by "Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs" (yowen)
Published 04/25/2017 at 16:45
by "Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs" (yowen)
Published 04/25/2017 at 16:45
Tags: saab
; 9-7x
; 5.3
STARS: 0
I’ve always liked these and it’s conceivable that in the next few years I’ll need a crossover or SUV. I’ve always admired the 9-7x for having something of a timeless exterior design. The interior isn’t quite as timeless or handsome, but it’ll do. How does Oppo like these? I get the sense that the Trailblazer/Ascender/Envoy/9-7X is generally pretty well liked!
I briefly oggled the Aero edition with its 6.0 liter LS engine. But I think the 5.3 would be a more practical choice and a bit more powerful than the I6 (don’t get me wrong I love the idea of an I6). Finally, the 5.3 seems to, by default, be more well-appointed.
Reasons I like it: adequate power, great exterior styling, well-appointed interior, lots of interior space, decently high towing capability
Here’s an example of a fairly low mileage 9-7 (I don’t live near PA, nor would I likely be buying this particular one, buuuuttt, I certainly wouldn’t be opposed to a road trip to pick one up some day and yes I realize I said “butt”):
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
"gawdzillla" (gawdzillla)
04/25/2017 at 16:48, STARS: 0
yes.
get at least the 5.3, you can swap out for a 6.0 down the road if you really wanted
"Steve in Manhattan" (blogenfreude01)
04/25/2017 at 16:52, STARS: 1
My Saab of choice would be the last 9-5, but I’m guessing this model would be easier to get parts for given it’s closely related to its GM sibling.
"Klaus Schmoll" (klausschmoll)
04/25/2017 at 16:59, STARS: 1
No! It’s badge engineering at it’s worst and it soiled the holy name of SAAB. The Saabaru was somewhat fun at least, but this “Chevy for literate people” was an abomination that is best be forgotten. No need to preserve a breeding couple. Just let them die out slowly without creating any attention to the fact that they ever existed.
I’ll see myself out. Can you point me to the door?
"Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs" (yowen)
04/25/2017 at 17:00, STARS: 0
Haha I’m all for that 6.0 swap, but I imagine I’d have to get the trans from that model as well? It’d certainly be an awesome way to breathe new life into it if/when the 5.3 dies.
"Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs" (yowen)
04/25/2017 at 17:02, STARS: 0
Oh mine too. But I would like to add a hauling/towing capable vehicle to my fleet. My thinking was, what better way to do it than a Saab that’s a GM underneath? I get a little bit of quirk and easy access to parts.
This would be in addition to my ‘10 SHO and would replace the girlfriend’s ‘03 Impala.
"Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs" (yowen)
04/25/2017 at 17:05, STARS: 1
I get each and every one of your points, but! The damage has been done and I feel like this is an incredible value. I’m not buying this new off the showroom floor expecting this to be 100% Saab. I’m a guy looking to get a spacious, towing-capable vehicle and this fits the bill very nicely.
It is what it is. It’s out there, it’s available and it’s the most luxurious and very much the prettiest way to Trailblazer.
"Klaus Schmoll" (klausschmoll)
04/25/2017 at 17:18, STARS: 0
It is the prettiest Chevy out there, probably has a slightly nicer interiour as well. So if you can get one at “people don’t know that chevy parts just bolt on” prices, why not? After all, it’s just an appearance package, much like the M stuff on my car, or those R-line Volvos. Just giving you shit for no reason, or maybe.....
"theloudmouth" (theloudmouth)
04/25/2017 at 18:40, STARS: 1
Nay if you ever get in a fender bender. Maybe it’s not as bad as my Saabaru was, but that badge engineered Saab (god it was a great car, the WRX they could actually sell to 30 year olds and perfect) had body parts on permanent back order.
Other than that it’s just my disdain for GM, but that stems mostly from working with them.
"Land_Yacht_225" (nadenator)
04/25/2017 at 18:56, STARS: 1
If/when the 5.3 dies?
235,000 miles on our 2003 TrailBlazer EXT V8 and it still runs like the day we drove it off the lot of Grossman Chevrolet in Burnsville back in 2003. And really the only thing “wrong” with it right now is the stepper motors in the gauge cluster.
"jasmits" (jasmits)
04/25/2017 at 18:59, STARS: 0
Somehow the idea of an LS swap in a Volvo 240 wagon excites me in every way but an LS-series engine coming stock in a “Swedish” car seems wrong.
"RacinBob" (racinbob)
04/25/2017 at 20:20, STARS: 0
Drive a trailblazer first just to confirm you like the ride and comfort. If satisfactory, I suspect it would be an excellent car for the money with a well appointed interior. Why not.
"Liam Farrell" (ackrunner)
04/25/2017 at 21:12, STARS: 0
My dad has a 06 I6. I won’t speak on the drivetrain, but if you have a question ask.
The interior is pretty dumb. They tried to make it more useless by sabbifying it.
There are now no useful cup holders. The classic saab one holds something only when parked, whenever going around a corner, it just falls out. The one behind the shifter can only be used when not in park. The shifter goes so far forward that it hits the drink. The rear ones might be able to hold like a juice box but when in use that means no use of the middle seat.
