1972 Saab Sonett III

Coupe

4 - Cyl.

Manual

97725000872

Gasoline

1972 SAAB Sonett III #872 of exactly 2000 built Assembled in November 1971 for the 1972 model year. The ‘72 is a desirable vintage that is not easy to find: It is the last of the “small bumpers” Sonetts and has the larger 1.7 liter V4 motor. Not a show car, but a very solid car and a strong runner with lots of potential. This example belongs to one of our customers, and we are selling it for him. He purchased the car in New Hampshire a few years back, drove it out here to Minnesota, did much metalwork underneath it, and has driven it locally since. He has a over a dozen collector sharing his garages, so the Sonett has accumulated few miles since it’s arrival in Minnesota. We have much experience with older Saabs and Sonetts, and we speak knowledgeably when we say there is much to recommend about this car. We have enjoyed driving it for approximately seventy-five miles in mixed highway and suburban settings. It runs sweetly! As many of you know, the Sonnet's best feature and its achilles is it's sheet steel chassis. Many an unsuspecting driver has purchased an old Sonett with a bright shiny fiberglass body that obscured a horribly rusty and unsafe tub beneath. This car has had much replacement steel professionally welded-in on the chassis where it was needed: The footwells, uprights and the floors beneath the seats and trunk were replaced or patched. The car is not 100% rust-free: There are small perforations at the ends of the rocker panels, the new trunk floor was simply attached right beneath the old one, and the work was done long enough ago that it shows surface oxidation. All the steel from the firewall forward was reportedly replaced, and the suspension mounting points are strong and firm. In general, the chassis on this car deserves minor attention (examples: needs the rubber plugs installed in the floors to keep the rain out, and some undercoating would be a great idea), but it doesn't need any serious work underneath. What this means is that this Sonett has a good stiff chassis that drives down the road very, very well. It's impressively stable without any rattles or creaks. The ride is excellent for a sports car: Firm but well damped and quite comfortable. Saab was famous for achieving very satisfying handling and feel from its front-wheel drive 96. With the engine in the Sonett being set back behind the front axle, it is even better: It's a very unique style of handling balance that is not quite like any other sports car. Bad Sonetts can be wretched, but good ones are very fun to drive and quite comfortable. Matching the solid chassis are a healthy sounding engine, sharp steering, good CV joints, and a smooth, quiet transmission. The free-wheel feature works perfectly (not often the case!). Icing on the cake is four new looking tires. The growly V4 is very eager, and the car will hum along sweetly at 70mph with no hint of strain. It has the stock FoMoCo carb with working automatic choke: This car was parked outside our shop for the winter, and it started easily in the Minnesota cold every time, even after sitting untouched for weeks. Like all Sonetts, the doors appear to not fit well, but in fact they latch and lock securely and they do not rattle on bumps. Even the windows seals fit well and there is no extra wind noise or drafts. This car feels quite happy and comfortable for long-distance driving. The one downside to driving the car right now is that one brake (left front) is slow to release. It's fine on the highway, but around town it may stick too much and begin to overheat. This is a typical symptom of long-term storage, and at least the one front brake caliper will need rebuilding soon. Other things that will need the attention of a loving new owner are small, but numerous: Parking lights and tail lamps do not light up when the switch is pulled, the tach doesn't work, the radio (unusual to find: original SAAB-branded AM!) does not turn on, the horn does not work, the e-brake does not catch, and it needs wiper blades, there is no spare tire or jack included. If we're missing anything else, it's minor. The windshield is very good, with only one tiny pebble-shot (down low out of sight-lines, just under where the wipers park). The headlamps, turn signals and reversing lights work, as do the speedo, odo, temp gauge and fuel gauge work, and do the other controls. The shoulder and lap belts are in place. This is a car that can be driven and enjoyed now, and a few of weekends of tinkering will yield great results. The odometer shows approximately 93,200 miles. We cannot verify its accuracy, but judging overall condition, we suspect it about right. The body is quite good, with the exception of the nose panels and hood, which have a slightly warped look (see pics!). The grille is missing, and the hood doesn't fit snugly, though it latches securely and releases easily. There is cracking in the finish and extensive "spider webbing" in the paint on the nose, and although the paint all matches, the nose cone is really not up to the standards of the rest of the body. The entire front clip unbolts pretty easily, and the car's appearance would benefit greatly from just putting on a better one and painting it to match. They're not too tough to find (due to the fact that they don’t rust, so they tend to out-live the rest of the car). Incidentally, this car was originally orange in color. Overall, the car looks very good from the back and side, a bit droopy from the front. The classic "soccer ball" magnesium alloy wheels are in really excellent shape: Clean and straight with no serious chips or divits. They wheels have the correct lugs nuts (important, and not cheap to buy!), and there are three rare center caps. The new tires are a