Any Saturn Vue Owners?

[jhereg]

I have a 2003 Vue which I purchased new in Oct 2002. It has approx 65K miles on it. I got a fairly basic package with the 2WD, manual transmission & 4 cylinder engine. I drove all the drive train options when I was looking at them & that package had the best performance & gas mileage. My VUE accelerates well with a bad tendency to torque steer if I start out fast while turning from a stop. It gets good gas mileage (IMO) at approx 28 MPG on the highway (which is most of my driving.) Steering has always been good at low speed, and is much improved with the recall work having been done on the torsion bars.

I've had 2 major problems which were fixed under warranty. (Slave cylinder went out & one of the electronic control boxes *SLOWLY* died.) Had good luck getting the slave cylinder fixed when I was in Illinois. Had horrible luck getting the dealerships in Wichita, KS to fix the electronic problem.


Overall I like the vehicle, but due to bad service at the dealership around here it will probably be my last Saturn. I'll probably go back to a pickup when the wheels fall of my VUE.

 

[Flying Turtle]

Well, my wife did go and drive a CRV today, and she still doesn't like it. She said she felt every bump and had trouble with the seat. Apparently had to actually move the seat back in order to get out comfortably. Said the salesman noticed her trouble and commented that he's lost a few sales because of the seats. She then went and drove the Vue again on the same course she had just driven the CRV and liked it better. We'd probably get the one with the Honda motor and 2 WD. Around here we only would need the AWD about two days a year. I question the need for 250 HP for her (or me), but there's hardly a mileage penalty and it is a Honda. The Saturn salesman said the ones with that engine are holding their value pretty well, but he would say that, of course. Wouldn't be surprised if we get one in the next few days, and take advantage of the $500 Target gift card freebie.

Geoff

 

[James S]

wow, that element almost looks like a car instead of a brick with wheels. i HATED the regular version of the thing that I see driving around, I think it looks horrible But that one with regular panels and glass instead of that plastic stuff is actually rather nice...

 

[cratz2]

Well, after having driven a lovely BMW 535is with like 14-way power seats for about a year, pretty much all seats are less than ideal... I just think some folks are pickier than others and I'll admit that Honda isn't known for very comfortable seats. I had a 99 Civic Si for about three years and NEVER found a REALLY comfortable position. But OH the resale value! I owned it for 39 months when it was totalled with my wife driving (not her fault). I paid $17,200 for it and 39 months later, after some minor haggling, they gave us $15,800 for it. Now the Si trim level was particularly good for resale value as even after the model was no longer available, it was still sought after by some younger buyers.

Back to the Vue, I agree on the Honda engine issue. I would probably still go for the AWD here in Indiana, but I would basically not consider getting the Saturn with the 4 cyl engine. The Honda would be a must whether it had AWD or not. Also, with how it's geared, those horsepower aren't really screaming fast. It has a nice, fat torque curve and it sound a lot better than the 4 cyl when accelerating hard at the end of a gear - the V6 sounds healthy and the 4 cyl sounds like it's ready to get ripped out of the vehicle.

On Saturn in general, most folks that I know really like them intially... which depends on what they currently own or have driven in the past. But it would take more than two hands to count the people I know that have owned one Saturn that have said they will never own another one and I only know one person that owned one Saturn that then bought another one.

Overall, I still think the Vue with the V6 is a very viable option in the price range. If I were looking to get an SUV in the 'slightly over $20,000 pricerange' for myself, I'd probably get a year old Pilot or a 2 year old FX35. Actually, a 2 or 3 year old Infiniti FX35 will very likely be my next vehicle. I think it's the best looking SUV on the road and quite comfortable. The center console area could be improved looks-wise, but that's not a deal breaker for me. Also, if ride comfort is a high priority, the original Mercedes M Class are well below $20,000. Granted, possible repair costs may be an issue, but they are likely to have been well cared for.

 

[joecandlepower]

The RAV4 has LED taillights!

 

[cheapo]

My dad has a Saturn Vue... not bad; 5 star frontal, and side crash test ratings. You can check its initial quality here....its not working on my computer though. It rides smoothly, and its comfortable too:

http://consumercenter.jdpower.com/cc/rd/cc/auto/compare.asp?activeList=JDPlistSub

-David