2007 Saturn Aura XR: Steering, Sunroof, Shifter, and Shell repair.

Good christ this car sounds awful

I can just imagine what we'll soon see at Saturn dealers: A sign on the entrance that says "You must be this tall (arrows) to drive the Aura."

Imagine the problems in 5 years...

So it sounds like the fix for the steering column cover is to not telescope the wheel all the way out? That's pretty lame. Disappointing that the build quality seems to be emerging as a weak point with this car, and at only 6,000 miles.

You've got to live with it? Is that for real? It's kind of hard to believe.
 
Car of the Year indeed. Marketing of the year more likely.

All very small problems. A lot happens when you first get a car. I remember when my mom first got her 2002 Toyota Camry, it was in the shop every weekend. After all those problem were fixed it was smooth sailing.

See now this is what should be happening as i type this:
 
The offending piece of plastic creating the steering wheel column surrond problem should be re-engineered immediately, regarding of nights and weekends. The redesigned molds should be installed by the end of this month, and pressing out the improved part in volume by the first week of November. The new trims piece(s) ready for installiation on the production line no later than American Thanksgiving.
 
End of story.

You can bet I will be contacting my local dealer to see if what Edmunds says is true. If so, then someone at Saturn needs to be fired. Not being able to telescope all the way out and then back is just asinine.
 
I wonder if this will affect the new Malibu as well? After all it is based upon the Aura as well. I am surprised this hasn't happened with mine yet, because I am 6 foot and my wife is 5'4. Maybe because we have only moved the seat, not the steering wheel.
 
However, to all the trolls above, the car is still better to drive than the Camry. Even Consumer Reports, that most anti-American of magazines, has seen fit to realize the Camry is not the paragon of virtue the pro-Japanese fanboys make it out to be. In fact, it looks like the Camry is no better than the Aura. Yes the Camry is able to telescope back and forth, but its transmission leaves you out to dry.
 
Let's see who gets which fixed first. Honda and Nissan must be smiling right now.

Any indication on how repeatable this problem is? I can imagine all you practical jokers out there going to visit your local Saturn dealer and telescoping the wheel in and out on every Aura you can get your hands on, then watch in amusement as the covers start popping on test drives.

Does sound like first year plastic parts problems.
Will be easy fixes for other owners once all the tsbs are written by the corporate engineers.
 
Mechanics are helpless babies without the official instruction book.

"Car of the Year indeed. Marketing of the year more likely."
 
It had nothing to do with marketing, the award was given out by journalists. As we all know awards are given to NEW cars and reliability isnt a factor. If it was the Camry may not have been awarded MTCOTY for 2007.
 
I think the new CR car issue will be out in early november. Since the G6 is recommended I would suspect the Aura will be as well now that they have reliability data for the car. I am not one to put much stock into CR but we all know most GM bashers regard it as gospel so let's see how the Aura does.
 
In today's world issues like the one mentioned by Edmunds constitute "unreliability". Not that those issues arent annoying but ther was a time when unreliable meant being stranded, electrical problems, failed AC, failed trannies, etc.
 
To be honest I dont think any of the issues outlined thus far would give you reason to think the car is going to fall apart in 5 years as freshzilla suggested. I didn't see any of these types of problems mentioned in the Carpace forum.

^ CR is trash, 'nuff said
 
also, it's pretty annoying if you're always in and out of the dealership for warranty issues.

Hmm, would I rather have a car with loud power steering and a cover that pops off under certain conditions, a car where the trans just plain stops working, a car that has the side airbags go off if you shut the door too hard, a car that has the possibility of seatbelts detaching, or a car that has a bad steering column? The answer is I wouldn't particularly want any of these problems, but if I must choose, I of course would go with the first, and I'm sure anyone here would as well.
 
For all the import fanboys wondering which GM products these theoretical cars referred to, the first car is of course the Aura, the second car is the Toyota Camry, the third car is the Scion tC, the fourth is the Toyota Sienna, and the fifth is the Toyota Pious, er, Prius. So to recap, buying GM = potential for annoyance; buying Toyota = potential for complete inability to drive or serious injury. Pick your poison.

