Consumer Reports and Saturn

I have a 1996 SL2 with 240k+ miles on it and just the normal wear & tear
problems. It has been the best new car I have had. I am now looking for an
SUV and the Consumer Reports negative view of the Saturn Vue concern me. Are
the Vue's from 2007 and newer worthy of the negative opinion?

My experience with the SL2 makes me want to stick with the Saturn but...

 

Sorry - I can't advise you on the Vue - for reliability & value.
I just know that the re-sale prices seem quite low.
This might be an indication to stay away ..
or it might be the best value in a used SUV.
The Vue that I saw recently - loaded & clean - was priced
the same as a base model Matrix, on the same lot.
.... they were both 05s . similar mileage.
The Matrix had crank windows ; the Vue had leather.
I dunno.
Good Luck.
John T.

 

The '07 and later Vues are pieced together with GM parts on GM assembly
lines with GM quality control. The only thing "Saturn" about them are the
plastic side panels. The only positive thing about the '07 V6 (which I have)
is the Honda engine and Honda 5-speed trans. That's also a negative since
Saturn/GM obviously didn't put much thought in how to handle the torque
profile of a Honda powertrain. GM also pushed up the price of the later
Vues, but they still suffer from the nosedive residuals of most generic GMs.

Another point is that the '07s were assembled in the downhill days of TN
while the newer VUEs are assembled in Mexico.

--smacks self on forehead--"I shoulda bought a CRV"
Steve

 

I also have a '96 SL with 175K on the clock and hopre to milk it for a
few more years.

Saturn has changed from those days........don't but anything
Consumer Reports doesn't recommend - you will be sorry down the road.

I owned a couple of Chrysler mini-vans that CR said were junk, and
they were. All the stuff they said breaks did. I than bought a
Toyota Sienna Van that was recommended and have not had a problem.

I will not buy a vehicle that CR does not rate "Above Average" in
reliability.

 

Consumer Reports is biased against Saturn because they always hated polymer
panels and the fit and finish of the older Saturn models. Also, CS has never
done full reviews on Saturn models noting the changes especially power train
and safety changes year by year. In 2008 CS has finally started to write
positive reports of Saturns since they went to all steel panels.

I know I will get flamed by this, I always do but I stand firm on what I
know I read. I used to collect CS magazines and the Yearly Annual Report
would many times show the EXACT same verbiage of reviews from year to year,
even though models such as the VUE, ION and Relay had some major powertrain,
safety and feature changes. Having hands on the new Saturn models year after
year, actually sitting in the exact ION or VUE or Relay with an Annual CS
magi in my hand and noticing all the discrepancies was an eye opener for me.
When CS thinks the 2003 ION and 2005 ION do not deserve mention of major
powertrain changes that put up a red flag for me.

Add to that the CS always highly rates foreign cars and has in the past been
class-action sued over their false high safety ratings of the 1st gen Focus
and Cavalier models which resulted in deaths, I give absolutely no stock in
trusting CS other than reviewing toasters and refrigerators.

That said, the VUE is a good vehicle. But stay away from 2002-2004 models
which will have the CVT transmissions. In mid-2004 the VUE went to a Honda
powetrain, eliminating the CTV belt-drive engine which was problematic. The
engine is very well built and one of the best features of the V6 VUE other
than polymer of course. The 4cyl was given a Hydromatic tranny in late 2004,
ending the CVT failed run. The VUE kept the same Saturn 4cyl and Honda
engines until 2008 when Saturn changed production of the VUE based on the GM
Daewoo concept for Opel and Saturn which now share many components.

The 2008 VUE is built in the same Ramos Arizpe plant which manufactures some
Chevys and other GM crossovers.
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb6674/is_200006/ai_n26147289


While it is not a US factory (boo) it is considered one of the higher
standard quality plants GM has in the world. The new VUE now has a
Hydromatic transmission and is paired with a number of engines including a
new 4cylinder 145hp or a variant of the Cadillac CTS engine made exclusively
for Saturn at 257 hp.

If you are looking for a used VUE, anything after mid-2004 is ok. AVIOD CVT
transmissions at all costs! In 2007 the VUE gained 5 more hp on the 4cyl, in
2006 a new rounder body style.

Hope my rambling helps you.
marx404

_____________

 

I would talk to used car shop owners, If you know them personally,
they will tell you to stay away from the vue.. they are crap. I'd fine
a good shape saturn wagon or sl in the 1999 or 2000 year or buy a
pontiac. I do like the new aura but it will be a few years before
start showing up in the used market.

