W/NW - Classic Cars

CMur12 said:
This is almost painful. I remember admiring these SAABs when they were new. When I think of the brand, the 96 and the 95 are what comes to my mind.

- Murray
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As it happens I have a '68 96 and a '69 95. I had just made a deal for some parts with the guy who owned the cars in the picture, when before we could set a date for me to come by and pick up the parts, he passed away. His daughter called me and told me what happened and said I could come by and grab whatever we had agreed on. She did not tell me that everything else was going to be crushed when the lot was cleared. Another local guy came by and grabbed boxes and boxes of parts that were stored in his garage, but none of the cars were saved. Very unfortunate. I wished I had taken more photos when I went by the last time.
 
Mos6502 said:
As it happens I have a '68 96 and a '69 95. I had just made a deal for some parts with the guy who owned the cars in the picture, when before we could set a date for me to come by and pick up the parts, he passed away. His daughter called me and told me what happened and said I could come by and grab whatever we had agreed on. She did not tell me that everything else was going to be crushed when the lot was cleared. Another local guy came by and grabbed boxes and boxes of parts that were stored in his garage, but none of the cars were saved. Very unfortunate. I wished I had taken more photos when I went by the last time.
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I envy you those two SAABs! Do they have the Shrike or the Taunus V4?

I was a teenager in the '60s and there are a lot of European, and even some Japanese, cars from that time that I still admire. (I was never interested in American muscle cars. They could go fast in a straight line, once one could get the light rear ends to hook up, but they couldn't turn or stop. In my mind, none of them was even a whole car with those limitations. 😎 )

- Murray
 
Untitled by Berang Berang, on Flickr

Free Cars by Berang Berang, on Flickr

They are both V4 cars. I did briefly own the 2-stroke 95 seen in the background of 2nd pic, I really only bought it because I couldn't bear the thought of it being crushed. The 2-stroke wagons are very scarce. I paid $100 and a promise of getting it off the property ASAP, then resold it shortly after (I kind of wonder if it has been restored or parted out by now). The '68 was sold in Montana by Dana Motors, a dealer that's still around, the car was owned by a lady who lived in Ekalaka, Montana, and kept it very good shape. When she retired in 1984 the car was parked for a little over a decade. When it became obvious she would never drive again, her son sold it to a college student, who drove it for four years then sold it on. It ended up in a field in Texas, and like the wagon was about to be crushed, fortunately I got a tip about the cars before this happened, even though it was a mad rush to get out there with a trailer and cash in hand before it was too late! The '68 has been an off and on project for me over the past few years (I got some of the parts I needed from the lot with the two 95s in the previous post), it does run again and hopefully will drive again very shortly. The '69 95 I drove for a few years, it is now in need of some attention too.
 
Mos6502 said:
Untitled by Berang Berang, on Flickr

Free Cars by Berang Berang, on Flickr

They are both V4 cars. I did briefly own the 2-stroke 95 seen in the background of 2nd pic, I really only bought it because I couldn't bear the thought of it being crushed. The 2-stroke wagons are very scarce. I paid $100 and a promise of getting it off the property ASAP, then resold it shortly after (I kind of wonder if it has been restored or parted out by now). The '68 was sold in Montana by Dana Motors, a dealer that's still around, the car was owned by a lady who lived in Ekalaka, Montana, and kept it very good shape. When she retired in 1984 the car was parked for a little over a decade. When it became obvious she would never drive again, her son sold it to a college student, who drove it for four years then sold it on. It ended up in a field in Texas, and like the wagon was about to be crushed, fortunately I got a tip about the cars before this happened, even though it was a mad rush to get out there with a trailer and cash in hand before it was too late! The '68 has been an off and on project for me over the past few years (I got some of the parts I needed from the lot with the two 95s in the previous post), it does run again and hopefully will drive again very shortly. The '69 95 I drove for a few years, it is now in need of some attention too.
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I had been somewhat fascinated by the 2-stroke engines, especially the 3-carburetor version in the Monte Carlo, but I became even more enthused with the introduction of the V4. It seemed just perfect for the 96 and the 95. It's great that you have both, and I hope you can keep them running.

- Murray
 
I had a 95 and a 96. Not fun adding oil with every tank-up and schlepping the box or so of SAAB oil. I guess they were OK for putting around Sweden for short runs. Not good for long haul US driving and prone to engines burning up at high revs. The 96 seized up. Not the first time. I hitchhiked home and gave the keys to a neighbor.
 
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I owned both a v4 and a 2 stroke when I was young. Great cars. I was in a bad accident in the 2 stroke. I was T-boned by a drunk driver in a bid muscle car running a red light doing about 60mph. The build quality of the Saab saved my life, but I ended up with a permanent limp the rest of my life. So I have a daily reminder of the car and the accident.
 
For a period of time between stints in college I wound up working for Texas Instruments where I met all different sorts of talented and interesting people. I was so much younger than all of my coworkers that it was almost comical. Likely taking pity on me, one of my coworkers insisted that I let her and her husband take me out for a burger at their favorite place. As their favorite place was 25 miles away, they offered to drive. As it turned out, her husband had a thing for old Saabs and he was driving a 96. So while the burger was excellent, the most memorable aspect of that evening was riding in the Saab — a car that I was totally unfamiliar with at the time. My coworker and her husband were both incredibly nice and more than a bit eccentric. I decided that Saab was the perfect fit for them.
 
skopar steve said:
I owned both a v4 and a 2 stroke when I was young. Great cars. I was in a bad accident in the 2 stroke. I was T-boned by a drunk driver in a bid muscle car running a red light doing about 60mph. The build quality of the Saab saved my life, but I ended up with a permanent limp the rest of my life. So I have a daily reminder of the car and the accident.
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Hey, Steve, sorry to hear about your accident.

Mike
 
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