Just some added info since it was referenced by 1487. . .
CR has already published their information for the 2007 autos and predicted reliability for 2008 models on their website. The Aura XE got above average marks, while the Aura XR got worse than average marks. So, CR is only recommending the XE model. Just some other highlights: Pontiac G6 had worse than average in all three years of production according to CR; so, it is not recommended at all. The Camry V6 did worse in reliability than both the XE and XR Saturn, but the 4 cylinder did better. Prius, Accord, Fusion and Milan were at the top of the list. The Camry was cited with transmission problems. The Aura seemed to be hit more with electrical. Also, as an added note, Ford really seems to be turning it around - lots of their new models did really well. I am a long-time accord owner and will probably never change (I just love them that much), but I love seeing that several domestic models are closing that gap.

Would california lemon law apply on the steering column issue? doesn't it state that the manufacturer gets 4 strikes to fix it before you can return....?

"So to recap, buying GM = potential for annoyance; buying Toyota = potential for complete inability to drive or serious injury."
  
This analysis states several safety-related recalls that have affected Toyota products, but presumes that GM has not had any of those? In 2005, GM recalled over 2 million vehicles for safety-related issues:
  
-1.5 million full-size trucks and SUVs for a rear seatbelt problem
-330,000 various SUVs for overheating fuel-pump wiring that could short out or otherwise fail and even cause a fuel leak
-142,000 trucks for parking brake problems
-69,000 Buicks for brake pedal failures (resulted in at least one accident)
-39,000 Rendezvous/Azteks for faulty ignitions
-22,000 Saturn wagons that failed USDOT rear seatbelt anchor standards
  
There may be more that I missed. The NHTSA database shows that EVERY manufacturer has various serious safety-related recalls, not just GM or Toyota. The more vehicle sales = more recalls, that's usually the trend. I'm not going to suggest that GM has more than others without having the hard data, but I think it's also unfair to say that one company has "convenience" recalls while another has "safety" ones without looking at the complete picture.

bimmerjay, of course in the long run all manufacturers do have serious recalls. I should have clarified and stated that for the most recent model years, that has been the trend. My examples were all of recalls/major issues from the past year. As dph1 so helpfully pointed out, both Aura trim lines scored as more reliable than a V6 Camry. The real issue here is that Toyota has undeservedly gotten an unquestioned reputation for reliability at the expense of other manufacturers. For example, when comparing the new Tundra against the new Silverado, CR said the Silverado was "too new to predict reliability" (a rating any other newly redesigned vehicle would get, and rightfully so) but the Tundra got an "above average" reliability rating, despite the fact that it was redesigned just like the Silverado. This is a blatant double standard and removes any last shred of credibility that the myth of CR's objectivity still has left. The fact is that Toyota, as a whole, does not have the bulletproof reliability it was once thought to have. When my grandma went to buy a new car, she had to have a a Toyota because they were "reliable", and so she bought a 4 cylinder Rav4. A few months earlier I purchased a Chevy Cobalt. Since then, I haven't had any problems with the Cobalt that warranted going to the dealership to be addressed, while my grandma can't keep the Rav out of the dealership's service center. My sister owns a 2002 Saturn that just now is giving her a problem (only a clunky shift into reverse). Otherwise the car has lasted just fine (although I'll admit 5-6 years isn't that long to go without a problem).

I had an Aura as a rental the other day, and was impressed. It was an XE V6. The steering column didn't fall apart, but I only pulled it all the way out, and didn't try putting it back in. As 7driver said above, if I'd known about this issue beforehand, my inner juvenile delinquent would have likely tried in-out-in-out-in-out for a few minutes just to see what happened...

Also would like to add that I really really like the new GM radio and climate controls, I've had a lot of experience with it rental cars in the last several months. I really like how the radio presets can be set for any band (AM, FM, or XM) on the same page. And the design and texture of the controls look really nice and modern, but not too complicated.

^ hence why i said CR is trash
 
but you know who the real culprit is...engineers like me. you look at any product these days and you can say, "they just don't make them like they used to". this is sooooo true. i actually think that engineering has a lot to do with the crapiness of things (as well as the advances). the bottom line is we need to cut costs because the finance/marketing people tell us we need to, so we have to skimp out on some things (the walmart effect)

hmm i'm actually starting to root for GM now that their cars are made nicer. but they really gotta step up in the quality department. at least the camry that you guys had only had misaligned trim that if you only pay attention to it you'll notice it. but this is noticeable to a point where you have to look at it every frickin day. as for people who complain about the reliability of camrys...uh i dont know where you guys bought yours but when we had one it lasted so long without any problems. maybe just a few batch of "bad" camrys were sold in the beginning of every generation and you guys all so happend to be the unlucky ones.