 

I would talk to used car shop owners, If you know them personally,
they will tell you to stay away from the vue.. they are crap. I'd fine
a good shape saturn wagon or sl in the 1999 or 2000 year or buy a
pontiac. I do like the new aura but it will be a few years before
start showing up in the used market.


It is often said that 'good marketing is having what buyers want, and
selling is trying to make business with what you have available.'

With respect, marx404 is currently in the sales business.

I agree that CR (and marx404) is somewhat biased and not always in agreement
with MHO.

IMHO an SW1 (w 5sp) is a great car and good examples are now available for
VERY reasonable prices. (and repairs are now very reasonable because of the
current availability of used parts.) I suspect that Marx404 does not have
good examples on his lot for long. I would love to be able to buy another
new one but am NOT interested in any of the current offerings and suspect
that the best years of the Saturn car experiment are in the past. I often
think about how good a 3rd generation S series could have been. IMHO I am
not the only customer who is looking for FUEL EFFICIENT and LOW COST
transportation and is not interested in the bloated high margin offerings
from the domestic manufacturers. I will just have to 'make do with what
I've got,' there are lots of cheap miles left in them.

Good luck and 'happy trails'.

 

We have 4 Saturns.

An older SL2 my son bought used, an 05 ION, an 07 Vue and my mid life crisis
08 Sky.

All have given excellent service.

We had one recall on the Ion and one problem with the ignition switch on it
as well which was covered under a service bulletin even though the car was
8,000 miles and a year out of warranty.

The Vue now has 35,000 miles and is my everyday car.

I am satsfied although I am a bit disappointed that GM has pulled them in to
the fold and that they have started importing as oppeded to building
domestically.

Not that disappointed. I read something the other day that said some of the
imports actually had a higher made in the US tracability than some of the
American built cars did.

 

Consumer Reports has never said anything I've found valuable. However, YMMV.

In any case, I can speak for my wife's '05 Vue. So far, there's been exactly
one issue in the past four years (we bought it in January '05.) which I
haven't bothered to fix. (The car makes a minor noise when idling forward
which goes away above 5 mph.)

Other than that, the car has been just fine. I have the V6 model with the
Honda 3.5L engine. I wasn't too sure of the transmission, since I know
many with the Oddessy who've had issues. However, the oddessy weighs more
than the Vue, and may contribute more to failure than anything else.

HTH!

 

I am actually not in sales but I have worked for Saturn, which would make me
knowledgeable about the cars (how is that relevant anyways? Im not ashamed
of it, so what?) , so with all due respect "Private" I know who you really
are and outing me still even on here does not discredit me. I thought you
got thrown off of SaturnFans for TROLLing people ? Only the name has changed
but your bad behavior hasn't, too bad there's so much hating. I feel bad for
you that you have to resort to such low blows.

Dan, the best thing that you can do is ask anyone who havs a VUE what they
think, you will get an honest answer. Stop someone at a supermarket or
WalMart, anywhere and ask them what they think of thier VUE and see what
they say.

Like I said,, please keep in mind that CVT years (2002-early 2004) to keep
away from, those are the troubled VUES that everyone refers to, but the
newer ones are a pretty safe bet.

 

With respect,
I was very careful to qualify my comments ("with respect and IMHO"), I am
entitled to and stand by them.
I neither made nor intended insult.
You are very knowledgeable and (to your credit) have never hidden your
connections/associations to the Saturn business. Some people (but not I)
might suggest that many of your comments verge on commercial use and are a
violation of (IMHO an overly strict interpretation of) the Usenet charter,
but I prefer to view (most of) them as helpfully intentioned and
unobjectionable.
We all have biases and should recognize and acknowledge them.
I do not recall EVER having posted on SaturnFans but I have visited and read
the site on occasion. If you consider my post (which I clearly qualified as
"with respect and IMHO") as "bad behaviour or low blows" then I respectfully
submit you should examine your ad hominem response.
You are, of course, entitled to your opinions.

 

I thank everyone for their input and this input is being added to other
sources. CR and in this group are the only negatives I have heard. Vue
owners I talked to have all been happy with the vehicle.

What started me looking at the Vue was my mechanic. I mentioned looking for
a SUV and he suggested the Vue. I joked with him that he is looking for
business and he replied that the only work he has done on a Vue is normal
maintenance. I have not made a decision yet, but if I buy the Vue, I will
post complaints/praises.

BTW, the SES light on my SL2 just turned on. It needs a Cat converter.

