TwiceOver's perpetual used SUV buying thread. Purchasing a Saturn Vue

[TwiceOver]

Dealer thus far isn't willing to play ball on the Honda Pilot. 85K miles and they want $15k which I think is ridiculous. the built in sub for the "7-Speaker" system is damaged and needs to be replaced (annoying rattles) also only comes with one key and these aren't standard, I would have to order them (would need 2). On top of those, needs new tires. Interior is what I would call "average" at best and several scratches in the paint. My mechanic who is very familiar with the Pilot checked it out and said it would be good to go.

Without better pricing, that one is off the list.

 

[uli2000]

what about a Subaru? Outback or Forrester wagons? Maybe that Mitsubishi crossover, the Outlander? Also, if you are consitering the Trailblazer, maybe look at the Izusu version, I dont remember the name but I think they may be even cheaper than the Trailblazer.

Edit: The rebadged Trailblazer was the Izusu Ascender.

Honestly, good snow tires are better than awd/4wd imo. On our FWD minivan, it was almost undrivable in the snow, but a few years back we bought some snow tires for it, and its a pleasure to drive in the winter now. We bought some Pirelli Scorpions and another set of rims, it ran a little less than $1k, and they've been great over the past 4 winters. We did replace one of them this year due to a tire chain from a truck going thru a sidewall, but you'd be hard pressed to tell the new one from the old ones.

 

[TwiceOver]

Looking at a 2003 Mazda Tribute. Any opinions?

 

[desy]

Guy at work has an 02 its fine but the Escape is identical and usually cheaper, Also the Vue is bigger and newer
http://www.epinions.com/review/auto_Make-2002_Ford_Escape/content_51002707588

 

[vi edit]

Looking at a 2003 Mazda Tribute. Any opinions?

Milage isn't very good for the size. Many reports of 18-20MPG on the highway. That age was before the refresh and still has that very dated, cheap mid 90's Ford cheap interior. Value wise, I think you are better looking at an Escape or Mariner. Particularly the Escape since there are billion of them on the road and you have more chance of finding similar cars from dealer to dealer to haggle.

http://www.finishlineford.net/used/...eoria-IL-327066a50a0a006400e565d7dd0abab8.htm

 

[TwiceOver]

Milage isn't very good for the size. Many reports of 18-20MPG on the highway. That age was before the refresh and still has that very dated, cheap mid 90's Ford cheap interior. Value wise, I think you are better looking at an Escape or Mariner. Particularly the Escape since there are billion of them on the road and you have more chance of finding similar cars from dealer to dealer to haggle.

http://www.finishlineford.net/used/...eoria-IL-327066a50a0a006400e565d7dd0abab8.htm

Not too worried about MPG. I'm basically trading one vehicle that gets 18mpg for a bigger one that gets the same. The Mazda is 47k miles and $9950. I haven't seen anything close to that low of miles in my research.

 

[desy]

This thread interests me because I'm looking to replace my 01 Windstar w 150k miles sometime in the next year.
I'll be looking at FWD SUVs though and even though I live in Saskatchewan we don't get lots of snow just frozen icy streets and tires are more important in my situation.

Dealing on a 05 Escape hybrid w80k miles for 8500 but as a private sale the guy is holding on to June before he sells it, so if I don't get it . . .

Next up is the 06/07 Vue for the reasons I gave bigger and improved styling and interior and Honda engine, knock on those is interior noise however from an 01 windstar?
Might look for the Vue hybrid as well but rarer and I'm perfectly willing to go another winter w the Windstar

Lastly the wife brought up the Highlander hybrid which I told her if you can find a deal on one just let me know, but we all know about Toyota resale.

Overall I'm not a huge fan of hybrids but when I can get one for 8500 I'll convert

 

[herm0016]

tribute = escape... just to be clear.
the vue seems like a great bargain right now too

my parents had an 02? envoy and just upgraded to an 08 envoy denali. the 02 had a bit over 200k on it. they did have to replace the bearings in the rear end once and had a few warranty issues but overall it held up to a lot of miles well. Step mom was on the road sales and covered a lot of the state of Michigan

 

[radioouman]

We have an '05 Pilot. Lots of room in there. Very wide vehicle. Gets about 17-18 mpg in average driving and 20-21 on a long highway drive. My wife drives it every day and really likes it. The power is pretty decent and it has been perfectly reliable. We tow our boat with it too (19 foot Bayliner).

 

[radioouman]

Dealer thus far isn't willing to play ball on the Honda Pilot. 85K miles and they want $15k which I think is ridiculous. the built in sub for the "7-Speaker" system is damaged and needs to be replaced (annoying rattles) also only comes with one key and these aren't standard, I would have to order them (would need 2). On top of those, needs new tires. Interior is what I would call "average" at best and several scratches in the paint. My mechanic who is very familiar with the Pilot checked it out and said it would be good to go.

Without better pricing, that one is off the list.

That is too much for a Pilot in my opinion unless it has some of the pricier options like navi or the towing package. (The tow package is the hitch, wiring, power steering cooler and transmission cooler... Dealers usually charge $1500 to install it.)

The sub would need to be repaired by the dealer. It looks like you can remove the panel to replace it easily but you can't. You have to remove all of the plastic from the back of right rear door to the tailgate. That includes the third row seat belt and the trim on that pillar.

The interior on these is very soft and tends to wear quickly. Don't rest 2x4's on the dashboard for that quick trip to Home Depot. The trim around the door handles and the cruise control tends to wear quickly too.

The drivetrain is pretty solid. The 03 and 04 models had some transmission problems occasionally but a change was made during 05 that took care of it. The transmission shifts strangely in my opinion anyway.

By the way, we bought our '05 Pilot in Dec. 2008 and it had 33,000 miles on it. We paid $15,500 which included the certified pre-owned warranty to 100,000 miles.

 

[Dr. Detroit]

Suzuki XL7 - 2006+

Has the fantastic GM 3.6L V6 in it.

I'd also look the Equinix, Pontiac Torrent and Saturn Vue - if you get a Saturn Vue V6 from 2002 - 2006 it came with a Honda V6 engine.

 

[vi edit]

Suzuki XL7 - 2006+

Has the fantastic GM 3.6L V6 in it.

I'd also look the Equinix, Pontiac Torrent and Saturn Vue - if you get a Saturn Vue V6 from 2002 - 2006 it came with a Honda V6 engine.

Having owned an '06 Equinox...don't.

 

[jacktesterson]

I recommend a Ford Escape V6 4x4.

Mine has been excellent. I drive a lot for work. My 06 has 320,000 kms and drives great. No major work other then wheel bearings and brakes.

Will buy another

Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk

 

[jacktesterson]

Oh
My father loves his 05 CRV too

Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk

 

[TwiceOver]

Thanks for more input everyone. Just back from driving the Tribute. Very close to buying it but it had some mechanical issues that I cannot get past. They might be minor but I got a bad feeling and had to walk away since it is in another city and I dont have a trusted mechanic there. The interior was nothing special but for an 8yr old car, it only had 47k miles and looked nearly new. Ohh well the search continues.

 

[SparkyJJO]

Keep in mind the Tribute is the same thing as a Ford Escape and the Mercury Mariner. So if you liked the Tribute in general, look at Escapes and Mariners. Those are more plentiful to come by than a Tribute.

 

[TwiceOver]

Keep in mind the Tribute is the same thing as a Ford Escape and the Mercury Mariner. So if you liked the Tribute in general, look at Escapes and Mariners. Those are more plentiful to come by than a Tribute.

Yup... Really the only reason I even looked at it was because of the mileage and condition.

 

[TwiceOver]

My mechanic's daughter is selling her saturn vue so going to take a look at that today.

 

[TwiceOver]

Wow Saturn Vue was very nice. 70000 miles and still has the warranty up to 100k. Loaded! Will need tires in a year, but I can live with that. I think we found our suv. Plus it is my mechanic's daughter's vehicle so I trust him and the service he has done. Best of all $12200.

 

[T2urtle]

I like this vue. First Gen 05-06 v6 Honda motor. Same as the mdx. Looks like Edmund places it around $9000. Decent daily. I gotta show my mother this vue. Hopefully its not made of plastic like this 95 Saturn couple a friend had.

Sent from my Nexus One

 

[saratoga172]

My girlfriend has a Saturn Vue currently. '04 with 98k on it. She loves it. It's the 4 cylinder 5 speed. Shifter is a tad clunky and I didn't like the floaty feel compares to my MZ3 but it was nice overall. We took it on a road trip to California and back. My only gripe with it was that it felt a little underpowered on the highway. (Most of the highways were posted at 75 going through NM and AZ). Of course it weighs about 800-1000 pounds more than my MZ3 and has 30 less HP, less torque and was loaded down with people, luggage.

Overall nice little SUV. What year are you looking at. And V6 or 4 cylinder?

 

[TwiceOver]

I like this vue. First Gen 05-06 v6 Honda motor. Same as the mdx. Looks like Edmund places it around $9000. Decent daily. I gotta show my mother this vue. Hopefully its not made of plastic like this 95 Saturn couple a friend had.

Sent from my Nexus One

The one I'm looking at is a 2007 which has the Honda drivetrain. Probably putting an offer on it. Also the one I had was loaded except it had this faux leather, pleather, plastic type material for the seating. This is actuall good for us due to our child.

EDIT: For reference this is a 2007 Saturn Vue V6 AWD sunroof, heated seats, remote start, 70k miles, 7yr/100k warranty. $12,200 and I keep my Nissan to resell to some pizza delivery driver.

I think it's a good deal. Books at 14,500, but I don't really believe in KBB.

 

[Kaervak]

I like this vue. First Gen 05-06 v6 Honda motor. Same as the mdx. Looks like Edmund places it around $9000. Decent daily. I gotta show my mother this vue. Hopefully its not made of plastic like this 95 Saturn couple a friend had.

Sent from my Nexus One

The body panels are polymer on the VUE line up to the rebadge in 2008. After that it's just another GM badge engineering product. Anyway, DO NOT under any circumstance buy a VTi VUE. The transmissions are garbage. If it's advertised as AWD and 4CYL it's a VTi. The Honda powered VUE's are very nice, make sure to change the timing belt at 100k. The only downside to the AWD VUE's is the VersaTrak AWD system. It's not the greatest and is a bit finicky. Regular fluid changes on the rear diff are highly recommended. There's a ton more info over at http://www.saturnfans.com/forums/ about what to look for.

 

[FuzzyDunlop]

I have a 09 Saturn Vue XR. I really like it. Its AWD and has 260hp and 260torque. Gets up and goes if you really need it too. This is the new model though. They restyled the Vues for 09-10. So Im not sure about the old Vue`s, but I like my 09. :thumb:

 

[TwiceOver]

Put in an offer of $12k flat AND have her dad (my mechanic) install a remote start kit. Looks like we have a deal!