Learn Me: Cheap SUVs: Saab 9-7x & other mid 2000s SUVs

I'm considering getting a cheap SUV for around-town use & as a road-trip backup for my aging Honda Odyssey (2008, 160k miles).  I'm aiming for somewhere around $4k to $6k.  I may wind up going a totally different direction...but I'm interested in hearing your thoughts/experiences.  I do most of my own maintenance/repairs, but I've paid my indy shop do things like tie-rods and CV axles. 

Are there any major concerns with buying a Saab 9-7x?  I think they've aged pretty well and seem common enough in FL that finding one with reasonably low miles for is possible, but obscure enough that they're comparatively cheap.  I imagine replacement body panels may be a challenge, but my bigger concern would be the fact ( I think) they're full-time AWD, so drivetrain components may be an issue.  The 4.2L have a straight-6...which is my favorite engine configuration.  Any major known failure points?  Any reason to run away from the V8 version?  I think the trailblazer and Explorer haven't aged nearly as well as the 9-7x.  The extended Envoys w/the third row look absolutely silly.  

• Toyota: A 4-runner is probably a smarter pick, considering how many are still on the road w/+250k miles. A highlander would ride better and use less gas, but it would be nice to have the tow rating to drag home a project car.  I like the idea of a 4-runner because most people can't really tell the difference between a 2006 and a 2016 model.  
• I also know the explorer of the same era had IRS, so better interior room & driving experience. I think they look dated, considering the newer Explorer is so different and has been on the market for several years now.
• I like the Volvo XC90, but don't want to spend big bucks on parts when things need fixing/maintenance.  A family friend paid $600 PER DOOR to have the lock assemblies fixed/replaced.  
• Germans: SWMBO likes the way the Mercedes SUVs look and hates BMW.  I've seen too many threads here on MB SUVs to even consider one. 
• Nissan?  Pathfinder ~2008ish  is also in the same price range, but I'm not sure about the longevity of Nissan vehicles.  I've seen plenty of people here say Armadas are junk, other than the year(s) they were actually a Nissan Patrol.   Xterra would work, but SWMBO hates them.  
• I i If the market for cars wasn't so nuts, i'd just replace the Odyssey w/something newer.
• VW: Toureg might work, but I've heard they can break many, many ways.  I'm aware the Tiguans of the 2010ish time frame are known for timing chain/tensioner failure.

FYI: Picture of a Saab 9-7x.  In the early 2000s GM rebadged the Chevy Trailblazer as a Saab.  GM also had a stake in Subaru at the time and also badge-engineered the Subaru Impreza as a Saab 9-2x. I owned a 9-2x for a while and it was +30% cheaper than a similar Subaru Impreza of the same year/mileage.  

I like weird and forgotten cars.  

What about a Suzuki XL-7 (the stretched Chevy Tracker with a tiny 3rd row.) 

How about Isuzu Rodeo which was offer up until something like 2005. After that Isuzu s became rebadged Chevy Trailblazers. 

Personally,  I had a 2001 Montero, the 3rd gen.  Under powered but stoutly geared for slow offroad.  Not trouble free but I enjoyed it as an additional vehicle.  Mitsus answer to the Land Cruiser.  Mitsus premier vehicle at the time.   The looks are very Lexus GX-like,  on a budget.  

My wife had a Trailblazer when we first met, I really liked it.  It was a really solidly driving vehicle and it towed very nicely.  Hilariously enough, the girl I dated prior to my wife had an Explorer of similar vintage (2005ish) and the Trailblazer was a much better driving vehicle.  There were a couple electrical issues when it was new, the cluster went bad and was replaced under warranty.  Same with the alternator connections, it made the headlights flicker and was replaced under warranty.   I think there are TSBs for both, and I'm not sure if the Saab has the same issues.  We ditched it when the 4l60e did 4l60e things at 150k miles.  This is partially my fault, I had only owned manual cars when her and I met and didn't know that automatics needed periodic fluid changes.  I wanted to have the transmission rebuilt and keep it rolling, but we weren't married at that point and it wasn't my money so it was towed off and traded in for $1500 in on a Nissan Rogue (sad face).

Other notes--Hers was a  short wheelbase RWD model with an open diff and no traction control.  It was hilarious how easy it would get stuck in low traction situations.  It sounds from your post like all of the Saabs were AWD, so I guess they don't have that issue.  The RWD model was nice in terms of maintenance though, shocks were crazy easy to replace, and there's no driveshaft going through the oil pan like on the AWD/4WD models.  We got generally terrible mileage, ~19-20 on the highway and 14 or so around town.  The throttle body responded really well to cleaning, it would get gunked up for some reason.  I've never encountered that on any other car I've owned.  

Anyways, that's about all I can think of.  

John Welsh said:

I like weird and forgotten cars.  

