Seriously Considering this Aura; Opinions?

[whiteshadow]

Originally Posted by AuraDrvr89

3.6 is newer technology, MUCH more powerful. Less fuel economy. 6-spd automatic.

3.5 is more efficient, reliable, but less refined.

I was happy with my 3.5 for the four years I had my AURA.

i test drove all three engines when i went looking for my new to me saturn
2.4, what a joke. no power
3.5, had ok power, i would of been happy with the 3.5 until i found the 3.6
3.6, have not looked back, high revving, excellent power from 0 to above legal highway speeds, plenty of passing power, almost to much power going to the front wheels or the stock oem tires are just shiat. a few months ago i was getting on the interestate, it was raining out, i had to beat a line of cars and an 18 wheeler to merge. floored it, TC light came on. the damn thing was spinning its tires at 30mph, granted it was wet but still.

im willing to sacrifice a few mpg for plenty more hp/tq. the paddle shifters were cool the day i bought it, have not used them since.

[Jonnyferrari]

I did not buy it, it is still for sale which at this price worries me. The dealer is pretty far away, and I have not had time to get out there. I did get the carfax...it was in an accident. From the pictures you can not tell, but this thing has traveled from the East coast and been through auctions. Some serious red flags there. Has a sunroof which is a must, but I wish it had leather and paddle shifters. Maybe I will just wait! Wish the XR got better mpgs...

http://www.carfax.com/VehicleHistory...&partner=ATD_W

[MissBones]

Just wait then. I was pretty upset because I found a perfect 07' XE 3.5L, 1 owner, black with black leather, sunroof, heated seats, XM, basically all the options, but it sold before I could get down there because my car died. It only had 26k miles on it too. Don't get me wrong, I'm pretty happy I didn't buy it because I do love my car, (07 XE, basic options) and in 2 years it will be paid off and I've had it since 26K miles and it now has 105k. It's treated me well aside from a couple small things and I know how it drives in the cold, in the heat, rain, snow, the noises it makes, the ones it normally doesn't...so after 80k miles I feel very comfortable with my car.


You'll be able to find another one that's exactly what you want. Where are you located?

[whiteshadow]

Originally Posted by Jonnyferrari

I did not buy it, it is still for sale which at this price worries me. The dealer is pretty far away, and I have not had time to get out there. I did get the carfax...it was in an accident. From the pictures you can not tell, but this thing has traveled from the East coast and been through auctions. Some serious red flags there. Has a sunroof which is a must, but I wish it had leather and paddle shifters. Maybe I will just wait! Wish the XR got better mpgs...

http://www.carfax.com/VehicleHistory...&partner=ATD_W

when i carfaxed my car before i bought it, it started out in NJ, then ended up at an autction in AZ, then i bought it in NC. within 1 year it only had about 200 miles put on it.

[journeyforce]

In all honesty, I would pass on any Aura. If you like the body style then get a 2008-2012 Malibu as more are out there and body parts easier to find

I have owned my 2008 Aura since July 2011. I got it with 31,954 miles on the clock. It now has about 40,034 miles on it. I honestly don't think this car will hold up as long as your S-Series has. I have had to replace 3 out of the 4 door lock actuators in the 8 months i have owned it. (by contrast I owned a 1989 Buick Century I bought used and kept it for 7 years and I did not have to replace any on that)

You also have to think to yourself, the L-Series was made for years and parts are a plenty(especially body parts) the Aura was only made for 3 years and i have yet to see one in the junk yard for parts(not many were sold)

You oughta just keep the L-series and get the timing belt done and drive on. You know your car. If you have 97K on it then you should be able to get 50,000 or 100,000 more out of it

Good luck whatever you choose to do

[golftango]

Originally Posted by Jonnyferrari

I did not buy it, it is still for sale which at this price worries me. The dealer is pretty far away, and I have not had time to get out there. I did get the carfax...it was in an accident. From the pictures you can not tell, but this thing has traveled from the East coast and been through auctions. Some serious red flags there. Has a sunroof which is a must, but I wish it had leather and paddle shifters. Maybe I will just wait! Wish the XR got better mpgs...

http://www.carfax.com/VehicleHistory...&partner=ATD_W

Doesn't sound bad at all, no red flags I can see. Leasing company was in CA, register in ME, most likely a company lease. And I doubt that the 10/14/09 event was a new owner. Probably the leaser buying the car outright because it was still brought to the same Midas for subsequent services.

