Thunderbolt Style: 2000 Saab 93 Viggen

This next car comes as a tip from tipper Zach who writes: It’s always sunny on Thorsday! Worth it or not? No idea. Undoubtedly fun. Probably more so than my 9000 Aero. Oh yes, it is not just always sunny on Thorsday, it is also always Thorsday on days that end with “y”. This next example of Swedish delight is an OG 9-3 (Saab internal designation of 9400) and was the last Saab to use the H-engine, which was just a redesign of the Saab B-engine, which was just a redesigned Triumph slant-4 that was first used in the 1968 Saab 99. So…whatever is new is actually old, and whatever is Saab is actually a Triumph. Find this 2000 Saab 93 Viggen offered for $7,200 in Anchorage, AK via craigslist.

From the seller:

2000 saab 9-3 viggen
condition: excellent
cylinders: 4 cylinders
drive: fwd
fuel: gas
odometer: 145000
paint color: black
title status: clean
transmission: manual
type: hatchback
For sale 2000 Saab Viggen, this is a rare Saab made from 1999-2002Saab. 145000 miles never driven in winter.
leather seats heated seats 5 speed manual trans, power windows, power door locks. this car is fun to drive. This is a brief history of a SAAB Viggen
Saab 9-3 Viggen
A high-powered version of the Saab 9-3, the “Viggen” (English: Thunderbolt), was marketed from 1999 to 2002. It was named after the Saab 37 Viggen aircraft.

The Viggen included a turbocharged 2.3 L engine (B235R). Initially it was rated at 225 bhp (168 kW; 228 PS) and later at 230 bhp (172 kW; 233 PS) on 1.0 bar (15 psi) of boost from its Mitsubishi TD04-HL15-5 turbocharger. The cars were equipped with a higher capacity intercooler, performance tuned ECU, flow through muffler and tip, heavy duty clutch and pressure plate, stiffened and lowered springs, firmer dampers, as well as stronger CV joints and driveshafts.

In 1999, the Viggen was the first 9-3 to use Saab’s Trionic 7 engine management system. The 2001 model year introduced a Traction Control System (TCS). The TCS was later made available in the SE line.

The car featured a rear wing that required relocating the radio antenna, aerodynamically designed bumpers and side skirts, special bolstered and colored leather seats (in four colors: black with black inserts (charcoal), black with blue inserts (deep blue), black with orange inserts (flame ochre), or tan with tan inserts), sportier suspension, as well as bigger wheels and upgraded brakes.

The Viggen was only available with a five-speed manual transmission, CD player, power moonroof, and (what were initially) Viggen-specific motorised and heated leather seats with the Viggen delta logo embossed in the backrest; these were later also available in the Aero model (U.S. market ‘SE’ model) without the embossed Viggen logo. Some colors featured carbon-fibre interior trim from its introduction to the middle of the 2001 model year. Cars built afterward came with a less expensive printed gray pattern for the dash and standard trim.

New buyers of Viggens in the U.S. were offered two days of advanced driving instruction at Road Atlanta and an opportunity to dine with Saab USA executives from nearby Norcross, Georgia.

Some motoring journalists were critical of untamed torque steer in low gears.[4][6]

Production summary
Viggen Production Summary
Models produced Models imported into the U.S.[7]
Model Year Yearly total Total Convertible 3-door 5-door
1998 14
1999 1,099 426 426
2000 1,621 804 245 138 421
2001 1,251 1,152 738 129 285
2002 615 550 322 71 157
Total 4,600 2,932 1,305 764 863
A total of 4,600 Viggens were manufactured by Valmet in Finland until production ended in June 2002; of which 500 units were produced for the UK market. For 1999, 426 3-door Viggens were imported into the U.S.; of those 420 were blue, 2 were silver, 2 were Monte Carlo yellow, and 2 were black.[7]
Asking $7200.00 OBO

See a better way to drive a Viggen? tips@dailyturismo.com