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?-May 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
At $950, Would You Go All-In On This 1984 Plymouth Colt GTS Turbo Project?
At $950, Would You Go All-In On This 1984 Plymouth Colt GTS Turbo Project?
One of the calling cards of today’s Plymouth Colt is its “Twin Stick” overdrive gear change, which gives the car eight speeds going forward and two in reverse. Let’s see if this project car has anything else to offer. Just as Goldilocks discovered when appropriating Papa Bear’s lifestyle and...
May 4, 2025
Someone Willingly Paid $16,000 For A Maserati Ghibli On Cars & Bids. Don’t Make The Same Mistake
Someone Willingly Paid $16,000 For A Maserati Ghibli On Cars & Bids. Don’t Make The Same Mistake
Let’s cut right to the chase: buying a is not a good idea unless you have deep enough pockets for the upkeep. For those not in the know, they’re sirens. They draw you in with their premium Italian image and sweet songs of and then go in for the...
May 4, 2025
Which One Of You Suckers Is Going To Pay Over $32,000 For A 25-Year-Old Toyota 4Runner
Which One Of You Suckers Is Going To Pay Over $32,000 For A 25-Year-Old Toyota 4Runner
The (and Tacoma) have a death grip on used values. It’s been this way for years. Go ahead, go try and buy any TRD trim that’s a couple of years old; it’ll cost you as much as a new one — not that you could buy a new one...
May 4, 2025
At $18,500, Would You Lean Toward Buying This 2022 Ford Mustang?
At $18,500, Would You Lean Toward Buying This 2022 Ford Mustang?
Today’s Mustang is being sold by a towing yard, which means it’s probably a lien sale. Let’s see if this clean title convertible is priced to put a new buyer on the hook. The general consensus on last Friday’s was that it would be the perfect car for someone...
May 4, 2025
At $5,900, Is This 1984 Nissan 720 4X4 A Solid Deal?
At $5,900, Is This 1984 Nissan 720 4X4 A Solid Deal?
According to its seller, today’s Nissan 4X4 shows “pride of ownership.” Let’s see if it would take swallowing one’s pride to pay its asking price. Opinions were split on how well the design of yesterday’s has held up over the years. Some of you commented that the design still...
May 4, 2025
At $8,600, Would You Go Topless In This 1994 Cadillac Eldorado?
At $8,600, Would You Go Topless In This 1994 Cadillac Eldorado?
The seller of today’s Caddy claims they should be selling it at auction but says who’s got time for that? Let’s see if we have the time for this custom convertible at its non-auction price. Many of you agreed that the $950 asked for yesterday’s was “chump change.” Even...
May 4, 2025
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved