Saturn VUE

maynardf1 · November 2002

I've noticed something that sounds the same as you've described. I get three ping or popping sounds from the right side somewhere -- sounds like the rear area -- about 2 mins. after I've started driving. It's strange because I'm usually at the same stoplight each morning when it happens.
No idea what it is.

gsxr1216 · November 2002

Can GMS supplier pricing be used on Saturn vehicles? My brother works for EDS and i have used on on GM before and am wondering if it applies to Saturn's also? Any idea what the percentage off sticker is on Saturn's for GMS pricing if its available? Thanks

zapcat · November 2002

Yes, from what I have seen it is worth about $900 off on a $22k VUE. It seems to be worth more on the other GM brands.

rbb2 · November 2002

EDS employees are eligible for the GM discount. It is the same as what GM employees get however a few years back GM stopped paying some sort of extra tax that they pay for GM employees. I can't remember it exactly but I know that if you buy a car your brother will get a tax taken out I think for 4 straight paychecks. He can check with admin. to confirm. I know that because I used to work for EDS and my sister bought one through me.

As far as discounts go, for the L Series Saturns you get 8.5% off the base price and 10% off any options added (i.e. leather package). This doesn't include dealer added options. With the VUE you get 7.5% off base price and 9% off options.

I've only compared that to the discount on the Impala. That vehicle gets 11.5% off base price and 14% off options.

gsxr1216 · November 2002

Thanks for the info, unfortunately I'm familiar with EDS wacking the tax for 4 pay periods, i had to pay him when i bought my '02 chevy 2500HD, that cost me $600 in tax!!!! Man the discount is not much on the saturns, I pretty sure it was around 15-16% off sticker on my $33k truck, so the $600 was not too bad.

dindak · November 2002

The markup on a Saturn (because they don't haggle) is much lower than on normal GM vehicles. That's why they can't offer as much of a discount.

Man I wish I worked for a GM supplier. All I get working at a brokerage firm is free banking. Big deal!

;-)

lok888 · November 2002

The TV commericals shows the guy hit the door. But it never showed us that side. Is the dent resistant door panel that good? I just hope it will resist the force of a shopping cart in the mall.

vuefor2 · November 2002

We have none and our Vue has been hit a few time with stray balls from our neighbors kids. The polymer panels are as tough as advertised. Great feature of the Vue!!

mmspeal · November 2002

In the dealership where I bought my VUE, they had a cut-away saturn (older model) and a grocery cart that you could slam into it. There were a few slight scratches in the door but nothing that couldn't be buffed out and let me tell ya, people sure tested it. I waited three months for my VUE and visited the showroom often just to look at the one there - people were constantly slamming that cart into the door of the cut-away car. They also had a panel on the floor that you could step on or jump on and it would just bounce back - pretty amazing.

As far as discounts go ... my father works at GM so when I was going to purchase mine he went to the office in his plant and asked about discounts. He was told that there was no formal agreement with the Saturn division on discounts but GM gave the dealership 5% back on an employee purchase so they would at least give me that but weren't required to give anything more. The dealership I dealt with was great - they said they'd give me 5% off anything off the lot or if I wanted to order and wait, they'd give it to me at dealer cost. They even broke down what every little option would cost at their cost. That was a big part of me buying a Saturn - at both a Pontiac dealership and a Chrysler dealership (I was eligible for their discount too as brother works there)they couldn't even give me a straight answer on what the discount was, would just give me a payment and when I figured out the final cost by multiplying out the payments (supposedly at 0% interest) they were trying to shaft me big time. I was completely comfortable with the people at Saturn and really felt that I could trust them. When the final invoice came through it was within pennies of what they had originally told me - absolutely no surprises.

Those who stated the mark-up on Saturn's is not as high are completely correct. The dealer invoice was not quite 10% below retail.

rbb2 · November 2002

mmspeal - Are you saying you got 5% off sticker? Perhaps that is correct in Canada but in the US it is what I stated above. Not only was I told 7.5% by the Saturn dealer here but was also able to print the GMS pricing off of gmfamilyfirst.com which matched what the dealer was telling me. They have since changed the web site but you can still see 2002 Saturn pricing if you have a log on.

mmspeal · November 2002

Yeah - sorry, I should have clarified ... that was Canadian. It makes sense that Canadian is a lower discount as they make even less on a vehicle sold in Canada due to the lack of value in our dollar.

