Originally Posted By: mpvue
Originally Posted By: Familyguy
Originally Posted By: Lucky
I purchased a 2008 Saturn Aura XR last year. I was recently considering a 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe and I was shocked at the resale value offered for my extremely clean, low mile Aura XR. I like the car and it drives very well. I bought it because I was considering a Saab 9-3 and the cars have several similarities and the Saturn had a better motor. I originally wanted a GTI, but my wife wanted me to get a 4 door sedan. I have no complaints about the Saturn, which is good because it looks like I will be driving it for a very long time. I wonder if the resale values will ever level off?
Unfortunately, Saturns have always had rather poor resale value and GM's recent antics and the uncertainty around Saturn's future seems to have only made things worse. Imagine my surprise when my wife asked a local dealer about trading in her 3 year old VUE on a new vehicle. They offered her approximately 25% of what we paid for it 3 years ago and it only has 35k miles on it. No major complaints with it, but if you're one of those folks that flips rides every few years you'll get eaten alive by the depreciation on a Saturn. The Honda drivetrain has been a joy to own and I wouldn't have even considered buying the vehicle if it had a GM V6 in it.
the 'original' saturns (read: plastic S series) had great resale value, actually. once they lost their focus, it all looks the same, and people don't see an advantage to a saturn anymore. the 1st gen VUE is a great car, easy to work on and parts are cheap; well, the ecotec engine 5 speed ones ones are. I wouldn't be caught dead w/ a honda-engined one, esp when the trans goes out or I have to replace the timing belt.
I've owned a few Saturns (including a few SL "plastic" ones). I've also owned 2 VUEs with the Honda drivetrain. And I changed the timing belt on one of them. It wasn't a big deal. Apparently, a lot of people "wouldn't be caught dead" in Saturns which is why the resale value is what it is. Oh well.
I'm unsure why you need to dump on the Honda drivetrain in the vehicle. I'm unaware of ANY issues at all with it other than a recall from VERY early on that involved the trans ingesting water from a poorly located (by Saturn) vent tube. Check any Saturn forum and you'll see scant few complaints about it. You'll see plenty of complaints about the 3.0L they imported from Opel/Vauxhall and a number of outright blown engines from early 3.6L GM engines in the 2008 redesign. Also, I really pity the folks who bought 1st generation Equinox or Torrents with the GM 3.4L V6 imported from China. I suppose you'd rather us VUE owners got stuck with those? Ugh...
People seem to like the ecotec 4-banger, though it is really underpowered for a 3800lb SUV. It's a bit more bearable if you've got a manual transmission and can keep it within its usable powerband. With an automatic (4sp...yech), it's a serious pig in the VUE.
To each his own.