SWEDISH STICK SPYDERS: 2004 VOLVO C70 T5 VS 2001 SAAB 9-3 VIGGEN

My wonderful E39 BMW has been so (relatively) trouble-free for a high-mileage German car that a part of me is always seeking out something just a little dumber and more troublesome. Today’s SBSD offers two cars that fit my usual desire for something Swedish and manual, with an extremely risky feature.

Our good friend Mark had to go into the shop for a little repair yesterday, so please keep him in your thoughts this week. You might see some other writers picking up the SBSD slack for a few days. Don’t be alarmed. We look forward to having Mark back as soon as the “check engine” light clears.

Friday gave us the choice between two strange French cars and, unsurprisingly, the Matra-Simca Bagheera won out quite handily. This seems like the right choice to me, as the three-abreast seating in a sports car is quite rare, and this is a lot cheaper than a McLaren F1.

You can’t turn the Bagheera into a tiny coffee truck, though!

2004 Volvo C70 T5 Turbo Manual – $9,000

Source: Craigslist Seller

Engine/drivetrain: 2.3-liter high-pressure turbo inline-five with a 5-speed manual

Location: Mamaroneck, NY

Odometer reading: 121,000

Operational status: Runs and drives well

When someone says a car is “rare” on Craigslist, I immediately roll my eyes. Often this is just Corvette Owner’s Disease, where it’s the only C6 Z51 drop-top made on Arbor Day with the automatic, beige roof, white paint, and chrome wheels. In this case, I think the owner of this grey, manual, T5, convertible C70 might actually be correct.

The first time I saw the C70 was in an advertisement for the Val Kilmer reboot of The Saint, and it was a coupe in that beautiful Saffron Metallic color. The coupes are probably the rarest, as the convertibles seem to have outsold them about 7-to-1 in America. This makes sense to me, and I knew a lovely older woman who was my supervisor at an internship who had two convertibles. I’m pretty sure both were automatic.

Source: Craigslist Seller

In fact, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a C7 convertible with the T5 engine package (good for about 242 horsepower and nearly as much torque) and the manual transmission. With an Ian Callum-penned exterior, these have a wonderful presence. I prefer the coupe to the convertible, but today has a theme!

Source: Craigslist Seller

This one is in “excellent” condition according to the seller, and looks it. The basic things that might go wrong with these cars have all been addressed, including the timing belt/water pump, alternator, plugs, and brakes. The attached window sticker confirms my suspicion that the much larger wheels were not stock. Volvo has excellent wheels on offer, though these don’t bother me.

The price is a little high, though if it’s not the best C7 convertible in America, it’s maybe the nicest one for sale.

2001 Saab 9-3 Viggen Convertible – $5,900

Source: Craigslist Seller

Engine/drivetrain: 2.3-liter high-pressure turbo inline-four with a 5-speed manual

Location: Mount Kisco, NY

Odometer reading: 137,942

Operational status: Runs and drives well

What’s amazing is I’ve found two Swedish manual convertibles with similar displacements and conditions, all the way down to the aftermarket wheels. In this case, the 2.3-liter turbocharged motor spreads that displacement over four cylinders and probably produces a little less power. It’s also FWD, so torque-steer is probably something you’re going to fight with.

Source: Craigslist Seller

These are the GM-era cars and thus share a platform with Opel/Vauxhall and Saturn. Does that bother me? It does not. These still look great, and the Viggen version adds both a neat spoiler and the Viggen badge on the fender. What else do you want?

Source: Craigslist Seller

The seller here only claims the car is in “good” condition, and that it “drives and runs very well.” It looks quite clean to me, and the seats and dash both appear in surprisingly good shape for a car nearly a quarter of a century old. I wonder if this owner would take a straight-up trade for the E39… is that a terrible idea?

You have two great options here if what you want, specifically, is a Swedish car with no roof, a “high-pressure” turbo, and a five-speed manual.

Top photo: Craigslist sellers

 

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2025-09-02T16:08:09Z