I said I'd NEVER buy one of these but..............

[MrObsessive]

I was never a real big fan of trucks, Crossovers and SUV's. One reason was because to me they seemed to be "too much" as I'm a single guy with no kids to cart around, and they seemed to sit up "too high" which is not the type of stance I care for in a 1:1 vehicle.

Well, recently I had an incident with my Challenger where I wanted some work done on it (tune-up among other things) and what should have been a few hours at the dealer, turned into a TWO DAY job. Seemed as though there was some kind of issue with a car that was before mine (I suspect there was an accident), which held up work to be done on my car for quite a while. It occurred to me after I got the car back that I should really consider getting a second car for the simple reason of where I live. I live in a somewhat rural area and there's NO public transportation of any sort UNLESS you can get a taxi which can be very expensive. If there's an emergency, I'm at the mercy of nearby neighbors which can be a headache as I'd not know what plans they have or if they're even at home.

I decided to look around to see what was out there......my criteria was that it had to be something that was going to be "winter friendly" as I'm at a point in the Challenger's life where I no longer want to drive it through the winter if at all possible. Saturn had popped into my mind as I had one before, but I didn't want another coupe like I had. I was on eBay one day back in mid July and I came across an auction where a dealer here in PA had one listed. It was a Saturn Vue with a five speed so my curiosity got the best of me so I read the description thoroughly.

The dealer (in New Hope, PA which is about two hours away from me) had excellent feedback from other customers so I bid on the car and waited for the dealer to contact me. Mind you, I've never bought a car off the 'Bay, so this would be an interesting experience. I put up the $500 deposit after the auction was done, and then drove out to the dealer to take a good long look. The car was everything as described, and I drove it for a bit with no issues. It ran well, I saw no signs of oil leakage, or any issues with a slipping clutch. The car had a background check with it and no signs of wreck damage and it was originally a one owner car from NJ. It had just over 77,000 miles on it which was terrific for what's now a 15 year old vehicle (2006).

Here it is in my driveway now...........save for an issue with the shifter cable about two weeks after I bought it, I've had no trouble at all. I took these pics not long after I bought it......I'm just now getting them posted after I switched phones and have them on my hard disc.

Pay no attention to the weeds!  

Nice "anti theft" device.....  

The antenna got bent when I tried to take it through a wash, forgot to take it off and it got snagged. No biggie as I was able to straighten it out, but I've since replaced it with a shorter one.

There's a local fella that runs a car detailing biz....he did a very good job on the Challenger late last year and I'm scheduled to take this one in later in the month. Now I'll be set for winter and I can keep the other one parked and drive it only on nice days (or occasionally a light rain shower.)

Edited October 2, 2021 by MrObsessive

[ZTony8]

You lucked out in finding a stick. Most had that AWFUL CVT that no one can fix and GM only used to service as an exchange that needed several special fluids before it even left the shop.

[MrObsessive]

Yeah Tony..........I absolutely do not like the CVT's at all, and it definitely needed to be a manual with the four cylinder. Since Saturn is no longer around, Chevy dealers will work on them. The rear struts were a bit weak for the tailgate, so I did take it to a Chevy dealer and they replaced them at a reasonable price.

My next door neighbor just bought a new Ford Escape which has a "dial" in place of a shifter. I can just hear the crazy stories now when those start to fail and the expense in fixing those! ? ?

[StevenGuthmiller]

I know that some guys say that they don't like SUv's, but if you need some space, what is your option?

A MINI-VAN!!!!! ?

 

 

 

 

Steve

[espo]

I would say if the chassis looks as good as the body  with no rust this should work well. A thought on your adventure at the car wash. I have started using local car washes that have the brushless drive thru units. Keep a good coat of wax on the finish and this type of car wash doesn't leave any scratches from brushes. I'm not a big fan of this style of vehicle either but my wife is so her new cars is of this style, I have to admit it's great for our Costco runs. 

[MrObsessive]

31 minutes ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

I know that some guys say that they don't like SUv's, but if you need some space, what is your option?

A MINI-VAN!!!!! ?

Steve

I'd take any Crossover or SUV over a Mini-Van! NEVER liked those from the beginning and they were once on my "Top Ten Warning Signs of Danger" list when it comes to driving. Years ago, practically each time I'd have a close call with someone driving dumb, they'd be in a BROWN mini-van. Absolutely don't like 'em!

30 minutes ago, espo said:

I would say if the chassis looks as good as the body  with no rust this should work well. A thought on your adventure at the car wash. I have started using local car washes that have the brushless drive thru units. Keep a good coat of wax on the finish and this type of car wash doesn't leave any scratches from brushes. I'm not a big fan of this style of vehicle either but my wife is so her new cars is of this style, I have to admit it's great for our Costco runs. 

