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Sounds like it is a semi-secret national promotion.
If you buy their "package deal" you can get a special price.
The one I saw was an SL with AC for $9995.

At any rate Saturn is now open to haggling, at least on the SL's.

I think this is a national promotion so I hope I'm not breaking any Fatwallet rules with this post <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif"border=0>

I have one from 1999 - nice little car. paid like 13K for it....

Yeh, and carsdirect lists this vehicle at 11,035$ Is this a significant difference? Yes. Does it make any difference in most of our lives? No.

You would have to be nuts to buy one of these cars. An old lady hit me with her Saturn while I was bike riding. My bike received less damage than her car! Really, the front was all messed up, and my rolling over the hood put a nice dent in it.

Saturn has always been open to haggling...they just take $$ off so-called "extras", like undercoating, paint-protection, etc. I was able to shave off $1000 for stuff that is not factory standard. That "no-haggling" thing is a gimmick.

<< "no-haggling" thing is a gimmick >>

You are right, when they claimed their store is no-haggling, people will just buy it at full price. but if you really knows how to haggle price, you will always win.

Same story as Car-Max, my friend actually paid $1500 under the no-haggle price.

all that not factory stuff is not worth 1 cent anyway, anybody who pays anythign for it is foolish

What you are referring to is an addendum. The addendum has nothing to do with the MSRP from the factory. It is added at the dealership. It is a complete joke to show more money for your trade, etc. Also they will get you on Customer Service fees on the deal sheet in the business office.

There is not much markup on any of the compact/small cars anymore from American Automakers, so as they say in The Phantom Menace, you were right about one thing, negotiations were quick.

saturn sucks! my cousins' saturn broke after 6 months due to Unknown engine failure! what the hell is that?!


How do you dent a car that is made out of plastic? Sort of like denting a Corvette.

I don't think that this is anywhere near semi-secret.

There was a commercial on TV just the other day for this offer, and it didn't look like a locally made commercial.

Thanks for the post!

It's too bad that whenever there's an automobile thread the looneys crawl out of the woodwork to express their 'opinions' of said vehicle and tell you what's best.. It's not as bad as banandtech but these threads tend to degrade into pointless pissing contests.

No one really cares who thinks Saturns suck, it does nothing to add to this thread.

I like my Saturn, I've had it for about 60k miles now with no problems. If you want a more exhaustive review of their cars, try Consumer Reports or MSN auto center.

We have had our Saturn SC2 for about 4 years and have about 38,000 miles on it. We have had many problems with it that shouldn't happen with a car with this few miles on it and regular service. The only good thing (although it's important) I can say about Saturn is that their customer service has been excellent. We have had two problems (starter and power window) since the car went out of warranty and with a call to their 800 number and speaking with the service manager, they have paid for the majority of the cost of the repairs. The problem is that neither of these problems should have happened to begin with. YMMV.

122K miles
1993 SC2

still runs great, but I take good care of it.

I don't know if the "Sport Plus" VUE is national or just in a couple of areas. When I asked about test driving one of the AWD VUEs, I was told they weren't available yet. To make up for the delays in getting out that AWD (CVT) version, Saturn is offering a limited number of loaded 5 speed manual VUEs at $17K. And I do mean loaded...it's about every option except leather interior.

Saturns are one of the most reliable cars our there. Nothing major for the 4-5 years we had ours.

Does Saturn stil invite owners to summer BBQ parties?

Here's a good website to check out if you are shopping for a car: www.carbuyingtips.com. This place lists many of the scams dealers use on buyers, and how to avoid them. Interesting reading.

Carbuyingtips.com quote about Saturn cars:

"If Saturn invites you to a free BBQ or picnic, make sure you go, you paid for it."

wow this is a pretty good deal. avg car price these days is like 20000$ supposedly.

After checking out one of the recommended sites on this board http://www.carbuyingtips.com/car3.htm
this is what I found:

Saturn: What's The Deal With Saturn Dealers?
There is no deal, that's how Saturn is setup. Saturn owners I've talked to like their car. All Saturn dealers charge MSRP, no way around it, even if you sleep with the owner. I can't go there and get a better price than you. There's no pressure at Saturn because the price is set, you'll either buy or not. You'll pay $1500 more than competing cars, but people don't mind. Saturn, has nothing to hide, it's MSRP so they can't play shell games with the selling price. This is good for people who might be raked over the coals. Think twice about trading in your car at Saturn, they are as stingy with trade-ins as they are selling new cars. Since you're paying MSRP, why give one cent more profit? Sell the trade-in yourself. Decline the rust proofing, paint sealant, try to get floor mats for free. Be careful, one Saturn dealer pulled the "Spot Delivery Scam" on one of my coworkers, so read my warnings on avoiding this scam in Chapter 5. If Saturn invites you to a free BBQ or picnic, make sure you go, you paid for it. One Saturn dealership linked to this article on their website! Now that's bold, a car dealer escorting their customers to the information that other dealer lawyers tried to get shut down. They care enough about their customers that they tell them to come check out this site to see what they'll encounter at other dealers. Don't buy a used 1994 Saturn, they had alleged driver seat safety problems.

The front portion, plate holder and license were scratched and cracked... As for the hood, I was in a bit of shock, so cannot honestly say if damage there was permanent or if the plastic was resilient.

Saturn for 4 years here. VERY reliable car. It starts every morning.