Actually Jsc4321 the new Camrys have had real reliability problems, especially concerning the transmission. Toyota even had a program that was essentially a recall, but they didn't call it that because they didn't want to have to announce yet another recall (not that it would have made a difference. When you're the recall leader in a particular year, what is one more?) They may have been good in the past, but not the new ones, and its assumptions like yours that are the reason Toyota has an undeserved reputation for quality. Everyone thinks that because they once had a Camry that was reliable, all current Toyotas must be just as reliable. You know its gotten really bad when even Toyota's own marketing department (aka Consumer Reports) won't even automatically recommend Toyota vehicles anymore.

I am pretty sure the G6 was recommended last year and had average reliability. I need to check the CR car issue to see what it says.
 
It makes no sense that the XR is recommended and the XE is not when the only mechanical difference is the powertrain. This is just one more reason why CR's results make absolutely no sense. How can two models of the same car have wildly different reliability scores? I bet the XR did poorly in the results because of fuel economy.
 
The Aura problems that IL is having (or had) are not impressive but to say they signal that GM quality overall is poor is a stretch. As far as I know the recent long term GM vehicles like the Tahoe, SRX and Silverado have been problem free. There is a difference between and annoyance and a mechanical failure. Unfortunately for GM and others, that difference isnt highlighted in CR results and the term "unreliable" gets attached to too many vehicles.

stovt001, I agree with some of your points and think I see your intent more clearly. However, I disagree that Toyota's reputation for quality is undeserved. They're definitely not infallible - I have a hard time understanding why any reasonable person could believe a car company is "perfect". I concur with an article in today's New York Times (see the auto section) that the reputation they have has been established over the last 30 years. CR started recommending Toyotas in the 70's! How could their unquestionable deteriorations in quality over the past couple model years completely undo a 30 year reputation? People's minds, whether consumers or the media, just don't change that quickly in the macro sense.
  
GM is facing the opposite - the past 30 years have been rough on the General, and it is again only the past several model years that GM has demonstrated consistent, across-the-board product improvement, both objectively and subjectively. Are consumers expected to simply unlearn 30 years of their experiences and beliefs all at once? Remember that the average age of a new-car buyer is almost 50 - old enough to have been able to experience this 30 year history. GM is consistently gaining respect, and time will tell if the trend lasts. I estimate it would take a good 10 years to really turn a sizable number of people's minds. Same with Toyota - 10 years of high-profile quality misses could very well undo their reputation - deservedly or not.
  
Bottom line is, nothing happens overnight. Mercedes-Benz is another example, after more than 5 years of quality problems, in the public's eyes the brand is pretty much still viewed the way it has been for the last 100 years.

"Are consumers expected to simply unlearn 30 years of their experiences and beliefs all at once?"
 
This is the type of logic that kills me. It is a gross exaggeration to say that American vehicles have been unreliable for the last 30 years and thus its OK for people not to take their quality gains seriously. People who have abandoned domestic brands based on bad experiences 10-20 years ago decide to rewrite history for the rest of us with little basis for their statements. I will agree that domestic quality has not been as consistent as Toyota and Honda for the last 30 years but that is NOT the same as saying everything they made before 2004 was an unreliable piece of crap. I know that most people only consider CR as a valid source (which is laughable) but if you bother to check other sources you will see a different story. I often read the long term tests in auto mags and here on edmunds. Since I have been following these types of tests I have seen no clear signs that domestics are more troublesome. I would say overall European cars tend to have the most problems, but Japanese vehicles are not immune. In addition the bIg have slashed warranty costs, boosted warranties (now they are superior to their Japanese rivals) and done respectably in JD Powers surveys. At the end of the day the ONLY proof that one really has that domestics have only been making quality products for 2-3 years is CR.
 
BTW, if you tell the average loyal import owner about a positive experience with a domestic vehicle over the course of many years and 100K+ miles in which minimal repairs were done he will simply say "oh yeah, well my Honda lasted 30K more miles and had even less problems". while I agree that ZERO problems is the best an owner could want I am not prepared to say that a vehicle that required two repairs in 150k miles is unreliable as many import owners will suggest. If you say a domestic car served you well for 150k miles a Honda owner will say "thats nothing, my 1987 Honda has 280k miles on it and is going strong" when we know 90% of people trade in their cars in 6 or 7 years at the most. It's great that Hondas can last 300k miles, but I have no intention of keeping ANY car that long.

