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#1
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Saturn VUE Experience
I have a 2003 Vue with 31,000 miles. Mine is the AWD 4
cylinder with the discontinued CVT transmission. I've had it in for warranty work a couple of times. The biggest concern I have is the CVT transmission, but they exented the warranty on that. I had to have rear suspension members replaced (recall), but that seemed to go well. I think with the Honda V-6 and automatic transmission it would be a really hot little station wagon. The body and interior have held up well. I generally like the car. Ed me wrote: > > Hello. > > I am in the market for a new car (with two toddlers in mind) and have been > thinking about the VUE. > > Has anyone had any long term experience with the VUE? > > What are repairs like (cost of parts, cost of labor, ease of maintenance)? > > Please respond to the group. > > Thanks, > > CD |
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#2
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Just my 2 cents:, while I do have every other saturn in my family other than
a VUE, I do know many others who have had greeat experience with them. IMHO however, your best best is to avoid the older ('04 and back 4 cyl. ) CVT tranny altogether. Saturn realized thier mistake and since 2005 has decided to go to the old tried and true Hydramatic transmission in thier automatics. This makes the 4 much more responsive, reliable and quieter. Saturn has made alot of nice changes to the new '05 VUE 4 and 6 cyl, making it smoother and quieter, especially the 4 cyl with the new tranny. The '05 ecotec engine has been going thru some subtle tranformations and IMHO '05 is the best I have seen for the 4cyl. In '04, the VUE engine, a variation of the older L300 V6 was replaced with a more powerful V6 upping the power to 250hp. This engine is greener and packs a big punch while maintaining great gas mileage, better than many cars. One more note, in '05 the NTSHA came out with new SUV rollover testing techniques, which the '05 VUEs were recalled then redesigned to pass these specific tests. Just FYI, Saturn then issued a large campaign to call back all prior models to re-equip them with the same type of reinforcement to the rear wheels as the '05 for free. If you do buy a VUE prior to '05 make sure that this campaign was already done. Cost of ownership is quite low on the 4 a bit higher on the 6 as it is a Honda engine. Gas is between 24-31 mpg (as ppl have actually told me). Insurance is lower as the VUE has a 5 star safety rating all round. marx404 |
#3
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"Perfect Reign" > wrote in message news > On Thu, 07 Apr 2005 21:32:30 +0000, me donned fireproof underwear and > scratched on the wall: > > > Hello. > > > > I am in the market for a new car (with two toddlers in mind) and have > > been thinking about the VUE. > > My wife got an '05 in January. So far so good, though we only have around > five thousand miles. > > Except for the ultra-mini size, it appears to be a nice car. Huh ? Try shoving 8 foot long shelving in a 94 SL if you want to see what ultra-mini is like. I thought the VUE was a fairly large thing. I costs more than a Dodge Caravan ( at least after all the discounts Dodge has now) and doesn't get any better gas mileage so I'm surprised it would be considered mini. ? ron > > The two kids > (2 & 4) are easily placed in their carseats and she can throw all their > crap in the back. She got the six cylinder with teh Honda engine. I've > heard some people bitch about the timing belt, which I need to reseach, > but I figure that's a minor issue. > > -- > kai - www.perfectreign.com > > kai@yoda:~> format a: > Error: The DOS concept of formatting disk media is screwed. > > |
#4
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I'm holding out with the thought that GM may use that model for their hybrid
on a couple of years or less. I hope at that time they will replace the all plastic door panel with something cloth or leather too (personal preference as I hate rattle prone areas). Maybe they will paint the front/rear lower panels to match much as they did on the SL-1 SL-2 series (the SL-1 had the cheaper black bumper panels where the SL-2 were painted to match). I know they are painted on the Redline but the color selection is minimal (no white and we live where it's hot and the black Redline won't cut it here - although it looks nice). B~ |
#5
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Well, compared to a car - yes it's bigger. But, it's still a mini (or
small) SUV....It's in the same size class as the Ford Escape. (i.e.: Ford Escape/GMC Envoy/VUE = small/mini class ; Ford Explorer/GMC Trailblazer = Mid class; Ford Expedition/GMC Yukon = Large class ; Ford Excursion / GMC Suburban = "Why don't you just buy a Truck?" class As far a the price - Supply and demand (and the additional factor that most SUV's are 4x4/AWD - More parts/technology) Minivans sales have slowed a bit over the last few years. With the SUV's out, the mini-van has struggled with the "uncool" or family image. A man or woman driving their family around on the weekend is ok with the van, but by themselves during the week to work or running around? That's why many families are SUVing as they can cross the divide. You can take the kids to soccer, and yet still take the lady out at night! Can't do that with a Caravan! Personally I don't have either - (SL2 & a F-150). Wife is trying to get me to look at the Freestyle crossover to replace the '94 SL2. <blah> The outside styling just doesn't do anything for me...I like the styling of the Pacifica better, but the prices on these are outrageous too...Anyone else have info or thoughts on any of the crossovers? Scott "Ron Herfurth" > wrote in message ... > > Except for the ultra-mini size, it appears to be a nice car. > > Huh ? > > Try shoving 8 foot long shelving in a 94 SL if you want to see what > ultra-mini is like. I thought the VUE was a fairly large thing. I costs more > than a Dodge Caravan ( at least after all the discounts Dodge has now) and > doesn't get any better gas mileage so I'm surprised it would be considered > mini. > ? > ron > > > > > > > The two kids > > (2 & 4) are easily placed in their carseats and she can throw all their > > crap in the back. She got the six cylinder with teh Honda engine. I've > > heard some people bitch about the timing belt, which I need to reseach, > > but I figure that's a minor issue. > > > > -- > > kai - www.perfectreign.com > > > > kai@yoda:~> format a: > > Error: The DOS concept of formatting disk media is screwed. > > > > > > |