What about a Suzuki XL-7 (the stretched Chevy Tracker with a tiny 3rd row.) 

How about Isuzu Rodeo which was offer up until something like 2005. After that Isuzu s became rebadged Chevy Trailblazers. 

 

Personally,  I had a 2001 Montero, the 3rd gen.  Under powered but stoutly geared for slow offroad.  Not trouble free but I enjoyed it as an additional vehicle.  Mitsus answer to the Land Cruiser.  Mitsus premier vehicle at the time.   The looks are very Lexus GX-like,  on a budget.  

I've definitely thought about the Montero.  My thinking was they're more likely to have issues than a 4-runner, but I might be wrong in that assumption.  

Another oddball I've considered was the Subaru Tribecca.  I don't think they're very reliable, so I've mostly ruled them out unless I see a really nice one nearby.  A 2006ish Subaru outback with the H6 (6cyl) is also a candidate.  They can tow and probably more efficient than the other traditional SUVs.  

rothwem said:

My wife had a Trailblazer when we first met, I really liked it.  It was a really solidly driving vehicle and it towed very nicely.  Hilariously enough, the girl I dated prior to my wife had an Explorer of similar vintage (2005ish) and the Trailblazer was a much better driving vehicle.  There were a couple electrical issues when it was new, the cluster went bad and was replaced under warranty.  Same with the alternator connections, it made the headlights flicker and was replaced under warranty.   I think there are TSBs for both, and I'm not sure if the Saab has the same issues.  We ditched it when the 4l60e did 4l60e things at 150k miles.  This is partially my fault, I had only owned manual cars when her and I met and didn't know that automatics needed periodic fluid changes.  I wanted to have the transmission rebuilt and keep it rolling, but we weren't married at that point and it wasn't my money so it was towed off and traded in for $1500 in on a Nissan Rogue (sad face).

Other notes--Hers was a  short wheelbase RWD model with an open diff and no traction control.  It was hilarious how easy it would get stuck in low traction situations.  It sounds from your post like all of the Saabs were AWD, so I guess they don't have that issue.  The RWD model was nice in terms of maintenance though, shocks were crazy easy to replace, and there's no driveshaft going through the oil pan like on the AWD/4WD models.  We got generally terrible mileage, ~19-20 on the highway and 14 or so around town.  The throttle body responded really well to cleaning, it would get gunked up for some reason.  I've never encountered that on any other car I've owned.  

Anyways, that's about all I can think of.  

That might be an issue on a wet boat ramp if I bought a RWD trailblazer.  The fact GM some transmissions are viewed as "wear items" isn't something I was thinking about.  I suppose that may be one reason to consider other things.  

Kia Borrego $5K

Available with a V8 or a decent V6, lots of space and they can tow.  

I'll concur that a Montero will need more work/repair than a 4-Runner.  But $3.8k wont buy you a 4 runner with 130k miles

This is mostly anecdotal, but 4L60s do seem to do poorly in the trailblazer/9-7x/Ranier/Envoy/Ascender with the 6 cylinder. My limited experience with them suggests that the trans tune isn't great, with soft luxurious shifts that don't do the hardware any favors. They also seem to be in and out of converter lockup a lot, with the result of spending a lot of time unlocked in 4th which for the 4L60 specifically, tends to make the transmission very hot as they reduce fluid flow in overdrive. So, pay attention to the trans. 

A Honda Pilot may be an option in that price range, though the gas mileage isn't any better than the other options and they don't tow very well.

A GMT400 Tahoe is almost the same size as the Trailblazer, so it may also be an option. Older full size SUVs in general seem to be midsize by today's standards.

I had fantastic luck with an Envoy XL that got you more wheelbase and the 5.3Ls.  It's only sins were the occasional rear air bag suspension (cheap from Arnott) and it had a taste for 02 sensors.  Think I did a few sensors, battery, and tires over the course of 100K miles.  It did everything better than my 4runner (that replaced it) except hold value.

Cheapest Rover you can get. 

pinchvalve (Forum Supporter) said:

Kia Borrego $5K

Available with a V8 or a decent V6, lots of space and they can tow.  

 

 

I completely forgot those existed.  I haven't really looked at Kia/Hyundia mainly due to longevitiy concerns.  I don't know enough about which engines were prone to failure (I think there are a few).  Finding a replacemetn engine/transmission may also be tougher than a 'yota or Honda.

yupididit said:

Cheapest Rover you can get. 

That would be a disco w/a blown head gasket.  They seem to be lots for sale cheap (pretty sure I know why).  I see a really nice white early Disco around town almost daily.  My son isn't quite sure why I think it's so noteworthy.  I've ridden in them and really liked the view from the back seats.  I think the gas mileage for road trips wouldn't make one viable to road trip backup.  