Then they sold the car, most likely traded it and it went to auction. This is common. Looks like it was trucked to an auction in Indiana, maybe because the used car demand was higher in IN than ME. Again, pretty common. Now as far as the accident, pretty strange. It seems like the accident happened while it was with dealer inventory as there is no sale/registration event between it being offered for sale and the accident. A quick examination of the repairs will tell you if they are good or not, so it might be worth a trip to see it since the price is right.

And speaking for company leases. Most companies are very strict about maintaining the vehicles. So this is not a bad thing, much better than it being a previous rental or something.

[golftango]

Originally Posted by journeyforce

In all honesty, I would pass on any Aura. If you like the body style then get a 2008-2012 Malibu as more are out there and body parts easier to find

I have owned my 2008 Aura since July 2011. I got it with 31,954 miles on the clock. It now has about 40,034 miles on it. I honestly don't think this car will hold up as long as your S-Series has. I have had to replace 3 out of the 4 door lock actuators in the 8 months i have owned it. (by contrast I owned a 1989 Buick Century I bought used and kept it for 7 years and I did not have to replace any on that)

You also have to think to yourself, the L-Series was made for years and parts are a plenty(especially body parts) the Aura was only made for 3 years and i have yet to see one in the junk yard for parts(not many were sold)

You oughta just keep the L-series and get the timing belt done and drive on. You know your car. If you have 97K on it then you should be able to get 50,000 or 100,000 more out of it

Good luck whatever you choose to do

So a few door lock actuators are going to dictate whether the car will hold up over time? Many popular makes suffer from weak door lock actuators, Honda is a big offender. Does this make Hondas unreliable? You also say to go for a Malibu? Um, they are pretty much identical under the panels. Same door lock actuators too. Parts will be plentiful for many years to come, so OP, don't worry about that. I can see over 130 available wrecked Aura's on the IAA's website.

[Jonnyferrari]

I came to the same conclusion....lol that GM dealer took it for a joyride and bashed it up...no one would buy it after that so it sat on the lot for 2 months and went to auction. That is the only thing that scares me...that no one bought it at the dealer!

[MissBones]

Originally Posted by golftango

And speaking for company leases. Most companies are very strict about maintaining the vehicles. So this is not a bad thing, much better than it being a previous rental or something.

Well, I have worked for a rental company...and yes WE KICK THE CRAP OUT OF CARS. The company I worked for, and they're all different with their policies, would do oil changes every 4-6k miles (not terrible) and we drove them like we stole them basically. BUT, despite all that, my sister bought a car that was a previous lease and it was junk, and I bought my Aura (despite knowing what I know about rental agencies) as a previous rental. The interior was prefect (wish it was still that way) the engine was and is still fine, transmission had no issues (I don't want to jinx myself) and the car has been great.

Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose but you just have to take all the information available and make a decision based on how you feel. If you feel uneasy about that Aura, don't get it, because if you do and something happens, you'll kick yourself.

I really think you can find the one you're looking for cheaper, I know the Aura prices here in NE are pretty low. The Aura I was looking at, mind you it was a 3.5 not a 3.6, but again it only had 26k and it was loaded, was listed at $11300.

Good luck.

[golftango]

Originally Posted by MissBones

I really think you can find the one you're looking for cheaper, I know the Aura prices here in NE are pretty low. The Aura I was looking at, mind you it was a 3.5 not a 3.6, but again it only had 26k and it was loaded, was listed at $11300.

Good luck.

Huh? Never. The 3.5 he is looking at is less than $7K. You are not going to find a cheaper 08 with that mileage...anywhere.

Originally Posted by Jonnyferrari

I came to the same conclusion....lol that GM dealer took it for a joyride and bashed it up...no one would buy it after that so it sat on the lot for 2 months and went to auction. That is the only thing that scares me...that no one bought it at the dealer!

I do not think anything happened at that GM dealer in ME. The accident didn't happen until a month later in IN after the dealer which currently has it, bought it from the auction. You may just want to ask the dealer what happened. It may have been on a test drive and was rear ended or damaged. In any case, it the damage was bad enough, it would have been totaled.

