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| We refuse to make a VUE joke. |
Here's another one for us cheap b@sterds; Sterling, Isuzu, Rover...just some of the companies that sold rebadged Hondas or vehicles with major content from that company. I'm sure you can think of even more examples.
GM's Saturn division is a well-known entity and so is the VUE (Chevrolet Captiva/Buick Envision), so we won't bore you with yet another telling of the histories of both. Instead, let's focus on one of the better used car deals from that now dead company.
The VUE was available with a 250-hp, 242 lb.-ft. Honda J35A3 and H5 automatic transmission, which has the Japanese company's first 5-speed. The same transmission was available in the Accord, Pilot, Odyssey, MDX, CL and TL.
We're focusing on the face-lifted and upgraded interior '06+ model for the obvious reasons. The V6 VUE will never be a collectible, with around 80,000 sold each MY. The last year, which was 2009 still sold nearly 30K examples. But that means you'll have many good choices to pick from on the used car market.
MSRP of the '06 AWD was around $23K. Current KBB for the same model is roughly $3K from a private seller as of this writing. A quick scan of the usual online suspects reveals that asking prices are consistently a bit higher and we'd expect to pay a tad more for a nice one than what KBB suggests.
Service and maintenance has been excellent and the future parts availability picture is not bad at all, despite Saturn being gone. The VUE continued on with the Chevy and Buick nameplates and you can walk into any parts store and get what you need at very low prices.
Rear leg-room was not very good and there's not a lot of room to stretch out. If you're looking for a limo, this ain't it. Towing capacity is an expected but still pleasing 3,500 pounds.
Looking for a crazy-good used crossover with plenty of power, Honda reliability, at a rock-bottom price? This VUE could be for you.
I had indirect experience with the previous generation through a buddy's ownership of a 2004 Vue. His was a FWD version, which also used the Honda V-6. It did things pretty well, and served as useful tow vehicle for some car recovery events. Of course the plastic body panels did not rust, but we were both shocked when the entire rear subframe and mountings collapsed due to tin worm in 2014. I guess I had expected rust to be a non-issue, but this perfect-looking Vue was hauled off to the crusher well before its time. So, I guess I just recommend that potential buyers check the frame areas carefully.
ReplyDeleteExcellent advice, B. There have been similar comments from other owners online about the VUE, so that may be a weakness. Of course, so do many other vehicles from other manufacturers of that vintage. I'm talking about YOU Mazda, but there are certainly many others. Seems like the early '00s up until '10, there was a lapse in quality control/rustproofing going on in general. Maybe. Possibly.
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