For example: I believe base model VUE in the US is about $17000, converted to Canadian funds (exchange currently at $1.58 Cdn = $1 US) the VUE should cost $26 860 Canadian but the base model VUE is less than $22 000 here. What a difference eh? :-)

rocketbob · November 2002

I just took delivery of my 2003 V6 FWD VUE. I opted for the ABS option. The manual says the
traction control switch is above the CD Player,
but the fog light switch is there.
I can't find the switch anywhere. Also when I turn on the ignition
there is no Traction Control light but there is an
ABS light. Dealer says the Traction control is
"permanently on,hence no switch" I have trouble
with this explanation. Anyone had this problem.

cartagram · November 2002

I've experienced the same noise after driving my 01 Civic LX a few minutes. As I shift from 1st to 2nd, I hear a gurgling, clattering sound. It comes from behind the glovebox. My service mgr. explained that it's normal--and that not all drivers will hear it.

The service mgr. said the sound is the heating-air conditioning system pressuring up, trying to displace the air in the lines. He said the noise would occur when the heater is in defrost mode. I hadn't tried keeping the air system off to test it.

Maybe this explains the sounds that Vue owners are reporting.

shado4 · November 2002

Not sure if the following applies to the Canadian version of the VUE, but according to the US Saturn web site traction control is an option only on the 4 cylinder VUE. Traction control is not listed in the specs, safety, or options pages for the V6 FWD VUE.

In the Design and Price section, it lists both ABS and traction control as a single combined option for the 4 cylinder FWD VUE. For the V6 FWD VUE, only ABS is offered as an option.

Wonder why traction control is not offered on the V6 FWD VUE?

rocketbob · November 2002

The Canadian Saturn Website indicates that ABS for the V6 FWD includes Traction control. I wonder if the ABS-Traction control was not installed. We had snow today and I noticed the
Tach wound up when I floored the accelerator.
This didn't happen with my 96 Sunfire with traction control.

enniskillen · November 2002

It's my understanding that ABS and traction control use the same computer to function. So it is probable that they are bundled together.
Traction control isn't really needed if you use common sense, all it does is stop lead foots from spinning the tires, by limiting the amount of acceleration. In other words don't goose it, and you won't need it.
ABS also has it's drawbacks, in a slow moving situation, say a traffic jam, it will actually increase the stopping distance of your vehicle.

Jeff

kansas5 · November 2002

Yesterday, I thought I would go look at the 2003 Saturn Vues. We bought a Vue in May 2002 which makes it 8 months old straight from the factory. I
was considering upgrading to a 2003 V6 automatic.
When we started the finance of it they told me the
Vue was only worth $11,000 as a trade in value, what a surprise!!!!
At the time we were looking for a SUV it was between the Honda CR-V & the Saturn Vue, I spoke to a Honda dealer & he expressed to me that the Honda would hold it's value better than a Saturn Vue.
Looking at the Saturn Vue Sport Pkg at $17,500 with power option, moon roof, tinted windows, cruise control, etc... versus Honda at $19,500 same options, needless to say we bought the Saturn Vue. At that time the salesman from Saturn
told us that the Vue Sports Pkg with options would be worth more to us down the road. NOT TRUE!! as we quickly found out. We owe $15,500 & it's now worth a $11,000. Dollar for dollar I think I should have bought the Honda. I am very disappointed with Saturn!! I really thought the Vue would hold it's value..GEE I hope I don't hit a deer!!!

dindak · November 2002

How many miles does your vehicle have?

In the end, selling a vehicle after 1 year is always a loosing proposition. Don't kid yourself, you would loose on a CRV also (though probably less). Most of a vehicles depreciation happens as soon as you drive off the lot. Keep in mind also that new VUEs come with 0% financing now which is an incentive that will push down re-sale.

vuefor2 · November 2002

Why would you want to trade in a truck that is 6 months old? That is financial suicide. Dindak is right, the 0% financing pushes down re-sale as the cost of new is essentially dropping with the incentive they have added.

theduke · November 2002

True ABS does not assure the shortest stopping distance in all cases - in deep snow ABS will not make you stop shorter HOWEVER ABS assures you control all the way, which is what you want in an urgent braking situation.
More than once, I avoided hitting another car in a slippy road, thanks to ABS I could still steer and avoid. I will never buy a car without ABS, ever.

maynardf1 · November 2002

Alright, let's choke this off right now. Most people think ABS is great. Some don't. Everyone has a trunk full of opinions and a glovebox full of facts. Can we agree to disagree and not spend the next month back and forth on ABS?

dindak · November 2002

I agree. ABS has saved my butt a couple of times. Even once is well worth the small price of the option. If it cost $3000 I would think again, but it's very inexpensive these days.

jmatero · November 2002

Here's the scoop..... ABS WITH traction control is ONLY AVAILABLE on FWD 4-cyl models (which, coincidentally do NO offer fog lights).
ALL OTHER MODELS come with ABS only.
(Canada or US spec cars)

dindak · November 2002

Strange that they do not offer it on the V6 FWD model. I wonder if there is a reason it's only on the CVT FWD model?

vuefor2 · November 2002

We bought a V-6 AWD Vue and the only option I insisted on is ABS.