[Jonnyferrari]

Haha hopefully I will find time to get there, but don't forget that Highland is just south of Gary, Indiana, Chicago's southside and the area is not known to have the best types...let alone clean dealers. Wish I could find reviews on this "Triple A" or "3 A Automotive" used car dealer.

[golftango]

By looking at this, I'd say that 3.5 is good for another 100K trouble free miles

Here are all the Aura's nationwide under $7K

[MissBones]

Originally Posted by golftango

By looking at this, I'd say that 3.5 is good for another 100K trouble free miles

It's a highly rated car, yeah it has it's issues, but so doesn't any other car out there. I think you can get well over 100K. Maybe I'm way too optimistic for my own good....but I plan on making to at least 200k with mine

[journeyforce]

Originally Posted by golftango

So a few door lock actuators are going to dictate whether the car will hold up over time? Many popular makes suffer from weak door lock actuators, Honda is a big offender. Does this make Hondas unreliable? You also say to go for a Malibu? Um, they are pretty much identical under the panels. Same door lock actuators too. Parts will be plentiful for many years to come, so OP, don't worry about that. I can see over 130 available wrecked Aura's on the IAA's website.

It is for me. The difference between the Honda/Toyota/Ford etc is that in the event the actuator dies, you can reach around unlock the rear doors but no not the Aura they decided the locks were better off on the other side of the door so you get to crawl through the other side and open the affected door from the inside. Of course that is contingent on the fact that the lock on the other side works if not you ether have to crawl into the back from the front of pretend you own a two seater car..

Where as a Honda, I can simply reach around and unlock the door from the inside because the lock is ether on top or on the door handle.

Also those door lock actuators are easy to replace (it took me 20 mins on the last Honda one I replaced) By contrast the Aura's ones (especially the rear ones were a pain in the rear and took quite a bit more time then the Honda's) Plus I can get a aftermarket Honda door lock actuator for $25 but I cannot get one for the Aura for less then $70

Yes I know the 2008-2012 Malibu is the sister car of the Aura but the Malibu has a lot going for it that the Aura does not.

Here are some examples

1. The Malibu is a Chevy so it can be worked on willingly without a song or dance at any GM dealer. This means if it is under warranty and crap goes wrong then they will fix it without issue. Unlike the Aura which you have to go to "special dealers" to get that worked on. If it is out of warranty then you still have to deal with dealers that tell you that it is a Saturn and that it needs special parts or special tools to repair it that the dealer does not have in stock or in the tool room. Even though it have the engine and trans as the Bu and other GM vehicles.

2. Parts availability, yes the engine and trans is used on lots of GM vehicles and continue to be used on new GM vehicles so engine and trans parts will be plentiful but what about body and interior parts that are not the same as on the Malibu? Good luck. Damage your head light? Better stock up now as in a few years you might not be able to get one. Break that trim piece that covers the radio trying to get the radio out? Good luck trying to find a replacement. Yes Aura's are in the junk yard but with only 160,484(early 2007 production commenced in summer of 2006 and ended in 2009) Aura's out there that supply will deplete quick enough because the crush value is more then the car value. By contrast as of the end of the 2011 model year, the total for the 08-11 Bu was that 743,339 were made. Every year from 2008-2011 more Malibus were made and sold then the 3 year of the Aura. This means that there will be thousands on the roads for the next 15-20 years and the longer they are around the more parts are around.


But your right we should be objective here and not just say the car will not hold up simply because of lock actuators. So here is a few more issues that point to lacking in the QC department.

Here are the things I have had to deal with in the short time I have owned it

1. Screeching noise in engine compartment while driving and and going over bumps.( a sort of metal to metal nails on the chalk board sound) 3 trips to the dealer and they could not find the issue(they tried to say they heard nothing till I made then ride with me) then they tried to say they could not find the issue. I found it by accident one day, it was the airbox lid ribbing the bottom of the air box. When I pointed it out to another dealer they said they could not do anything I fixed it myself by putting electrical tape on the edges of the lid.

2. The drivers side seat broke. It was due to shoddy seat welds (If the seats don't hold up to people sitting in them(I am 6ft 1in and 165lbs) normally then I don't see how the rest of the car will hold up. It took a week to get a new seat(It seems GM really does not have many of them in stock (cue up the trumpet going wah wah wah in relation to parts being available for the red headed stepchild Aura)

3. The passenger seat broke. The bolts holding the seat to the floor broke off. The dealership said it was due to a bad bolt casting and the stress of somebody sitting in the seat.

