Wanted A 1970s Saab beauty - what would be a reasonable offer to make? And what's going on with the Reg plates?

[doubleyeller]

Hi folks, I spotted this gloriously scruffy Saab near me, and I'm dying to knock on the door and make an offer. Question is: the Reg plate is for a 1972 Automatic Red Saab. The rear quarterlight is engraved with a 1979 manual Brown Saab Reg no - as befits this car. Doubleyeller@Confused.com! Any ideas what could be going on there?

 

Everything about this car is just shite by definition, right down to the roof rack made from an old wooden pallet!

In my view it's perfection, anybody got a rough idea of what a non-insulting offer might be?

 

 

Cheers!

 

 

[Richard]

It's extremely rare. When I was in the SAAB club about 25 years ago they only had about three five door 99s on the register.

[beko1987]

Maybe it was red once...

 

Id offer £30, then try not to wet yourself if he accepts

[strangeangel]

I have no idea, but that thing is magnificent and I wish you the very best in your negotiations

[Richard]

It's also definitely a ringer for free road tax purposes, a 1972 model would have had the small corner lights. I'm not certain you could even get a Combi Coupé in 1972.

[doubleyeller]

It's also definitely a ringer, a 1972 model would have had the small corner lights. I'm not certain you could even get a Combi Coupé in 1972.

It's an odd car - I could see a manual gear lever inside, but it says automatic on the back, and the quarterlight reg doesn't match the plates! Made my day seeing it though!

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I cal 100% ringer as well

[Asimo]

Well it ain't a 1972, the hatchbacks came a few years later.

Which will mean it has a SaaB 2 litre engine, a '72 would likely have had a Triumph 1854cc engine ( not a good thing ).

Offer a smal number and keep going up u til it is yours. More old SaaBs needed on here.

[Richard]

This is the front end it should have

 

Saab 99 by Robert, on Flickr

 

Or maybe even this

 

SAAB 99. by Keith Long, on Flickr

 

The big lights came in 1975 or 6 I think. This one also has foglights, which were required from April 1979 IIRC

[doubleyeller]

This is the front end it should have

 

Saab 99 by Robert, on Flickr

 

Or maybe even this

 

SAAB 99. by Keith Long, on Flickr

 

The big lights came in 1975 or 6 I think. This one also has foglights, which were required from April 1979 IIRC

That fits, as the quarterlight reg no is for a 1979 Saab. I think it's got the wrong plates on it !

[Justin Case]

Odd, DVLA show it as 1972 and red, but five door combis didn't come out until about 1976 and the wider grille is post 74. I would check out the paper work before making an offer, but as MOT runs out this week and tax next, perhaps £100 at the most amd £90 of that would be for the 'Combi Coupe' spears on the side ventilation grilles

 

Edit: even if your offer is unsuccessful he may just have a coil-sprung Series 1 Landy for sale

[STUNO]

50 pounds or I will phone the DVLA.

 

sensible offer 

[forddeliveryboy]

I wouldn't be concerned it's not a '72 if you feel you must have it, bet he won't sell unless you make a silly offer.

 

I struggled to sell a very low mileage 99 two or three years ago on here for £200 or so, it didn't want much more than a tickle around the inner rear wings where the dampers mounted and brakes, even now a sound 99 saloon isn't worth much more than £600 unless there a summit unusual or rare about it. Combis are rare, tbough.

[Richard]

There's nothing odd about it, he's just stuck 1972 plates on for free tax. It's 100% a 1979 model, the number etched in the back window is almost certainly right. When was it last on the road with that number?

 

I wouldn't go near it with the fake ID, especially as it's impossible for it to be real. With its proper ID it could be worth anything from a couple of hundred upwards, depending on how solid it is.

[doubleyeller]

There's nothing odd about it, he's just stuck 1972 plates on for free tax. It's 100% a 1979 model, the number etched in the back window is almost certainly right. When was it last on the road with that number?

 

I wouldn't go near it with the fake ID, especially as it's impossible for it to be real. With its proper ID it could be worth anything from a couple of hundred upwards, depending on how solid it is.

Thanks, interesting to hear. I doubted it had been used in bank robberies given it's stand-out-a-mile scarcity, but I couldn't work out what was going on here!

[barrett]

That's 100 per cent solid gold Autoshite, you can just picture the miserly, yet enterprising, old bugger who owns it. I bet it smells of wet dog inside. If those plates have been on it for ages (and I suspect they probably have) I wouldn't have any qualms about buying it.

As it stands, I reckon it's in the running for Spot of the Year anyhow. Superb.

[Richard]

There are two MOTs against that number so I'd guess that's how long it's had the plates.

[doubleyeller]

 I bet it smells of wet dog inside. 

 

I was thinking more along the lines of St Bruno and Hedges snuff, but I get what you mean

[Wilko220]

You could always offer him your Punto...

[doubleyeller]

You could always offer him your Punto...

Not a bad idea that, but I bet I'd be told to piss right off! He's probably had it since new, and reckons its worth £12k just because it's old 

[Dave_Q]

If it has had the VIN for the wrong reg grafted in well then DVLA fuck level=0.

 

There was a blato ringer of an e30 cabrio that several forumites reported as a ringer and the dvla inspected it - numbers matched so it was all OK to them even though it was obviously not the year on the plate.

 

In this case its quite possible that the man has just swapped the plate over from a scrapper, if the VIN is the original 79ish car then just get some new old plates made up and you're away.

 

I suspect the owner will hit you with his stick, but best of luck anyway.

[worldofceri]

MOT is up end of this week.  If it fails, negotiations may be in your favour...

[doubleyeller]

MOT is up end of this week.  If it fails, negotiations may be in your favour...

I was thinking of going for something moderately okish like £400, thing is, what car could he get for that to replace it? I imagine that would be the stumbling block tbh.

 

But hey, here we are assuming its an old man, I'll PMSL  if it's a stunning 23 year old babe (and propose marriage immediately!)

[Richard]

Is that an MOT station it's parked outside?

[doubleyeller]

Is that an MOT station it's parked outside?

No, a vets, a tearoom, and a pub haha

[Mr_Bo11ox]

The kind of foosty old tightwad that will go to that effort so save £200 a year, won't be letting that go 'cheap' or probably at all, lest his 'ingenious' scam be rumbled.

[doubleyeller]

The kind of foosty old tightwad that will go to that effort so save £200 a year, won't be letting that go 'cheap' or probably at all, lest his 'ingenious' scam be rumbled.

Well sod it then, you can't own 'em all. Photos don't really do it justice to be fair, totally unloved, yet there's just something bloody wonderful about it!

[captain_70s]

Offer him £250 and say if he doesn't accept you'll tell the authorities his car is well dodgy. Once you've secured ownership you can check if the VIN plate is swapped or re-register it with the original number.

 

Boom, you is winnrar. No complications*.

[doubleyeller]

Offer him £250 and say if he doesn't accept you'll tell the authorities his car is well dodgy. Once you've secured ownership you can check if the VIN plate is swapped or re-register it with the original number.

 

Boom, you is winnrar. No complications*.

Naaaahhh!

Let the guy enjoy his Saab in peace I say! Probably £70 classic car insurance too!

[Dave_Q]

The VIN linked to the reg is the 72 one, won't post it here because of all the internet fraudsters ringing ancient SAABs but PM me if you do go to look/buy it.