#6
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On Wed, 13 Apr 2005 08:32:35 -0400, someone posing as Ron Herfurth donned
fireproof bloomers and chiseled in the wall: >>> I am in the market for a new car (with two toddlers in mind) and have >>> been thinking about the VUE. >> >> Except for the ultra-mini size, it appears to be a nice car. > > Huh ? > > Try shoving 8 foot long shelving in a 94 SL if you want to see what > ultra-mini is like. I thought the VUE was a fairly large thing. Well, I'm just talking from my impressions driving it. I feel way cramped - not as bad as in a car, but still. At least my head doesn't hit the roof - much. The shoulder room is marginal. However, it IS my wife's car. > than a Dodge Caravan ( at least after all the discounts Dodge has now) and > doesn't get any better gas mileage so I'm surprised it would be considered > mini. Um, I just consider it based on size. It fits in with the other mini car-utes like the RAV4, Highlander, Escape/Tribute, RX330... I figure the mid-size sport utes are the Envoy/TrailBlazer, Tahoe/Yukon, Explorer/Mountainer, PathFinder, 4Runner... Then there's the nice-size SUV's like the Suburban or the Excursion. -- kai - - www.perfectreign.com kai:/> format a: Error: The DOS concept of formatting disk media is screwed. To format a floppy, use "fdformat /dev/fd0" and then "mkfs.minix /dev/fd0". |
#7
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Scott MacIntyre wrote: > Personally I don't have either - (SL2 & a F-150). Wife is trying to get me > to look at the Freestyle crossover to replace the '94 SL2. <blah> The > outside styling just doesn't do anything for me...I like the styling of the > Pacifica better, but the prices on these are outrageous too...Anyone else > have info or thoughts on any of the crossovers? My Father recently purchased a Freestyle (AWD with the CVT). I was very impressed. The styling is bland, but I personally like it better than the Pacifica. To me, the Pacifica looks like a squashed Voyager (which is exactly what it is). I have a Vue with the CVT. When my Father purchased the Fresstyle I was leery because of my not completely satisfaction with the Vue's CVT. Boy was I wrong. The Freestyle's CVT is nothing like the one in the Vue. I was super impressed with the behavior of this transmission. Ed |
#8
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Thanks for the info! And thanks for the sum up word of "bland" that I was
trying to think of when looking at the Freestyle. Well, as I am hoping to get another year out of the SL2 (until it poops out), maybe (hopefully) the styling will change by the time I'm ready to look seriously. It's really only the outside styling that I don't like. The front end in particular looks like every other Ford for the last few years. Don't get me wrong - Every Ford I've had has been the best car I've owned. My '99 F150 (80K) has never been back to the dealer and has only had brakes, tires & oil changes to it. Before the Saturn, I had a '93 T-Bird (211K) miles on it with really no problems (2 alternators and wear items) and a '76 Granada that I tried like hell to kill and couldn't. (looked like crap but kept running) So I'm a relatively happy Ford guy, but hopefully they'll update the look soon.... Again, thanks - "C. E. White" > wrote in message ... > > > Scott MacIntyre wrote: > > > Personally I don't have either - (SL2 & a F-150). Wife is trying to get me > > to look at the Freestyle crossover to replace the '94 SL2. <blah> The > > outside styling just doesn't do anything for me...I like the styling of the > > Pacifica better, but the prices on these are outrageous too...Anyone else > > have info or thoughts on any of the crossovers? > > My Father recently purchased a Freestyle (AWD with the CVT). > I was very impressed. The styling is bland, but I personally > like it better than the Pacifica. To me, the Pacifica looks > like a squashed Voyager (which is exactly what it is). I > have a Vue with the CVT. When my Father purchased the > Fresstyle I was leery because of my not completely > satisfaction with the Vue's CVT. Boy was I wrong. The > Freestyle's CVT is nothing like the one in the Vue. I was > super impressed with the behavior of this transmission. > > Ed |
#9
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Hey me:
We're closing on 50k mi. on an '03 V6 FWD VUE. So far, just the washer nozzles and a right front wheel bearing that they warranteed even though we were over 40k (good thing - over $400!). I am a little concerned about some front-end creaks when turning. Fwiw - I recently rented a brand new Explorer and Tucson - I think I'd stick with the VUE (real partial to the polymer body panels - won't be happy if Saturn abandons this feature). |
#10
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Please donot buy one of these. Saturn will not back you up on these.At
99000 miles 3 wheel bearings, Intake gasket leak,and cylinders 1 and 2 misfiring,$1300.00 ( my expense) Transmission slips between 2nd and 3rd this was a software problem.upgrade $100.00,( my expense) Broken vacuum hose vehicle towed to dealership, wiper nozzle feel out,rear wheel aligment that the dealship did because of the recall on stabilizers ( both back tires ruined on my expense) and crossover pipe weld at flange came apart at the exhaust manifold poor weld which had to be welded to get me back on road ( my expense) ata exhaust muffler place. will never buy a Saturn again !!! |
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