I never owned a Honda with a broken seat

4. Rust is appearing on the trunk lid(under the silver panel) and on the edges of the doors. I live in a mild climate and the area I live in does not use salt on the roads. GM will not do anything until it rusts through. The trunk lid rust is caused by that silver panel that says Aura and XE. There is a drain hole in the middle of it that gets plugged by crap and causes the rusting.

To be somewhat fair about it all, my one Honda did start to rust along the wheel wells in the rear but that is after I had owned it for over 9 years and not 4 years like this POS.

5. Water pump needed replacing 1000 miles after I bought it. The car was still under the 3yr/36,000 warranty so it was replaced but still water pumps don't need to be replaced at 33,000 miles. I replaced the ones in my Honda every 90,000 miles with the timing belt(the WP driven by the timing belt and you replace both at the same time)


6. Airbag light came on at 34,957 miles. It was a bad sensor in the steering wheel and was replaced by GM

7. That stupid compartment on the drivers side near the door broke one day. I had never used it nor did I bump it. I wound up gluing it permanently shut

8. ABS light went on and it turned out it was the sensor on the left front wheel. GM replaced it under good will warranty because I was just out of warranty.

9. ISS(intermediate Steering Shaft) was bad(a bad one clunks when turning the wheel) Replaced by dealer 3 days after car was bought

Other things that are known with this car that i have not had is transmission issues and cooling issues.

I will not have these issues since I took it to Carmax on Friday and sold it to them. I was offered $12,800 for it and I had originally paid in cash for it it so i owed nothing at all on it. I took the money and used it to buy a 2011 Toyota Camry with a 6 speed manual trans that had 10,054 miles that was on their lot(I did not know Toyota still offered a Camry with a manual trans)

Original Poster, you are better off just keeping your L series. If the timing belt is the only thing wrong with it then you are better off paying for that repair then spending more on what could have been somebody elses problem car. Besides you know your current car well

good luck in what ever you choose to do

[golftango]

Originally Posted by journeyforce

It is for me. The difference between the Honda/Toyota/Ford etc is that in the event the actuator dies, you can reach around unlock the rear doors but no not the Aura they decided the locks were better off on the other side of the door so you get to crawl through the other side and open the affected door from the inside. Of course that is contingent on the fact that the lock on the other side works if not you ether have to crawl into the back from the front of pretend you own a two seater car..

Where as a Honda, I can simply reach around and unlock the door from the inside because the lock is ether on top or on the door handle.

Also those door lock actuators are easy to replace (it took me 20 mins on the last Honda one I replaced) By contrast the Aura's ones (especially the rear ones were a pain in the rear and took quite a bit more time then the Honda's) Plus I can get a aftermarket Honda door lock actuator for $25 but I cannot get one for the Aura for less then $70

Yes I know the 2008-2012 Malibu is the sister car of the Aura but the Malibu has a lot going for it that the Aura does not.

Here are some examples

1. The Malibu is a Chevy so it can be worked on willingly without a song or dance at any GM dealer. This means if it is under warranty and crap goes wrong then they will fix it without issue. Unlike the Aura which you have to go to "special dealers" to get that worked on. If it is out of warranty then you still have to deal with dealers that tell you that it is a Saturn and that it needs special parts or special tools to repair it that the dealer does not have in stock or in the tool room. Even though it have the engine and trans as the Bu and other GM vehicles.

2. Parts availability, yes the engine and trans is used on lots of GM vehicles and continue to be used on new GM vehicles so engine and trans parts will be plentiful but what about body and interior parts that are not the same as on the Malibu? Good luck. Damage your head light? Better stock up now as in a few years you might not be able to get one. Break that trim piece that covers the radio trying to get the radio out? Good luck trying to find a replacement. Yes Aura's are in the junk yard but with only 160,484(early 2007 production commenced in summer of 2006 and ended in 2009) Aura's out there that supply will deplete quick enough because the crush value is more then the car value. By contrast as of the end of the 2011 model year, the total for the 08-11 Bu was that 743,339 were made. Every year from 2008-2011 more Malibus were made and sold then the 3 year of the Aura. This means that there will be thousands on the roads for the next 15-20 years and the longer they are around the more parts are around.


