The Garage, the Paddock, the Pub Car Park
A photo journal of the people who keep these cars alive — restorers in woolly hats, weekend warriors with half a 900 in the footwell, three-generational 96 collections, and the convoy that showed up in the rain because, of course it rained.
Cars are the excuse. People are the point.
Life With Saab began in 2019 as a small group-chat of owners swapping part numbers across the North Sea. Six years later, the membership spans thirty-one countries and a few stubborn outposts where the local Saab specialist is, inevitably, also the local mechanic, the postmaster, and probably the vicar. The gallery below is a working archive — every photograph submitted by a verified member, every story fact-checked against the registration document. We don't run sponsored posts, and we don't run advertorial. We just like the cars.
A Rolling Gallery
Twelve cars, twelve owners, twelve different reasons for keeping them. Click any image for the full owner profile and build sheet.
This Month's Restoration: A 1985 900i, Found in a Dutch Barn
Three siblings, one inheritance dispute settled, and a car that hadn't turned a wheel since 2003. This is the build thread condensed into a single page.
"De Hooiberg" — A 900i Resurrected
When the de Vries siblings cleared their late father's barn near Groningen last spring, they found a 1985 900i buried under tarpaulins, lawnmower parts, and what appeared to be an entire library of Autoweek. The car was sold new in Amsterdam, had covered 142,000 km, and still wore its original Amazon Green metallic paint. The engine turned over by hand on the third try.
Eighteen months, three specialists, one full interior retrim in wool tartan, and the car passed its APK inspection in October. The full build thread — including the moment the original owner's manual turned up inside the dashboard — is on the Restoration Guides section.
Three Owners, Three Stories
We send the same five questions to every featured member. These three answered them properly.
Eira Martinsen
Bodø, Norway · 1976 99L
"My grandfather bought it new. My mother learned to drive in it. I was conceived in the back seat, allegedly, on the way back from a fjord. It owes us nothing and we owe it everything."Three Generations
Tomás Reyes
Madrid, Spain · 2006 9-3 SportCombi
"I bought it with 230,000 km on the clock for €1,800. The previous owner had taped a note to the dashboard: 'She needs love, not a mechanic.' He was right. She is now at 287,000 km and still going."Daily Driver
Fumiko Kuroda
Kyoto, Japan · 1989 9000 CD
"There are perhaps forty 9000s left in Japan. I have driven to meet the owners of nine of them. We formed a small society in 2022. We meet twice a year, usually at a kissaten, and we always bring photographs."Founding a Chapter
Upcoming Meets & Gatherings
All events are member-organised. None require an entry fee. Coffee is, as a rule, terrible and free.
Saabfest UK — Knebworth
The largest single-marque gathering in the UK. Expect 400+ cars, a parts flea market, and at least one person who has brought a 9-7X from somewhere very far away.
Skandinaviska Saabträffen
The annual Nordic pilgrimage back to Trollhättan, where the cars were once made. Factory museum open, factory canteen serving meatballs, factory car park full of the cars it once built.
Autumn Pub Meet — The George & Dragon
Our informal UK midlands gathering. Park up at 11, coffee and a bacon roll at the pub, convoy to a local specialist's workshop for a look round, back to the pub by four. Dogs welcome.
Wintersmog — Northern Chapter
An excuse to drive the cars in winter, before the salt goes down. Coffee, a long loop through the Yorkshire Dales, photographs at the Ribblehead Viaduct, fish and chips in Settle.
Got a car, a story, or a photograph worth sharing?
Membership is free and stays free. Submit your build, your event, or your workshop to the editorial team — we read everything, and we publish most of it.