I took a peak underneath when I was first looking it over and all looks solid. Even the inner fenders on the chassis side look good as I see no surface rust starting. That wasn't the case with my Ion Coupe which was showing surface rust on the inner fenders and the car wasn't quite 10 years old at the time I had it.

I suspect this one was owned by an older person judging by the miles on it, and may have been garage kept.

As far as the car wash, the one I went to was the "rag type". They don't use the spinning bristles which I don't like in the least. Probably the antenna got snagged on one of the rags and it's the type you can't lower. I can easily take it off its base if I plan on going again.......or better yet, I'll be washing it and then there's no worries. ☺️

I'll admit it is a lot more convenient and practical to load large/heavy items in it. Every so often because I have three cats, I buy the industrial size litter for their litter box. It's MUCH nicer not having to lift that big, heavy box into the high liftover trunk in the Challenger.

[espo]

1 minute ago, MrObsessive said:

I'd take any Crossover or SUV over a Mini-Van! NEVER liked those from the beginning and they were once on my "Top Ten Warning Signs of Danger" list when it comes to driving. Years ago, practically each time I'd have a close call with someone driving dumb, they'd be in a BROWN mini-van. Absolutely don't like 'em!

I took a peak underneath when I was first looking it over and all looks solid. Even the inner fenders on the chassis side look good as I see no surface rust starting. That wasn't the case with my Ion Coupe which was showing surface rust on the inner fenders and the car wasn't quite 10 years old at the time I had it.

I suspect this one was owned by an older person judging by the miles on it, and may have been garage kept.

As far as the car wash, the one I went to was the "rag type". They don't use the spinning bristles which I don't like in the least. Probably the antenna got snagged on one of the rags and it's the type you can't lower. I can easily take it off its base if I plan on going again.......or better yet, I'll be washing it and then there's no worries. ☺️

I'll admit it is a lot more convenient and practical to load large/heavy items in it. Every so often because I have three cats, I buy the industrial size litter for their litter box. It's MUCH nicer not having to lift that big, heavy box into the high liftover trunk in the Challenger.

One of the reasons I'm not a fan of any of the car wash places that have a direct contact with the surface of the car is that dirt and grit doesn't always get washed off of the rags or anything else for that matter and that as well as any grit already that is on your car then gets rubbed into the surface of your paint and will often leave fine scratches in the paint. The high powered water jets seem to clean very well and don't leave any scratches. I do the blow dry and then chamois any water left around the trim and door frames. 

[keyser]

Nice find. Stick’em up too. Drive in health Bill. 

[BlackSheep214]

Nothing wrong with Toyota RAV4s, Honda CR-Vs or Nissan Rogues..... All are good vehicles and reliable too. You got lucky on a Saturn and wish you the best. 

[MrObsessive]

23 minutes ago, BlackSheep214 said:

Nothing wrong with Toyota RAV4s, Honda CR-Vs or Nissan Rogues..... All are good vehicles and reliable too. You got lucky on a Saturn and wish you the best. 

Thomas, I thought about a new/newer vehicle for a quick minute, but I'm at a point in life where I really don't want to deal with any more car payments as BOTH vehicles are paid for and I have titles in hand.

That was one of the criteria that was embedded on my mind when I wanted to get another car. VERY low or no car payments at all. I just hate that monthly bill staring at me with full coverage to boot for insurance. I don't know how folks do it with payments dragged out for six, seven, and now I'm hearing EIGHT years. That's simply INSANE!

If the car had over 100,000 on it with its age, I probably would have passed on it. Since I've had Saturns before, I'm familiar with the quirks and other things that can go wrong with them at a certain point in mileage. That this one is a manual was also a MAJOR plus for me.

[Tom Geiger]

Hey Bill!   Good luck with the Saturn!   Hoping your detailing guy can get the fuzz out of the headlights!  

I hear ya on not wanting something. Back in the day GM had the most annoying GEO commercials... three people, two girls and a guy dressed up as cheerleaders...  "We're the GEO TRIO!"    It as soooo annoying I swore I'd never buy one.   And of course I've had two! ?

Back when I bought my Geo Tracker new, I couldn't find one with a 5 speed.  They all were automatics!   I finally found mine on a lot, I saw it when the dealer was closed and went back.  As we approached the car, the salesman said it was nearly perfect but it ONLY had a 5 speed!   I took that as a cue to go nutz!  Oh no!  Not an automatic?  What will we do?  Each time I hesitated the price went down.

And yes, the prices people pay for cars these days.  I live under a rock so I had no idea!  A few weeks ago someone had a used Toyota pickup for sale on Facebook Marketplace for $45,000!   I was floored.   Then I took a look and realized what people are paying for a new Ford pickup!  Frickin house payments for eight years!   Amazing!  Not you or I my friend!

