Saab 900SE in FL w/V6 NMNA $2,500

I had no idea Saab ever sold this generation 900 with a V6 engine.  A 2.5 V6 at that?!?

Wonky ad (typical of people still using the list of Craig), but running, driving, stick shift Saab w/working AC looks like a fair deal at $2500

RARE TO FIND IN THIS CONDITION, 1OWNER FLORIDA CAR, 5SPEED MANUAL TRANSMITION,RUNS AND DRIVES GREAT, GOOD ON GAS, EXTERIOR PAINT LIKE NEW , NEW TRADE FROM JAGUAR OF SARASOTA.CLEAN CAR FAX, TIRES LIKE NEW, ALL WINDOW AND SUN ROOF WORKING., 203 K., COLD A/C. V6 2,5LITER, ANY? CALL SAMMY

Those are extremely rare and MONSTROUSLY difficult to work on.

The engine is a small bore variant of the famed L81 from the Cadillac Catera and Saturn L-series, FWIW.

In reply to pointofdeparture :

Beat me to it. That's a GM 54deg V6.

pointofdeparture said:

Those are extremely rare and MONSTROUSLY difficult to work on.

The engine is a small bore variant of the famed L81 from the Cadillac Catera and Saturn L-series, FWIW.

I thought it was an error until I saw the engine cover in the ad.  I figured someone here would enlighten me.

If you're going to own a classic Saab I feel like it's got to be a 4cyl dropped in facing the wrong way.  Bonus for turbo. Double-bonus for 2-stroke!

Some time around 2004 I was at a tire shop and overheard the service advisor tell some guy his Cadillac Catera needed $4k of work to it.  I got the sense the guy was getting taken for a ride...but a brief internet search confirmed they're not very well made...so no surprise about the engine.

In reply to Hoondavan :

The Catera was a decent European Opel sedan that was completely ruined by adding a literal 600lbs of Cadillac to it, and then they started puking up timing belts at 25k miles due to a dodgy tensioner...and that's not even getting into the marketing hubris of selling a $30k base ($52k adjusted for 2021) car with a cartoon duck mascot. GM was really pretty high on its own supply for a while there.

I would guess the 54-degree V6 ended up in the 900 because some focus group study said "Saab is luxurious and luxury needs displacement" or something.

pointofdeparture said:

Those are extremely rare and MONSTROUSLY difficult to work on.

The engine is a small bore variant of the famed L81 from the Cadillac Catera and Saturn L-series, FWIW.

Backwards.  SAAB designed it to fit this chassis, which is why it is 54 degrees bank angle.  GM appropriated it for Caddys and Saturns.

When you buy parts for one, they come in Opel bags.

In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :

Saab didn't design the engine, Opel did. Here’s a 1994 GM promo video that describes the engine’s origins in Russelheim. (Granted, the NG900 has a fair amount of Opel DNA in it, but they still suck ass to work on with the V6.)

General Motors' Opel subsidiary in Europe designed a compact V6 engine with an unusual 54° vee angle. It was an iron block/aluminum head DOHC design with 4 valves per cylinder. All 54° engines were assembled at Ellesmere Port in England.

I just used the L81 as a common point of reference since that's the one most of us are familiar with in the states.

Hoondavan said:

If you're going to own a classic Saab I feel like it's got to be a 4cyl dropped in facing the wrong way.  Bonus for turbo. Double-bonus for 2-stroke!

Double bonus for the V4as well.