GMTruckGuy74

I'm very sorry to learn about your friend's sudden death. Be there for his parents as much as you can, I'm sure they appreciate having you around in this time of need. You all will be in my prayers tonight.

Thanks for that post CadillacKing3. I will be getting the XE anyday now, once my salesman finds one equipped and in the colors I've requested. It's reassuring to read your experience in the XE. I can't wait to get mine!!! Anyone else experience an AURA lately???

Put a big dent in both the door and quarter panel on the driver's side and it will look like mine It's interesting, to say the least.

Well, it looks like an AURA will be parked in my driveway soon. Went to the dealership tonight and had my Malibu appraised and a lease deal worked out on an AURA that will have to be dealer-traded for. It will be for an XE model, as the wife was very insistent on getting the tan cloth interior and saving some money in the long run instead of spending money for a top-of-the-line XR model. I just hope those Hankook tires are worth it, as the Bridgestone's on my Malibu suck BIG time. It's Midnight Blue with Tan cloth interior, with the Convenience and Preferred Packages, XM radio and 17" Aluminum Wheels. Keep your fingers crossed for me that the trade works out - I might get this car as soon as Saturday. By the way, anyone live in or near Limerick, Pennsylvania???? Wanna do me a really BIG favor?

New questions: 1. Does the XR's 3.6 liter V6 require premium fuel, or can it run on regular? 2. Who makes Hanook tires, the ones that come standard on the XE models? Anyone with ownership experience with this brand of tires???

I was thinking "SS" too...

It seems as if I have a lot of the same stuff as everyone else here already posted about. I have magazines dating back to the '90s for Pontiac Enthusiast and High Performance Pontiac, old pickup truck magazines, C&D/MT/R&T etc. and some specialty magazines (like a three-issue set on classic trucks from 1992). I have tons of diecast cars in all scales, but namely 1:87/1:64 (MB/HW size), 1:24, 1:32, and 1:18. I also have some promo models that I began collecting around 1989 into the mid-'90s. There is my HESS truck collection, dating back to the 1989 issue. I had a really large brochure collection from 1989 through 2001, until my parents moved and most of it had to go out for recycling (no storage space). I still have quite a few brochures from that time period (mostly Pontiac & GMC), and of course what I added to it over the years from 2002 and up. I have some emblems (mostly GMC) and press (media) kits and some interesting pieces bought from eBay (a Terradyne belt buckle). And then there's the small collection of Tonka trucks I've been picking up and putting aside for my little guy (15-mos old now) when he gets a little older. Although we moved to a much bigger place in 2004, my basement is horrible and so cluttered. I didn't mention above that I also collected Star Wars toys, so I have a bunch of that stuff taking up space too. My sister has been doing really well selling her stuff on eBay, and I've been meaning to thin out my collection for a while now. So during the holidays I'm going to explore eBay and then start selling my stuff there. Be careful HarleyEarl, because once you start it's hard to go cold turkey!!!

Thanks everyone. I'm still so pissed that she hit my baby. I hardly ever drive her and the one day that it's beautiful out and I get her on the road and BAM. Oh well, I guess that's what insurance is for. Mustang84, I'd say we were travellinga bout 35-40 MPH when she turned right into me. I contacted the dealership and they have two body shops they deal with. One has done minor repair jobs on atleast one SKY, while the other had rebuilt a very damaged SKY. So it's likely I'm going to choose that shop since they already have more knowledge about the car. For those that can't enlarge the attached pics, here they are for you: Hopefully the rain stops this afternoon so I can pull it out of the garage and take more pictures of it and check out where this rattling noise is coming from on the passenger side (which was NOT hit).

Has anyone driven an AURA XE model that can comment here? I'd like ot know what your impressions are of this model vs. the XR. Thanks!

There was a screw in the curved part of the tire that two tire places said a plug wouldn't hold in. I think the screw was placed there by someone <vandalism>, but don't know how long it was there and had no evidence to prove it to my insurance company. So I had to shell out the money to buy a new tire since the original tire was completely flat and non-repairable.

That is the exact interior my wife wants - she prefers leather, but is okay with the cloth.AURA XR, the steering wheel pictured still has the older style buttons. When I get back to the dealership this week, I'll try to get a picture of the new style buttons for you and post it here.

