Up for sale is a 1991 Saab Turbo Convertible in Talladega Red with a new convertible roof, and 183,100 miles. I bought this car just a couple months ago from a local private seller. If you are familiar with Saabs then you know the unique character of these cars and the various issues that go along with them. If you are not familiar with Saabs and just like the look of this car and the fact that it is a convertible, just realize that unlike most nameplates chances are you may need Saab specific parts that are not generally available at your local AutoZone and most car mechanics prefer not to work on Saabs...so the best buyer for this car would be someone who can actually do the work themselves or know a mechanic that works on Saabs for a reasonable rate. Recently, Coast Caddillac - Volvo acquired the rights to sell Saab in this market, forcing the old Saab service place on 301 to close their business.

Before they closed I had them do a number of things to the car. It has a new (used) power steering pump and the power steering leak has been fixed. The AC is also now working and blowing cold air, it has been redone with the new type of freon. They also installed an engine mount and new gas guage that the previous owner had given to me. So now all the guages work. The electrical work has been done and everything is now fully functional except the little lights that illuminate the switches underneath the radio....these were sacrificed in order for the radio to function without causing a short. The radio itself is not original, it's a Pioneer radio with single CD, nothing great, but it works. They also installed a brand new shifter....when I tried taking the old knob off to install the red #3 pool ball, I snapped one of the plastic pieces that held the shifter in place. So the result is an entire new shifter, with the reverse lock-out feature, the new 3 ball knob, and a new leather boot, black with red stitching.

The car also has.....a new battery (Duralast), wiper blades, mock suede dash mat (dash had 2 minor cracks, the mat prevents the dash from baking in the sun), a retractable sun shade which helps keep the car cool, a new K&N air filter, and a brand new muffler and tailpipe.

The previous owner had recently installed a brand new convertible roof. He said it is made from mohair. I can't tell for sure on that but it sure is nice quality and well insulated. I also applied a Saab recommended UV-Waterproof spray that now repels water like a waxed car. This spray should provide good protection for about one year or until water no longer repels.

So I would say the best features of the car is it's really pretty, close to "classic" status, nice overall paint, new expensive top, AC working, fun to drive, comfortable and roomy for 2 adults to sit in the back, it's a real head-turner and also these are known to be very safe cars. You can tell from the thickness of the metal and quality of materials and the construction that they built quality cars. This is from when Saab was an independent company in Sweden not a division of GM like they are today. The car with the turbo 4 also gets really good gas mileage, probably in the 25 MPG range but I'm not sure on the exact MPG.

Now, for the bad, and the ugly. Parts are really not an issue, you can even find an abundant supply of parts for Saabs right here on eBay. But, realize that you may not be able to walk into your local autoparts store and find a part off the shelf that you may need right away. The main problem is the labor and the cost of specialized labor, as mentioned, when I took it to my Goodyear place where I always get my oil changed, the owner said, there are some things we can do on this car and there are some things we won't touch and you need a Saab specialist. The car has 183,100 miles and while Saabs are known to go a very long while, I cannot offer any guarantee that it would and to buy any near 18 year old car and expect it to give you many years of trouble free service is just not realistic.

Here are a list of mechanical issues that need to be done. The car has a steering issue. My friends who work on cars but are not ASC certified mechanics, drove the car and agreed the problem is the CV joints. I am driving it locally but the problem is when you turn or go around bends at slower speeds you hear clicking and also a vague disconnect. Also, the steering wheel itself is loose up and down and needs new bearings, they said this includes 6 different parts for about $60, plus about an hour and a half of labor. The clutch is tight but the clutch bearing needs replacing, it's not causing any damage but it makes a "whoosing" sound that will only get progressively worse. The alternator bushings should be replaced. Again as with everything mentioned, the bearing and bushing themselves are no big deal but getting a Saab guy to work on it costs more than the parts. Oil Leak. I fixed the major leak which was the power steering fluid, but it does have an oil leak. They said it is the Oil Pump Seal, again the seal itself is a few dollars but about 2 hours of labor. Cosmetically, and I tried to show all these flaws in the pictures, there is a tear in the driver seat leather, which can be patched at a leather shop for much less than cheap car seat covers. There is some paint oxidation and clearcoat cracking around the passenger side door handle. There is a patch of rust at the bottom middle of the passenger door, inside. It is also missing a few random items, like the striping that would go in the insert of the rear bumper, cigarette lighter, clip for the door-up lever, and a few odd and end pieces. There is a tool kit in the trunk complete with original "made in Sweden" tools and includes a spare chip for a transmittor, if you were inclined to reactivate the alarm remote.

I've tried to be as descriptive as possible but if you have any questions, would like to see the car (I am located in Bradenton, Florida, about 1 hour south of Tampa), or would like to arrange for 3rd party inspection of the car just let me know.

Additional notes: There is a box under the rear seat for a Saab security - alarm system but I do not have the remote for this feature. The Saab Clarion equalizer shown does not work and I think would only work if you had the Saab radio.

We are NOT a used car dealer or in a car business of any kind, this is just one car that we have for sale and rather than set up another account we have listed it in our eBay store. No tax, tags, fees, or any other fees or other such BS you will have with a car dealer. We have set a reserve but our price is negotiable - we just don't want to give away the car - it's a pretty car and we already spent some money fixing things as mentioned in the description.

As a Special Offer the Winning Bidder for this car can have their choice of any one Solingen Leather Gift Set - from our eBay store - or if you would prefer to pick say two individual items - say a Brush and an Implement instead - that would be ok too.