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So if you are looking for a luxury vehicle, go with the Saab. If you are looking for a family vehicle with no bells and whistles, go with the bland trailblazer. If you max out the trailblazer you will come to a price that is still less than the Saab but not that far off.
I guess some people like myself are never going to get over the fact that the Saab SUV is TrailBlazer based.
Saab 9-7X -- Death of a Brand (Karl on Cars)
Steve, Host
The 4Runner and GX470 are also quite close. I'd also add the Land Cruiser and LX470 to the list of luxury rebadge jobs.
I didn't buy a 9-7x, but I also didn't buy anything else. For now I'm sticking with what I've got. I do like the 9-7x, and would go with the inline six. If they do cancel it, I might pick up one of the last ones just as they're blowing them out.
For now I'm no longer in the market. That is unless tragedy strikes and one of my two other cars gets stolen or otherwise written off.
Currently, my only complaint is a squeak coming from where the center stack meets bottom cupholder area. Squeak = GM product. I have an appointment to get it fixed. I decided to lease because I was unsure of the reliability and I wanted to see what Saab comes out with to replace the 9-7x in 2008 or 2009.
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It's been a frustrating combination of bad design, bad service, and bad mileage; an overall terrible choice.
Perhaps I'm spoiled having had Hondas, Toyotas, Subarus and BMW's, but the Saab/GM service, knowledgebase and design quality is profoundly lower on my 9-7 than on any other car I've owned.
Some of the problems: Broken drivers seat, radio, bluetooth (GM installed), seals (body work issues...), electronics, light sensors, accessories (nobody at Saab seems to know how to order a cargo net), and other things, I could go on but won't.
But the KING big daddy issue: the Saab redesign of the Trailblazer/Envoy back seat- the stuffing and 60/40 split leaves the seat at an angle which makes the LATCH system all messed up- so a child seat is askew and cannot be properly installed. Very frustrating as this was going to be our larger-big-safe car with our new baby, only to find out it's really flawed in so many design areas. Maybe the back seat was damaged the way the drivers seat was but nobody at Saab has any answers (let me back up- it felt like the driver's seat was canted heavily, they said there was no problem, one person told me it will 'break-in', I measured it with a level against other 9-7's and saw it was way off, so I finally, after 3rd try with service got to them to admit there was a problem, they took the seat off, and the way it was attached was all bent so they finally fixed it...).
How I wish I forked over the extra loot to get a BMW or at least a similarly priced Volvo. I could have saved and gotten a Pilot, CR-V, anything. This car is a bust.
And the kicker? The Saab service department is abysmal. Car has been in repeated times for the same thing. They are all nice enough in person, but probelms aren't solved- it feels like they are straddled with a defective car so they go through the motions knowing it won't ever get fixed right.
When I get some free time I'd sure love to see if Honda or BMW will help me get out of this lease. Granted, it's somewhat inexpensive as GM has created artifical depreciation to get the lease I have, but it wasn't worth it- not even at $50 more a month ($50 x 27 months = $1350 I'd gladly pay to have a good car in the first place). Having a kissy kissy salesperson tell you to be sure to give them high ratings when I'm contacted by GM is intolerable in hindsight, especially when they become unreachable after the deal is closed.
Oh well, at least it is comfortable and the stereo sounds nice as it mercilessly gulps fuel.
Lots continues to go wrong with my 9-7.
Electronics, seats, AC/Heat....
I was stopped at a light next to another person drving a 9-7 who said they loved their car but hated the constant flow of problems as well.
'Nuff said avoid the 9-7.
While my Saab has not been perfect, I have never been treated better, ever by any service department.
Haven't had any more problems.
Actually, the car is a pleasure to drive except for the abysmal 12MPG I'm getting.
Handled great in the snow. Super comfortable to drive.
Brought it into service, and they fixed some busted stuff for free that they didn't need to and were super nice. I get the sense management got hip to the garbage service and overhauled policies.
Well, I'm not getting another 12MPG car, but after the unreal slew of problems, it's been pretty good.
Fit and finish is still awful, but it's been a decent car the last few months.
It'll be nice when we have some diesel choices.
Also very few reviews fault the overall fit and finish of the vehicle,yours may be the exception to the rule.I did get a chuckle out of your commenting that the fit and finish was"still bad".....did you expect little elves to work on your vehicle at night while you slept?
I have read different blogs about "bending the door frame", the "dealers don't know how to deal with it" at all. What I am looking for a is a real solution here. I have talked various dealers and they all either don't know or how to deal with this.
Any help would appreciated..
The real pain with my SUV is that it makes an incessant whining and grinding from the rear differential. The dealer is working on it now but they said the repair may take a while to isolate and then remedy- why? Anyone else have this same problem?
1. How is the reliability of the vehicle? I have not found any reliability information for the 9-7X after about 20,000 miles.
2. Will a GM dealership work on the vehicle or must you take to a Saab dealer.
3. Is this vehicle even worth purchasing since I was reading the company is filling for bankruptcy protection and GM is finding a way to cut them loose.
4. Finally does anybody still own the 9-7X from a purchase in 05' or 06? If you still own, what has been your experience?
Oh, you could ask to test drive another one like yours and see if it wallows or not. Maybe that would convince the service writer to take another look.
And one more thing - try an Advanced Search here for "TrailBlazer shake" or similar under Search Forums on the right, and tell the search to look in SUVs. There's not that many posts that look like they could be related to your problem, but there are a few (sway bar problems, etc.). Since the platforms are similar, maybe one of those posts will trigger something.
As far as gear selection, my 5.3 is okay. The only thing I don't like is the kickdown when accelerating.
I have 35000 km on my 08 and the only problem I had was with the thump problem in the rear differential which is a common problem and fixed under warranty. Other than that it has been solid.
Thanks
In that time they've owned those three GM vehicles I've had the same Saab 9-3 Viggen coupe. I love the Saab but I've racked up about six thousand dollars in repairs since owing it. It's 13 years old now and has 130K miles and needs about another two thousand dollars to make it roadworthy. That and all the rattles and squeaks it has acquired and a growing family is forcing me to get rid of my little sports car and get a bigger SUV type vehicle.
I've looked at Subarus, Honda Pilots & CRV's, Mitsubishi Monteros, Lexus RX, Volvo XC 70 and 90s and Toyota Highlanders. A Saab 97x was the farthest from my mind until I found a 2005 4.2L with less than 50k miles on it. It has all the features and/or more and is five thousand dollars cheaper and has 50% less miles than any comparable vehicle.
All the complaints on this thread seem to be from people who don't even own one and are just mad at the rebranding issue or expect Mercedes or Lexus fit and finish for half the price. I haven't heard one valid complaint about reliability.
Is there anyone still on this board? I'm thinking of rolling the dice and trading in the 9-3 for the 9-7X unless anyone can have a valid complaint about engine and drivetrain failures.
What other vehicles are you comparing it too? The ride is a bit stiff but nothing compared to my Saab 9-3 Viggen or BMW 323i Sport Wagon.
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