zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Buying
/
For $2,500, Could This 1997 Saab 900SE Talladega Be A Record-Setting Deal?
For $2,500, Could This 1997 Saab 900SE Talladega Be A Record-Setting Deal?-September 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:09:33

Image for article titled For $2,500, Could This 1997 Saab 900SE Talladega Be A Record-Setting Deal?

Today’s Saab is a special edition, named for the Alabama racetrack that’s among the fastest on the NASCAR circuit. Let’s see if that will make for a fast sale.

If you want to go fast, a racetrack is an appropriate place to do it. It’s not uncommon to find Porsche owners testing the mettle of their cars at track day events. There they can unleash the capabilities of their cars that traffic laws and common sense forbid on more public venues.

Should you be interested in such an endeavor, you might very well have been likewise interested in last Friday’s . As a matter of fact, pretty much all of the comments showed some level of attraction to the car. And at $16,900, its price proved to be just as much of a looker as did the car. That resulted in a solid 78 percent Nice Price win for our week-ending contest.

Here we are, however, in a new week, and with a much older car. This is still a pretty handsome car, and it has a unique single-year equipment package that makes it all the more special. That package is indicated by the badge on the back that, in a jaunty script, reads “Talladega.”

Image for article titled For $2,500, Could This 1997 Saab 900SE Talladega Be A Record-Setting Deal?

Now you might be wondering why a Swedish hatchback would be carrying the name of one of NASCAR’s most venerable tracks on its butt. Don’t worry, there is a method to this madness. No, Saab didn’t try to sneak the 900 into the NASCAR circuit as some sort of Smokey Yunick-like spoiler. What the company did instead was use the superspeedway to set a world record for sustained speed by a production car. The Swedes made these runs on two separate occasions.

The special edition 900se Talladega celebrated the second of those, the “The Saab 900 Talladega Challenge 1996.” The challenge consisted of six Saab 900s — naturally aspirated and turbo fours plus V6 models — run at each model’s maximum speed over the course of 8 days. At the end of the run, a 900 Turbo set the record with a total distance of 25,000 miles at an average speed of 140 miles per hour. That beat Saab’s previous record, set 10 years earlier in a 9000 sedan, by almost 7 miles per hour.

Image for article titled For $2,500, Could This 1997 Saab 900SE Talladega Be A Record-Setting Deal?

While mechanically stock, the record-setting cars were outfitted with roll cages and special seats accommodating five-point harnesses. In contrast, the road-going Talladega models were fitted with leather and every conceivable option Saab could throw at them.

This one is missing one notable Talladega feature, and that’s the model’s unique seven-spoke BBS 17 inch alloys. In their place are a set of three-spoke Aero wheels. They look proper on the car, but the BBS wheels would be a nice inclusion. Other Talladega indicators are color-matched bumpers and mirrors, polished metal interior door levers, and leather trim on the seats and door panels.

Image for article titled For $2,500, Could This 1997 Saab 900SE Talladega Be A Record-Setting Deal?

The bodywork on the car looks to be in decent shape, with no major rust evident. The paint does appear to need a good going-over, and some surface bubbling on the hatch should get some attention.

The interior has seemingly fared worse. The car’s 160,000 miles are evident in the grimy door cards and the driver’s seat leather, which honestly looks like one of those NASA pictures of Jupiter’s moon. We don’t get to see much else in the cabin, and the engine bay remains a mystery as no pictures are provided of that either.

Image for article titled For $2,500, Could This 1997 Saab 900SE Talladega Be A Record-Setting Deal?

If there were, what we’d see would be a 185-horsepower, 2-liter DOHC four with a Garrett turbo puffing it up. The engine is paired with a five-speed stick, and the whole thing sits sideways and powers the front wheels. The ad claims that the car has “Recently had a lot of maintenance caught up on it.” That’s OK, but I’m sure we’d rather hear that it’s been properly maintained its whole life rather than had one cram session set on getting things right.

The ad also claims to have a bunch of aftermarket intake and ECU parts that the seller was planning to bolt on the car but now wants to sell separately. I’m pretty sure the general consensus will be that the seller can keep those.

Image for article titled For $2,500, Could This 1997 Saab 900SE Talladega Be A Record-Setting Deal?

The price for the car without those bits is $2,500, and it’s now your job to decide if that’s a deal on this old Saab with an interesting provenance. What do you say, does this Talladega special seem like a good use of $2,500? Or, does that price have you thinking this car is a broken record?

You decide!

Frederick, Maryland, , or go if the ad disappears.

Help me out with NPOND. Hit me up at and send me a fixed-price tip. Remember to include your Kinja handle.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Buying
The 2024 BMW i7 M70 xDrive Is BMW's Most Powerful EV Ever
The 2024 BMW i7 M70 xDrive Is BMW's Most Powerful EV Ever
on sale today, but it’s got one of the best interiors in the business, and now, according to an announcement made by BMW on Monday, it’s earned itself some performance chops, too, with the introduction of the 2024 BMW i7 M70 xDrive. As usual, that name is a veritable...
Sep 4, 2025
Let’s All Take a Minute To Appreciate the 2001-2003 VW Beetle RSi
Let’s All Take a Minute To Appreciate the 2001-2003 VW Beetle RSi
doesn’t get a lot of respect. This is especially true with the exceedingly cute and twee first generation, but there’s one Beetle from this generation that deserves all the respect, and that’s the Beetle RSi. If you’re not familiar with the Beetle RSi, it’s understandable. VW only made 250...
Sep 4, 2025
Land Rover Recalls 5 Range Rover Sports for Turn Signals That Are Too Good
Land Rover Recalls 5 Range Rover Sports for Turn Signals That Are Too Good
It’s a known law of the universe, like gravity: Europe’s turn signals will always be better than America’s. Despite amber turn signals being , automakers usually stick us with boring old red — a color that . Amber is simply better. Land Rover, it seems, messed up — it...
Sep 4, 2025
At $44,000, Would You Call This Underused 2013 Chevy Camaro ZL1 Overpriced?
At $44,000, Would You Call This Underused 2013 Chevy Camaro ZL1 Overpriced?
With 580 horsepower on tap, a six-speed manual, and a bad attitude, today’s Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 should be a ball to drive. It’s a shame then that it’s only been driven a little over 3,600 miles. Let’s see if its price drives a hard bargain. I wonder if having...
Sep 4, 2025
The 2024 Porsche Cayenne Is Super Different But in Subtle Ways
The 2024 Porsche Cayenne Is Super Different But in Subtle Ways
. Sure, there was a long period where purists and snobs liked to bash it because it wasn’t a 911, but those days are mostly gone. People now recognize that it’s an unbelievably well-engineered vehicle that’s both – not that most people will ever do more than drive through...
Sep 4, 2025
2024 Buick Envista: This Is It
2024 Buick Envista: This Is It
Just last year, , complete with sleek lines and attractive angles not typically associated with the brand. It wasn’t long before the automaker unveiled the first of its vehicles to carry Wildcat’s design language: The Envista, which was destined for China. The tri-shield brand did for the when the...
Sep 4, 2025
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved