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#46,546
jaxboy said:
I often wondered why those Saab Sonnetts weren't popular. I only saw two of them, and they were in a friend's collection that he was going to restore some day. I thought they were "cute" or something that had promise. Anyway, they looked a lot better than my other friend's 3 cylinder Saab!
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Mainly bad timing. They were designed primarily for export to the USA where the 2 stroke rapidly was seen as underpowered, then a little later the V4 fell foul of US emission regulations.
The idea was to compete in the market dominated at that time by small British sprts car, but they arrived in the market too late. Having to bolt those ridiculous low speed impact bumpers on such a small pretty car really didn't help, and the 73 oil crisis was probably the final straw.
I'm in the UK, and have never seen one in the flesh, but having had lots of the 96 saloons, both 2 stroke and V4 (I still have a V4) I'd love to have had the opportunity to own one.
As you say, the saloons (92, 93 and 96, plus the estate version of the 96, the 95) certainly weren't good looking cars, but they were actually really innovative designs, well ahead of their time.
 
#46,547
Roads, title, lyrics or artist.

01 - On The Road Again - Canned Heat
02 - The Long and Winding Road - Beatles
03 - On the Road to Freedom - Alvin Lee & Mylon LeFevre
04 - Squashed Things On The Road - The Dancing Did
05 - Dead Skunk In The Middle Of The Road - Loudon Wainwright III
06 - The Road and the Sky - Jackson Browne
07 - Дорога под землю (The Road Underground) - Hеприкасаемые (Untouchables)
 
#46,548
My father bought a Saab 99 in the early 1970's and, accompanying him to the local dealer one day, I saw a Sonnet III in the flesh. I fell in love. Small and sexy, no doubt, but as I eventually learned also mechanically problematic. A friend's father bought one and on one very auspicious day handed me the keys, saying "you may never have another chance to drive this car, so go have fun." Truer words were never spoken, and I most certainly did. I think about that act of kindness all the time.

Roads, title, lyrics or artist.

01 - On The Road Again - Canned Heat
02 - The Long and Winding Road - Beatles
03 - On the Road to Freedom - Alvin Lee & Mylon LeFevre
04 - Squashed Things On The Road - The Dancing Did
05 - Dead Skunk In The Middle Of The Road - Loudon Wainwright III
06 - The Road and the Sky - Jackson Browne
07 - Дорога под землю (The Road Underground) - Hеприкасаемые (Untouchables)
08 - Another White Dash - Butterfly Boucher
 
#46,549
Roads, title, lyrics or artist.

01 - On The Road Again - Canned Heat
02 - The Long and Winding Road - Beatles
03 - On the Road to Freedom - Alvin Lee & Mylon LeFevre
04 - Squashed Things On The Road - The Dancing Did
05 - Dead Skunk In The Middle Of The Road - Loudon Wainwright III
06 - The Road and the Sky - Jackson Browne
07 - Дорога под землю (The Road Underground) - Hеприкасаемые (Untouchables)
08 - Another White Dash - Butterfly Boucher
09 - Road to Nowhere - Talking Heads
 
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#46,550
SRMcGee said:
My father bought a Saab 99 in the early 1970's and, accompanying him to the local dealer one day, I saw a Sonnet III in the flesh. I fell in love. Small and sexy, no doubt, but as I eventually learned also mechanically problematic. A friend's father bought one and on one very auspicious day handed me the keys, saying "you may never have another chance to drive this car, so go have fun." Truer words were never spoken, and I most certainly did. I think about that act of kindness all the time.

Roads, title, lyrics or artist.

01 - On The Road Again - Canned Heat
02 - The Long and Winding Road - Beatles
03 - On the Road to Freedom - Alvin Lee & Mylon LeFevre
04 - Squashed Things On The Road - The Dancing Did
05 - Dead Skunk In The Middle Of The Road - Loudon Wainwright III
06 - The Road and the Sky - Jackson Browne
07 - Дорога под землю (The Road Underground) - Hеприкасаемые (Untouchables)
08 - Another White Dash - Butterfly Boucher
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Interesting. Why do you say they were mechanically problematic. As I say, I've never even seen a Sonnett, but have had several 96s which as far as I'm aware are more or less the same apart from the body, and they were without exception, mechanically very reliable.
 
#46,551
Roads, title, lyrics or artist.

01 - On The Road Again - Canned Heat
02 - The Long and Winding Road - Beatles
03 - On the Road to Freedom - Alvin Lee & Mylon LeFevre
04 - Squashed Things On The Road - The Dancing Did
05 - Dead Skunk In The Middle Of The Road - Loudon Wainwright III
06 - The Road and the Sky - Jackson Browne
07 - Дорога под землю (The Road Underground) - Hеприкасаемые (Untouchables)
08 - Another White Dash - Butterfly Boucher
09 - Road to Nowhere - Talking Heads
10 - The road to hell - Chris Rea
 
#46,552
patrickblue said:
Interesting. Why do you say they were mechanically problematic. As I say, I've never even seen a Sonnett, but have had several 96s which as far as I'm aware are more or less the same apart from the body, and they were without exception, mechanically very reliable.
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I'm no mechanic and it's been quite a long time, but my recollection is that the Sonnet had a clever freewheeling clutch system that disengaged when the accelerator wasn't depressed; useful when flying downhill, I suppose, but in my brief time in that car it was unclear how else it could be used. My friend's father told me that the clutch needed an unusual amount of attention. Also, met friend's father complained about the exhaust system -- he only had the car for 4 or 5 years but replaced the entire exhaust twice (I don't know the reason). Finally, both my father's 99 and my friend's father's Sonett were apparently made using a type of steel that was unusually brittle: metal would break when mildly torqued. Replacing tires was an issue because the lugs had a habit of snapping off. I loved driving the 99 and the Sonett was a once-in-a-lifetime treat, but they did have their issues.

Regards.
 
#46,553
SRMcGee said:
I'm no mechanic and it's been quite a long time, but my recollection is that the Sonnet had a clever freewheeling clutch system that disengaged when the accelerator wasn't depressed; useful when flying downhill, I suppose, but in my brief time in that car it was unclear how else it could be used. My friend's father told me that the clutch needed an unusual amount of attention. Also, met friend's father complained about the exhaust system -- he only had the car for 4 or 5 years but replaced the entire exhaust twice (I don't know the reason). Finally, both my father's 99 and my friend's father's Sonett were apparently made using a type of steel that was unusually brittle: metal would break when mildly torqued. Replacing tires was an issue because the lugs had a habit of snapping off. I loved driving the 99 and the Sonett was a once-in-a-lifetime treat, but they did have their issues.

Regards.
Click to expand...
The freewheel on the clutch, although retained on the V4, and also on the 99 was a requirement of the 2 stroke engine, as it has a total loss lubrication system, with the oil being mixed with the petrol. So if the car was in over-run (the inertia of the car turning the engine) with a closed throttle, there would be no fuel, entering the engine and hence no lubrication. It wasn't of any benefit on the four stroke engines, I think it was just SAAB quirkyness that led to it being retained. I never had clutch issues on either 96 or 99s, maybe it was just that particular vehicle.
Exhausts were almost exclusively made from mild steel in those days and corroded very quickly.
I've had loads of 96s, but just 2 99s. One was one of the early models with the Triumph engine (which I replaced with the 20ltr SAAB engine), and the other was a rather exotic (for the time) fuel injected EMS.
I can't really comment on the steel thing or tyre issues, as I never came across them, but as a bit of a SAAB nut in my younger days with lots of contact with other owners and SAAB dealers, I've never heard it mentioned.
 
#46,554
Roads, title, lyrics or artist.

01 - On The Road Again - Canned Heat
02 - The Long and Winding Road - Beatles
03 - On the Road to Freedom - Alvin Lee & Mylon LeFevre
04 - Squashed Things On The Road - The Dancing Did
05 - Dead Skunk In The Middle Of The Road - Loudon Wainwright III
06 - The Road and the Sky - Jackson Browne
07 - Дорога под землю (The Road Underground) - Hеприкасаемые (Untouchables)
08 - Another White Dash - Butterfly Boucher
09 - Road to Nowhere - Talking Heads
10 - The road to hell - Chris Rea
11 - Take Me Home, Country Roads - John Denver
 
#46,555
Roads, title, lyrics or artist.

01 - On The Road Again - Canned Heat
02 - The Long and Winding Road - Beatles
03 - On the Road to Freedom - Alvin Lee & Mylon LeFevre
04 - Squashed Things On The Road - The Dancing Did
05 - Dead Skunk In The Middle Of The Road - Loudon Wainwright III
06 - The Road and the Sky - Jackson Browne
07 - Дорога под землю (The Road Underground) - Hеприкасаемые (Untouchables)
08 - Another White Dash - Butterfly Boucher
09 - Road to Nowhere - Talking Heads
10 - The road to hell - Chris Rea
11 - Take Me Home, Country Roads - John Denver
12 - Highwayman - Albert Lee & Hogan's Heroes
 
#46,556
Roads, title, lyrics or artist.

01 - On The Road Again - Canned Heat
02 - The Long and Winding Road - Beatles
03 - On the Road to Freedom - Alvin Lee & Mylon LeFevre
04 - Squashed Things On The Road - The Dancing Did
05 - Dead Skunk In The Middle Of The Road - Loudon Wainwright III
06 - The Road and the Sky - Jackson Browne
07 - Дорога под землю (The Road Underground) - Hеприкасаемые (Untouchables)
08 - Another White Dash - Butterfly Boucher
09 - Road to Nowhere - Talking Heads
10 - The road to hell - Chris Rea
11 - Take Me Home, Country Roads - John Denver
12 - Highwayman - Albert Lee & Hogan's Heroes
13 - Crossroads - Cream
 
#46,557
Roads, title, lyrics or artist.

01 - On The Road Again - Canned Heat
02 - The Long and Winding Road - Beatles
03 - On the Road to Freedom - Alvin Lee & Mylon LeFevre
04 - Squashed Things On The Road - The Dancing Did
05 - Dead Skunk In The Middle Of The Road - Loudon Wainwright III
06 - The Road and the Sky - Jackson Browne
07 - Дорога под землю (The Road Underground) - Hеприкасаемые (Untouchables)
08 - Another White Dash - Butterfly Boucher
09 - Road to Nowhere - Talking Heads
10 - The road to hell - Chris Rea
11 - Take Me Home, Country Roads - John Denver
12 - Highwayman - Albert Lee & Hogan's Heroes
13 - Crossroads - Cream
14 - Dirty Back Road - The B-52s
 
#46,558
Roads, title, lyrics or artist.

01 - On The Road Again - Canned Heat
02 - The Long and Winding Road - Beatles
03 - On the Road to Freedom - Alvin Lee & Mylon LeFevre
04 - Squashed Things On The Road - The Dancing Did
05 - Dead Skunk In The Middle Of The Road - Loudon Wainwright III
06 - The Road and the Sky - Jackson Browne
07 - Дорога под землю (The Road Underground) - Hеприкасаемые (Untouchables)
08 - Another White Dash - Butterfly Boucher
09 - Road to Nowhere - Talking Heads
10 - The road to hell - Chris Rea
11 - Take Me Home, Country Roads - John Denver
12 - Highwayman - Albert Lee & Hogan's Heroes
13 - Crossroads - Cream
14 - Dirty Back Road - The B-52s
15 - Take The Highway - The Marshall Tucker Band
 
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