past three years (false economy by the designers), so if you have any doubts, feel free to make arrangements to have the vehicle inspected while its “at the auction” or ask for a copy of the inspection report which I will gladly provide to all bidders. Also, please feel free to contract with an independent concern to have the car third party inspected…I’ll be glad to share my experience with them, but please don’t ask me to recommend one over another…some are better than others…some do an excellent job, some are a waste of time and money.

Spending every last dime you have on a used car with an expectation that it will give you faithful service with no additional expenses for the next 10 years probably is not a real good idea, so use your head, spend within your means, and leave a little in reserve for a ‘rainy day’.

I try very hard to use objective terms in the listings, and where possible, can provide quantitative data on things that can be measured without taking the car apart, so if you have questions on things like tread depth, compression readings, voltages and the like, feel free to ask and if its possible to provide the data I will. However, please keep in mind that terms like Excellent, Mint, Good, etc. are subjective terms that vary from situation to situation, and from individual to individual, so if in doubt please refer to the photos AND feel free to ask detailed questions.

Remember that this is a USED CAR!!!!. While I try my best to make sure each unit has been carefully described, you should be aware that they are not in "as new" condition, except where the addition of new parts has been indicated. There can be undiscovered flaws, but each car has been gone through using a two page checklist, a daily use evaluation (that means I’ve actually driven it, in traffic, just like an owner might use it, and an overall visual inspection. Cars with built in diagnostics such as OBDII are also read, and identified flaws corrected. Each car has been given a check of all safety systems, all operational controls are functional, and any needed repairs or replacements are performed unless otherwise indicated. Unless otherwise indicated, these cars are being “AS IS”, WITH NO WARRANTY EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED. To make things really clear, if its not as described, I’ll bust my butt to make it right before it goes out the door, but if you blow a hose while doing 90 mph 6,000 miles down the road and warp the head ‘cause you decide to make it to the next exit 26 miles south and expect me the pick up the tab, please don’t bother to bid…neither one of us will be happy….

While I do my best to offer the best cars that I can, I am not able to predict the future (If I could, I could see a job at the Federal Reserve...), hence the "no warranty" provision of the transaction. If you feel the need to find a warranty of some sort, there are some excellent providers that can be found on the 'net, along with some not so good ones. I don't offer them since some companies that offer some sort of protection do so at a cost that I don't think is reasonable and offer as "incentive" for the seller as much as 50% of the purchase price! I'm here to offer cars, some interesting parts, and some other auto related items and leave it at that. I’m not in this to lose money, or to rob folks, just to try to keep busy, earn a decent living, and make it to retirement without having to dip into my savings from my days in Corporate America.

To help calibrate what I’m doing, like you, I go searching on e-bay for a decent deal on a car to make sure that what I’m doing is the right thing. I’ve been both thrilled and so angry I could spit nails over the way folks describe what they are offering.

Unless specified in the description, all cars have a clean title history. Please e-mail me for particulars on any vehicle. In no case will I sell a car that has had any structural damage that has the potential to impact the safety or quality of the vehicle. If I don’t feel comfy showing the car in person, it will never make it to E-Bay.

You are welcome to inspect the cars at any time during normal business hours and the reserve price, if any, will be LESS than the local offer price for the car. I built my first VW motor when I was 14, and that's more years ago than I'd like to admit, and approach each car as if it was going to be my own or a family member’s.

In my prior career I was a corporate "weenie" with the same firm for 25 years and when it came time to do something different, I turned my hobby into a business. That “hobby” has turned in to a full time, 6 day a week business for 14 years. Although we may never meet face to face, I want to earn your trust, and hopefully your repeat business and your recommendation. I’m not some “ex new car dealer whose wife threw him out of the house”, “an official liquidation center for vehicle disposal”, or a “new car trade in wholesaler”, but a car nut and a small business person who believes that it is possible to buy a car from an ethical source who is familiar with the car. I stick with marques I’m familiar with, so as to minimize potential problems, and source the cars from reliable sources. Most of them come from New Car dealers, but some come from private party referrals, and every once in a while a car that was traded in by a local customer who’s needs have changed. As a matter of policy, if I don’t have the title AND a history for the car, you won’t see it on e-bay!!

Life’s too short to lie, and while one person’s trash …… I’ll try hard to call ‘em as I see ‘em.

One of the things that confuses me beyond understanding. Folks buy a car based solely on price, and then take it to a NEW CAR dealer or fancy emporium, pay OVER retail price for parts (IN ONE CASE MORE THAN 4 TIMES THE GOING PRICE!!!!), DOUBLE the going local rate for labor by a quality independent shop and them come back to me feeling that they have been ripped off. Like the “free coffee”, solid mahogany doors to the rest rooms and the fancy carpet in the waiting room are “no charge”???

The Fine Print and other info worth reading:

Car is offered FOB Tampa Bay FL. Car is 20 minutes from Tampa Airport and beautiful Gulf Beaches . Winning bidder will get an e-mail with a request for information, followed by an express package with transaction detail and supporting documentation. Balance due within 7 business days via either certified funds, cash on local pick up or wire transfer with proper vetting with the financial institutions on both ends of the transaction. Seller can hold for 21 days at no additional charge while buyer makes shipping/travel arrangements.

Please bid with the understanding that the winning bidder has entered into a binding contract to buy the car. Due to the large increase in deadbeat auction winners, by bidding, you have agreed that if you fail to complete the transaction except for those unusual events, you will compensate the seller for the full incurred cost of re-listing the item, plus a service fee equal to 15% of the bid, payable upon demand.

I will gladly answer any and all questions via e-mail and you can also reach me at 727-455-8491 from 9:30 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. eastern time except Sunday.. Please be aware that I am a solo operation, and it will sometimes take a little while to phone folks back, but I do check e-mail at least twice a day, ‘cept Sunday. I don’t use an answering service, I don’t have anyone who “takes care of stuff” for me, and I don’t use a third party listing service. Hate to do it, but because of some less than “stand up” folks on e-bay, I’ve been forced to go to “private auctions” on autos.

Florida deliveries are subject to local sales tax and $249 title/transaction fee in addition to winning auction bid and any applicable registration fees imposed by the STATE of FLORIDA. Shipped vehicles are not subject to FL sales tax, but are subject to a $149 transaction fee to cover the costs of moving the documents back and forth and to offset the costs of providing insurance coverage for the vehicles while awaiting shipment. Out of state buyers who require a non-permanent tag to drive the car home must be charged sales tax under FL law. ALL SALES SUBJECT TO THE FLORIDA STATUES AND BUYER AGREES TO STATE OF FL JURISDICTION. ALL LISTINGS CAN BE LEGALLY REGISTERED IN THE STATE OF FL AND CONFORM TO APPROPRIATE FL REQUIREMENTS. By bidding, you agree that these terms will apply to the transaction.

If you’d like to come visit, please call for an appointment and directions to our facility. A local buyer can end the auction early by exceeding the reserve providing the reserve has not been met. After the reserve has been met, the auction will not be ended early for a local purchaser. The car is displayed locally but not advertised in any other forum while on E-Bay. Out of state buyers, please contact me for shipping costs to your location at least 24 hours prior to auction close so that I can quote an accurate price as it varies a good bit by car and location, which is not included in the auction bid price. Thank you for bidding

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On Apr-28-16 at 18:26:01 PDT, seller added the following information:

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