"" (bignslow)
09/27/2014 at 11:42 • Filed to: saturn
5
12|
"" (bignslow)
09/27/2014 at 11:42 • Filed to: saturn | 5
| 12 |
I will start this by saying that I am wearing a highly flame retardant suit made of acrylic fiber and aluminum foil that can withstand temperatures of up to 1000 degrees Celsius which makes typing somewhat uncomfortable.
Now, in the last several decades we've had a few automotive brands that all but diminished. Pontiac, Plymouth, Eagle, AMC, Oldsmobile and Saturn to name some. The latter is what I want to talk about today.
Saturn as a company has been around for 25 years, (amazingly)sold millions of cars from 1991-2010 yet somehow managed to leave hardly any mark that it even existed.
They built plastic cars that looked like a chisel and yet somehow managed to become nothing more than an appliance company of the 90's. Yes, they had a Sky(Opel GT) and yes they had an Ion Redline(Chevy Cobalt SS) and yes EV1 was sold leased at Saturn dealerships even though it was branded as GM.
Saturn managed to do everything to be just another car. If I had to choose one word to describe Saturn it would be "adequate". They sold cars with adequate features, adequate performance and adequate price which were perfect for someone to drive for 5 years then trade it in on a newer model and let the old Saturn end up in the hands of a teenage kid who would beat on it for 5 more years and scrap when he upgraded to an E36.
But hey they had Saturns with 3 doors. Remember the commercials where Saturn doors gave some guy with an 80's haircut a bro hug? Neither do I.
Is this what a high performance sports coupe looks like? Nope, that's what a chisel with with a spoiler looks like. I keed, I keed. It's a fast chisel with a spoiler.
Do you know how a married couple shopped for a Saturn? They would get in their old, tired car on a nice Saturday morning and drive out to the strip. They would approach a Saturn dealership at which point one of them would exclaim, "oh look a Saturn!" The other would nod in agreement and they would continue driving to a Toyota dealership down the street.
A company that tried so hard to stand out by having it's own line of dealerships not to be mistaken for GM and to built cars that looks so unique somehow managed to fly under the radar.
Ah Saturn - we hardly knew ye.
f86sabre
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09/27/2014 at 11:53 |
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you have to remember what GM was trying to do with Saturn. They were trying to out Honda and Toyota Honda and Toyota at a time when those companies were eating their lunch. They wanted to provide cars that were low cost, repairable, reliable, appliances to people who aren't about driving passion, clipping an apex or striking looks. This is not a bad idea. There are way more appliance drivers than "enthusiasts". When you are a multi-national maga corp you go where the money is.
They had some interesting ideas. Dealerships tried to get away from the stereotypes of haggling, slick players there to screw the buyer. The plastic body panels that are easily replaceable aren't a horrible idea either. Interestingly, I know a number of people who loved their Saturns. They did what the sticker on the box said they would do. They were cheap to own and got them around reliably.
GeorgeyBoy
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09/27/2014 at 11:54 |
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I always wonder about the Saturn owners who took that trip to the manufacturing plant. It seemed like some religious mecca.
"Hey honey remember when we loved our car so much that we took a vacation to where it was made? Oh yeah what kind of car was that again?"
fhrblig
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09/27/2014 at 12:02 |
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The Saturn Ion Red Line had terrible fit and finish, was noisy, and it didn't look that good either. But it was one of the most entertaining cars I've ever driven. Fast but flawed cars are fun.
The Transporter
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09/27/2014 at 12:03 |
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Seeing as how GM's other brands were all making absolute shit, "adequate" was a quantum leap upwards.
Steve in Manhattan
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09/27/2014 at 12:31 |
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Long ago GF took delivery of a 4 door automatic and decided she didn't like it. Recall that you could return the car early in the game, no questions asked. She went in to trade it for a 2-door manual (because French). They gave her about an hour's worth of shit, then did the swap.
Logansteno: Bought a VW?
> The Transporter
09/27/2014 at 12:42 |
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I was pretty much gonna say this.
Smultron
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09/27/2014 at 14:39 |
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Maybe the real intension of GM making Saturns was calculated weirdness.
I imagine Roger Smith slamming on his table in a board meeting sometime and saying something like: "So, we're not able to assemble valuable or well put together cars, but the japanese can. But what can't they? Being something else than neutral. We ought to make Chevys with the spirit of a SAAB!"
Your boy, BJR
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09/27/2014 at 17:32 |
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Remember the commercials where Saturn doors gave some guy with an 80's haircut a bro hug?
Weirdly, yes!
jebusmoses
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09/27/2014 at 18:04 |
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Can't speak for everyone, but my 96 sw2 was quick enough, a competent handler, spacious, and (obviously) had a rust free body 'til its death at 285k due to suspension failure. Replaced...the radiator twice, two control arms, probably two batteries, and a starter. Aside from the boominess/buzziness and heavy oil burning, it was kinda awesome.
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> Your boy, BJR
09/27/2014 at 19:35 |
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Well shit, you must've owned a Saturn at one point.
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Your boy, BJR
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09/27/2014 at 19:44 |
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Weirdly, no!
syaieya
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09/27/2014 at 23:00 |
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My mom actually bought a brand new Saturn back in the 90's
After having volkswagens for years and not being pleased with how finicky they seemed to be she decided to get something that... actually i have no idea why.
It was a 4 door model, "chocolate brown" with a five speed. I remember it had cloth seats but not much else about that vehicle.
She got rid of it after 7 years for a Mazda Tribute which she still uses for bigger things. More frequently now she drives around in her little NC MX-5 that she bought the week after I moved out of the house.