But your right we should be objective here and not just say the car will not hold up simply because of lock actuators. So here is a few more issues that point to lacking in the QC department.

Here are the things I have had to deal with in the short time I have owned it

1. Screeching noise in engine compartment while driving and and going over bumps.( a sort of metal to metal nails on the chalk board sound) 3 trips to the dealer and they could not find the issue(they tried to say they heard nothing till I made then ride with me) then they tried to say they could not find the issue. I found it by accident one day, it was the airbox lid ribbing the bottom of the air box. When I pointed it out to another dealer they said they could not do anything I fixed it myself by putting electrical tape on the edges of the lid.

2. The drivers side seat broke. It was due to shoddy seat welds (If the seats don't hold up to people sitting in them(I am 6ft 1in and 165lbs) normally then I don't see how the rest of the car will hold up. It took a week to get a new seat(It seems GM really does not have many of them in stock (cue up the trumpet going wah wah wah in relation to parts being available for the red headed stepchild Aura)

3. The passenger seat broke. The bolts holding the seat to the floor broke off. The dealership said it was due to a bad bolt casting and the stress of somebody sitting in the seat.

I never owned a Honda with a broken seat

4. Rust is appearing on the trunk lid(under the silver panel) and on the edges of the doors. I live in a mild climate and the area I live in does not use salt on the roads. GM will not do anything until it rusts through. The trunk lid rust is caused by that silver panel that says Aura and XE. There is a drain hole in the middle of it that gets plugged by crap and causes the rusting.

To be somewhat fair about it all, my one Honda did start to rust along the wheel wells in the rear but that is after I had owned it for over 9 years and not 4 years like this POS.

5. Water pump needed replacing 1000 miles after I bought it. The car was still under the 3yr/36,000 warranty so it was replaced but still water pumps don't need to be replaced at 33,000 miles. I replaced the ones in my Honda every 90,000 miles with the timing belt(the WP driven by the timing belt and you replace both at the same time)


6. Airbag light came on at 34,957 miles. It was a bad sensor in the steering wheel and was replaced by GM

7. That stupid compartment on the drivers side near the door broke one day. I had never used it nor did I bump it. I wound up gluing it permanently shut

8. ABS light went on and it turned out it was the sensor on the left front wheel. GM replaced it under good will warranty because I was just out of warranty.

9. ISS(intermediate Steering Shaft) was bad(a bad one clunks when turning the wheel) Replaced by dealer 3 days after car was bought

Other things that are known with this car that i have not had is transmission issues and cooling issues.

I will not have these issues since I took it to Carmax on Friday and sold it to them. I was offered $12,800 for it and I had originally paid in cash for it it so i owed nothing at all on it. I took the money and used it to buy a 2011 Toyota Camry with a 6 speed manual trans that had 10,054 miles that was on their lot(I did not know Toyota still offered a Camry with a manual trans)

Original Poster, you are better off just keeping your L series. If the timing belt is the only thing wrong with it then you are better off paying for that repair then spending more on what could have been somebody elses problem car. Besides you know your current car well

good luck in what ever you choose to do

Haters gonna hate.

The seat frame issue is across the board on the Aura/G6/Malibu line. And any GM dealer will gladly work on any Saturn. Oh, and GM suppliers are still making parts for Saturns for many years to come.

[MissBones]

Originally Posted by golftango

Haters gonna hate.

They sure will.

[DigitalSaturns]

HP to Weight is a big factor for cars that I'm going to drive.

AURA 2.4L Power:Weight Ratio is 1 : 21.2
ASTRA 3dr Power:Weight Ratio is 1 : 20.8
ION-3 sedan 2.2L Weight Ratio is 1 : 19.8
SL2 Power:Weight Ratio is 1 : 19
Sky 2.4L Weight Ratio is 1 : 16.8
ION Sedan 2.4L Power:Weight Ratio is 1 : 16.4
Sky 2.0L turbo Power:Weight Ratio is 1 : 11.7

I guess thats why I like my ION as much as I do. I'd not be happy with the AURA 2.4L, ASTRA, or 2.2L ION as my driver. Oh when it comes to the Redline SKY, it takes it to another level called fun.

[DigitalSaturns]

Now if you'd like to be the owner of GM's newest slug on the road of north America you could buy a Chevy Cruze.

Power:Weight Ratio is 1 : 22.5