To comment a little on the end of 1487's post, I've seen examples of Japanese and Domestic cars getting an insane amount of miles on the odometer before dying, I've seen some get totally average amounts, and I've seen some, foreign and domestic alike, that were half dead the moment they drove off the lot. To me though it just seems that people are much more vocal about it when an import goes for extreme mileage, and more vocal about it when a domestic dies early. I feel it may well be because they have been conditioned to assume all domestics have poor reliability and all Japanese cars last forever. Reality doesn't always form perception. Just as often, if not more so, perception forms "reality".

Most cars today can run 150k+ miles with proper maintenance but the issue is wear and tear items. Thats the part no one talks about when they say their Honda (or whatever) lasted 180k miles. My wife had a corolla and it ran until we sold it with 138k miles but I wouldnt say it didnt cost us any money beyond gas and oil. Things broke because the car was old. Clutch had to be replaced, the tape player didnt work, the driver's side interior door handle was broken, brakes had to be replaced and there were some other issues that came up at inspection that had to be addressed and all that cost money. If all you are talking about is the engine and tranny than yes the car was fine.
 
To me reliabilty to 200k miles is a nonissue. I understand that a wise person would keep a car until it wont run anymore but that isnt how most of us operate.

I wanted to ask a question regarding the top picture since most concerns over this car have been related to interior build quality, which I agree are minor issues but still pertinent to the overall quality of the vehicle. Is the wood trim on the driver's door really misaligned with the wood trim on the dash? It looks like it is in the picture. Is it the picture? Is it how it is designed? Is it misaligned? It looks a little goofy to not be in line, but it could totally just be the way the picture was shot.

It is very misaligned. All Aura's are like that, so it's a design issue. However, there are several unintentional misaligned panels in our particular Aura as well. Not to bog too much into this GM vs Toyota melee, but a Camry LE I drove recent was worse in terms of panel fit and panel color consistancy.

So what are you saying 1487? The big 3's reputation for craptastic cars is not deserved? That names like LTD, Tempo, Topaz, Taurus, Chevette, Dynasty, Corsica, Baretta, Sierra, Celebrity, Cimarron, Colt, Cavalier, Sunfire, Pinto, Achieva, Shadow, Horizon, Omni, Escort, Grand Am, Neon should be revered as the high watermark of human ingenuity, engineering, and manufacture? That the reason these cars depreciated so quickly to nothing, that they send a shudder in the spine of any mechanic that ever had to touch one, that most people don't remember them or are trying to forget ever owning one is all a conspiracy set up by Consumer Reports, the import brands, and America hating Liberal Media? These were actually wonderful cars and victims of an elaborate smear campaign? That this smear campaign is now being continued to by Edmunds with their biased reporting of the Aura's numerous problems and Saturn's inability to fix them? 1487 I'm glad you were the first one on your block to run out and buy an Aura as a show of support for the domestic brands. I just wonder if you're trying to convince me that the Aura is a good car or yourself. Have you tried telescoping the wheel out all the way and putting it back? If it didn't break you should consider yourself lucky.

Benson, if you read his post he actually indicated that domestic cars from the late 70s through the 80s weren't that good, but his point was that not every domestic made before 2004 was just as bad as those you mentioned. In fact, you pretty much exactly proved his point by looking at cars from a specific era and blanket applying it to all domestic cars, when in fact such logic is erroneous. Also, I wouldn't call any car from that era, be it foreign or domestic, a "high water mark of human ingenuity, engineering, and manufacture." Anyway, in terms of overall quality I'd have to rate the Aura better than the Camry. As Jriz noted, it has better interior build and material quality, and as Toyota's recent recall records indicate, it is far more mechanically reliable. So really, yes, the only people who need convincing are the import fanboys like yourself. Have fun with your beloved Toyota. Just take care when shutting the door (those misfiring side airbags can really hurt), be careful not to crash (faulty seatbelts don't hold you in well) and keep AAA's number handy when your transmission decides to just completely freeze on you. Some really old and long gone domestic cars may have been bad, but now the real problem cars are the brand new Toyotas.

Oh and really, all of that "woodgrain" trim just needs to go. That is just the tackiest thing I've ever seen. Maybe its just that picture, because that's the worst I've seen it look, but it just doesn't do it for me. At least the stuff in the Malibu is nicer looking and much less in quantity.