Wasn't the auction held over the weekend? Anyone know how much the '58 GMC sold for???

Saturn owners can get a $750 customer cash incentive until December 18. I don't what any of the other GM divisions are doing.

Well, the steering wheel audio & DIC buttons have been chenged (at least on the AURA XR we drove Saturday). The buttons are now more pronounced, rather than flush-mounted on the wheel. They stick out more and there's lettering on some of them (list "list" instead of a small pic of a list). So there's one running change made already!

The wife and I stopped by the dealership Saturday afternoon to test-drive the Midnight Blue AURA XR. She liked it a lot, and her only disappointments were with the interior color (the XR's all-black vs. the XE's tan) and the silver painted trim vs. the wood trim surrounding the dash. We both agree the Morroco Brown leather isn't cutting it for us, so if we end up with the XR (which is what I want), then she'll just have to deal with the all-black. My disappointment came in the fact that on the XR the steering wheel and shifter are not leather-covered unless you order the leather interior (this XR is cloth and without the sunroof option). This is pretty crappy, especially for the other luxury touches Saturn/GM has put into this model (I could see it not being a feature of the XE model, but this should be standard on the XR regardless of cloth or leather seats). So at some point this week I'd like to go and get my trade appraised and then get a lease price on this XR. If it's in the range I want to be in, maybe I'll see if they have one with leather interior at either of their other two facilities to compare the price (and if it has the wood interior, it will make my wife happy ). More to come later this week...

Yes my friends, I'm sad to write that my beloved Saturn SKY was the unfortunate punching bag of a silver 2000 Monte Carlo this past Saturday afternoon. Long story short, I was in the right lane, the MC (out-of-state driver -- Ohio) was in the middle lane, she thought she was passing her hotel and decided to just turn right into me. I tried to swerve so she'd miss me, but instead of breaking she hit the gas and plowed into my driver's door, the driver's rear fender, small portion of the left rear bumper and damaged the chrome rim (and tire damage b/c the plastic inner fender is now scraping the tire). Very pissed, but was surprised b/c the wife jumped out of the car ready to kill the girl who hit me!!! And I thought she didn't love the SKY! OnStar brought the police to the scene very quickly, and at first she had no proof of insurance on her (a call to dad in Ohio produced a policy number for Allstate). Wanna know something ironic? This accident ocurred on the opposite side of the street in front of my Saturn dealership!!! Attached are some preliminary pictures taken in my garage yesterday morning (it was a rainy day, so no outside sunny pics yet). Ocnblu: I would like to know from you how bad this damage appears; I'm really concerned with the damage around the rear fender/gas filler door area. Any advice you can share now will help me deal later (if necessary).

By the way Bizz, I've been showing the pics of your car to people I know when I tell them that I'm hopefully getting one of my own soon! Everyone says what a great looking car the AURA is (remember, their saying that about your car! )

Thanks for thinking of me! I didn't realize, until after logging off last night, that the SKYs leave the factory with Goodyear RSAs. On the positive side, my SKY really doesn't get used in the rain (has been in two heavy storms and one light rain since April) and will definitely not see any snow or salty roads afterwards. Dry pavement use has been great so far (I had to replace one already - $338)

I use to read the manual from cover-to-cover, but just don't have the time anymore (I know, it's sad). Basically if I don't know how to use a feature, then I'll refer to the manual. But thanks for posting this, as I have the same steering wheel in the SKY with the same audio controls. I'll have to get out my manual and see if it does the same thing in the SKY too.

