I'm looking for real life feedback on both the 4.2 and 5.3 configs ... the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Please share.
Please share.
they must be going cheap where you are - I have been checking lots as I see them and Autotrader, and it seems they are going between high 13-15K for that kind of mileage. I keep checking to make sure mine is priced to sell.I have had my 4.2l 9-7x since last october. It has been excellent except for very poor mpg. It is very very cheap to maintain ($120 for trans filter/fluid change and approx $35 for syn blend oil change at dealer). I enjoy the all options and cool factory wheels it came with. An adult bike can fit in back with seats up and bike wheel turned.
The nav system and dvd system were terribly outdated technology from the late 90's. In now enjoy driving it better since replacing nav with newer nav with blue tooth, Pandora, garmin and dvd all in one (cost me $600 and looks factory with Saab boot screen & no input locks). The new nav has more routing options that dont send me 2 to 3 hrs out of the way and also retains onstar.
Best value for the money you can now get a 2007 9-7x with 60k miles for around $12,000. A freind is looking at 2007 Acura MDX with less options & 28k more miles and its $23k and also has poor mpg. Mine is still under gm warranty til feb 2013.
Wow, I haven't had any of those issues to date- 82K miles-A few thoughts from a previous 5.3i owner with 50k miles put on during ownership.
Pros:
- amazing looks. Easily the best looking GMT360 platform mate.
- easy serviceability. It may say Saab on the outside, but getting it worked on is super simple by anyone who can work on a Trailblazer.
- relatively reliable
- most parts can be looked up by similar year Ranier or Trailblazer
- strong 5.3i motor
- cozy and comfortable interior
Cons:
- rear suspension. Airbags typically fail. Most folks ditch the system for Arnott springs and bilstein shocks.
- ghost electrical anomalies. Random things like locking rear brakes, starting difficulties, etc. All documented at trailvoy.com
- interior back lights wear out quickly, tediuous fixes.
- ac dash vents will fail. Fix in the DIY section of trailvoy.com
- misc saab parts issue. 97x specific body parts, like fenders or fender flares, can be hard to replace new. This may have improved in recent months.
- water pump on v8 will fail between 75k and 100k miles
- fuel sender unit prone to failure, but mine still worked at 87k miles when i traded it in.
- not sure how common, but my drl system had a short that caused the turn signal bulbs to burn out every few months, complete with melted plastic around the connectors.
Overall a very decent vehicle, but it ages like most GM vehicles. Not well. Great support at trailvoy.com though.
so how do you know if you picked up anything at all if you're speedo is off?I love my 2007 9-7X Saab with i-6 but thought there might be improvement in fuel mileage and changing the gear ratio was not an option. I installed 245-65-18 Khumo tires and get 1-2 miles to the gallon better and less annoying transmission shifting in the city.
Better ground clearance, looks, minimal sacrifice in handling and all around great size tire for this vehicle. note: speedo will show 3.5 miles per hour slower.
I'm (once again) looking at the 9-7X and need some feedback / advice.
I've got a line on a 2007 5.3i with 260,000 kms (roughly 161,000 miles) for a really good price.
Do I take a hard look at it or just run the other direction?
The "skinny" is, I need a daily driver, something that can handle everything I used my 9-5 Aero SportCombi for.So Scott, what's "the skinny" on the overall?
Not looking for that level of performance or fuel economy ... and they are very rare in Ontario to boot!Oh, and if I had to do it again, would I? Almost certainly, though I would go for an Aero. The 5.3i isn't worth messing around with in a world where the Aero exists unless you find a great deal or plan on significantly modifying your car (to the point of replacing everything that was upgraded in the Aero anyway).
Tim