It looks like the dash is warping on the passenger side now (next to the AC vents).
I don't want to get into the DvI argument, but I feel I must argue Stovt on his comment on cars from the 80's.
-Any BMW owner would disagree with your statement that no car from that time period was a "high water mark of human ingenuity, engineering, and manufacture." Some of the best Bimmers came from the 80's. Same with Mercs.
-Also, you're discounting Lexus, which revolutionized the luxury car industry.
-Honda introduced a little-known technology called VTEC.
-Dodge introduced the revolutionary Caravan which is the sole domestic minivan to survive to this day (and still the best selling).
 
I'm sure there are other things I'm forgetting. While there certainly were horrendous vehicles that came out of the 80's, a lot of good came out of that period, too. Talk about a blanket statement. ;-)

The Caravan is not the best-selling minivan, at least as of a month ago. The most recent sales data I saw had the Odyssey in the Top 20-best selling vehicles at 130,267 units sold year-to-date. No other minivan was in the Top 20. It'll be interesting to see how the new '08 Chrysler vans change things.
 
Last year, the No. 1 minivan was the Odyssey with 177,919 units, followed by the Sienna at 163,269 and then the Town & Country at 159,105.

Stov, what I was getting at is that it seems you guys are saying that the current perception that domestics make bad cars is not deserved and it's not the domestic brands fault. That all of a sudden we're supposed to blindly believe that they've turned over a new leaf and are making great cars. They are the only ones to blame and that list of crap cars (which could be three times as long) is the proof. Rebadged Opels aren't the second coming. And they've continued to make bad cars since 2004. And by the way I'm no fan of Toyotas; in fact I'm no import fan boy. I just want everyone to make safe quality cars. I'm the first to admit import brand quality has dropped in the last decade as they've tried to cut costs and broaden they're market share.

James, are you sure? I thought the Caravan was still ahead.
 
http://z.about.com/d/minivans/1/0/S/2/-/-/06-minivan-sales-jan-sep.jpg

First things first.
 
The XR is not a rebadged Opel. It is based upon the Malibu Maxx platform, not the short version of the Opel Vectra.
 
Yes, many of us look back fondly on older cars. But sometimes, just sometimes, we realize that today's cars are really much, much better.
Take for example the 1988 Chevrolet Nova(aka Toyota Corolla) that my wife and I drove for 12 years.
 
Was it reliable? Yes, unless you count the fact that its master slave or clutch had to be replaced every 60,000 miles. It needed a new radiator at 100,000 miles. The car had a slight stutter when not cold or warmed up that meant 2nd gear would sputter for a little bit. Per my mechanic, all the Toyotas and Chevrolets had this problem. Everything worked well, except the headliner came out at 150,000 miles. Remember, built just like the Japanese version. It had more body roll than the wife's minivan.
 
I did get 40 + mpg on the highway, however it only topped out at 90 mph, max. Had I gotten into an accident, I would be the loser. Remember, this is the best of the Japanese products at the time as well. The Corolla that so many remember fondly.
 
Yes, I will be contacting my Saturn dealer to find out about the telescoping. I am lucky, buying the cars for the last 14 years allows them to trust me with the truth. If the design is as bad as Edmunds has stated, someone should be fired. Either way, my XR has been and still is a dream to drive. I haven't noticed the misalignment that Estreka speaks of. I like the woodgrain, looks good with the Moroccan Brown leather. However, as JRIZ spoke, a Camry was much worse. Imagine that.
 
The point is, cars today are much better than prior ones. They perform much better, and for the performance available get better mileage, and are safer. There has been cost cutting going on, unfortunately that is inevitable. Go drive a 1980s car, compare it to its equivalent and then come back and try to say the older car is better.

Now aurakr, don't be putting words in my mouth. I said it was worse, not much worse, and that was just in regards to strictly panel fit and two pieces of rear door plastic that were slightly different shades of grey. Both the Aura and the Camry need a trip to finishing school.
 
As for those vans estreka, I can only go by what I received from our sales figures person in terms of final 2006 sales figures. Not sure where the descrepancies are coming from. It was certainly surprising to me that the T&C sold better than the Caravan.

I consider the T&C and Caravan to be the same thing. That might be one discrepancy.