perfect compliment to the beautiful wheels. The interior is original, but worn and needs a rehab. It has a falling headliner and original seat coverings in faded orange/gold. Carpets are basically toast. The door liners look good and the plastic door-toppers are good with no cracks (hard to find these in good shape!). Lots of room for improvement here. A little effort will go a long way to lift it all to a very nice appearance. In essence, what we have here is an atypical example of the Sonett: One that looks better from below than it does on top or inside: A Sonett that actually drives better than it looks. We can see great potential for this car in either of two ways: 1) For a hobbyist who's always wanted a Sonett and who would like to restore one of the few affordable classic sportscars: Here is a car that's ready to enjoy while you work on it. And, 2) For a hobbyist who's always wanted a Sonett for Vintage Rallying: Here's a solid and great running car that is slightly scruffy looking, which won't matter when you’re splashing through the water bar or slithering around a gravel hairpin! Either way, classic Saabs have been rising in value, and they should continue to do so. These cars were essentially hand-built by Saab in small numbers. This has its benefits, in that it's quite an easy car to take apart and put back together using simple tools. They are small and leave lots of room for spreading around parts and tools inside a home garage. The scarcer "small bumper" models look sleeker and cleaner than the "safety bumper" models of '73 & '74. The smaller bumpers also save about 55lbs (25kg) in curb weight (and yes...we actually weighed the two types!). The slimmer bumpers save weight at the extreme ends of the car: In a machine as small and light as the Sonett III, one can actually detect that weight reduction in improved handling and response. Any person who is bidding on this car to win should care about these small issues. This is a car that you will need to have an affinity for and feel connected to because you really love a Sonett. If that's not you, you may do better looking for a different sort of project car. That advice having been proffered, GOOD LUCK! This is a NO RESERVE AUCTION! HIGH BID BUYS THIS CLASSIC SAAB NEXT SUNDAY NIGHT! eBay gives us room for 24 photos. We have many more pics of this car, and we're happy to send you more photos of the floors or other details if you leave us an email address. Please ask any questions before bidding. We will answer quickly and honestly. We assess and describe old cars to the best of our ability, warts and all: We don’t want any misunderstandings or to mislead buyers in any way. If there is any detail that interests you that we missed or did not cover, please do not hesitate to ask. Inspections by Bidders or their Agents are welcomed and encouraged! Zero-Feedback Bidders MUST contact us before bidding or risk being blocked. PLEASE FEEL FREE to CHECK OUT OUR OTHER COLLECTOR CARS ON eBAY THIS WEEK! The Fine Print: GOOD LUCK! Please bid to the value this car may hold for you. Please feel free to ask questions or add comments. Please ask questions BEFORE you bid. We will respond quickly and honestly. This car is located in Plymouth, Minnesota 55441, about ten minutes west of downtown Minneapolis. Inspections are invited and encouraged! CONDITIONS: Winning this auction constitutes a legal and binding agreement between the Buyer, the Owner and the Selling Agents. Please bid sincerely and sensibly. Zero-feedback bidders must contact us first before bidding to establish some level of seriousness-of-intent; It's nothing personal, just business: We, and many others, have been stung on eBay Motors by too many dead-beat auction winners. Vehicle is sold "As-Is and Where-Is". If the Buyer comes to pick up this car and is in any way dissatisfied, he or she will have the Option of walking away from the Deal with Full Refund of the Deposit and any Payments made to the Owner. Otherwise, no warranty is expressed, implied or offered. Neither the Owner nor the Selling Agents can or will take any responsibility for this car after it leaves the premises. PAYMENT: Buyer must make a $100 DEPOSIT by PayPal within 24 hours of the Auction Close. The Deposit will secure the Deal for all Parties involved. Failure to make Deposit within 24 hours will risk Cancellation of the Sale at Discretion of the Owner and Sellers. BALANCE MUST BE PAID within 7 BUSINESS DAYS of sale by SECURE PAYMENT or CASH at PICK-UP. TRANSPORT: Buyer is responsible for all transportation arrangements and costs. Car is garaged in Plymouth, Minnesota 55441 (about ten minutes from downtown Minneapolis, thirty minutes from Twin Cities International Airport). We do not offer quotes on shipping. There are many vendors to choose from offering vehicle transport; eBay's "preferred" shipper, DAS, and FedEx/Passport are two great places to start getting bids. STORAGE: While the Auction Winner sorts out pick-up or transport arrangements, Owner can offer, free of charge, covered outdoor storage for up to 30 days after auction termination. Longer periods can be arranged at cost if necessary. Seller cannot accept any liability during this storage period. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thank You for Looking! We are fluent in classic European cars. We are hobbyists, first and foremost, and happy to hear from you on the subject of cars or bikes. In addition to AUTOMOBILIA and PARTS, WE HAVE SOLD DOZENS OF VEHICLES ON eBAY...EACH DEAL A HAPPY ONE FOR ALL INVOLVED! We also sell non-automotive items on eBay under the names 'kowalski0001'. We invite everybody to review our auctions and feedback under both seller names. >>MM1000auto>> was created to auction the THINGS WE LOVE MOST: CARS, PARTS, and AUTOMOBILIA!