need opinions on winter DDs

I'm considering a cheapish 4wd or AWD SUV as winter daily and I've been looking at 2008ish Saab 9-7x's. There are few around with the LH6 aluminum 5.3 in the same price range as TBs and Envoys with the inline 6. I like the idea of having something a bit more interesting with an LS under the hood and can't afford the $10K+ for even a high mileage TBSS.

Any thoughts from the experts on these rigs? They seem to have all of the good suspension/steering/brake bits from the TBSS, nice interior, and they're literally half the price of a TBSS for something with 1/2 the miles. Anything I should look out for?

Have a TB with the LH6, which is also an option if youre not set on the Saab styling

I think Saab is cool for the uniqueness, the better headlights, air/sport suspension.

TB might be lower on cost if you can find it with the V8, has selectable 4wd  instead of AWD.

Watch out for oil consumption on the LH6 motor through the cylinder deactivation system. Seems to be a common problem that you can read about on google.

Thanks for the input. I came close to winning a TB with the 5.3 from a government auction but missed by a few hundred $$$. I'm certainly open to that option if I can find one but they actually seem to be more expensive than the Saabs around here (maybe the Saab name scares people off).

I will likely never do any proper wheeling with this so true 4wd isn't critical.

My other thought was a bare-bones 4wd truck. There are some rust free 2500HD's around with the 6.0 4l80 for good prices. I think I would prefer something comfortable/family friendly but I haven't ruled it out. I actually saw one with the 8.1L 6 speed combo the other day which could be interesting. 

i don't see anything wrong with a TB, i have a friend with a tbss and he has no complaints.

a 2500 is a big step up, without changing criteria i feel like it shouldn't really be in the same comparison.

v8 colorado/h3 could be another option but that gets closer to the 10k you were talking about.

4runners are pretty nice too if you are okay with a touch less power

I think if the value starts creeping past $6K Canadian, I would just wait and save for a TBSS later. I'm basically considering anything that's 4wd or AWD and is interesting in some way. I'd prefer a domestic product so I at least have a chance of being able to work on it myself or have my local mechanic do it - they're not great with imports.

Any thoughts on an '05 ish Jeep Grand Cherokee with the hemi? I found some in the same ballpark of mileage/price as the Saab/TB with the 5.3 and reviews on the net seem similar as far as quality/issues go. 330HP sounds interesting enough to consider, they're supposed to be pretty quick for a heavy SUV.

A truck is probably out now - I don't want a full size 4 door truck and I had a baby last week and like the idea of being able to put a car seat in it. I'm not sure I'm keen on this being an adult thing.

Also have an 03silverado xcab and a 2 year old, it babies ok but i wouldnt make it the primary babymover.

How many rigs do you have?!?

The wife has a new Jetta 1.8T for the primary baby mover so this will be a secondary/winter/camping rig.

No opinions on the hemi Grand Cherokees? I've always liked the look of them but know nothing about reliability or ease or maintenance. They seem to be more common than the TB/Envoy 5.3 so I have some choices.

i personally dislike chrysler products but some people like them

I'm not traditionally a big fan either but given the budget limitations, I'm open to whatever...

It's tough to judge which is better - reviews on the TB/Envoy/9-7x and GC's are all fairly terrible but most car reviewers value different things than I do.

...and in a shocking turn of events, my new winter daily driver is:

Sick! More details!

'94 4wd 4.3 CPI with ~150K miles on it. No major body rust issues but a bunch of little maintenance stuff (windshield, exhaust leak, steering linkage is crazy loose, rear hatch handle broken, rear window motor is slow, etc). It has new brakes and starter, tires are passable, it seems to run strong, and the interior is clean.

I haven't had a chance to look underneath it (I don't have it home yet) but it was undercoated a few times over the years (there are some Rust Check stickers on it) and the frame looked decent at a glance. I only paid the equivalent of $1150 US for it, which I think is a score for a non-rotten 1st gen around here. I've already ordered a windshield and will get the front end stuff done next week.

Definitely a good deal with nothing major to deal with. Looks like you're missing a front flare, but that should be easy enough to find. I have at least one set on the shelf in the barn.

Good catch on the flare. The driver's rear was on there but only just. The passenger rear came with it as well but the inside lip on both rear fenders is starting to rot  a bit so it's not worth trying to reattach them. I'm going to reassess that when the snow clears though. I climbed all over/under it yesterday and the rust is really limited to those fender lips and some surface stuff as well as a rotten rear bumper.

I'm hoping to have the major stuff addressed this week so I can get it inspected and start driving it. The current list is:

•   Exhaust leak – driver’s side y-pipe to manifold connection has huge leak, maybe others in system as well.
•   Pulls to passenger side under braking – brakes are strong otherwise.
•   Steering very loose – may need the entire linkage replaced
•   At least one U-joint is toast – rear one on front driveshaft, maybe others (vibrates at highway speeds)
•   Fuel line has been hack-repaired with a section of rubber hose in front of driver’s side rear wheel – leaks occasionally
•   Starter is new but very noisy and sometimes won’t engage – was it installed correctly?
•   Parking brake cable broken – need this fixed
•   Check cause of ABS light on dash – don’t necessarily need this fixed but if it’s simple, do it.
•   Check fluid levels in rear diff and transfer case
•   Headlights are dim
•   Sway bar end links worn out
•   Replace window motor driver’s side rear
•   Serpentine belt starting to crack
•   Check air filter
•   Rear hatch handle broken
•   Block heater plug has been cut
•   Replace PCV valve(s)
•   Cruise control cable is broken (not sure if there are other problems with the CC system)
•   Replace washer reservoir cap