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Luckily I haven't had the door open on it's own yet or I'd be driving this thing right through GM's front door.
For now the insurance company is still fighting with them about paying for the damages. However, that's all they're fighting for. They're fighting for themselves, not us.
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So, the current replacement list for the Escape stand as;
1. Pontiac SV6 (3.9ltr)
2. Ford Freestyle SEL (3.0ltr or 3.5ltr if avail.)
3. Mazda MPV LX (3.0ltr)
4. Nissan Quest SL Special Edition (3.5ltr)
The Honda Pilot got eliminated from consideration.
Check out the News and Views section for the Auto Shows 2006 post, I will be posting a link in there for all the pictures I took at the show Philly Auto Show.
Odie
We traded in our 02 MPV for the SV6. The reason was it was small inside, the controls are rather hard to reach, and it's not comfortable at all on long trips.
Oh yeah, and we were getting to the point of trans maintenance. I refuse to pay someone to work on my vehicles, and the MPV would have been a total nightmare to change the trans filter/flush the fluid.
Based on quality at this point though, I wish we wouldn't have gotten rid of it.
Stay away from the SV6 at all costs. It seems the problems are outnumbering the problemless at this point. I am absolutely flabbergasted at the number of people that are having problems with this van platform and the number who have had to go though the painful buy-back process. The 06 SV6 rental I had for a few days after my brake failure was just as problem ridden, so it went right back to Enterprise.
You'll rarely see people posting "My van's great! No problems at ALL."
I can't say I've had no problems at all but so far my van hasn't had any serious issues. Even the fluctuating fuel guage hasn't left me sitting yet, despite letting it go until I had to put in 22+ gallons on the last fill and the fact that I live in western NC (the mountains, very few true level areas here).
So while I wish you luck getting your issues resolved (or getting out of your vans, if that's what you want), it by no means indicates total negligence on GMs part for producing defective vehicles. It just shows that there are some out there that are having serious problems, and some who aren't. Really nothing new in the auto industry, and also nothing unique to GM. (Check out some Honda forums sometime to see the kinds of complaints, even for supposedly high quality vehicles like Accords..)
Can any one confirm this? Or am I not looking in the right place?
If so, I guess the only option is to secure the child seats w/ the seat belts? It's a viable & safe option... just surprised there aren't any latch anchors in the third row (my second row captain seats have them).
Philly Show Pictures
Odie
This is more than just a few annoying problems. And the problems just keep coming back. That or GM claims it's "normal behavior."
Come on, what's the chance that my brakes fail, I smash up my 2005 SV6, Enterprise gives me an 06 SV6, and it has most of the same problems as my 05?
I've looked through the Dodge, Subaru, etc. forums and I don't see this many people with this many problems trying to get their vans bought back by the manufacturer.
Thx for the confirmation though... I'll just go with the old fashioned way & secure the child seats w/ with seat belts.
Odie
If you stroll over to some boards, they are near deathly silent (Infiniti I35 Problems and Solutions) and the few problems that do come up from owners are typically resolved quickly by the manufacturer.
I've never seen a board with this many SERIOUS safety related complaints about a specific vehicle design WITHOUT a massive recall.
Everyone, please don't post your email addresses on any public message board -- doing so leaves you vulnerable to people who spend their days trolling for this kind of information. That means spam, among other things. If you'd like to have members communicate with you via email, you have the option of making your email address public in your profile. These profiles are only available to registered members.
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It's extremely clear that some members have had problems with their vehicles, and those have been enumerated in depth and repeatedly. Other members have not been able to help in resolving these problems, and the process for seeking resolution offsite has already been outlined. Let's stop rehashing the same issues and move on.
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I just saw a GM commercial on TV with them touting how their vehicles hold their value. Aparantly we aren't so lucky.
Yet another addition to the list of reasons these vans are the worst thing to hit the road since skunk roadkill.
Did you not look at the van before you bought it? If you were unhappy with what you call 1990's seating configuration, then why did you buy it? Personally, the configuration has worked well for us with 3 kids. Today we picked up 67 cases of girlscout cookies, last week it was a twin bed and table, all without taking out the seats. No, they don't fold completely flat. But, again if you are one of the few that need the seats to completely vanish on a regular basis, why did you buy it? If you need to take them out a few times a year, you can do it, what's the big deal? I've done it once in 9 months of ownership.
One other point, with incentives I paid 7K less than sticker, or about 10K less than a comparably equiped Honda. For that kind of savings I can deal with seats that don't do majic.
The only problems we've had are the whistling noise on acceleration, and the side mouldings are begining to loosen. I haven't taken it in yet for the repairs. No engine or transmission issues in 14K. The electronics have been fantastic. The DVD and wireless headphones have been a favorite feature for the kids. Personally, I love the SUV stying. It doesn't look like any other van on the road. Wheels are cool, remote start exclusive. It's way more advance that what anyone offered in the 90's.
