Any tips for buying a Saturn?

[ramazank2]

I am considering buying a Saturn VUE. Does anyone know if there is room for negotiation, or am I stuck paying sticker price? There are not any rebates available either.... Any tips will be appreciated.

[DarkFury]

Find a family member or friend who can get you the "GM employee discount"...

Pretty much that is all I can recommend.

[InfiniteNothing]

You get the no haggle no hassle price.

[ramazank2]

Find a family member or friend who can get you the "GM employee discount"...

Pretty much that is all I can recommend.

Doh...



You get the no haggle no hassle price.

Double Doh...

[Itsme]

I have a Vue...really love it.

I bought one and got:

1. GM Employee price (3 years ago when there was sushc a thing)
2. $1000 off for being a returning GM customer
3. The choice of 0% financing or $2000 off (I took the $2000 off and paid cash)
4. They forgave the last 3 months on a lease I had on a Pontiac van...with no pre-return penalty.

I have three Saturns (my Vue, my wife's LS2, and my daughter's L200). I love their no haggle policy.

[Jenny]

Why would you want to buy a planet? :confused:

;) Good luck! I've always thought it would be really cool to have a Saturn. Maybe just cause of the commercials. lol

[Daedalus]

On a related note, if GM closes the Saturn line or--worse--goes into bankruptcy, how will that affect the availability of parts/maintenance costs and future resale values?

[Itsme]

On a related note, if GM closes the Saturn line or--worse--goes into bankruptcy, how will that affect the availability of parts/maintenance costs and future resale values?

In the past when a car manufacturer has shut down a brand they have kept parts available for more years than people keep their cars these days. And, the "junk yards" have loved it since their stock goes up in value.

As far as I have read there is no plan to cut the Saturn line, nor plans for GM to declare bankruptcy.

[renovation]

i own a 2002 vue - 40 plus thousand miles on it and we love it .
wifes car . we find it has plenty of room ,great mileage
on a side note .the woman next door bought one because of us . after seeing how well it has treated us and all the great stand opt.

[Itsme]

My Vue is a 2003.

Among the many things I like are especially two:

1. While it is small in size, you can carry a 4x8 sheet of plywood laying flat in the back (with the back seats down).

2. Since the seats are up high, it gives me the legroom I need (I'm 6 foot) that other cars, like my wife's and daughter's L series Saturns do not have.

By the way, the 2006 Vue has:

1. A Honda engine
2. Optional Radio controls on the steering wheel.
3. Optional sunroof

[ramazank2]

The VUE seems like a great car for the money. I ve compared the chevy equinox, GMC Envoy, ford escape, Toyota highlander and 4runner, and the lexus RX330. The lexus is by far the best but since it is almost double the price of the VUE, the vue has my attention at the moment. I just wish it had a navigation system option. And the v6 has great gas milage 20-28. I am 6'3 so it is tough to find a small SUV I fit in, the Vue seemed pretty good.

[renovation]

By the way, the 2006 Vue has:

1. A Honda engine
2. Optional Radio controls on the steering wheel.
3. Optional sunroof

Honda engine this i was not aware of -but they do make a very good motor :)
i have the sun roof in ares and sport wheels .we have a fwd .and have found it gets around in the snow with no problems at all .and the traction works great .we just leave it on all the time summer or winter .the rear window defogger and wiper standard i beleave is a must .
the hood roof and tail gate are metal panels .the rest is plastic !
and on ares there is a outside temp and compass in the rear veiw mirror a very nice extra that i think is standard to . my only complant in the interior design is the piss poor storge compartments in the rear doors ! they could of made them bigger .

[Itsme]

Honda engine this i was not aware of -but they do make a very good motor :)
i have the sun roof in ares and sport wheels .we have a fwd .and have found it gets around in the snow with no problems at all .and the traction works great .we just leave it on all the time summer or winter .the rear window defogger and wiper standard i beleave is a must .
the hood roof and tail gate are metal panels .the rest is plastic !
and on ares there is a outside temp and compass in the rear veiw mirror a very nice extra that i think is standard to . my only complant in the interior design is the piss poor storge compartments in the rear doors ! they could of made them bigger .

I don't know about the storage on the rear doors, but I noticed there are new additional storage areas on the 2006 on each side of the newly designed center console....not there on my 2003.

[cheapie]

it's kind of a plasticy vehicle BUT it's surprisingly quick. if you have the front-wheel drive then it's got some bad torque-steer but i'd DEF take on over a liberty or similar small SUV.

[Daedalus]

In the past when a car manufacturer has shut down a brand they have kept parts available for more years than people keep their cars these days. And, the "junk yards" have loved it since their stock goes up in value.

As far as I have read there is no plan to cut the Saturn line, nor plans for GM to declare bankruptcy.


The CEO has recently said in a Time article that they have no plans to declare bankruptcy, but...well...they're moving toward a steep cliff fairly fast, aren't they? Maybe not close to it yet, but moving quickly. Let's say it did happen...would dealerships keep their doors open for the service side only? Not that service isn't profitable, but if I owned a dealership I might be tempted to start selling Hondas if that were to happen.

Think I've read the average car is on the road for 15 years. Junkyard parts are fine for some things, but for others, not at all. Anything made of rubber and any wear items should be bought new. Fortunately the aftermarket keeps the more common items stocked, but not all of them. I'm starting to run into difficulties with my 1990 vehicle. A lot of parts backordered--I'm still waiting for some parts that I ordered in June, though I'm not sure why. They either have them or they don't is my logic. I do know a lot of parts I order have to be sourced from warehouses in Japan.

[Jeffbx]

GM has a lot more brands & models that they sould dump before getting to the Saturns. They are the smallest & (hopefully still) most efficient division of GM, so I doubt they'd kill that line.

I can see them pulling the plug on Chevy cars and moving the Corvette to its own nameplate (and just keeping Chevy trucks). I can also see them dumping Buick altogether, eliminating GMC, and stepping up the Pontiac models to fill in to where Cadillac starts. But I'm pretty sure that Saturn is safe.

[LegendKiller]

I wouldn't worry about GM longevity that much, there would be multiple bailouts and emergency cash infusions before they went belly up, besides, they most they'd do is enter into reorg. I do think they need to streamline the company but Saturn, as stated by others, wouldn't be the first to get the axe.

About the only Saturn I'd buy is the Sky.

[mcs328]

My parents have a Saturn. I think they bought it in 1998. They like it. No hassle and no all out bargaining slugfest. I also like the VUE.

[DarkFury]

GM has a lot more brands & models that they sould dump before getting to the Saturns. They are the smallest & (hopefully still) most efficient division of GM, so I doubt they'd kill that line.

I can see them pulling the plug on Chevy cars and moving the Corvette to its own nameplate (and just keeping Chevy trucks). I can also see them dumping Buick altogether, eliminating GMC, and stepping up the Pontiac models to fill in to where Cadillac starts. But I'm pretty sure that Saturn is safe.
They should keep the GMC truck brand... that one is at least profitable, since Cadillac doesn't have a true "truck" division.

I agree with letting Buick go and then they should revamp Pontiac and Chevy into one division for "low cost" and let Cadillac have the "luxury" cars. Saturn would still be a "niche" vehicle.

[ramazank2]

My parents have a Saturn. I think they bought it in 1998. They like it. No hassle and no all out bargaining slugfest. I also like the VUE.

I like all the hassle, especially then bargaining slugfest, that is the fun part of of buying a new car.

[attgig]

I have a Vue...really love it.

I bought one and got:

1. GM Employee price (3 years ago when there was sushc a thing)
2. $1000 off for being a returning GM customer
3. The choice of 0% financing or $2000 off (I took the $2000 off and paid cash)
4. They forgave the last 3 months on a lease I had on a Pontiac van...with no pre-return penalty.

I have three Saturns (my Vue, my wife's LS2, and my daughter's L200). I love their no haggle policy.


Did you not have to hassle to get that?

[Houdini]

While I'm not a fan of FWD cars at all, people seem to like the Vue. I've never driven a car with a CVT, though. How do people like those? The weird cable thingy involved seems like it might cause problems in the future vs. good-old gears. :shrug:

[Itsme]

Did you not have to hassle to get that?

No, but it was part of the package of deals available at the time...probably not available right now, but they may have other deals available.

By the way, in terms of trying to see if one dealer has a better deal than another, here in San Diego all 6 Saturn dealers in the county are owned by the same guy, so all deals are the same.

[kgsilvas]

If your local Saturn dealer offers Fleet Sales, you might be able to purchase it a bit cheaper through that department. You typically need a referral from a Credit Union, Sam's Club, or Costco to get in the door for Fleet.

Costco doesn't have a Costa Mesa area Saturn dealer on their member services area for discounted auto buying, so the Fleet angle is my best suggestion.

[Airencracken]

Don't.

That's my tip.

[ramazank2]

Don't.

That's my tip.

Do you have anything to back that statement up with?

[smeakim]

You can't hagle on price, but you can on payments and the interest rate.

[Airencracken]

Do you have anything to back that statement up with?

Just my personal experience with Saturns of friends and the driving of a few models. They feel cheap and the plastic door panels don't hold up over time. Plus I'm biased towards asian cars since their repair histories are better.

[Houdini]

I hate car buying in general. The haggling gets old, especially when you have something in writing that the asshat salesman dismisses b/c his "manager" wouldn't go for it. Even worse is the "closer" finance guy who tries to screw you out of interest rates and payments and stupid add-ons while talking too fast and assuming the average Joe can't keep up, while stating that they'd be losing money on the car (yeah, right). I actually had one jerk try to convince me that, after being promised a "close to 4.5%" was 4.95%. When I told him that was wrong, he repeated it even faster. So I stood up to leave and he backed off as a "special favor that might get him in trouble." BS.

If only buying a car were as easy as what people say the Saturn method is, I'd be much happier and have fewer headaches and not have the lingering feeling that I got screwed.

[cheapie]

haha. my brother and i went to buy his car a few years ago. it was a used civic and he got it at a great price. if i'm cheap, then i don't know what that makes my brother. i'm good at finding deals. he's awesome at it. we just tag-teamed the sales guy, and the closer guy. they tried screwing us on the interest rate, window etching, extended warranty, etc. it was so hilarious. they had no idea what they were dealing with. we nailed them over and over. it was actually pretty fun.

[Daedalus]

If only buying a car were as easy as what people say the Saturn method is, I'd be much happier and have fewer headaches and not have the lingering feeling that I got screwed.
Don't know if this is still the case, but when Saturn first came out, its no-haggle profit margins were around 14% over invoice. Probably not too far from most MSRP quotes, which are accepted by dealers on all but the hottest cars without haggling.

[attgig]

Don't know if this is still the case, but when Saturn first came out, its no-haggle profit margins were around 14% over invoice. Probably not too far from most MSRP quotes, which are accepted by dealers on all but the hottest cars without haggling.

well, for 06, GM supposedly lowered the MSRP on all of their cars, so might be a bit less

[ramazank2]

Thanks for all your help. But after 4 trips to the saturn dealer I decided to buy a 2006 RAV4 V6 limited instead.