With the GF's Wrangler seizing the engine last week, we are down to one vehicle. I have an 80 mile per day commute and she has a 40 mile a day commute in the opposite direction. I have a Turo rental this week but I'm under the gun to find a decent beater by the end of the week. With the used car market being what it is now, its damn near impossible to find something that won't kill me for under $4k. This had led me to broaden my search and look for things I wouldn't have given a second look at before.
All this leads me to this:
I found a 2003 Saturn Vue on FB Marketplace. It's the 2.2L FWD version with the F23 5 speed transmission. It has 165k miles and appears to be in good shape. The dude is asking $2400. From some basic research, it seems most of the problems were the 3.5/CVT versions. I see all versions suffer from subframe rust. And there is some electrical issues.
Is this the most reliable version of the least reliable GM vehicle? Will I hate myself if I buy this thing?
RevRico
UltimaDork
12/12/22 2:05 p.m.
In reply to stanger_mussle (Supported by GRM undergarments) :
My buddy Mike had one for a long long time. Subframe rust finally did it in.
Think of it almost like an early 00s greatest hits from GM. Plastic body, 2.2 ecotec, getrag f23. Same "high quality" GM plastics of the era inside though.
It was a good commuter. Buttons and switches took some time to get used to. Changing the front hubs SUCKED, but that was before we had a hydraulic press. If I recall, 20 something mpg on highway trips.
In reply to RevRico :
I will definitely be checking for subframe rust.
I keep telling myself that its basically a tall Chevy Cobalt and those things seem like cockroaches. I'm not expecting much as far as fit and finish. I just want it to be dependable enough for a commuter.
Mr_Asa
UltimaDork
12/12/22 2:20 p.m.
Anything else you're looking for? If you just want an appliance, there seem to be a decent amount of Corollas, Camrys, Malibus, Foci, and others.
Saw a manual Scion tC in that price range, which is basically a Corolla
Civic
Try a first gen Chevy Equinox (Theta platform). Since you have the getrag you are ahead of the game. The CVTs in the 4cyl versions suck so bad that GM replaced them with 4t45s midway through 2005. So, coackroach-ish..
Guy at work had Saturns close to 25 years and this was his last one. Original clutch at 150,000 - only issue was he slid into wall and banged it up then decided he needed to upgrade for his commute.
Body and unibody good? Go for it.
I like mine but others did not, it's all detailed in this old 7 page thread. But, it was also years ago.
It was good but not great. Mpg was 26 combined if you kept it at 65 or less.
It's a parts bin vehicle and all GM (if that's good or bad to you.). It has zero sporting capabilities so I recommend not trying to make it sporting.
In reply to Mr_Asa :
I was looking for a RAV4/CR-V sized CUV. I need something a little bigger than a compact car. I'd love to find a CR-V for $4k that wasn't used up. Its a very tough used market segment right now.
Lowball the hell out of him. I promise you that no one is shopping for a manual trans, cute ute these days even though Saturn sold a lot of them back in the day.
John Welsh said:
I like mine but others did not, it's all detailed in this old 7 page thread. But, it was also years ago.
It was good but not great. Mpg was 26 combined if you kept it at 65 or less.
It's a parts bin vehicle and all GM (if that's good or bad to you.). It has zero sporting capabilities so I recommend not trying to make it sporting.
Confession:
I was already looking for sport shifters and lowering springs. Why am I like this?
In reply to stanger_mussle (Supported by GRM undergarments) :
You'll be disappointed! The shifter is not sporty but more like "the need to change the gears yourself."
Keep the revs under 3k for best mpg (which is only 26.). It's very under powered and slightly wrong geared. The boxy shape and small engine means 3,000 rpm at 65 mph.
The 4cyl/manual Vue is a dependable, uninspiring ride. "Tall Cobalt" is about right and like you said they're automotive cockroaches. A friend had one long term and loved it, for what it was. I drove it some and liked it too. Uninspiring yes but also no pretentions of anything higher than a good commuter.
I do wonder why you need a bigger car / SUV for an emergency commuter - I would be all over the Civic that Mr Asa linked to. Better build quality, better fuel mileage (super important for 40 and 80 mile commutes!) and much more fun to drive.
stanger_mussle (Supported by GRM undergarments) said:
Here is the Vue in question:
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/532524522128995/
It has optional cruise control which are the buttons on the steering wheel.
