Reply With QuoteYour civic needed 3 grand in repairs and they still gave you above KBB value? You are the man (or woman). Can you go with me next time I'm purchasing a car? J/K get those pics up....
Well, after realizing that I was facing close to $3000 in various repairs to the Civic, on top of the money I already had in it, I decided that it just wasn't worth it. So I looked around for a suitable replacement. My main criteria were that it had to be a new or newer car with <100K miles, and under $15,000.
After test driving a few cars, I stopped by what's left of Saturn of the Mountain Empire (basically just parts/service and a used car lot for the Acura/Mazda dealership it shares a lot with) to see if they had a used Astra 5-door. As soon as I pulled onto the lot, I saw the car I wanted. It's a Black Onyx 2004 Saturn VUE Red Line. It has a Honda 3.5L V6, 5 speed automatic, AWD, and it's fully loaded.
After driving it, checking the service records, checking the carfax, and giving it a good going over, I decided to go for it. It has 91K miles on it, which is a little more than I initially wanted, but for the price I got, plus what they gave me trade on the Civic (well over KBB trade value), I couldn't pass it up. I absolutely love the car, it's got more than enough power, and I was surprised at the gas mileage. I got 20 MPG in town on the 1/2 tank I used. Definitely not too shabby.
I'll get some pics tomorrow when it's light out.
Your civic needed 3 grand in repairs and they still gave you above KBB value? You are the man (or woman). Can you go with me next time I'm purchasing a car? J/K get those pics up....
Yeah, the dealership said they couldn't come off of their asking price, so I talked them up on the trade, so it all worked out in the end. The only problem they really knew about in it was the A/C compressor. They didn't actually drive the car, just looked it over in the parking lot, so that worked to my advantage.
But I love the VUE. 0-60 is rated at 6.58 secs, 1/4 mile time is rated at 14.86 secs @ 87.36 MPH. So it performs better than a stock EP. And I have to say, with the Red Line package, it handles very well for a small SUV. I just have to keep an eye on my speed, because I'm used to the Civic and S-series Saturns, so it's way too easy to just creep up past the speed limit and not notice.
Anyway, I'm off to go take some pictures of it.
Well, I didn't really have time to get any good pics before I go to work, but here are a few I took using my phone...
got any interior and engine pics?
looks nice.
Those Saturn guys were probably desperate to get some of their cars sold. No offense, I have nothing against the Saturn brand, but I can't help but notice that people aren't busting down their doors at the dealership anymore.
Looks nice though, I just picked up something AWD myself and I've been loving it.
Not a fan of Saturn myself but thats a nice looking SUV good buy.
not a Saturn fan (the cars are too big IMO) but glad to hear you picked up something that wont give you much trouble as the EP did
PSN: theehuggybear
Nice pick up. The redline series stuff is pretty good.
Are you going to rock a 'powered by honda' sticker? LOL
Not a huge fan of Saturns. Didn't have good luck with the SC2 I had before I picked up my Civic. But grats.
not a saturn fan as well i hear they are very reliable. But You Came Up! 8)
My '97 SL2, is still one of my favorite cars I've owned...
Is the black color the same as that awesome black-gold color from the late 90s? Congrats!
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