Yeah, the convention was great and the fun my friend & I had after all the workshops was even better (thank god the wives stayed home!!!). The convention is big news in A/C and everybody everywhere in A/C talks about it. Just say that you're a teacher and the questions and comments will follow! We stayed at the Sands - tonight is their final night. Not too busy there last night; we gambled to 3:30 AM and yes, you could win (don;t know about the slots, my friend advised against them).Saturn & Staples partner together every year and pass out goodie bags to teachers and of course Saturn has a display set up. This year there was a green VUE Hybrid, Ocean Mist AURA XE, and a white-diamond preproduction OUTLOOK. Because I'm a Saturn owner, I got a little red (Saturn Owner) ribbon to add to my NJEA badge and an AURA t-shirt (white t-shirt that has a black Saturn logo with the word AURA printed under it). I told them I owned a SKY and it was the talk of the town, although I had to show the pic on my cell phone to one girl to prove it! IMHO, the Ocean Mist looks good on vehicles when they're indoors, but I'm not a big fan of this color out in the sun. I wish I could go to the dealership tomorrow and work out a deal on the Midnight Blue XR they have, but there is a wedding I must attend. The reception place isn't too far from the dealership, so if there's apply time before the reception we might stop by so the wife can test drive it. And I love the way the blue looks - dirty or not, I don't care - I want this car in blue!!! Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Good luck getting a SKY - you'll love it! I'd seriously talk to your dealer NOW about it, as I'm sure there's a huge waiting list of potential customers. Regular or Redline? I have the regualr SKY, which is all I need. I like to go out and cruise with the top down, not race people between lights. As for the badge, I was going to put it with the other badges I have collected (nothing real special). I did notice the other night when looking at a white XE inside of the showrom that the rear badge is quite large. And what a great idea that Saturn missed on - lighting it up. That would have looked great on the car at night. As for ideas what to do with it should you keep it, I know some of the SKY owners have changed the red to the color of their car or to a darker color (for example, one guy has a silver pearl Redline SKY and changed the background to black). If you truly don't want it, then I'd be more than happy to take it off your hands rather than you tossing it in the garbage (not saying you would, seeing as how it would more likely end up on your toolbox). Let me know when that time comes.

Thanks AURA XR and Bizz for posting the info on your AURAs. I'm hoping by next week to join you both in the ownership experience of this wonderful car. My dealer has a XR that caught my eye - Midnight Blue with Black Cloth (no sunroof either) - that I plan to check out further very soon. I'll be leaving fro Atlantic City (teacher's convention!) in a couple of hours and then have a wedding to attend to on Saturday, so I won't get back to the dealer until some point next week. But I've e-mailed my salesman about that AURA XR and hope he'll work some magic to bring me in the dealership sooner. Bizz, why don't you like Goodyear tires? Have you experienced anything negative with them on the XR since you bought it? I personally prefer Goodyears to any other brand (lately, my GM vehicles have had Continental tires that have given me so-so performance and have worn out too early). The Envoy has Michelin tires and with almost 19,000 miles on them I'm happy so far. I noticed the other night that the XE models come with Hanhook tires while the XR models come with Goodyear. AURA XR, I agree that Saturn/GM should have put the memory seats feature on at least the AURA XR. If it had that option, I'd even consider buying the car vs. leasing it!

Any new GM truck releases from JL???

You can mail me that badge when you take it off! ... ... ... No, seriously, mail it to me when you take it off (assuming you don't want it). I was at the dealership last night for the SKY's first service visit (btw, broke 1,000 miles finally!). While waiting I cruised around the lot, looking at the AURA inventory. I had in mind that an XE would do fine for us, but after seeing a few of the XR models, I think I'm going to try that route instead. They just got in - still all wrapped in it's shipping plastic - a Midnight Blue XR with the black cloth interior and no sunroof (it has the heated seats, so my wife will be fine without leather, and personally I don't use the sunroof much in either my Malibu or Envoy, that I don't think I'll miss it). Wife has class tonight and tomorrow I'm headed to Atlantic City for the next two days (Teacher's Convention!!! In A/C - ) and Saturday we have a wedding, so I won't be able to get a lease price until some point next week. But I forsee an AURA sitting in my driveway real soon.

dratnol, do you use the rear seat for adults, or almost-teens? The reason I ask is that I found the LaCrosse to have a really tight rear seat area, especially with the legroom. I was interested in getting a LaCrosse CXS this past February until I really checked it out. I need the back seat for both my 15-month old and 12 year-old sons, and occasionally the wife will sit in the back with the baby. She and I both found the back seat area to be uncomfortable. If the back seat will be used only on occassion, then you have selected a really nice car with the LaCrosse. But I find the AURA better suits my needs vs. the LaCrosse (now the Lucerne can be a different story). Good luck with your search!