The center stack is cracked from behind. This is from hitting the hazard switch too hard which results in the round hazard button falling inside the center stack (top, left of center stack.)
I nearly guarantee that it needs a rear wheel bearing...they all do. Not a hard job if it's not rusted in place like they are here in the north.
Any squeaking in the front end will be bad sway bar links which are made of paper machete but it's just noise, not a situation of "unsafe."
If the shifter is hard to move, it needs shifter cables replaced. Common.
If something bigger than compact car is needed, consider minivan.
Yes, mpg not quite as good as CUV, but they're aren't the "it" car right now and therefore you should be able to get a nicer car for same money.
John Welsh said:
Buy a high mileage Gen2 Prius, you won't regret it
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/850198852890172/?mibextid=dXMIcH
Quoted for DAMN he brought the business. New battery, under warranty. 48mpg versus what does your truck get? Even versus the Vue you'd be saving $5/DAY on gas at 80 miles/day. At 80 miles/day, MPG and reliability beats all and here's your Answer. Get off the treadmill and save some money.
I drove one years ago when I was working detail at the Saturn dealer. All the mechanical issues I remembered with Saturns were the v6 models... 2.2 5mt should be about as reliable as anything on the road in your price range. On a somewhat related note, I find myself unexplainably attached to the worst appliances. The things I've bought to do a job rather than be projects or "racecar". 1984 Plymouth horizon, 1997 6cyl grand Cherokee 4x2, 1993 Accord, 2005 MGM, 2005 focus mt... more. What I'm saying is you may find yourself falling in love with a toaster.
The Prius is within rounding error for interior volume versus the Vue. Prius = 50.7 cu ft with rear set folded down, 27.4 with it up. Vue is 54 with rear seat folded down, 29 with it up. Basically the same size inside, nearly double the fuel economy.
dculberson said:
The Prius is within rounding error for interior volume versus the Vue. Prius = 50.7 cu ft with rear set folded down, 27.4 with it up. Vue is 54 with rear seat folded down, 29 with it up. Basically the same size inside, nearly double the fuel economy.
This is due to measurement differences. I have plenty of experience with both, and the VUE has a much, much larger cargo area. Also btw the numbers you posted are for the 08+, which is a different animal all together. The 07- is listed as 63cu ft. seats down.
The VUE is a lot of utility for the $. Its reliable and uninspiring. The worst thing about it is that the RAV4 and CRV exist. The 5 spd is fine and the control is appreciated on a car with so little power. It would be a great around town beater where you need to carry a respectable amount of cargo, including people. They tow ok as well (V6 is rated for 3500lbs IIRC). They are a tolerable do-everything vehicle, but definitely not a great at anything. If you get one, first thing to do is replace the dampers, because they are not fun when worn out, and even fresh they are pretty softly spring vehicles that may make passengers nauseated.
We had one with 135k on it and there wasn't a spec of rust anywhere, but this is NC.
STM317
PowerDork
12/12/22 3:54 p.m.
Not only would a Civic or Prius save you money on fuel, but it will likely be easier to sell when you're done with it too.
A 20 year old Saturn CUV with a manual trans might prove to be hard to rid yourself of when you're ready to move on.
The 5 speed vue has an interesting transmission setup. It's still the f23 but they come with a 4.41 final drive in them. Guys racing manual ecotecs in oval racing on tracks bigger than a 1/4 mile love using the vue manual in their cars as the 3.94 and 3.84 versions used in cars are geared terrible for oval racing.
I think VUEs are also common donors for the throttle pedal for some reason, and definitely common race car donors for the electric steering column which you can buy a controller for off Ebay.
Mr_Asa
UltimaDork
12/12/22 4:50 p.m.
stanger_mussle (Supported by GRM undergarments) said:
In reply to Mr_Asa :
I was looking for a RAV4/CR-V sized CUV. I need something a little bigger than a compact car. I'd love to find a CR-V for $4k that wasn't used up. Its a very tough used market segment right now.
I did see a Ford Ranger Edge on CL in that price range?
Another thought, late 90s/early 00s explorer. Cheap as dirt, even today. Thirsty, but cheap. Also available with 5.0 goodness. ... just saying.