probably the only plasma screen tv we will every own!!!(because of the cost and all) I really enjoy the picture quality. Oh, and the multiple cup holders are a nice feature too. It is great that everyone in the car can have their own place to put their beverage. I like that the blinker is silent. Loud blinkers can be annoying. The low gas warning is great, except for when it doesn’t go on and you run out of gas. The power sliding doors are a big plus, especially since the kids can’t slam them. The only down side is when they open while the vehicle is in motion. And how about the dash? It looks so pretty when it is all lit up. It does not look as appealing when the lights dim down. The driver information center is a nice feature. Setting your own preferences is fun. It would be even better if it wasn't constantly telling you all of the failures your car was experiencing. I like the sunglass holders. They keep my glasses from getting broke by the kids. It would be helpful if they were a little larger to accommodate my husbands glasses. I like the built in car seat. It helps with leg room issues that you have when you put a standard car seat on the bucket seats. It is difficult to have a child sleep in it, however, unless you recline it a bit which inconveniently puts the seat onto the lap of the unfortunate person sitting behind said seat. The glove compartment is nice and roomy. And it is kind of awkward that there is only one arm rest on each of the front seats. I understand that it is only because of the side curtain air bags, but still very uncomfortable. And on that subject, how come the air bags only cover the middle seats. Am I just supposed to put my two favorite children in those seats and say sorry to the others????? Hmm what a choice to have to make. Anyway, when I bought this car, it quite honestly was for looks. I felt like I was too young to be a minivan mom. I think there should be a trial period on all new vehicles, so one could discover that all of the “cute” features the vehicle is equipped with are actually not so cute after all. And we won’t get into performance.
As far as resale, anyone paying anywhere close to full price on a first year model in this price range and then trying to unload it within a year or two should expect to take a huge hit. Domestics, especially Buicks, are even more prone to rapid market depreciation (hence once reason why they're significantly cheaper (after incentives) than the Honda, Toyota, etc).
We don't want to take away from the legitimate problems some people have had with their vans. Don't confuse vehicle problems with personal preferences & poor buying decisions
As for me, I've got a '05 LT that we're happy with (so far)... especially in terms of value. A few minor issues (horn, DVD buzzing)... but nothing that couldn't be addressed when I got the oil changed.
Some of those elements might not be favorable to other brands, but with the discounts, you probably got a comparably equipped Buick for about $5-$10k less than a Sienna, right?
For some of us, giving up a little torque & leg room & not pulling the DVD down until after we back out of our parking space are worth the savings relative to a Toyota or Honda.
Unexpected mechanical, electrical, etc problems are one thing... but in your case it sounds like you just made a bad buying decision based on your needs.
http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060213/SUB/60210130
I can't imagine GM not trying to get at least a few more years out of this model (for Chevy, Saturn, & Buick). Even if they decided today that they needed a better product in this segment, it would take at least 2-3 years to get it to market.
1) GM vans haven't been extremely competitive with the rest of the market (except possibly in Canada)
2) A from-scratch redesign was going to be too costly / time-consuming
3) Crossovers are the hot new ticket (and are really vans in drag anyway, with slightly less useable space and seating in most cases.. ie. CSV lite)
4) GM has had (hopefully) competitive crossovers on the drawing board for a while, and will soon bring them to market (see Buick Enclave show vehicle)
Because of the above facts I think GM simply decided to do a major refresh on the existing vans, but used mostly existing components. This is also the reason the 3.5l was chosen to power them initially, as the 3.9 wasn't yet ready and GM simply wanted the vans to hold the line until their true successors (see the crossover references above) are ready. This doesn't mean GM expected to gain market share, simply that they used what was currently on hand to keep from being eliminated totally from the market.
As far as the vans themselves, despite the bad experiences a few have had, and I agree your experiences have been pretty bad, many of us have had good experiences with the vehicles we bought, and find them to be an especially good value once you factor in what we got for what we paid.
I ordered this van so I could tow stuff- the trailering package includes the HD cooling and the wiring harness, but not the trailer hitch. If you get the trailer hitch from Chevrolet you pay $325-350 including installation- and they were quick to tell me that the trailer hitch would come with the wiring harness.
Sciteacher, or anybody else, how is the uplander for towing?
I've got a ~2000 lb popup trailer that is a bit heavy on the tongue wt. and was thinking about the Uplander.
Thoughts?
robert
I don't tow w/ mine, but it looks like it could handle your trailer if the trips are relatively short &/or infrequent. As it's not overly powered to begin with, a long trip through the mountains might be a stretch.
So as it stands right now, the SV6 would include the Sport Package, Convienence Package, Trailering Provisions (with Hitch included). My total price would be $27,341.00.
But we are still looking at other vehicles also (prices do not include rebates / incentives)
1. Mazda MPV LX ($26,765 after packages)
2. Pontiac SV6 ($27,341 after packages)
3. Ford Freestyle SEL ($27,460 Standard Equipment)
4. Nissan Quest 3.5 S Special Edition ($27,491 after packages)
My wife and I set a $28,000 limit for our purchase. The Mazda jumped up in the list after the car show, but also after our test drive. There is a local dealer that is both a Mazda & Pontiac Dealer, so we will be setting up a comparitive test drive with each vehicle (comparitive = wife takes one, I take other, then we switch). Unfortinately, my wife also had seen the Mazda 5 (seems a little small (and only has a 2.3ltr 4cyl.).
Odie
One of the problems I've seen when towing with other vehicles and slightly heavier tongue weights was that as the rear is pressed down the front gets light. Since that's where the steering wheels are everything starts to feel really darty. The auto-leveling rear suspension should reduce that issue, and from my buying experience the Terraza pricing is pretty much the same as pricing for the other brands so long as the equipment is roughly equivalent.
But yes, you would be better off with the 240HP / 240 lbs-ft 3.9ltr engine that is only avail with the FWD sport package. The only reason that the 3.9ltr is NOT avail with the AWD is that it will NOT fit with the rear transaxle.
Odie