Impressions of a new Aura owner - former Mercedes owner

[ronjohn]

I recently traded in my 1998 Mercedes C230 (103,000 miles) for an Aura XE ocean mist tan leather sunroof 17 inch alloy wheels... very pleased!

A quick history - I have owned only 3 cars in my life (now 4) a 1991 Saturn SL1 (which I adored), a 2000 Saturn LS (I loved the interior of this car, but never warmed up to the bland exterior styling, np offense meant), then my EGO got the best of me in 2003 I traded the LS in for the Mercedes w/ 45000 miles - I paid 17K at the time...It was a great car - looked new like a 50K car, definitlely an ego boost - and held up well mechanically - although recently I was forced to begin making some costly repairs...

As much as I enjoyed the Mercedes - I had some beefs - for starters the steering wheel neither telescoped nor tilted - it was just fixed - and plastic! It's a 2.5L V4 w/ 149 HP!!! Let's just say - it's NOT by any means a fast car. The Mercedes seats were never as comfortable as the LS. And I had to drive to the next town over for an oil change - no one in my beach town has the proper filters - and the oil changes are $75... When it started to fail mechanicaly Mercedes fixed it @ $110 an hour at the dealer - take it to a regular mechanic and they would open the hood and look as if they were seeing a UFO... The cost of ownership is defintley up there.

And so I read recently the Aura had been named the NA Car of the Year - Having been a former Saturn owner and a long time fan of the brand - I stopped in the dealership while it was closed Sunday (which I like to do) to see what Saturn had done to earn this award. It was truly love at first site - the exterior is stunning, nice sunroof, - and as soon as I looked inside the tinted windows and saw the leather wrapped steering wheel w/ easy access controls built in, the simple and elegant center dash consel, the tan leather seats - the simple and elegant gear shift column - I could not wait to get back on Mon for a test drive.

As I had remembered (and hoped) the sales person was kind and knowledgable, no pressure, no ridiculous lengthy haggling - I test drove it - keep in mind - I'm comind from a 2.5L V4 w/ 149 HP to the XE 3.5L V6 w/ 224 HP. So despite the raves about the rocketed XR - the XE was plenty powerful and fast for me... Although I did test drive the XR - but only forthe love of the morracan leather - turns out I don't care for the paddle switches on top of the steering wheel AT ALL - it was a deal breaker for me - IMHO screws up the symmetry for me...

So the decision was much easier -

Quick impressions -

this car is plenty fast for me zoom zoom.
I love the interior - I test drove a 2007 Mereceds C230 sports edition - the cockpit and steering wheel felt identical to me in both cars (partcularly the steering wheel) - and I liked the seats in the Aura better!
The night interior lighting is cool - very cool and relaxing.
Seats are great - LOVE he telescoping and tilting steering wheel.
WOAH - the stock audio system on this is AWESOME! I seriously considered the audio upgrade for only the subwoofer - I don't need the 6 CD changer, or the back wireless stuff - I plug my IPOD into the dash w/ a cord I bought from Bestbuy for $14 and it totally rocks!
I think I may have the issue w/ the radio I've read about - but I listen to my Ipod 95% of the time.
The engine is so simple to figure out - I'm not particularly mechanically inclined and I love the idea of understanding what everything is and where its at.
5 yr / 100K powertrain most impressive. 3/36K bumper to bumper should be 'bumped' to 4/50K or even 5/60K.
Steering is flawless, ride is smooth and extremely quiet, the double windows are cool.
Like the interior space.
Lights front and back awesome.
Nicley done logos front and back.
Getting TONS of looks and complimets. The looks I believe are not only because of it's stunning looks - but the lack of logo on the side of the car - people driving next to me figure what is it? A Mercedes, a Passat, and Audi, Acura? Lexus? Whatever it is - it certainly looks like a luxury car inside and out.

Wish a few things -
A trunk that pops open instead of unlocked.
A lock on the glovebox - where do I put my Ipod when I valet etc.
The chrome on the bottom of the trunk is easily smudged from opening and closing (no trunk handle).
Better drivers arm rest - It's on par w/ my Mereceds - I seem to remember a soft leather armrest on my LS.

I paid $22,900 the sticker was $23,900 - they had slapped on $700 worth of dealer leather and paint protection BS (again IMHO).

They lowballed my trade - but I was OK - I have no interest in selling the car privately and it was paid for so it made for a nice down payment. I took 4.9% for 60 months - FWIW my payment went down and my insurance went up a grand total of $6 / mo. ! For full coverage on a new car...

Anyway I'm sure there is more I could write - I'm really pleased w/ this purchase and I'm looking forward to driving this for the next 4-5 years!

Can a subwoofer be added at the dealer?

Kind regards,

Ron

[Cowtown_Raider]

Congrats on the new XE, Ron. You pretty much echoed my impressions of the car, but I was moving up from a 1993 Mazda 323 which had an 82 hp 1.6L four, vinyl seats, NO power steering, one side mirror, and one speaker. The XE feels like pure luxury in comparison

Enjoy!

[Chevy_Rules]

Congrats on the XE. My brother went ballistic when he saw my XR. He literally freaked out when he saw it was a Saturn. The dealer added $500 to the price with pin stripe and security etching. I also think it is BS, but hey the dealer needs to make money( although I am not sure how much of the cut GM gives them for each sale) and at least the markup isn't as much as the Sky and Solstice. Now if the markup was greater then $1000, I would of ordered one from factory and told them to leave it alone and don't add the crap to it.

Anyway, I do wish the trunk did pop open a bit more, but hey no car is perfect and there only finger prints.

[liquidslap]

Originally Posted by Chevy_Rules

Congrats on the XE. My brother went ballistic when he saw my XR. He literally freaked out when he saw it was a Saturn. The dealer added $500 to the price with pin stripe and security etching. I also think it is BS, but hey the dealer needs to make money( although I am not sure how much of the cut GM gives them for each sale) and at least the markup isn't as much as the Sky and Solstice. Now if the markup was greater then $1000, I would of ordered one from factory and told them to leave it alone and don't add the crap to it.

Anyway, I do wish the trunk did pop open a bit more, but hey no car is perfect and there only finger prints.

Hey do you have pics of your pinstriping? I don't know if I want to add one or not.

As far as trunk handles, I pull the trunk down with the latch and use my arm to close it.

[Chevy_Rules]

Originally Posted by liquidslap

Hey do you have pics of your pinstriping? I don't know if I want to add one or not.

As far as trunk handles, I pull the trunk down with the latch and use my arm to close it.

This is the best shot of it I have. From a distance you can't see it( which I like about it). Up close it does add a bit of class to it.

http://homepage.mac.com/quagmire2/.P...cture%2012.png

[liquidslap]

Originally Posted by Chevy_Rules

This is the best shot of it I have. From a distance you can't see it( which I like about it). Up close it does add a bit of class to it.

http://homepage.mac.com/quagmire2/.P...cture%2012.png

Yeah I really can't tell from that picture. It's funny because we have the exact car so I really would have been able to get a good idea as to what mine would look like.

[dvam]

Glad to hear it -- My boss has two Mercedes. I find them very laborious to drive. The reliability has been terrible and he is always complaining about how expensive the repairs are.

Re the Aura, I am a big fan of the tan leather interior. I don't understand why all the interiors are not offered for the XE and XR models. I am hoping the 2008s offer the tan leather in the XR before I make my move to purchase.

Good luck with it.

[Ritz]

Inappropriate post deleted by administrator.

[Ritz]

Originally Posted by Ritz

Inappropriate post deleted by administrator.

Oh jeez Louise. I guess the post a couple inches up about putting a dead hooker in your trunk is more appropriate than mentioning how silly it is to compare one brand's *9 year old base model* to another brand's brand new flagship sedan.

Somebody pass me some Koolaid. I don't want to miss out on all the fun.

Cheers,

[K-1]

Originally Posted by Ritz

Oh jeez Louise. I guess the post a couple inches up about putting a dead hooker in your trunk is more appropriate than mentioning how silly it is to compare one brand's *9 year old base model* to another brand's brand new flagship sedan.

Somebody pass me some Koolaid. I don't want to miss out on all the fun.

Cheers,

Ever the contrarian, aren't you Ritz? Somebody posts about liking their new car and you just can't let it pass without taking a dig, can you?

[DesertPuma]

Originally Posted by Ritz

Oh jeez Louise. I guess the post a couple inches up about putting a dead hooker in your trunk is more appropriate than mentioning how silly it is to compare one brand's *9 year old base model* to another brand's brand new flagship sedan.

Somebody pass me some Koolaid. I don't want to miss out on all the fun.

Cheers,

WTF did you post anyway? Better send that in the form of a PM or else it gets removed again. It most certainly must be worse than a dead hooker reference, or else it wouldn't have deleted.

[Ritz]

Originally Posted by DesertPuma

WTF did you post anyway? Better send that in the form of a PM or else it gets removed again. It most certainly must be worse than a dead hooker reference, or else it wouldn't have deleted.

It was an almost verbatim copy of the "replacement" message. I just remarked that is seemed silly to compare a 9 year old lowest end Benz sedan against a brand new car from a company marketing it as their premium sedan. I haven't the foggiest idea why Charlie felt the need to remove it.

Cheers,

[DesertPuma]

Originally Posted by Ritz

It was an almost verbatim copy of the "replacement" message. I just remarked that is seemed silly to compare a 9 year old lowest end Benz sedan against a brand new car from a company marketing it as their premium sedan. I haven't the foggiest idea why Charlie felt the need to remove it.

Cheers,

I can only assume he must have thought it was a "dig" at Saturn, heck I have been doing plenty of that (lately), I don't see him deleting any of mine.

It must have "struck a nerve".

[HoosierInFL]

Just bought a Silver Pearl XR. I had it for 15 hours before it had to go into the shop for repair. One of the front brakes makes a loud rubbing sound and it vibrates the cabin. It's a big bummer to have your brand new car in the shop before one day is done.

Other than the brake problem, I love the car. If someone is reading this and thinking about buying an Aura, I HIGHLY recommend the XR for the sweet engine and transmission. The combo is very smooth and worth the extra money.

[Charlie]

Originally Posted by Ritz

I haven't the foggiest idea why Charlie felt the need to remove it.

Somebody pass me some Koolaid.

Why such sarcasm? Being rude towards other members is inappropriate and will not be tolerated. There's absolutely no reason why someone should have to defend their purchase or enthusiasm for a new car. Some folks have become increasingly critical towards members who enjoy their vehicles, and the negativity needs to stop. There's a time a place for everything, and "digs" (as someone in this thread said) against other owners will not be allowed. There's no need to make things personal.



Charlie

[Charlie]

Originally Posted by DesertPuma

I can only assume he must have thought it was a "dig" at Saturn, heck I have been doing plenty of that (lately), I don't see him deleting any of mine.

It must have "struck a nerve".

I will and have deleted your posts when I've felt they were rude and inappropriate. Be nice, respect each other, and respect the rules of the forum. Some folks feel they need to use this board in their personal crusades against Saturn and I will not let that happen.

Charlie

[Charlie]

ronjohn,
I'm sorry that your thread has deteriorated into this. I look forward to hearing all about your ongoing adventures with your AURA.

Charlie