Enjoy the Vue!

Five years ago, I would not have expected to like a Saturn vehicle enough to want to buy one. Then, while looking for a new wagon for the Old Dog at a Saturn dealership (EdP would have liked to have seen this in person), I saw the promo pictures for the new, mid-sized SUV they were about to launch. My wife (not the Old Dog - sorry, Ed) and I checked it out at the Chicago Auto Show that year and we eventually bought one.

I was concerned about the fact that it was the first model year for a new vehicle (new platform, in fact) but I had always heard good things about Saturns. We got a package deal which included a sun roof, alloy wheels, upgraded stereo, etc. for less than $20K. I actually wanted a manual shift car, so that kept the price down, along with the front wheel drive and 4-cylinder engine.

We've since paid off the car, put >80,000 miles on it, and we've done everything from camp in it (during a rainstorm), move an entire band's equipment, watch drive-in movies, and go on numerous road trips. It's been our utility vehicle for sure. We've replaced the brakes and tires, but beyond that, no issues. I'm sure that writing all of this will secure its fate, but we still have 20,000 miles on the warranty.

My wife and a few others (indirectly) have noted that it is essentially a "grocery-getter" probably geared toward a soccer mom. I disagree. I like how it looks, how it drives and how it's engineered. Add the fact that it gets between 25 and 30 miles to the gallon and the presumed lack of masculinity starts to fade.

I bought the car from the Saturn dealer in the North Aurora Auto Mall just off IL-88 at Orchard Road. The salesman's name is Tom Anderson. He not only got us all of the features we wanted but he didn't try to add anything extra. Simple, fair transaction. He got us a great price for our trade-in and even helped us to recover money we'd paid on an extended warranty for the trade-in vehicle.

Last note on this - since we bought the car, I've taken it back to the dealership for scheduled service visits and Tom still remembers my name every time. You just don't find that level of customer service anymore. If you need a car and a Saturn is a possibility, I recommend it. Call Tom - he'll hook you up.