I've had a run of bad luck and need to snag a cheap car ASAP. And I mean _cheap_. I'm going to look at an 04 Vue that looks very clean, has new tires and new clutch. The engine was replaced and has only 55k on it, which doesn't scare me if it was done professionally and things are documented.

So two questions:

1. When it breaks, am I going to be able to find parts for an 04 Vue for a couple of years? Is there maybe a GM/GMC vehicle that shares most of its parts that lasted a little longer than the Vue, so that there's good, new parts available? Ideally, I need to get a year out of this thing, but if I could go two years with no car payment it would be a godsend.

2. Is this thing going to erase any no-car-payment savings with endless little repairs? I plan to do brakes and things like suspension bushings to make it feel a little newer, maybe replace other suspension parts if they need it. Otherwise I just want a reasonably-reliable daily driver.

Thoughts?

 

To my knowledge, the 1st Gen Vues (through 07) used Saturn only parts w the exception of some Honda engines and some A/T s that were used across other GM lines. Actually, the 4 cyl 2.2 Ecotec was also used in other GM cars.

As far as the rest of the parts, I believe they are specific to the Vue. You will likely be getting your parts from junkyards. To get an idea of what you can still buy OEM, visit

gmpartsdirect.co (not .com) .Pick your model and poke around in there. Also, copy the GM part numbers and Google them to guage aftermarket support.

RockAuto.com . Drill down to the vehicle in question and you will be able to gauge how much aftermarket support there is for the different types of parts.

I'm not a Vue guy....just doing my best.

 

In addition to what derf has suggested, you can find some parts on ebay or amazon if you have the GM part #'s.