So do Aura threads make up a huge majority of the posting activity on these blogs? Every other entry has 3, 5, maybe 7 comments. The Aura is up to about 40 per entry now. Edmunds, you gotta admit without the Aura this section wouldn't see half the traffic it does. Estreka, I see your point on the BMWs, but I'm not so sure about the effect of those early Lexi. (would that be the plural of Lexus?) Sure they're big now but I don't hear much at all about the early ones, good or bad. Same kinda goes for VTEC. Now both are big and are good examples of fine engineering, but at the time were they necessarily all the rave? I will admit I'm not a fan of VTEC, or Honda engines in general, so I'll admit some bias there. I just hate high-revving engines. I'll let the Caravan debate continue on...
 
Benson, trends from the past few years have shown both a steady increase in domestic reliability (starting with GM, especially Buick, but now Ford seems to be leading with the Fusion and its siblings) Also Aurakr is correct, the Aura isn't just a rebadged Opel. I'm living in England right now, where we have Vauxhall Vectras. THAT is a rebadged Opel. The Aura is similar to the Vectra, but not the exact same car at all.
 
So to sum up:
1) Detroit made bad cars in the 80s, and I believe Toyota makes bad cars now. Evidence: tons of recalls, declining CR ratings, declining interior quality and my grandma's 2007 RAV4 that just can't stay out of the service department at the dealership. Detroit is on the upswing, and Toyota is on the downswing.
2) Edmunds should thank Saturn for generating so much traffic on this blog
3) Not all Saturns and Opels are created equal
4) Edmunds editors have an odd passion for accurate sales numbers on minivans
5) We all go off on tangents a lot around here
6) Fake woodgrain trim is from the devil.
 
That is all. Thanks for sharing your views. Really, I do appreciate them and consider them valid points.

September sales, the Ody got almost there 130,472 Caravan vs. 130,267 Odyssey. A few years ago Honda didnt have the production capacity to compete with Chrysler for sales numbers but times have changed and Honda has nearly beaten Chrylser.

That's true stov, and subsequently all future long-term cars will be labeled as Saturns. The Saturn Tundra, the Saturn Rondo, the Saturn-Benz C300 Sport.

That poor Rondo...

Stovt - I believe it's Lexii, but I could be wrong. And the reason Lexus was such an innovation was the fact that it proved someone other than the Germans and the British could build a luxury car. And an affordable one at that.
Really? You don't like Honda engines? To me, there are few experiences like reving my 2.0L up 9,000 rpm. There's something magical about it. I do love throaty V8s, though.

So how is that Saturn Benz C300 Sport :o)
 
Sorry JRIZ, I apologize and will redouble my efforts to be a precise as possible. Still for any Toyota to be worse than a Saturn has got to be some kind of record, no?
 
As I have stated before, I am totally psyched about the future cars coming out. Hybrids, hydrogen, HCCI, diesel, the next few years should be great.
 
Stovt001, I tend to agree with you about high revving engines. So how to explain the 6800 redline on my XR? I can't, although it rarely sees more than 3000 in normal driving. I was raised by a father who believed that one of the greatest gifts to mankind was the V8. With the cars I had to drive, the V8s rarely went above 4000 rpm. And I still remember the question he used to ask, what is that little engine going to do when you floor it at 100, 000 miles? Meaning will it blow up when you really need it to respond? Many years later, I learned what will happen, not much if maintained properly. But I still have an suspicion about high revving engines. I'm talking about those that go above 7500-8000 rpm. Heck even the minvan will rev 5500-6000 rpm, although you really don't want to hear it. Not pretty.

Toyota Camrys are no good.
Saturn Auras are no good.
That's a no brainer.
The most reliable, highest quality brand: Honda.
We should all be driving Honda Accords.
Have you bought your Accord yet?

Billt9,
 
I agree completely.
=).

Let's get to fifty.

There we are.

"Stov, what I was getting at is that it seems you guys are saying that the current perception that domestics make bad cars is not deserved and it's not the domestic brands fault. "
 
that is absolutely a load of crap. This is 2007 and I am sick of hearing about cars that were sold when I was in diapers. Sorry, but I dont care about the Vega, Pinto or any other crappy American car that was made nearly 30 years ago, if not more. Times have changed, period. You can accept it or you can keep telling horror stories about cars that were on sale when Carter was president. Anyone with a smidge of common sense knows that since so many "imports" are made in America many of these cars use the same suppliers and are not all that different. Please explain to me how an "import" built by American workers with the same US and foreign suppliers used by the Big 3 can be far superior in quality. People who are 40 and up (roughly) refuse to admit that we are in a different era and wont let the Vega and Cimmaron and Cavalier RIP. The people who designed and approved those cars are either retired or dead. I care more about the 2008 CTS than the Vega or any other defunct american car that represent the low point of Detroit's auto history. WHat they are doing now is what counts to buyers.
 