It's a must if you live where there is any kind of snow or slippery conditions in my mind.

mmspeal · November 2002

Has anyone else had any trouble keeping the Saturn hood deflector on their VUE ? Mine came off for the 3rd time this weekend - first time, dealership fixed it, 2nd time they replaced it with no problem. The problem is that this time it came off the drivers side as I was driving down the highway. I was in the middle of a 4 hour trip so needless to say by the time I got to where I was going, it chewed up the paint on my hood. (sorry 'bout earlier post Steve)
I want to suggest to Saturn that they forget replacing it this time, let me pay the difference between it and the front end cover instead, and also fix the paint job on the hood of my VUE - does that seem reasonable?

mmspeal · November 2002

How come it is so quiet in here today?

stever · November 2002

You guys got your turkeys last month - tomorrow's our day :-)

Steve, Host

vuefor2 · November 2002

Actually, I think my mom is making ham and roast beast this year.

Happy Thankgiving everyone. Looking FORWARD to my 3 hour drive in the Vue.

stever · November 2002

Roast beast? Like venison? ;-)

Sorry, it's not Thanksgiving to me if there's not a turkey involved. Preferably with dried up breast meat - the moist stuff doesn't soak up the mayo as well the next day.

Have a safe trip, Vuefor2, and everyone else heading somewhere for the holiday.

Steve, Host

dindak · November 2002

I know we had our Thanksgiving already, but I want another one!!

Happy thanksgiving to all of you south of the 49th.

BTW Steve, we had cornish hen this year instead of turkey and I didn't miss the turkey. Seems like turkey is always a little on the dry side. Maybe our mom's just don't do it right?

stever · November 2002

"Cornish Game Hen" is some advertising guy's name for a 4 week old chicken. Not that there's anything wrong with that :-)

One trick with turkey is to keep some ice bags on the white meat while the dark meat warms up to room temp, then put it in the oven. You'll have moist breast meat that way, and maybe a touch of salmonella too, LOL. Be thankful for the Vue to haul you to the ER in that case....

Steve, Host

dindak · November 2002

I actually got sick from turkey at Christmas when I was a kid. I think I will skip your method, no need to take a risk IMO.

Cornish hen is great. Everyone got their own bird to carve as they like.

;-)

jmatero · November 2002

Actually, the ABS WITH traction control is ONLY available on MANUAL TRANSMISSION FWD 4-cyl VUE's. Sorry about the confusion.

raine4llh · November 2002

Hello everyone, I am considering a Saturn Vue. I hope to order one the beginning of January. I have done a little research but I've only test drove the Vue, and I love it, do you think I should test drive anything else?

stever · November 2002

The Escape/Tribute, Sante Fe and Grand Vitara would be a few others to compare to the Vue - similar price ranges and size, etc.

Oh, and check out the Subaru Forester vs Hyundai Santa Fe vs Jeep Liberty vs Ford Escape/Mazda Tribute vs Saturn Vue discussion.

Steve, Host

saturnfreak01 · December 2002

I would check out the 2003 CRV AWD LX model at $ 19,660.00, but I personally think the rear of the CRV is Mamma Cass ugly, imo.

theduke · December 2002

CRV- Rendez vous, Aztec, RAV4 are some I also considered - I must say that after 16 months of looking around, I did not chose the Vue at the end- although it is a great vehicle, it did not all fit my requirements - it might for you.
Good luck.

dindak · December 2002

Won't go too wrong with a VUE. It's a Consumers Reports recommend, has great crash test results, looks and works well and has 0% financing to boot.

My other favorites in this category.. Escape/Tribute and CRV.

jmatero · December 2002

I have to tell you... I ATTACKED the VUE when it came out.... BIG TIME. Guess what? I picked up my brand-spankin-new Silver FWD 5-speed VUE Saturday morning. I'm happy as a clam. If you can deal with a manual transmission, you get the Power Package and a ton of goodies like Alloy wheels, electronic rear-view mirror with compass and temp. gauge, Alarm, keyless and more for only $500.... that's a savings of over $1450. Plus it's eligible for the 0/0/0 which is 0 down, 0 payments for 90 days and 0% financing. I got one LOADED... LOADED with Side air curtains, sport package, Power Moonroof, ABS with Traction control and more for $18,500. That's the DEAL OF THE CENTURY. Oh, and I used the rear cargo organizer the FIRST DAY... it's great!!! Oh, and the 70/30 split seat is great. Don't know why they still do 50/50 or 60/40. It's quiet, more than enough power and I highly recommend it to anyone shopping for a small SUV.

