'03 Vue w/ 4cyl & 5 speed ???

Hi -

My daughter is looking at an '03 VUE with the 4 cylinder engine and
manual 5 speed transmission (with 28,000 miles). It is in very good
condition and a price tag of $10,700.

I am not familiar with the VUE but have heard a few bad things about
them. Mostly regarding the automatic transmissions in the first couple
years they were made. Anyone here with comments about these vehicles
(good or bad) ?

Thanks in advance .......

In article <mFntf.348$Z74.43@trndny06>,
says...
> Hi -
>
> My daughter is looking at an '03 VUE with the 4 cylinder engine and
> manual 5 speed transmission (with 28,000 miles). It is in very good
> condition and a price tag of $10,700.
>
> I am not familiar with the VUE but have heard a few bad things about
> them. Mostly regarding the automatic transmissions in the first couple
> years they were made. Anyone here with comments about these vehicles
> (good or bad) ?
>
> Thanks in advance .......

I havent kept track of their transmissions nor remember hearing of any
real problems but there have been 3 different engines in the Vues.

Early Vue v6's used 3.0's imported from Britain. These were crappy lack
luster engines. Avoid them more so than the 3.5L. Not sure what
transmission was behind the 3.0

Later Vue V6's use 3.5 Honda engines and transmissions. These are also
crappy engines when it comes to service & repair and also costly. Why
replace a timing belt engine with another timing belt engine...

Ecotec, good engine since it came out, offered on every Year Vue. I
would recommend a 4 banger Vue to anyone. What you quoted sounds decent.

I have a 2003 4 cylinder AWD Vue with the CVT (VTi) transmission. Mine was
flawless until recently (42K miles). My son got the vehicle stuck and
managed to damage the transmission. Fortunately the transmission has an
extended warranty and is being replaced for free (i.e., it will be a new
latest level version). Personally, I like the vehicle. However, my Son hates
it. I am tired of hearing all the gripping and I plan to sell the car.
Unfortunately, Vue definitely do not hold thier resale value. I am hoping to
get around $8500.

Regards,

Ed White

"blah blah" > wrote in message
...
> In article <mFntf.348$Z74.43@trndny06>,
> says...
> > Hi -
> >
> > My daughter is looking at an '03 VUE with the 4 cylinder engine and
> > manual 5 speed transmission (with 28,000 miles). It is in very good
> > condition and a price tag of $10,700.
> >
> > I am not familiar with the VUE but have heard a few bad things about
> > them. Mostly regarding the automatic transmissions in the first couple
> > years they were made. Anyone here with comments about these vehicles
> > (good or bad) ?
> >
> > Thanks in advance .......
>
> I havent kept track of their transmissions nor remember hearing of any
> real problems but there have been 3 different engines in the Vues.
>
> Early Vue v6's used 3.0's imported from Britain. These were crappy lack
> luster engines. Avoid them more so than the 3.5L. Not sure what
> transmission was behind the 3.0
>
> Later Vue V6's use 3.5 Honda engines and transmissions. These are also
> crappy engines when it comes to service & repair and also costly. Why
> replace a timing belt engine with another timing belt engine...
>
> Ecotec, good engine since it came out, offered on every Year Vue. I
> would recommend a 4 banger Vue to anyone. What you quoted sounds decent.
>
>
>

My wife and I bought an 04, 4-cyl 5-speed manual in May of 04. She
drives the heck out of it, and we've only had a few issues with it.
First, the HVAC panel went completely out, leaving her in a nasty
rainstorm with the windows open and my daughter in the back seat in the
cold. That was all she could do to keep the windshield defrosted. Got
that replaced by the dealership, and went on our way.

Next issue was the plastic cladding on the doors. The strips were cut
a little long, and they rubbed against each other in extreme cold and
extreme heat. Again, the dealership came through for us. They took
off the old cladding and replaced it with new stuff.

Final issue we had was recently, when the reverse light switch went
out. Thrid time's a charm, the dealership replaced it and sent us on
our way.

The only complaint I have is the goofy size of tire they put on it out
of the factory. It's difficult to find it in anything but a
Bridgestone (which I'm not a big fan of), but you can go with another
tire size, which we did. Sorry, can't remember which size it was.

My wife loves the vehicle, and it has plenty of room in the back seat,
as well as the cargo area. Our great big child seat fit great when my
daughter was still rear-facing. My 6 foot frame was able to fit in the
driver's seat with it all the way back, and didn't even touch the child
restraint.

3 position LATCH for car seats in the back is a great feature too.
Most cars only come with 2.