Jealous of all those sexy European cars? Hello Saturn..

J

Joshua312

New member
it's still a saturn, that brand just never took off and i don't see that changing. if you buy a saturn buy it used, they don't hold resale.
 
3wide said:
it's still a saturn, that brand just never took off and i don't see that changing. if you buy a saturn buy it used, they don't hold resale.
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Is that a Chevy Malibu in your avatar? No offence, but it's no better in terms of resale. Same goes for most domestic vehicles.
 
The Opel/Vauxhall Astra was Europe's best selling car last year. Hope it will take off under the Saturn brand as well in the US.



PS: how about the VXR version???
 
P1et said:
The Opel/Vauxhall Astra was Europe's best selling car last year. Hope it will take off under the Saturn brand as well in the US.



PS: how about the VXR version???
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They're not bringing a VXR/OPC turbo version over as soon as they are released. Possibly later on.
 
P1et said:
The Opel/Vauxhall Astra was Europe's best selling car last year. Hope it will take off under the Saturn brand as well in the US.



PS: how about the VXR version???
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Apart from the VXR version the AStra is considered a faily mundane small family car

small engines as well!



We over here get jealous of all your V8s !!



:brit
 
Looks nice but unless they have done something to change the interior its still a Saturn. Megan had one and my brother still has one. Its a budget car and it sure feels like a budget car.
 
I guess I am easily pleased; but remember this is a "budget" car. You're not going to receive the fancy interior or engine performance of a more expensive vehicle...hence the price. I say give it a year to see how sales go and if favorable Saturn will probably add a Red Line version to set it apart...if they made the Ion a RL I'm sure they will do it with this vehicle.
 
From reading the excerpt from the Chicago Auto Show 2007, it appears that there was a need to "Redline" the Ion as it wasn't too well received.



What's special about it?

The most significant thing about the new Saturn Astra that the warm-and-fuzzy division of General Motors is to unveil at the 2007 Chicago Auto Show is that it is not the Saturn Ion.



We'll be getting to the specific merits of the Astra in a paragraph or two, but we don't want to let pass the opportunity to step on the neck of the Ion, a vehicle so uninspired, so awkward-looking that when a couple years ago GM took the wraps off it, the assembled media fell completely silent — at least until we heard the fat guy seated behind us snicker. The media reaction after driving the thing was less polite.
 
I'm glad to see the latest crop of Saturn cars. Since they have started platform sharing, their cars have gotten a lot more interesting. However, I think the Aura is a better looking car than the Astra.



But to your title, are people really jealous of most european cars? Due to artificially high gas prices, taxes on displacement, pedestrian safety regs, etc, euro cars are generally puny, tall, and have sissy motors.
 
Aurora40 said:
I'm glad to see the latest crop of Saturn cars. Since they have started platform sharing, their cars have gotten a lot more interesting. However, I think the Aura is a better looking car than the Astra.



But to your title, are people really jealous of most european cars? Due to artificially high gas prices, taxes on displacement, pedestrian safety regs, etc, euro cars are generally puny, tall, and have sissy motors.
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Agreed.:hifive:
 
The Aura has a wonderful shape to it and I think it's a good looking interior. Saturn is very different than it was even a few years ago.



My next statement is to be read carefully: I believe that Saturn has taken off where GM let Oldsmobile die.



I say careful since many people read Oldsmobile and think "old, boring, gone".



The vehicles we're seeing from Saturn are what Oldsmobile was reshaping itself into being before its demise. They made some very nice vehicles in their last few years, but it just wasn't enough after all the damage that had been done.



Hopefully Saturn's dealer network will force the division to stay vibrant. Oldsmobile not only lost in quality, but hurt its dealerships in the process.
 
I agree with those who say Saturn has improved greatly. Sure, it's still a budget car, but the quality is much higher than it was 10 years ago. For one thing, the body panels are actually made of steel and not plastic
 
WilliamHBonney said:
Looks nice but unless they have done something to change the interior its still a Saturn. ...
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They don’t have to change anything to not be a Saturn because it’s an Opel, built in Antwerp, Belgium and re-badged as a Saturn.





PC.
 
Yep, same with the Sky.



Ironically, some of the European models that I miss most are ones with American nameplates. Ford of Europe has some very interesting models, some of which we don't get at all (Puma, Ka and Mondeo) and some are just trim levels we don't see (Focus ST and RS versions).
 
simracer said:
Yep, same with the Sky.



Ironically, some of the European models that I miss most are ones with American nameplates. Ford of Europe has some very interesting models, some of which we don't get at all (Puma, Ka and Mondeo) and some are just trim levels we don't see (Focus ST and RS versions).
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Actually the Sky is built in Wilmington, Deleware, along with the Pontiac Solstice, and Opel GT. The Opel GT is just a rebadged Sky that's sent to Europe.
 
By European standards, the Astra is a fairly mediocre effort. A legacy of a dieing GM brand.



Most of the Astras will be fleet sales, disability cars, some purchased by older folk people who thinks its reliable and sturdy (as they walk past Honda and Toyota dealers!).



The depreciate heavily here. The sort of car that gets rave reviews when it appears, in terms of other GM efforts its better. But interms of its rivals its not much cop.



Same goes for the Vectra, that is there under a Saturn badge (USA Car of the yr??), Captiva sold as something else by many brands.



Geoff
 
simracer said:
Yep, same with the Sky.



Ironically, some of the European models that I miss most are ones with American nameplates. Ford of Europe has some very interesting models, some of which we don't get at all (Puma, Ka and Mondeo) and some are just trim levels we don't see (Focus ST and RS versions).
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KA, cheap, old and boring, powered by clapped out old 8V engines no Automatic gearbox. Exposed metal interiors, pov spec.



Puma, not a bad effort and hasnt been sold for since around 2000.



Mondeo sold state side as the Contour at first, later dropped. High list price (as much as 316 and 318 BMW), with none of the brand image, none of design. Fleet sales mainly.



Dont dream yourself in to thinking the grass is greener for these Ford and GM brands in Europe, it isnt!! Your sense of perception is just a little out. They look trendy to you, b/c you have less small neat cars. On the scale of small neat cars (except maybe the new Focus) they are fairly average, undesirable efforts.



Geoff
 
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