mmarshall

Technically, the Malibu, Aura, and Vector were all basically the same car, and, IMO, a pretty good one......arguably the nicest product that Saturn had at the time of its demise.



Like I pointed out twice, the engines in the early ones were quite loud. By the time I got my SL2, they were noticeably quieter.

No arguments on the Cavalier. Why it was ever sold in the Japanese market as a Toyota beats me. Even the Cavalier, though, IMO, was not as bad as the Smart for Two. The road manners on the Smart are truly miserable.

Even in retirement, I don't have time for relationships. Couldn't care less. Too busy talking about the cars themselves LOL.

Toys4RJill

The fact that the OP had to return a Saturn says a lot. I don't think many people really care for this brand.

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

My mom will be 78 years old in January. She has had her Saturn for more than 2 decades and it still serves her well. I doubt she will ever buy a new car, and if she did she'd likely be overwhelmed by all the new tech. She was quite amazing in her younger years dealing with all kinds of change in tech, but now struggles mightily with the Samsung Galaxy S5 I gave her (mostly so the rest of the family could text her instead of having to make calls), and I say this having observed her struggles just replying to a text message.

I think her Saturn is perfect for her, and from all indications, will likely serve her faithfully until she no longer has an earthly need for transportation.

Aron9000

I grew up about 10 miles from the Spring Hill Saturn factory back in the 1990's, and these things were EVERYWHERE around here back in the 90's/00's, but have been almost extinct for the last 5-7 years or so. When I was in high school, the Saturn, both the 1st and 2nd gen SL sedan and coupe were popular(we lived in a rich area, most teenagers had a car).

One of my good friends went half/half with his parents on a 2nd gen SL sedan(98, 99, maybe a 2000) for about 6-7k in 2003 when he went to college. For the $$$$ it was a decently new and very clean car with low miles, but it really didn't stack up to that 1990ish Accord he had been driving with 200k on it with the paint falling off it. That Accord was way nicer on the inside, quieter, rode better, had more options like power windows/locks/sunroof/velour seats, and felt a lot more solid. He even said the Accord drove a lot nicer.

mmarshall

The sedan I had was an excellent car....well pleased with it. The 3-door coupe had what might have been a structural defect. That problem did not seem evident in earlier, 2-door coupes.

mmarshall

Most automotive historians (and I concur) feel that the Accord reached its zenith right about that time, in the 1990s. I particularly liked the 5Gen (1990-1993) version. Keep in mind that an Accord, at that time, also cost substantially more than an S-series, particularly entry-level SLs, with started at 10K or under. Worse, Accords, back then, sometimes sold at markups over list because of the car's reputation and demand. Saturn's list, no-dicker policy banned dealerships (retailers) from charging more than list except for officially-approved dealer-accessories.

mmarshall

Glad it has served her well. What model Saturn does she drive? As you can tell from the thread, I was a fan of the S-series.

mmarshall

Today, no they don't. It is largely forgotten. But it was a true success story in the 1990s....and might (?) have still been today, with better management. It really makes me angry (and I don't say that lightly) when I think of the Bozo management actions after that, which, in the 2000s, turned success into ruin.

MattyG

To be fair to the SL Saturns, those were actually in-house platforms for Saturn so that may explain why they were very different from other GM compact sedans. With the Aura, you had its Epsilon stablemates competing for the consumer dollar: the Pontiac G6 and the perennial Chevrolet Malibu. They of course can be seen everywhere on the roads since they sold in much larger numbers. Maybe people really did like to haggle and dicker at their local GM store.

mmarshall

Yes, they were deliberately intended to be so. That's why they had the innovative features they did. And they were assembled in a plant that was quite different from other run-of-the-mill GM plants, in both the assembly process itself, and in how the plant-employees were treated.


The G6, admittedly, offered something its platform-mates didn't...a moderately-priced 2-door convertible with a power hard-top. That helped it compete (somewhat) with the then-popular Chrysler LeBaron/Sebring convertibles, which had a decent amount of rear-seat room by convertible standards. But there was a reason for that low price....excessive cheapness throughout the car, inside and out. You didn't see that cheapness in the Malibu and Aura, with were both very nice products. The Aura, at the time of Saturn's dense, was the only Saturn-badged product I would buy, and I actually did consider one....but I decided I needed a snow car, and got an Outback.

Well, in that case, Saturn (or Scion) wasn't for them. It wasn't necessarily a brand for everyone.

LexBob2

Any plans for a Verano tribute?

mmarshall

Assuming that's not a troll, do you actually want one? I've already written (and posted) quite a bit about that car. I probably couldn't say much more about it than I already have....and like the S-series, another excellent compact car that GM's management pre-maturely dropped. The difference, though, was that the Verano was far more upscale....and, unlike the S-series, derived from a German Opel.