Just purchased a 2008 Saturn Outlook XR

[Bruce_Lee]

and last:

[likearock00]

Great pics and congrats on your purchase! I was also surprised to see you got it at invoice. Good deal!

[Joevette]

how can they charge you for a marketing fee? especially one you have a choice to pay or not, who would ever agree to that??

[Bruce_Lee]

You know, they didn't ask me if I would agree to pay all those fees. They just threw them on the table after I told them I would pay invoice for the Outlook.

That's when they said that they HAD to charge me those extra 3 fees (Paint protection, pin stripes and 'marketing fee'). They insisted that everyone was supposed to pay the 'marketing fee'. So, I stared to get up and grabbed my check book. That's when they said they 'would absorb those fees'.

I had to fight them on that. But in the end, they accepted my offer, which was their offer to begin with.

[TheGeneral]

I would remove the pinstripes ASAP. They look bad and if there damaged the paint looks different underneath.

[Hitman1970]

Congratulations! Great choice. We hope to replace our Freestyle with a lambda of our own in a few years.

[BusyBody]

Wow, there is no comparison between the Acura and your Outlook. The Acura looks data and old.

[Bruce_Lee]

General,
I've been thinking about that because I really don't like the 'pin stripes'. How would I remove the 'pin stripes' with out scratching my car?

If any one has any suggestions, please let me know. I would really appreciate it.

thanks,

BL

[Michael_S]

Originally Posted by BusyBody

Wow, there is no comparison between the Acura and your Outlook. The Acura looks data and old.

The Acura has more luxury features, more power, it's lighter, faster, and its AWD system can divert power between the wheels in cornering to improve responsiveness, so it will eat the Outlook for breakfast on a road course. It's also based on the same platform as the Odyssey and Pilot, which have a perfect score in every crash test. And of course, Acura is considered a luxury brand and even though it doesn't carry much prestige, you are treated quite nicely at the dealerships. A friend of mine with an Acura got a TSX or TL as a loaner every time he had maintenance done on his car.

I wouldn't get the MDX, but it's not like the Outlook trounces it in every way. The Outlook is better on looks, space, third row comfort for adults, price, economy, and warranty and probably matches it on crash safety (but not all tests have been done yet).

[Ach]

Originally Posted by Michael_S

The Acura has more luxury features, more power, it's lighter, faster, and its AWD system can divert power between the wheels in cornering to improve responsiveness, so it will eat the Outlook for breakfast on a road course. It's also based on the same platform as the Odyssey and Pilot, which have a perfect score in every crash test. And of course, Acura is considered a luxury brand and even though it doesn't carry much prestige, you are treated quite nicely at the dealerships. A friend of mine with an Acura got a TSX or TL as a loaner every time he had maintenance done on his car.

I wouldn't get the MDX, but it's not like the Outlook trounces it in every way. The Outlook is better on looks, space, third row comfort for adults, price, economy, and warranty and probably matches it on crash safety (but not all tests have been done yet).

LOL at the prospect of those two on a road course. I do agree that the Acura probably handles better, but then again it should- it is marketed as a "sport" SUV and a BMW X5/Caddy SRX competitor (the Outlook decidedly is not) and is substantially more expensive.

Congrats Bruce Lee, that is a really nice vehicle.

[TheGeneral]

How was your experence at the saturn dealership compared to other dealerships you bought cars from?

[Bruce_Lee]

General,
Good question.

Quickly, it was great when compared to the Dodge, Honda and Nissan dealers I've bought cars from.

Back in 1997, I bought a used 1992 Honda Accord EX which I loved very much - because of the styling inside and out (the following models, 1994+, were no comparison to it - in my opinion). Any ways, I had to fight with the sales person for the last penny. It was sort of brutal because they thought I really wanted the car (which I did but in no way did I let them know that). They were somewhat arrogant.

Then, at the end of 1998, I went to buy a new 1999 Dodge Ram 1500 Quadcab truck. The people at the dodge dealer (from the sales guy to the Finance guys) were jerks. But, because I knew they weren't selling too many of those trucks back then, I offered them $1,000 below invoice on that truck. After all the bickering(2 hours), they accepted my offer.

For my 2000 Nissan minivan, I didn't have to fight/haggle too much. I just came in, told them "I was not their friend. And that I was just there to purchase that minivan." I then made them an offer. They countered. I told them my offer again (which was the same as before). They came down to within $500 of my offer. I then started to get up and grabbed my wallet. They stopped me and asked to just put $100 more. Since I didn't want to haggle any more, I said YES. This wasn't as bad as when buying my Honda Accord.


Now, for the Saturn Outlook, they were the ones who offered me invoice on any Outlook that they had on the lot. Once I came in, they treated me very nice- with respect. They brought out the Silver Outlook and we went for a test drive. They then brought out 'their' price sheet with all the invoice pricing for everything the Outlook had and we almost agreed to everything (since I had the invoice pricing from edmunds), but then they told me I had to pay those extra fees that I mentioned in my first post. Overall, it was sort of pleasant.


So, how about any advice on how to remove the pin stripes? Anyone, anyone...Buller?

[Bruce_Lee]

Originally Posted by Michael_S

The Outlook is better on looks, space, third row comfort for adults, price, economy, and warranty and probably matches it on crash safety (but not all tests have been done yet).

And that, my friend, is the reason I am now driving this great looking Saturn Outlook XR.

But even if they were the same price (and not close to $40K as the MDX), I would have still chosen the Saturn Outlook.


As far as weight, according to the SPECs in Edmunds, they are only about 300lbs from each other, whith the Outlook being the 'heavier' one. It states that the '08 MDX is about 4,548lbs and the '08 Outlook is about 4722lbs. The MDX has the 300 hp 3.7 V6. I can live with this.


Again, every time see my Outlook parked next to that '08 black MDX at work, it just brings a smile to my face.

[Michael_S]

Originally Posted by Bruce_Lee

And that, my friend, is the reason I am now driving this great looking Saturn Outlook XR.

But even if they were the same price (and not close to $40K as the MDX), I would have still chosen the Saturn Outlook.


As far as weight, according to the SPECs in Edmunds, they are only about 300lbs from each other, whith the Outlook being the 'heavier' one. It states that the '08 MDX is about 4,548lbs and the '08 Outlook is about 4722lbs. The MDX has the 300 hp 3.7 V6. I can live with this.


Again, every time see my Outlook parked next to that '08 black MDX at work, it just brings a smile to my face.

Oh, I'd pick the Outlook over the MDX too. If you want a sporty vehicle, by a sports car, not an SUV. The Outlook is first and foremost more practical, and even if it was ugly it would be a better buy. The superior looks are just a nice bonus.

I was just responding to the comment that the Outlook is better than the MDX in every way. The MDX has a few advantages, just nothing I consider to be important for a large family vehicle.

[BusyBody]

Originally Posted by Michael_S

I was just responding to the comment that the Outlook is better than the MDX in every way. The MDX has a few advantages, just nothing I consider to be important for a large family vehicle.

I'm not sure where you got that from my comment. I may no reference to driving dynamics etc. My comment was that the MDX looked dated visually compared to the Outlook. Why are people so hypersensitive to praise about GM vehicles?