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Login to post Forums » Off-topic discussion » Saturn replacements?

Jan. 29, 2010 2:12 p.m. jstein77 HalfDork

From the "Dirty Dozen" article:

"Saturn: 1991-2002 Here’s the sleeper on our list: the twin-cam Saturns. GM’s newest nameplate turned out zillions of these cars. For those looking for performance, we’d have to recommend the twin-cam, five-speed setup—it was put into coupes, sedans and even the wagon.

pro: Dent-resistant body. con: Tiny aftermarket support. buying advice: Our pick for the ultimate Saturn SC2 coupe would be the 1997 model; it was the only time Saturn offered the coupe with ABS and four-wheel discs."

That got me to thinking. What do you suppose the typical Saturn owner is going to replace their vehicle with? An American or a foreign brand? My bet would not be a Chevy. I get the feeling that GM is losing millions of potential brand loyalty sales.
Jan. 29, 2010 2:15 p.m. VanillaSky Reader

I'll replace my Astra with whatever I like. I have very little brand loyalty nowadays.
Jan. 29, 2010 2:21 p.m. John Brown SuperDork

He asked about Saturn owners, not Opel owners Mr. Cruise.

;)
Jan. 29, 2010 2:37 p.m. skruffy Dork

Oddly enough I just swapped the drivetrain from a 95 Sc2 into a 93 SC1. The older car has ABS and rear disks. I'm not entirely sure it came from the factory that way.
Jan. 29, 2010 3:16 p.m. White_and_Nerdy Reader

In S cars of that vintage, ABS = rear disk. My 94 SW2 also has both. It wasn't until the late 90s (98, according to the article) that Saturn figured out how to attach ABS to rear drums, and then switched to drums on all models to save money.

Back to the original question, I have no idea what I'll replace it with. To me, the S series was The One True Saturn. Everything else was just rebadged GM (though in the case of the Sky, that wasn't a bad thing). I'm on my 4th, and just in the past couple of days I'm starting to find some basic maintenance parts a little more difficult to find - specifically, a parking brake cable. Not a big deal, and I have one on order, but it wasn't as easy to find as it was a few years ago. It's a sign of things to come for the original Saturn, I think. For my next daily driver, I'll probably replace it with a 90s or early 2000s Subaru Impreza or Legacy, mainly because I miss the AWD of my Civic wagon during Maine winters.

I've already replaced my Saturns with a Miata for autocross. Twice, actually - my first Saturn, a 95 SC2, gave way to my first Miata for autocross, and was then replaced with a 96 SL2 for practicality.

In general, I don't think Saturn brand loyalty is nearly what it was in its heyday. Saturns used to be distinctive, different from other GMs, and that's what made them special. That hasn't been the case since the S series was replaced by the Ion, I don't think.
Jan. 29, 2010 4:27 p.m. maroon92 SuperDork

I have wanted an SW2 for a while now...in maroon, preferably a 2000ish with a 5 speed.

I love my girlfriends SL2, it is great. roll up windows in a '99 is awesome!
Jan. 29, 2010 8:10 p.m. Spinout007 HalfDork

Gotta say I would rock a SW2/5 speed, now my wife OTH wouldn't be caught dead in it. "we don't need a family car we don't have kids!"
Jan. 29, 2010 8:23 p.m. neon4891 SuperDork

Family car? The S series has the most cramped back seat I can remember. To be fair, I was a bit smaller when I rode to school in the back of a Mustang II, but still.
Jan. 29, 2010 11:59 p.m. psteav Reader

neon4891 wrote:

Family car? The S series has the most cramped back seat I can remember. To be fair, I was a bit smaller when I rode to school in the back of a Mustang II, but still.

The early coupes have something like six inches chopped out of the wheelbase compared to the wagons and sedans, and the back glass in the coupes severely limits headroom.
Jan. 30, 2010 5:13 a.m. paul New Reader

I replaced my SL2 with a 1996 cobra.
Jan. 30, 2010 2:09 p.m. neon4891 SuperDork

I have only riden in sedans, I hate to think about trying to get into a coupe
Jan. 31, 2010 9:29 a.m. Gearheadotaku HalfDork

later coupes have more room in back, but still not a lot. I don't know what I'll replace my '97 SC with. Thats a few years off. Another (later '01-02) SC is my 1st thought though. Plastic bodies are great for Michigan!
Jan. 31, 2010 9:37 a.m. 4cylndrfury Dork

Well, I think we are going to replace the wifes 08 Ion with a terrain...$1k loyalty bucks, pluss other incentives plus her family discount ( her grandpa retired from GM after 28 years with the company...so her discount is...well...good , and she gets it for life. ) add up to the terrain being a pretty good deal right now. Possibly better than the deals may be when we finally produce offspring and need additional cargo room.

for better or worse, we will probably always have a GM vehicle in the driveway. And FWIW, i think I want an astra next, unless the cobalt SS comes back to life in a few years
Jan. 31, 2010 10:01 a.m. maroon92 SuperDork

well, now the astra is dead, so you may want to hurry....
Jan. 31, 2010 10:29 a.m. 4cylndrfury Dork

i buy used, she gets the nice stuff...i actually prefer it that way
Jan. 31, 2010 2:45 p.m. maroon92 SuperDork

if you buy used, then why would it matter if the Cobalt SS came back? just buy a used SS/TC, and have fun with it, it is loads more fun than an Astra.
Jan. 31, 2010 3:13 p.m. 4cylndrfury Dork

maroon...how many times do we have to tell you...logic has no place here. Kindly collect your things and leave
Jan. 31, 2010 5:54 p.m. PHeller HalfDork

Is there anything like the SW2 that is similar in price, 5 speed, and gets thats kind of MPG?

Those station wagons were so awesome.
Jan. 31, 2010 6:28 p.m. 93celicaGT2 SuperDork

Protege 5?
Jan. 31, 2010 9:38 p.m. Spinout007 HalfDork

dang sw1's can be had cheap! gotta remember that when it comes time to buy another people/puppy hauler. http://lacrosse.craigslist.org/cto/1577986743.html
Feb. 1, 2010 8:36 a.m. integraguy HalfDork

The newest generation of the Astra has just been launched in Europe. Aside from the engines, it's supposed to be far and away miles better than the outgoing model. Even the interior gives a VW a run for the money.

I would think that the Honda Company is somewhat like the "original" Saturn. That is, at least until recently, Hondas were very much engineering-driven cars. Honda did, after all, give the mass market the CVCC head/engine(?), and beat Toyota to the U.S. market with a hybrid car. Honda sells a natural gas powered Civic (does anyone else sell a car like that?). And like Saturn, Honda has managed to build a substantial number of models on the architecture of just 2 different models. Nearly ever vehicle they sell in this country is based on either the Civic or Accord platform.
April 2, 2010 4:56 p.m. cloud81918

Hi new to the boards

I have a 2001 Saturn SC2 (just put it in readers rides section) and my wife had a '99 SL2, which we replaced with an E36 328i a few years ago.

If I were to buy a car today I think Scion brings a lot of the old Saturn feel to the table, I wish GM would have take Saturn that direction rather then trying to move every one of their brands "upscale".

Scion offers inexpensive, flexible, good looking cars at a reasonable price. Saddly there isn't anything out there with the same mix that Saturn had. Nothing at that price does polymer panels and it's hard to find a car that can reach the MPG numbers in that price range. Then again more modern cars are less noisy, smoother riding and have a lot more nice things in them. But I would be willing to trade most of that off for what the Saturn S-series offered.

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