I did forget about the Ford Escape & Mazda Tribute twins.  They're probably a littel smaller than a 4-runner/highlander, but not by much. My parents had a Tribute that treated them pretty well.  Unfortunately, the AC condensation was designed to drip onto the frame rail, resulting in an expensive fix.  There was eventually a recall/class action settlement, so I think they eventually got reimbursed for the repair.  

Are we ruling out Daimler-Chrysler products? Your budget would buy:

A WK Grand Cherokee:

Or a Commander:

Or Durango:

Or since you're not afraid of upgraded badge engineered options, a Chrysler Aspen:

Honestly, an SUV seems like a less than ideal choice for "around town and road trips" to me, but I didn't see them mentioned anywhere yet, so... might as well enable

I know the Jeep Commander is not from the greatest era of Jeeps but I have seen some mildly lifted versions lately that actually look pretty good.  

If you test-drive a 9-7X and it just seems wrong somehow, check the tire pressures before you jump to any other conclusions. My sister's 9-7X would go all pouty if the tires were different by 1 psi left to right. The only other thing that sticks out in my memory about it was the time the ignition key totally refused to come out of the (console-mounted) switch. I'm still not sure what I did that was microscopically different enough to extract it after ten minutes of futility & swearing.

I had a Buick Rainier, same family as the GMT 360's.   Rear air suspension pump went south.  Replaced it with a Schrader valve, bypassing it.  Rear air bags, and finally the 4l60e took a dump.  Had a rebuilt installed.   Pretty good vehicle overall, but mpg are not it's thing.

How about te 9-7x 6.0 version... 

Hard to talk about early oughts SUVs without mentioning the GMT800 tahoes/Yukons/suburbans/Escalades. Around here (mid Atlantic) 6k buys you quite a nice example. I also really like the 1st gen sequoias. 

John Welsh said:

I know the Jeep Commander is not from the greatest era of Jeeps but I have seen some mildly lifted versions lately that actually look pretty good.  

I like the look of the Commanders and a buddy of mine had one that we used for multiple surf trips back when they were new. He loved it & it was quiet and comfortable.  I think they still look pretty good, and the average person wouldn't realize they're +15 years old. I'm over 6' and I felt like they minimized the passenger space to fit the 3rd row...to the point none of the seats were comfortable.  I do feel like the risk of catastrophic engine/transmission failure is much higher than other SUVs of the same era. 

I like the 4.2 atlas in the gm group. I've never been a fan of what they came in though (gmt360)

I hate the front suspension and about everyone I see need everything. They built it so the upper bjs are pressed into the knuckle and the control arms have the bushings, so instead of just buying an arm and solving it you have to buy and service two different pieces and they both go bad. Lower is the same. Bj in the the arm but the bushings are seperate in their own bracket. They also both go bad. Bearing go bad also like every GM, they aren't bad to change though.

The altas seems to be pretty dang reliable but they aren't exactly easy to work on. Nothing crazy but sometimes the intake has to come off. Some coolant pipes like to leak and they are a nightmare to change. Water pumps go out regularly and they like to make a knocking sound, which commonly gets misdiagnosed as a pooched motor, if you see one that's knocking and they say it needs a motor make sure the water pump isn't just flopping around. Evaporator problems like every gm of the Era but nothing crazy to fix.

I think it was the 5 cylinder that's based on the atlas that had a bunch of crank and timing problems that are very expensive to fix. I was told it was a problem shared with the atlas but never saw it, and I worked on a bunch of the 4.2s, but saw it commonly on the 5 cylinders. Probably worth a Google because my memory isn't great.

My preference would be the V8. A friend just picked up a buick Rainer 5.3 awd real cheap because of a misdiagnosed trans, ended up being the front diff was smoked and has about an inch and a half of play at the pinion.

I think a kit is available to convert to the TBSS suspension.

All that said if I wanted a suv to tool around town I'd be looking at a basic GMT800 tahoe.

The 5.3 in trailblazers and Saab’s is not identical to the 5.3 in trucks.

My sister ran hers out of oil and a replacement engine was prohibitively expensive. I don’t recall the what was different, definitely more than the oil pan and intake manifold. 

She had the typical front diff leak, air suspension problems, the biggest pain was the automatic headlights. If I recall the module failed. 

Folgers said:

The 5.3 in trailblazers and Saab’s is not identical to the 5.3 in trucks.

My sister ran hers out of oil and a replacement engine was prohibitively expensive. I don’t recall the what was different, definitely more than the oil pan and intake manifold. 

They are an aluminum block vs cast iron as in the trucks.  Other than the block material and oil pan they are just regular old gen III LS engines, same dished pistons as an LM7.  They are not higher compression L33's like a small percentage of the trucks got.

You could put an iron block 5.3 back in it and other than 100 extra lb on the nose it wouldn't know the difference.  Shop was probably quoting an exact replacement that had to be aluminum vs thinking outside the box.