I have no need to pull my telescoping wheel all the way out. Why dont you read the comments posted by Aura owners here on Edmunds and see how many people mention this issue. I did not see ONE complaint about the steering column in all of the consumer reviews I read on the 2007 Aura.

As someone that wasnt old enough to buy or drive cars in the 80s let me tell you that from my perspective they all look like crap. While Detroits cars were larger and softer handling I dont see them as any less desirable than the boxy, noisy Japanese cars of the 80s. The styling across the board was terrible, the wheels were too small, the interiors were rectangular and bland, the ergonomics were questionable, the engines were weak, etc. The only thing we can say is that Japanese cars had better gap tolerances and better reliability. I wouldn't go as far as saying they made great cars in the 70s and 80s. They were cars that could get you from A to B without breaking down and thats what people wanted.

The trim alignment can be fixed w/ TSB #07-08-110-003.

wow, not going on the aura blog for a couple of days and i missed 32 new entries
 
billt9...i don't like the styling of the new accord. and i was never a big fan of honda suspensions (too harsh and I drive a Nissan)

I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree 1487. Though most of the cars I mentioned weren't 30 years old. Domestic brands suffered from high depreciation and low quality through out the nineties and 2000's. You cited the Cavalier and it was made up to 2006 or something (I guess the platform was carried over from '82 so it kind of was 20 something years old even in 2006 but never mind). You know what; forget it, enjoy the Aura, I'm sure it's a good car for your family. I'm sure your parents will be happy with it. I kind of like the styling, I just wish GM paid more attention to the details.

Estreka, agree to disagree on high or low revving engines. Purely a matter of taste, I like brutal low end torque and cruising at easy, low revs. I'm sure there is some appeal in screaming hand grenade engines, but its just not for me. Well, thankfully the market has both, so everyone is happy.
 
Benson2175, as long as we're talking about long dead discontinued cars, what about the Toyota Toyopet? Seems appropriate to bring it up considering we're getting around the 50th anniversary of that disaster.
 
Willin58, good find on the TSB.
 
Editors, or anyone who keeps track, are we getting close to a record on thread length here?

Oh, and while we're at it:
 
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=123083
 
Import lovers, twist at will.

Estreka, FWIW, the plural of nexus is nexuses or nexus:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/nexus

I want to thank the Edmunds editors and all other drivers for their good work in the last few months.
 
While I may disagree with them on some issues, thanx to their butter fingers :o) they have discovered something on the XR that appears to really need upgrading or fixing. We are speaking about what happens when the wheel is telescoped.
 
FYI, did everybody hear that Toyota lost their appeal on the hybrid patent issue? All in all, not a good week for Toyota. Then again, not a good week for car owners, gas at $90 a barrel. I fear the way things are going, we may look back in 10 years as this being the golden age of the automobile.
 
SubyTrojan
 
I was out of town because of work the last two days. Fill you in later. What do you and Langjie think of the trade the Chargers made? I really like it. We upgraded our receiving corps and may also get to lead the league in dropped passes:o). The Patriots look so amazing, but I would worry if I were them this week. The Dolphins always give them fits, and they appear to not have a running back available, other than Faulk.

Crashtestdingo - I used grammar rules related to radius, focus, and other various latin-based words. While the word "lexus" has no standard definition, the base "lex" (meaning "the use of letters" or "a collection of letters") is latin-based. Nexus is also latin-based, though. So you might be right.
 
Stovt - Oh that's fine. I'm not trying to make a point. I was just curious.
 
Everyone - Yay! 60!

1487, the pigeons have come home to roost and I hope you are wearing a hat.
When I and many others criticized the interior quality and build quality of the Aura when it was introduced your M.O. of disregarding any issue with a GM product and attacking imports did not make the problem disappear.
The problems with this Aura can not be dismissed so easily as attributing them to an anti-detroit bias.
Detroits reputation is well deserved.