In the mid-1960s, Swedish roads were full of snow, salt and families who expected their cars to last for years on a modest budget. Buyers choosing between a 1966 Volvo 122S and a 1966 Saab 96 were not chasing fashion. They were trying to pick the car that would still be running after countless winters and thousands of kilometers. The question of which of these two Swedish icons ultimately proved tougher has followed both models into their classic years.
Decades of owner testimony, buying guides and enthusiast debate now give a clearer picture. The Volvo 122S built a reputation for almost unkillable mechanicals and strong resistance to daily abuse, while the Saab 96 earned fans for rugged engineering but faced a more serious battle with rust and age. Durability, it turns out, meant slightly different things for each brand.
Two very different Swedish answers to the same problem
In Sweden in the late 1960s, a family looking for a long-lasting and relatively cheap car might have weighed several homegrown choices. One enthusiast discussion paints the scene in 1968, setting a buyer in Sweden against options like the Saab 95 with its new Ford V4 engine, the heavy-duty but rough Volvo Duett and the more sophisticated Volvo Amazon, the export name often used for the 122S, as well as the compact Saab 96 and its closely related estate sibling, the 95. In that conversation, the number 95 appears as part of the comparison, underlining how closely linked the Saab 95 and 96 were in buyers’ minds.
The Volvo 122S sat in the middle of Volvo’s range, above the older PV 544 but below the glamorous P1800. It combined a three-box body with simple, upright styling and a focus on safety and longevity. By contrast, the Saab 96 was a teardrop-shaped, front-wheel-drive two-door that evolved from earlier two-stroke Saabs into a more conventional four-stroke machine by the mid-1960s. Both cars were designed for the same climate and the same rough roads, yet they took almost opposite technical routes.
Enthusiasts who have lived with multiple Swedish cars often describe how those choices played out over time. One owner who claimed to have owned more Swedish rust than almost anyone outside Sweden listed a long roster of models, including a Volvo 144, a Volvo 164 and SAAB 93, 95, 96, 99, 99 turbo EMS, 900 and 90. In that reflection, the numbers 144, 164, 93, 95 and 96 appear as shorthand for a lifetime of experience with both Volvo and SAAB products and highlight how durability discussions tend to cross model lines.
How Volvo and Saab thought about durability
Volvo built its brand on the promise that its cars would be safe, sensible and long-lived. A video history of the 122S notes that the founding goal of Volvo cars was to build a safe and durable vehicle for harsh conditions, a mission that grew out of the company’s earlier role in ball bearing production. The clip explains how the Volvo name was originally registered for a ball bearing design, then recycled into the car business, and how that background shaped the engineering priorities behind the 122S. The same video highlights how the 122S, often called the Amazon, was engineered to be a supremely Swedish car, with thick steel, conservative design and a focus on surviving daily use rather than impressing onlookers, a point reinforced again in a related segment that repeats the story of how the Volvo trademark was reused for cars and how the company stuck to its founding goal of durability.
Saab approached toughness from a different angle. The company came from aircraft rather than bearings, and the 96 reflected that heritage in its aerodynamic shape and unconventional layout. A detailed buying guide describes how Saab built the 96 to withstand the rigours of a Swedish winter, with front-wheel drive for traction and careful attention to cold-weather usability. Yet the same guide warns that early Bullnose cars, with the radiator behind the engine, and all V4 versions can have cooling problems. It singles out cooling as a key checkpoint and explains that the Bullnose design has a combined radiator and heater matrix that can be troublesome. The guide also notes that all versions of the 96 are vulnerable to corrosion in structural areas, a recurring theme in Saab ownership.
Enthusiast debates over which brand built the better car often hinge on this contrast between conservative Volvo and more adventurous Saab. One discussion on that theme includes a comment that Saab made more interesting cars and certainly better-looking ones, except for the Volvo P1800 and early Volvo 122S, both described as gorgeous. The same exchange points out that Volvo tended to be more conservative and focused on solid engineering, while Saab pushed design and innovation further. That split between visual flair and mechanical conservatism runs through almost every comparison of the two companies and sets the stage for how their 1966 models have aged.
Mechanical longevity: engines, gearboxes and running gear
On pure mechanical durability, the evidence leans strongly toward the Volvo 122S. A long-running owners’ group discussion includes a comment from David Bloss, who states that Volvos, if properly maintained, can be close to immortal. He points to the record for miles driven in a one-owner passenger car, which belongs to a Volvo that covered more than 3 million miles, as proof of the brand’s ability to keep going when looked after. The context is a conversation about the 122S and its relatives, and the implication is clear: the basic B series engines and drivetrains in cars like the 122S are capable of extraordinary mileage when serviced correctly, a point that David Bloss uses to explain why he sees Volvos as near-immortal machines.
Owner reviews of the 122 add more granular detail. On one review site, a driver describes a Volvo 122 as probably the best car they had ever owned despite its age. In the section titled General Comments, the owner writes that the few faults the car developed were mainly due to old age and lack of maintenance by previous owners, rather than any inherent weakness in the design. That same comment explains that the car coped well with daily use and that parts were straightforward to source and fit, which helped keep the car on the road. The phrase Despite its age is used to underline how impressive the reliability felt given the car’s vintage.
Another enthusiast account of the 122S, written in a retrospective of the model, calls the car, along with its PV 544 and P1800 siblings, probably the most durable car of the 1960s. The writer notes that they have seen these models survive in regular use long after many contemporaries had disappeared and that the simple pushrod engines and robust gearboxes tend to outlast the bodies. The same piece mentions the number 544 explicitly when grouping the PV 544 with the 122S and P1800 as part of a family of exceptionally tough Volvos, and includes a comment posted at 5:57 AM that reinforces the point that these cars built a cult following precisely because they refused to die.