 

As you are entitled to you opinions. - but nobody asked you to out me, or
start a fight. that, my friend was a low blow. Your opinion that I have ever
advertised here is false and unfounded and again a low blow. If you do not
like my comments you are well entitled to ignore them, but I do not come
here or anywhere to fight with anyone, nor be picked upon or trolled upon.

 

Aside of the bickering a couple people are having, I can give you my opinion
as a Vue owner...
(but I can't speak for the latest '08's and newer Opel versions),

I have an '06, 4 cyl, 5-speed stick and my father has a '06, 6cyl auto FWD
fully loaded, so I am familiar with those versions.

With mine, I live on flat Long Island and the Vue is my daily driver and
family trip vehicle. A lot of highway miles at 76K miles already.
Everything on the car is great except the ongoing issue with my front wheel
bearings. I replaced the originals at 55K and have only put another 20K on
and they're making that "snow tire" noise again. If you are handy, they are
not that bad to change yourself and you can get the Timken bearings online
for $110 each. The point however is that you should not have to replace the
wheels bearings before the tires or brakes. Other than that, I get 30-32
MPG (hwy) in the warm weather and 25-27 in the cold, so that is worth the
aggravation right there. I rotated the original tires every 3K and got 68K
out of them. All in all, a great, solid SUV with really great gas mileage.
The mileage trade-off (or con if you look at it that way) is that it is
underpowered and sluggish in the 20-40 MPH range and can't get out of it's
own way. Once you get over 40-45, it responds well to what you ask of it.

My father's got about 40K on it and has never had a bearing issue, and I
figured with the extra weight he would have. I guess it's hit and miss
thing. Jumping in his after being in mine, it feels like a sports car. He
has had to have the front brakes done already (but after riding with him,
that's not necessarily the cars fault - heh) He never rotates the tires and
has had to get new fronts. The drivers side seat warmer broke and had to be
fixed, but other than that he seems to be happy with it as he knows the
tires and brakes are his fault and not the cars. He only gets about 20 MPG
with it.

All in all, a good, solid little SUV. Only disappointment is this !#$%ing
wheel bearing issue on mine. I thought I'd be OK with the Timken's, but
they only lasted 20K. Anyone know why they went so fast again and have a
better suggestion with regards to brand or installation tip? (by that I mean
going outside the Saturn specs for torque on the hub when installing or
something to get a longer life out of them. I'm a highway driver and not
aggressive, while my dad is local and hard on it and guess who has the
issue?)

Good luck with your decision,

IYM

 

Huh?

 

Like PerfectReign, I was wondering the same thing. I took Private's comments as perfectly respectful of marx404,
although differencing in opinion. And I think they both offer very good suggestions for the OP.

 

CR *writers* may not but I find their customer reviews helpful. That's what prompted me to buy my first of two
Saturns (a 1994 SL)!

 

Consumer Reports negative view of the Saturn Vue concern me.

I always laugh when a car company "brags" about being
MotorTrend Car Of The Year.
..... 71 Chevy Vega made it !
John T

 

Generally, most new cars being sold are infinitely more reliable than
any of the cars being sold 30 years ago. Consumer reports is a valuable
guideline but their reliability ratings tend to exaggerate problems in
my experience. I own a 2006 Prius that they said would be very reliable
and ...it has been. I also own a 2001 Chrysler minivan that they rated
as very unreliable and I have not seen any problems yet at the 112K
mileage mark. I have a '92 Saturn SL2 that I don't think ever got very
good reliability ratings either from CR but at 212K miles it's still
running strong, although I've put a new clutch in it, a new alternator,
new brake linings, new serpentine belt, etc. over the 17 years that
I've owned it. I owned an '82 Toyota Tercel that had very high CR
reliability ratings...and it was reliable...until it hit about 110,000
miles when basically everything on it started to break. Most of the
tercels of that vintage seemed to disappear from the road at about that
time so I don't think my experience with that car was unique. The
bottom line is...read the CR reports but try to distinguish between
minor flaws that all cars have, even highly rated ones, and those major
flaws that make a car a nightmare to own. I don't think that CR in its
current format does a very good job at that.

 

I used to read all the Consumer Reports crap. And every time I purchased
something they recommended I was very disappointed. Especially cars.
Their Japanese cars recommendations have always been a problem and one
of the reasons we stopped buying Japanese cars. I've never had problems
with American cars. I think it is how the cars are maintained. Because
people pay more for Japanese cars they tend to maintain them better.
They tend not to maintain American cars as much as Japanese cars, so
they blame American cars. JMHO.