Saturn VUE Experience

Discussion in 'Saturn VUE' started by me, Apr 7, 2005.

  1. me

    me Guest

    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
     
    me, Apr 7, 2005
    #1
  2. me

    C. E. White Guest

    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
     
    C. E. White, Apr 8, 2005
    #2
  3. me

    marx404 Guest

    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
     
    marx404, Apr 9, 2005
    #3
  4. 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.

    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.
     
    Perfect Reign, Apr 13, 2005
    #4
  5. me

    Ron Herfurth Guest

    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
     
    Ron Herfurth, Apr 13, 2005
    #5
  6. me

    B. Peg Guest

    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~
     
    B. Peg, Apr 13, 2005
    #6
  7. 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
     
    Scott MacIntyre, Apr 13, 2005
    #7
  8. 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.
    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".
     
    Perfect Reign, Apr 13, 2005
    #8
  9. me

    C. E. White Guest

    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
     
    C. E. White, Apr 13, 2005
    #9
  10. me

    SMacIntyre Guest

    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 -
     
    SMacIntyre, Apr 13, 2005
    #10
  11. me

    Chuck Guest

    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).
     
    Chuck, Apr 15, 2005
    #11
  12. me

    JDB1076 Guest

    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 !!!
     
    JDB1076, May 17, 2005
    #12
  13. me

    blah blah Guest

    99000? duh...Not under warranty, how long do you expect someone to hold
    your hand?
    Saturn? Sounds like you got the Honda powertrain to me...


    Why people buy vehicles and never expect repair cost down the line is
    beyond me.
     
    blah blah, May 17, 2005
    #13
  14. me

    Ron Herfurth Guest


    I used to feel that way when my first 2 alternators died just days out of
    warranty. However at 11 years and 112,000 miles those alternators are the
    bulk of what I've spent so I'm feeling much better about my 94 SL1. Of
    course the fact that it passed inspection last month so I've got another
    "free" year on it and plenty of time to check out the '06 models and colors
    has also helped my current attitude toward Saturn.
    It always hurts when you've got to shell out a bunch of money for repairs
    all at once, but if you amortize the total cost over the life of the car is
    the cost per year that bad?
    If you've got 99,000 miles it sounds like you got a very early VUE; I've
    always subscribed to the folklore that cars have a lot of problems their
    first year or 2 so buy a little later. 94 seems to have been a good year for
    the S; I think '06 will be a good one for the ION.

    ron
     
    Ron Herfurth, May 17, 2005
    #14
  15. me

    meh1963 Guest

    I have a 2004 VUE. It's been quite reliable and is great for
    long-distance driving. It's also got plenty of power....

    Best of luck with whatever car you do get.

    mh
     
    meh1963, May 17, 2005
    #15
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