Nic and I have owned 3 Saturns, and been very happy with every one of them. They’re solid cars, get great gas mileage, have no persistent repair issues, and they look decent. We appreciated their no-haggle pricing, and their sales people that treated you with respect.
Of course, that was then, and this is now. For the past couple years, under a new CEO, Saturn has slowly lost everything about it that made it distinct. Now they just put a Saturn logo on other GM cars, including Chevys and Opels, and try to shovel them out the door.
So I guess we’re not too sad that GM is officially closing Saturn’s doors in 2011. Their innovative manufacturing facilities will continue to be re-tasked for GM’s boring, un-interesting vehicles… which will continue to be decimated by more adaptable and consumer-focused car companies. Good thing the government gave them all that bail-out money…
Oh well, we were planning on getting a Saab next anyway. Hopefully they haven’t run that brand into the ground by the time we go car shopping again.