We have a 1992 Saturn with 200,000 miles on it. Very reliable car!!! We dont have $5000.00 in repairs in it including brakes and tires (many times over). I feel totally confident in Saturns and this seems to be a deal.
Thank you OP. <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif"border=0>

I think Saturn mailed out information on getting those 1994 Saturn seats fixed. If you buy an used one, you may still get it serviced for free from Saturn. There's supposily a catalytic converter problems with the 1994 models that violated the CA air quality. Maybe somebody can dig up more information about these things. I would sure like to know.


link to saturnfans.com

Silver Blue SL Special $9995

"...Saturn will build three new special edition S-Series cars this spring
The Silver Blue SL Special, SL Sport, and SC2 Sport models represent Saturn's latest effort to repackage options in order to continue to generate interest in its S-Series lineup.

Below is a look at what you can expect in the new cars. These models will only be offered with a 5-speed manual transmission.

The big news about this SL is it's price: $9995. Air conditioning and an AM/FM stereo will be included as standard equipment. Free-flow addon options include head-curtain airbags, anti-lock brakes, and a radio upgrade..."

Info about Saturn body panels:

- on most models, the hood, roof, and trunk lid are made of steel
- the roof on the wagon is plastic
- on most models all side panels and trunk rear (vertical portion) are plastic
- on the larger sedans, rear quarter panels are steel

Saturn body panels are mounted on a spaceframe, like the Pontiac Fiero.

So has anyone figured out the car dealer's secret math to calculating a lease? I know the basic formula, but if I figure it ahead of time it never seems to match up to what they tell me.

FYI, the basic lease formula. The dealer's price is usually similar, but different than this.


just a little note.. if they try to slap you with a "customer handling fee" or something similar, just tell them "funny, my salesman handling fee is the same amount!" it worked with my grandpa (he's an attorney) heheh <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif"border=0>


I have seen several Saturns where all but the hood and trunk lid are plastic..those 2 parts were metal...

1993 SL2 with 141K miles and still going and still fun to drive.

Repairs haven't been as costly as they are with riceburners, and because the engine compartment is actually intelligently laid out, I've been able to do a lot of routine things myself (thermostat, sensors, PCV valve, etc).

Compare that to my brother's Altima which has the PCV valve buried behind the engine and which runs $400 in labor to replace a $3. I can do it in 2 minutes on my Saturn!

quakefiend: I love it!


I'm sure there are many satisfied drivers of the Saturn, but their Consumer
Reports ratings are not as high as Toyota Carolla, Chevy Prizm ( made alongside
the Carolla ), or Honda Civic.

If you look at the ratings over the last few years you'll find quite a few black
full or half circles indicating problem areas whereas Carolla, Prizm and Honda are
almost entirely red, indicating much fewer problems.

It's been my experience that these ratings are a good indicator of overall reliability,
and until this changes I know where my transportation dollar will go.

Bought a '94 SL2 from a dealer auction about 3 years ago, it had 60,000 miles on it. Now it has 180,000 on it and still runs beautifully. Best $6,500 I ever spent! I go into the dealer regularly for the 3,000 mile services and they always let me drop the car off. They drive me to work and take me back for my car in the afternoon. Best deal around, for $25 they lube/oil/filter + wash/vacuum and drop me off/pick me up. I've only had to replace the tires and do regularly scheduled maintenance, other than that the ONLY thing I've had to do is replace the alternator once and get new brakes (about 50,000 miles back as I recall). Still on the original clutch too <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif"border=0>

It has nothing to do with the deal, but I love my 94 Saturn! My other car is a '94 Corolla with 110 k miles. Old Car = NO CAR PAYMENTS = Fatter Wallet!

The SL special eddition is just a standard SL with A/C which normally retails for $11995. So the special eddition amounts to a $2000 cash rebate.

Or you can get a non-special eddition with 0% financing.

More info on the special edditions here: Link

Also some dealers do negotiate price. You can also negotiate by getting a higher value for your trade-in if you have one.

OATS, I heard that WSRT stuff off and on for about 15 years!

Not to thread crap, but I would rather buy a used Toyota or Honda for a bit more. I have bad GM and Japanese and without question my experience has been that Japanese vehicles are better made and last longer without major problems.

I called my local Saturn dealer today about the $9995 special. Most dealers are only being allocated a few each. The dealer is getting 1 more in this month and is holding for me. I'm going to testdrive a similar one on Monday and make up my mind.

Kind of basic transportation, but for the price with a/c, I think it is an awesome deal! Dealer told me it was $2500 under normal msrp. You may want to move on it if you have any interest.

Some cars are better than you think they are... and places like Consumer Reports will tell you that. But, another reason for the condition of your car is how you treat it... do you warm up the engine before driving at a fast pace? etc...

If I recall correctly the SL doesn't have power steering. It's great for normal driving as you get a better feel of the road but it's a real pain doing low speed maneuvers like parking. If you aren't looking for sporty car the SL is a good choice especially at 9995. If you want good performance and handling though, look at the SL2. It has 15" tires, sport tuned suspension, variable speed power steering, and a 124hp engine. If you tend to push your car, make sure you get an extended warranty. A Saturn isn't exactly a $45,000 Lexus.

I have a '97 SL2 with 60k miles on it. The only thing I replaced was the brake pads and tires, other than that my car is running excellent. The car is a lot of fun to drive, and my experience with the Saturn dealer has been above my dealings with any others. My next car will more than likely be another Saturn, my .02.

Skipping 9 Messages...
Even so, you still lose 30-40% of the car's value in the first year. Buy gently used in cash and you're much better off financially.



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