Google Image, 2002 Saturn Vue This is a google image but it sure looks like ours. We bought it in about May of 2002.
I saw it, told my wife about it, and we agreed. Common sense lost out, we just had to have it.
She picked out the color and I think she chose well. We found common ground on the drive train. We wanted the four cylinder and that was no problem. The salesman tried to sell us the transmission of the future (CVT) and I told him that was a deal breaker. We wound up with a manual five speed and I have to say we were both pretty pleased. It was the first manual I ever drove that had cruise control. It would pull 30 mpg on the highway and pretty close to that with what constitutes city driving for us.
I saw it, told my wife about it, and we agreed. Common sense lost out, we just had to have it.
She picked out the color and I think she chose well. We found common ground on the drive train. We wanted the four cylinder and that was no problem. The salesman tried to sell us the transmission of the future (CVT) and I told him that was a deal breaker. We wound up with a manual five speed and I have to say we were both pretty pleased. It was the first manual I ever drove that had cruise control. It would pull 30 mpg on the highway and pretty close to that with what constitutes city driving for us.
We used it for the family car and we had a pretty active life style. I think this picture is from 2004. The first big trip was in 2002 when we drove from Houston to Victoria, British Columbia. The second was when we pulled this rig from Houston to Michigan for a family reunion. We spent most of the 2-3 weeks vacation camping out in the state parks. We especially liked the Michigan upper peninsula although crossing the Macinac Bridge did give some pause for thought. Our favorite park was right at the foot of the northern end.
This was a typical campsite. I don’t recall us doing anything quite this primitive since.
It was a fairly heavy load and the car did just great. I remember that trip as one of the most fun that Sally and I ever had. It certainly was the longest time spent without a real bed.
It was a fairly heavy load and the car did just great. I remember that trip as one of the most fun that Sally and I ever had. It certainly was the longest time spent without a real bed.
The closest we came to a casualty was the spare tire shown in this picture. The trailer threw that shoe in central Missouri. We fielded a lot of questions about the car and how it was holding up. Had to answer even more on the trailer.
An abscessed tooth put me in a hotel in Munising (upper peninsula) and after treatment we headed back to Texas.
All of us have heard about marriages that were fine at the start but turned bad. If I remember correctly, this one began to turn really sour before 50k miles.
All of us have heard about marriages that were fine at the start but turned bad. If I remember correctly, this one began to turn really sour before 50k miles.
Google Image of Palo Duro Canyon. Near Amarillo, Texas. This is where it started to go bad. Palo Duro Canyon. This picture absolutely does it an injustice. Wikipedia lists it as the second largest canyon in the United States. We decided to visit it while on a business trip to the Amarillo area. We were appropriately impressed.
There is a long winding road (6,000 feet) to the bottom and the instructions are explicit. Place your vehicle in first gear and use your engine as well as your brakes while heading down. We were not towing a trailer, nor were we otherwise heavily loaded. I followed instructions and the transmission started howling. It kept being loud and by the time we got back to Houston it didn’t want to stay in low gear.
Saturn kept trying to say it sounded fine (still under warranty) but it popped out of gear with the mechanic in the car and he couldn’t un-see that.
Not long after that we started leaking clutch fluid and it was diagnosed as a bad slave cylinder. Unfortunately the design meant that what cost less than 50 bucks on my Nissan Truck was about $600 with Saturn. The bell housing had to be removed to get to the cylinder. We were assured that the clutch package all looked fine so we left it.
There is a long winding road (6,000 feet) to the bottom and the instructions are explicit. Place your vehicle in first gear and use your engine as well as your brakes while heading down. We were not towing a trailer, nor were we otherwise heavily loaded. I followed instructions and the transmission started howling. It kept being loud and by the time we got back to Houston it didn’t want to stay in low gear.
Saturn kept trying to say it sounded fine (still under warranty) but it popped out of gear with the mechanic in the car and he couldn’t un-see that.
Not long after that we started leaking clutch fluid and it was diagnosed as a bad slave cylinder. Unfortunately the design meant that what cost less than 50 bucks on my Nissan Truck was about $600 with Saturn. The bell housing had to be removed to get to the cylinder. We were assured that the clutch package all looked fine so we left it.
Google Image This is how I prefer to remember this beauty. A very roomy interior that was ideal for trips. The passenger can stretch out and relax. Right about here is the point we decided Sally needed to be in something more reliable but we still liked the brand. We liked it a lot. We bought a new 2007 Saturn Vue with a Honda V6 drive train.
Google Image Since we had now replaced a transmission, clutch cylinder and a couple computers, we thought it would be dependable enough for me to drive. This image of the rear interior shows why it was desirable to me. In addition to the interior being very handy, it had a good air conditioner (we had replaced the compressor before it’s time) and radio. Those were things that were unusual for me. Then the “certified to be good” clutch went out.
Google Image The thing that killed it for me happened at about 180k miles. 2002 was the first year for the Vue. I am told that the Ecotec engine from 2002-2003 had an oil hole that was too small. It caused poor oil flow and premature wear on the timing chain. Mine snapped on the way to work one morning.
If I heard it once, I heard it a dozen times: They had this fixed by 2004. That ranges from computers to timing chains.
If I heard it once, I heard it a dozen times: They had this fixed by 2004. That ranges from computers to timing chains.
We had poured enough money into this one way relationship and decided to cut bait. We also rid ourselves of the 2007 although it had not done one thing wrong.
When our Vue was running it convinced me that an SUV with a trailer is more versatile and appropriate for our life style than a pickup. I think the features were outstanding and the concept served so well that I desperately wanted it to work. Sometimes it did but I would hate to see a tally of cost per mile.
A second go round with an Olds Bravada caused me to forego General Motors mid size SUVs from that point on. We have had Nissan and Toyota vehicles since and I have no desire to go back. This 4Runner has 205k miles on the odometer and I drove it for a year with no speedometer. The 4wd causes me to get less fuel economy but it doesn't seem to break.The engine is Non-interference if the timing belt goes. Dogs go in the back seat and tools go in the trailer. Nothing like this is permanent but life is good.
When our Vue was running it convinced me that an SUV with a trailer is more versatile and appropriate for our life style than a pickup. I think the features were outstanding and the concept served so well that I desperately wanted it to work. Sometimes it did but I would hate to see a tally of cost per mile.
A second go round with an Olds Bravada caused me to forego General Motors mid size SUVs from that point on. We have had Nissan and Toyota vehicles since and I have no desire to go back. This 4Runner has 205k miles on the odometer and I drove it for a year with no speedometer. The 4wd causes me to get less fuel economy but it doesn't seem to break.The engine is Non-interference if the timing belt goes. Dogs go in the back seat and tools go in the trailer. Nothing like this is permanent but life is good.
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