22nd Dec 2012, 08:12
I am the Original Poster. I sold this car a few months ago and bought a brand new 2013 Volvo XC90 because we needed more space.
That being said, the 9-7x was a great SUV for our needs at the time. It was very reliable, inexpensive to fix when something did go wrong, looked good and had GREAT acceleration.
I don't think you will go wrong if you buy one. Big fan here.
14th Nov 2014, 07:07
In response to you buying a new XC90 (I don't even know if you will read this because your post is so old); you can kiss the inexpensive fixes that you were used to with the 9-7x good-bye :o(
I work at a Saab/Volvo new car dealer, and all the new Volvo car line-up are so expensive to maintain after Volvo stops the free maintenance. Parts are extremely expensive also. Hopefully you bought the model XC90 with either the V-8 Yamaha engine or the 5 cylinder turbo engine, because we have had many problems with the 3.2 inline 6 cylinder eating oil due to bad piston rings, and actually the pistons themselves sometimes.
Good luck! Sorry that you had to get rid of the Saab :o( I LOVE those things LOL.
4th Dec 2014, 21:19
To the poster above, yeah, it has been a while since I checked in. We got the 3.2. And the shortly after buying it, my wife is pregnant with twins, bringing our family to 5 total. The Volvo XC90 will be a short term car, but I do know about the 3.2 issues. I will sell the XC90 when it has about 70,000 miles on it and buy a Tahoe, when the kids have outgrown the 90.
But yeah, I hear the 3.2 is sort of mediocre.
5th Dec 2014, 11:27
Apart from the engine though, the XC90 is such a well thought out vehicle. It has been designed with a family in mind, and ours has proved marvelous in that respect. Being in the UK, we generally don't have many petrol models as 90% are diesel (mine gives us 38 MPG on a run!), but the other petrol Volvos we have owned have been fine. Wish I could afford to run a V8 though! LOL. Hope you enjoy yours while you have it :-)
26th Dec 2014, 16:01
I would like to know, what is the mileage now on your Saab 9-7x, and if your focus on maintenance was enough to avoid expensive repairs or not?
Thank you, Roger.
16th Jan 2015, 13:04
Original poster here:
I sold it with about 120,000 miles on it. Yes, the regular maintenance was effective in avoiding any major repairs. I put 100,000 on it in 4 years and spent less than a grand in repairs. These repairs were over small things: One of the headlight ballasts went out and the gas gauge stopped working.
This car was solid. The transfer case never had any issues. The transmission was great. The engine started to use some oil, but not much. I think it burned through a quart every 2,500 miles. Considering the mileage, this isn't a big deal.
We needed a bigger car due to a growing family, but I would not hesitate to recommend buying a 9-7x with the V8.
19th Apr 2015, 21:37
I would change out the differential fluids front and back with Lakewood Yellow Label. Or research for whatever fluid you are comfortable with. Otherwise it's the transfer case, and you mentioned you had a fluid change, but it's still possible the issue lies here. Start with a diff fluid change. It's needed anyhow.
26th Dec 2017, 23:39
To the OP: I give you credit and Thank You for coming back with your updates: I thought I was the only one who did that here, haha. I have been commenting/updating a vehicle review I did years ago too.
Your comments had me pull the trigger on a 2008 9-7X with the 5.3L V8 today. It has 92,000 miles on it and is in VERY clean condition. Having owned a GMT360 (2002 Envoy) before, for 8 years, has me well prepared for the common issues that plague this platform, but also excited for the extra refinement that comes from the SAAB engineers. And to other readers - SAAB did body/chassis refinements up and above the Trailblazer/Envoy/Rainier/Bravada. After all, this was the 2nd most expensive GM SUV sold at its time, with the Escalade being the #1 most expensive. They had to set it apart in a big way.
Again, OP, Thanks again!! Happy motoring.
30th Mar 2012, 16:01
Original poster here:
The clunking noise I mentioned in the last post wasn't the steering rack. It was loose rubber stoppers on the hood. I fixed it with 5 dollars worth of White Lithium Grease and 2 minutes worth of repairs.
The SUV has started consuming a little oil with cheap oil changes. I changed to Mobil 1 10w30 Fully Synthetic, and the oil consumption went from a quart every 1,500 miles to one quart every 3,000 miles, which is well within specs. No blue smoke or anything, just regular oil consumption.
I know the manual calls for 5w30, but this 10w30 Mobil 1 for me is fantastic. I live in a warm climate, so it isn't an issue.
I also need to check the overflow reservoir. I am leaking a VERY SMALL amount of coolant out of the overflow tube. We are talking like 1 eye drop every few days on my driveway that in no way is affecting the overall level. I am guessing there is a loose connection, as there is no evidence of a bad head gasket (oil in coolant, frothy oil, overheating, no air bubbles in the coolant).
106,000 miles and still going well.