 

[HomerS]

7 hours ago, MrObsessive said:

I was never a real big fan of trucks, Crossovers and SUV's. One reason was because to me they seemed to be "too much" as I'm a single guy with no kids to cart around, and they seemed to sit up "too high" which is not the type of stance I care for in a 1:1 vehicle.

 

I said the same thing about owning a mini van 'til we had the Nissan Quest (the unique design when Nissan had their CA studio doing them).  The four wheel independent suspension and the same 3.5L as the Maxima made me change my mind!

[Bucky]

Nice grab on the Saturn! It should serve you well. I actually worked on the construction of the Saturn plant in Spring Hill, TN. Got to see a lot of practice runs on all phases of the manufacture of the coupes and sedans. They recycled a lot of scrap before they got it like they wanted it.

[Jim B]

Nice looking Saturn Vue.  I had one of those a long time ago.  It have the manual transmission as well.  I really liked my Vue, sadly with two kids we had to switch to a mini van.  Most cars today seem to be crossovers or SUVs.  Not many sedans left (here in the US at least).

[gotnitro?]

Nice Vue ! Should last ya a good while and keep the miles / wear off the Challenger 

[Brian Austin]

I know people who still own Saturns.  They do seem to keep going.

 

Don't think of it as an SUV...think of it as a station wagon.  :-)

[Bucky]

I've seen quite a few of the Saturn Vue being pulled around behind very expensive motorhomes. They make a nifty runabout when yer on vacation. 

[Tom Geiger]

Hmmm.. I’ve owned three Chrysler minivans.  A 1984 Caravan, 1990 Grand Voyager and the 1996 Grand Caravan Mark III high top I still own. Over 206,000 on it and it does utility duty now. The seats have been in the garage for years.  

Ive pretty much kept it to ferry in all the supplies for NNL East each year. One year someone looked in the open rear hatch, noticed stuff jammed all the way to the inside of the raised top and said, “it’s amazing the whole show fits in there”

[StevenGuthmiller]

33 minutes ago, Tom Geiger said:

Hmmm.. I’ve owned three Chrysler minivans.  A 1984 Caravan, 1990 Grand Voyager and the 1996 Grand Caravan Mark III high top I still own. Over 206,000 on it and it does utility duty now. The seats have been in the garage for years.  

Ive pretty much kept it to ferry in all the supplies for NNL East each year. One year someone looked in the open rear hatch, noticed stuff jammed all the way to the inside of the raised top and said, “it’s amazing the whole show fits in there”

Nothing wrong with minivans per say.

It's just the "old fogy" stigma that comes along with them.

 

It's kind of funny how you can very often predict what kind of person will be driving a particular type of car before you ever see them.

90% of the time when I see a big Buick, Cadillac or Lincoln sedan it's a senior citizen driving it.

There are more than one reason why this seems to be the case more often then not, but I always remember what my father used to say about old people in big cars.

 

"They can't drive anymore, so they're protecting themselves by wrapping as much steel around their *ss as possible"!

 

 

 

Steve 

[slusher]

17 hours ago, MrObsessive said:

Yeah Tony..........I absolutely do not like the CVT's at all, and it definitely needed to be a manual with the four cylinder. Since Saturn is no longer around, Chevy dealers will work on them. The rear struts were a bit weak for the tailgate, so I did take it to a Chevy dealer and they replaced them at a reasonable price.

My next door neighbor just bought a new Ford Escape which has a "dial" in place of a shifter. I can just hear the crazy stories now when those start to fail and the expense in fixing those! ? ?

Real nice Saturn Bill, my neighbor bought one new a white one I always thought it was a nice looking SUV.

 

[tbill]

Congrats on the new ride!

 

You’ll be amazed at how many model kits will fit in the back of that thing?

[MrObsessive]

45 minutes ago, tbill said:

Congrats on the new ride!

 

You’ll be amazed at how many model kits will fit in the back of that thing?

LOL!!  

[Repstock]

16 hours ago, BlackSheep214 said:

Nothing wrong with Toyota RAV4s, Honda CR-Vs or Nissan Rogues..... All are good vehicles and reliable too. You got lucky on a Saturn and wish you the best. 

I have a Rav4 myself. I'll drive anything if it's trouble-free. I can also get up to 43mpg on the freeway. I also hate the CVT. My Rav4 has an eight speed automatic.  it does everything well I ask of it...except look good.

[Tom Geiger]

11 hours ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

Nothing wrong with minivans per say.

It's just the "old fogy" stigma that comes along with them.

Kinda like station wagons when we were teenagers?  You'd do anything not to be seen in your parents Chevy wagon!

But now we think they're cool!

[keyser]

I’ve got E63 wagon my wife hates. They had wagons when she was kid. I finally got her a smallish GLC suv, lowered it. Loves it. Barely taller than my wagon. ??‍♂️??  
First one I could live with. Always liked the Saturn. Stick makes it.