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

[RJS]

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 .......

 

[blah blah]

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.

 

[C. E. White]

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

 

[Jim Karlin]

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.