The Saab 96 has its own mechanical strengths. The model went through a significant transition in the mid-1960s, moving from the earlier three-cylinder two-stroke engine to a four-stroke layout. A Facebook post about a 1966 Saab 96 describes the car as a Fabulous Restoration and calls the earlier configuration a Legendary 2 Stroke Saab. It also refers to a Rare Longnose variant and mentions an 841 cc three-cylinder engine that launched the series. That description captures how early 96s earned a reputation for simple, rev-happy engines that could take sustained high rpm use, especially in rallying, as long as owners respected the two-stroke lubrication needs.
By 1966, however, Saab was also introducing four-stroke power. A later buying guide from a Saab enthusiast forum explains that buyers considering a two-stroke 96 should make sure it is running or that they have the parts to get it running. The author notes that while the parts are still available, they can be harder to find than those for the later Ford V4 powered cars. In the same guide, under the heading What to look for, the writer lists common mechanical issues such as worn suspension bushes and tired gearboxes, and introduces a cautionary line that begins with While the, as in while the cars are tough, they need careful inspection. The implication is that the mechanical parts of a 96 can last, but age and parts availability complicate the picture.
Modern owners of 96 V4 models echo that mixed verdict. In one UK-based discussion titled Owning a 96 v4, a contributor explains that the only serious worry is usually rust. They describe how any corner underneath where panels join, where wings join and suspension pick-up points tend to trap moisture and rot. That same comment, which includes the number 96 in its subject line and appears under a post dated in Nov, makes it clear that the V4 engine and gearbox are generally stout, while the structure around them is more fragile. The mechanical package can take daily use, but only if the body remains solid.
Taken together, these accounts suggest that a 1966 Volvo 122S is more likely to reach high mileages with original major components intact. The Saab 96 can match that stamina in some cases, especially in rally-prepared or enthusiast-maintained examples, but its engines and gearboxes are more sensitive to neglect and, in the case of the two-stroke, to correct lubrication and parts support.
Rust, structure and the fight against Swedish winters
Durability is not just about engines. In climates like Sweden, body structure and rust protection often decide whether a car survives long enough to become a classic. Here, the Volvo 122S again appears to hold an advantage over the Saab 96, though neither car is immune.
Several detailed guides to the Saab 96 stress corrosion as the primary threat. One widely cited review explains that the 96, although built to withstand Swedish winters, will rot with the best of them if neglected. It lists specific weak points such as the sills, floorpans, inner wings and suspension mounts. The same review notes that even well-preserved cars can hide rust in seams and overlapping panels, and that professional repair of structural corrosion can be costly relative to the car’s market value. Another section of the guide, explicitly labeled Cooling and mentioning Bullnose cars, points out that the early layout with the radiator behind the engine can trap heat and moisture, which in turn can accelerate corrosion around the front bulkhead if not addressed.
The owner discussion on the UK Saab forum reinforces that message. In the Owning a 96 v4 thread, the contributor who said the only serious worry is usually rust goes on to describe how any corner underneath where panels join, where wings join and suspension pick-up points can dissolve from the inside out. They advise prospective buyers to inspect every seam and to budget for welding, even on apparently solid cars. The word Any in that advice is not an exaggeration, since the poster is effectively telling readers to assume every joint is suspect until proven otherwise.
Real-world owner reviews of the Saab 96 on another site provide specific examples of how this plays out. One review lists a series of Faults that included a Left caliper that seized and had to be welded and machined by a mechanic, a replaced master cylinder for the clutch and a replaced coolant hose. The same review notes that the car suffered from corrosion in the floor and wheel arches, which required patching. The repeated use of the word Replaced in the faults list underscores how many components and panels have to be renewed over time to keep a 96 in safe condition.
By comparison, accounts of the Volvo 122S tend to treat rust as a concern but not an automatic death sentence. A market analysis of an Amazon that migrated from Arizona to Oregon describes how the car benefited from spending time in a dry climate. The writer explains that the Volvo arrived in Oregon via Arizona and that, although it was unclear how long the car had lived in the desert, what mattered was that the body remained remarkably solid. The same piece argues that this relative freedom from rot, combined with simple mechanicals, makes the 122S one of the most practical classics available and asks whether there is a classic more practical than this Volvo Amazon. The rhetorical question is framed around the idea that the car’s structural integrity and ease of use give it an edge over many contemporaries.
Other enthusiasts point out that the 122S, while not immune to rust, uses thicker steel and simpler box sections than the Saab 96, which makes structural repairs more straightforward. The earlier mentioned retrospective that grouped the 122S with the PV 544 and P1800 as probably the most durable cars of the 1960s also notes that these Volvos often rust slowly and predictably, which allows owners to catch problems before they become terminal. In that piece, the writer mentions that they have seen Amazons with original floors and sills still in daily use, something that would be far rarer with a Saab 96 from the same era.
That difference in corrosion performance does not mean Saabs were badly built. The 96 was designed for rallying and rough roads, and its front-wheel-drive layout gave it a traction advantage on snow and gravel. However, the combination of complex curves, overlapping seams and less aggressive rustproofing seems to have left more vulnerabilities once salt and moisture took hold. Over decades, that structural weakness has probably done more to thin the surviving Saab 96 population than any mechanical issue.
Owner perception and brand reputation
Durability is as much about perception as it is about engineering. The way owners talk about their cars, years after the fact, shapes how future buyers judge which model proved tougher in the long run.
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