The air compressor is very noisy, it is exactly like someone put a air compressor in the trunk that goes off every 5 minutes. But the suspension is still a pretty rough ride.
The seats have no side bolstering and the leather is very slippery so you just slide around in corners.
The rear seats are pretty useless with very a very small amount of leg space. The middle seat is so tiny, no one really fits in it.
The handling is very wonky, not very direct and very bland.
Overall, I don’t wish 97 ownership to anyone except my brother, who will end up with it when my dad gets a new car.
"Steve in Manhattan" (blogenfreude01)
04/25/2017 at 21:47, STARS: 0
Guy after my own heart - very last car before moving here was a ‘97 SHO. Fun!
"pip bip - choose Corrour" (hhgttg69)
04/26/2017 at 08:09, STARS: 1
definitely YAY!
"Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs" (yowen)
04/26/2017 at 08:51, STARS: 0
Haha fair enough! Someone had to take the position you took, for posterity.
"Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs" (yowen)
04/26/2017 at 08:52, STARS: 0
Ah nice! I would very much like to drive one of the older ones, they’ve become something of a unicorn, especially around here in Michigan.
"Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs" (yowen)
04/26/2017 at 08:53, STARS: 0
Haha, okay. I certainly hope that’d be the case for mine, if I got one. My other idea would be to someday replace my SHO with an Aero edition (6.0). Then I can make my girlfriend have a fuel efficient car :D
"Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs" (yowen)
04/26/2017 at 08:54, STARS: 0
Wow, I think the most annoying thing out of all that to me would be the seats. I’m no race car driver in my daily driving, but still I like my but firmly planted.
"Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs" (yowen)
04/26/2017 at 08:56, STARS: 0
I drove an I6 Trail Blazer many moons ago, I quite liked the ride. But I would definitely go out and test drive thoroughly before I make a decision. The 9-7x isn’t the only option out there for me either.
"Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs" (yowen)
04/26/2017 at 08:56, STARS: 0
Haha funny how that works. Maybe I should swap a XC90 drivetrain in.
"Liam Farrell" (ackrunner)
04/26/2017 at 09:40, STARS: 0
It’s not terrible if you drive straight, but back roads and sharp turning you just slide around.
"Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs" (yowen)
04/26/2017 at 09:49, STARS: 0
Ah okay. I’m still surprised you’ve had such a negative experience, after all the positive things I’ve been reading about this vehicle, haha. That does sound like some terrible cup holders though.
"Liam Farrell" (ackrunner)
04/26/2017 at 10:25, STARS: 0
It depends on what you’re expecting, if it is like a real saab like our others than you might be disappointed, but if you’re coming from an early 2000s GM, than it is pretty nice. My dad had a 05 9-5 wagon before and it was very nice.
"Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs" (yowen)
04/26/2017 at 10:38, STARS: 0
Yeah, I’m looking at it as a possible next car to replace the girlfriends ‘03 Impala. I like it because it has more towing capacity than any of the crossovers she indicated she likes. When I spotted a 9-7 and pointed it out to her she said she liked it.
"Liam Farrell" (ackrunner)
04/26/2017 at 10:57, STARS: 0
Yeah, I can see it as a improvement, where we have a 2015 suburban and it is just light years better.
"gawdzillla" (gawdzillla)
04/26/2017 at 11:22, STARS: 0
no. trans are the same
"RacinBob" (racinbob)
04/28/2017 at 13:58, STARS: 0
I tow my racecar with an ex rental ‘07 Uplander Lx and even for a stripper, it drives well, is quiet and has a nice interior. I suspect that “SAAB” would be a pleasure to own, especially for $10k.
"Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs" (yowen)
04/28/2017 at 14:40, STARS: 0
Uplander as a tow vehicle, interesting. How much weight are you towing with it?
"RacinBob" (racinbob)
04/28/2017 at 20:12, STARS: 0
3800 Pounds for car and trailer. . I’ve towed the same trailer with a citation X-11, a 3.8 Transport and now the 3.9 Uplander. Add air bags to the rear springs and put better rear shocks on it and it runs like a champ.
Three pluses are it has a beam rear axle a 4 speed transmission and the 3.9 has a variable cam to boost low end torque. If you get one, get one with the 3.9 and having the 6 bolt hub as the brakes are better.
I live in mild rolling hill country. It easily tows at 75 - 80 mph and will do 17 to 18 mpg. Also, with the middle and rear seats out it holds a ton of stuff.
"Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs" (yowen)
05/01/2017 at 16:25, STARS: 0
Awesome! Sounds like a great race-car towing setup.
"Jess" (greenfrogjess)
04/02/2019 at 21:46, STARS: 0
I have a 07 Saab 9-7x 5.3 and I love it. Drives great has 100k miles and I've upgraded some minor things like brakes, rotors, plugs and wires. I love Saab's this is the second one I have owned. It's great that this model is easier to get parts for and less expensive. Definitely would recommend purchasing. Very comfortable and luxurious without all the extra costs.