oarlox · December 2002

Gotta say that we are very happy campers! My wife and I are not real easy on our vehicles nor are the conditions in which we drive. Here in Alaska we drive on CRAPPY roads to say the least. I have been very good at keeping up with the routine main t. such as oil and tires. We have only been back to the dealer in Anchorage one time for any warranty work and that was only to replace a nozzle on the passenger side wind shield washer. The guys went right out to the parking lot and fixed it on the spot. They offered to give it a wash job but we declined due to the nasty weather conditions at the time. This VUE AWD V-6 Auto has run a solid 23mpg and not used an ounce of oil or failed us in any way! Gotta say that our VUE looks like it will serve us for several years to come and may even rank as high as our old Suburban that is 8 years old with 150K miles. I'll tell you that the miles that we drive here in Alaska are tougher than lower 48 miles.

dindak · December 2002

Wow, I can't believe you bought a VUE. I never got the impression you liked it much.

Congrats on the new vehicle though. The 5-speed has a decent amount of of power IMO and if you live in a less congested area is really ideal. Unfortunately living in the Toronto area, I highly doubt I will ever have a 5-speed unless the deal was irresistible or I buy a summer sports car.

mmspeal · December 2002

Ahhh Dindak, having a 5 speed here isn't bad at all. My last car was a 5 speed and when I lived up in the Brampton area I swore I'd never do it again. But as you know ... I did with the VUE. I don't find it bad out in our area though - I find the gears in the VUE have a lot greater range than my last vehicle did, without reving up the RPM's. My typical trip is between Appleby and Dorval on the QEW, during rush hours and 16000 km's later, I still love it. (for those of you who don't know the famous QEW, it tends to resemble a parking lot quite often)

jmatero - I have to agree with you, I find the 4 cyl. 5 speed has plenty of power, it's actually quite peppy.

vuefor2 · December 2002

I can't believe you bought a Vue. You kept saying how much you disliked it, what was that all about? Perhaps you finally saw the light and realized what a great little truck the Vue is.

What ever the reasons, congrats and welcome.

We had a great trip in our Vue this Thanksgiving. I ate way too much so I am on a bit of a diet this week. I test drove another Ion this weekend for fun and I still like it as a possible car replacement. My wife seems to like the blue Corolla we saw better. Still no decision but we love our Vue.

purduealum91 · December 2002

I was hoping you would say you got a 4WD 5 speed Vue for that price. Oh well.

Tom

dindak · December 2002

The 5 speed manual is not available with AWD, only FWD.

simonov · December 2002

Hello Everyone,
I finally had a chance to test my v6 AWD in some snow. We were up in the Colorado foothills(mountains to some)last Saturday to cut a Christmas tree and their was about 8 inches of snow. I have a question. How can you tell when it goes into AWD and engages the rear wheels, does a light come on? I couldn't tell if I was in 2 or all wheel. Do you hear something??? It went great in the snow but it probably does well in FWD also, I'd just like to know.

Hey Matero, you finally bought a VUE. I guess you really aren't a Hyundai salesman after all. Enjoy, they are fun vehicles and like you said, a reasonable price.

dindak · December 2002

http://www.saturnfans.com/Company/2002/november2002sales.shtml

jmatero · December 2002

That's right... the biggest reason I gave the VUE a second look was the great deal right now..... 0 down, 0 payments for 90 days and 0% interest for 5 years. PLUS if you get the 5-speed, you get ANOTHER $1,455 off (sport package) PLUS I got another $750 off for GM Supplier discount. That $18,500 is a HUGE DEAL.... there are NO OTHER SUV's/Wagons you can get in the U.S. at that price with: ABS, Traction control, Front/Rear side air curtains, Power everything, cruise, Moonroof, outside temp/compass in the auto-dimming rear-view mirror, remote entry and LOTS more. I live in NY and I was TERRIFIED about going back to a stick but this is not like any other stick I've ever driven. You can creep along in traffic at 10 or 15 mph in 5TH GEAR without stalling... I don't have a problem with it at all and it really does give the car a sportier feeling. The fit/finish are absolutely perfect... it's amazing compared to the odd alignment of body panels on the L and S series cars. The only problems I have are a temperature control knob that needs to be adjusted and the shift linkage that also needs a minor adjustment. THAT'S IT. No squeaks, rattles, buzzes. It's really great. I'm very happy about this purchase.

saturnfreak01 · December 2002

I currently drive a 2001 S Series and can't wait to get rid of it in favor of a larger car or suv.. Unfortunatly it is leased but I am paying more each month so that by march/april it will be paid completely so I can trade it.

My Saturn retailer is said to receive "special edition" VUE's in february or March. That include air/ pwr locks/mirrors/ keyless entry/ cd player/ and alloy wheels for 17,495.00...

How does everyone like their special edition VUE's?

Saturn VUE

Comments

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles