Save Saturn!

In 1990 a new car company was launched that claimed to be a “Different Kind of Car Company.” I was skeptical until a friend asked me to accompany her while shopping for a car because she was afraid the salespeople would try to bully her. The salesman who greeted us was the opposite of the stereotype you’d expect. He informed us that he did not work on commission and that Saturn had a no-haggle policy. If you have ever been car shopping you know how stressful it can be to negotiate a price. They incentivize their employees by offering them ownership (stock) in the company, so that it is in their own interest for the company to thrive. A fair sticker price was set and you either chose to pay it or not (as all retail should be in my opinion). He did not try to pull us into a back room to talk about monthly payments or force a test drive on my friend. He was enthusiastic about his product and proceeded to tell us how his company had designed and built the engine, chassis, and body of their cars all from scratch with safety and reliability in mind. He answered all our questions and then smiled and gave us his card and a farewell handshake. My friend thought it over at her leisure with no pressure and eventually bought one a few days later.

I bought a used Saturn sedan several years ago and have been very happy with it. We also bought a Saturn mini-van last year after we realized our wagon wouldn’t accommodate 3 car seats. I emailed the dealer and the manager personally responded and said he didn’t have one, but would try to find one for me, which he did. He went out of his way to track one down at auction and presented me with a vehicle in immaculate condition and charged me $3,000 dollars less than I was expecting to pay based on the Kelly Blue Book.
I talked my mom into buying one several years ago and she recently bought a newer one and is very pleased with the reliability.

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I have always been impressed with Saturn and am saddened that GM is dragging them down with their shortsighted policies. GM will stop making Saturn cars in 2011, so the dealers are scrambling to find another manufacturer to produce their vehicles so they can save the Saturn name. It’s unfortunate that if this American company is to survive it will probably take a foreign manufacturer to step up.
This company truly is "different" so the next time you need a new or used vehicle I urge you to give Saturn a visit. Also, whenever we make purchases these days we should think about buying products that will help keep and create jobs in America.