The Best Examples of the Saab 9-3 Viggen Are Accelerating in Value

The recent, record-breaking $55,000 auction sale of a 1990 900 Turbo SPG set the Saab community on its collective ear. It seems serious collectors are waking up to the unique appeal of Saab’s turbocharged flagship sports models. The last Saab to follow in the SPG’s front-wheel-drive tire tracks was the 155-mph 9-3 Viggen, and top-condition examples of the coupe, five-door, and convertible are handily besting book values and trading hands at auction for healthy sums.

Representing "born from jets" years before this tagline appeared, the high-performance original-generation 9-3 Viggen took its name–"thunderbolt" in Swedish—from the Saab Aerospace 37 jet fighter. It was a collaboration of Saab Cars’ Special Vehicle Operations branch and TWR that was built by Valmet (home to Saab convertible production) in Finland. The manual-only 9-3 Viggen was reengineered with additional power from a larger, 2.3-liter four huffing 20-psi of turbo boost; it received upgraded suspension, brakes, and wheels, bolstered seating, and an aerodynamically functional body kit.

The Viggen was introduced as a three-door coupe, with convertible and five-door body styles following. This model’s launch color, Lightning Blue, was its trademark hue, used on all but six cars imported to the U.S. in 1999; Black, Monte Carlo Yellow, Silver, Laser Red, and Steel Grey were also sold here through the end of the run in 2002. While more accessible than the BMW M3 it was intended to battle, this Saab wasn’t cheap: its $37,995 MSRP is roughly equivalent to $63,580 in today’s dollars, while the 2002 Viggen convertible’s $44,995 is akin to $69,730 now.

Their inherent Saab practicality meant many were simply used as every day, four-season drivers, then sold on as used cars; this was especially true for hatchback models, which accounted for 1,641 of the 2,954 examples imported. Consumer value guides like NADA and KBB do list Viggens, but price them like standard 9-3s with values ranging between $2,000 and $5,500. Collector-quality Viggens are a different story, as Saab Club of North America board member and 2001 five-door Viggen owner Jim Hickstein explains. "The good examples are going up and the bad examples are going down; the middle ones have turned into bad ones and ended up in junkyards. Of the remaining Viggens, the stock ones are higher and the modified are lower. Modified cars take a 20-25-percent discount. To get top dollar—above $30,000, now—it would have to be completely original, with fewer than 50,000 miles, never seen rain, and still on unbent factory wheels.

"The most desirable on the market is the Lightning Blue’99 three-door; Laser Red and Monte Carlo Yellow follow closely," Jim continues. "The convertibles are like a whole separate market, though—they have strong pricing because they’re typically lower mileage, since many were bought as toys." Considering Saab production ended in 2011 and attrition continues to take its toll, we asked him if the dwindling numbers might cause a spike in values. "Saab was a niche and remains a niche. We’ll probably never see a $100,000 Saab, it’s just not desirable to a broad swath of people. Really, they’re a bargain, and as soon as you drive one and you feel that midrange torque, you get hooked."