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Saturn and Me: GM Loses a Customer
The Washington Post ^ | October 6, 2009 | Allan Sloan

Posted on 10/06/2009 10:27:46 PM PDT by TBP

Until last week I had been one of General Motors' most reliable customers for more than 15 years. But my relationship with GM ended the very day the company announced that it was closing its Saturn operation

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: automakers; generalmotors; gm; saturn
I am a Saturn owner as well and love my car. But Government Motors does not want to make Saturns anymore and it does not like competition.
1 posted on 10/06/2009 10:27:47 PM PDT by TBP
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To: TBP

I love my Saturn. I was all set to become a repeat Saturn customer. Same thing with my Dodge 2500 Cummins and my Jeep. There will never be a piece of Obama’s commie crap parked in my driveway. I figure my truck has a couple of hundred thousand miles left in it and my Jeep has a hundred thousand or so, and then I’m a Ford man, if Ford manages to avoid commie ownership.


2 posted on 10/06/2009 10:39:27 PM PDT by pallis
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To: pallis

If the Republicans had any brains, they would promise to sell off the nationalized auto companies and use the revenue to cut taxes.

And they’d sell Saturn Corporation separately. Maybe AMC also.


3 posted on 10/06/2009 10:41:12 PM PDT by TBP (Obama lies, Granny dies.)
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To: TBP

So is Saturn just disappearing?

parsy, who figures someone would buy it


4 posted on 10/06/2009 10:41:26 PM PDT by parsifal (Abatis: Rubbish in front of a fort, to prevent the rubbish outside from molesting the rubbish inside)
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To: TBP

My husband & I have bought GM vehicles for 35 years. I’m sad to say that I won’t anymore.


5 posted on 10/06/2009 10:42:05 PM PDT by alicewonders (Sarah Palin is the face of America's future.)
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To: TBP

Saturn was making great stuff in the early 90s.

A coworker and I surmised that some self-anointed “genius” at GM decided the division needed his special touch of greatness ... and the rest is history.

Anyone know the real story?


6 posted on 10/06/2009 10:43:30 PM PDT by ROTB ("By any means necessary"=EvilExcusd "The urge 2 save humanity is [often a ruse] for the urge 2 rule")
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To: parsifal

As of now, yes, sadly it’s just disappearing after the Penske deal collapsed. I hold out hope that they can find a new buyer. Any ideas?

BTW, did you know that Studebaker is operating again?


7 posted on 10/06/2009 10:44:35 PM PDT by TBP (Obama lies, Granny dies.)
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To: pallis

I have been married to Chevies since I got my first ‘55 sedan in high school in 1963. I have never owned anything but — until now. I will drive my Silverado and my wife will drive her Tahoe until they are just too worn to move and then we’ll move on to any thing but Government Motors.


8 posted on 10/06/2009 10:48:40 PM PDT by Baynative (America is celebrating it's acceptance of mediocrity.)
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To: ROTB
A coworker and I surmised that some self-anointed “genius” at GM decided the division needed his special touch of greatness ... and the rest is history.

I believe GM took away Saturn's independence and brought most of its management back in house. Saturns were once as common as Hondas and Toyotas. Apparently, GM couldn't tolerate all the success.

9 posted on 10/06/2009 10:50:56 PM PDT by Moonman62 (The issue of whether cheap labor makes America great should have been settled by the Civil War.)
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To: TBP

No. Studebaker???

parsy, who asks if you’re joking


10 posted on 10/06/2009 10:51:35 PM PDT by parsifal (Abatis: Rubbish in front of a fort, to prevent the rubbish outside from molesting the rubbish inside)
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To: Baynative

I’m on my 4th Silverado (’07 crew cab 4x4). I’ll probably replace it next year. Been looking at the Tacoma’s. Seems like just what I need, except they’re ugly.


11 posted on 10/06/2009 10:52:26 PM PDT by umgud (Look to gov't to solve your everday problems and they'll control your everday life.)
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To: TBP

I’ve been a Ford guy all my life and they have turned out the same crap as everybody else. Currently during the “hard” times I’m a honda guy. I am getting a new Ford truck as soon as everything looks stable.


12 posted on 10/06/2009 10:54:13 PM PDT by eyedigress
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To: parsifal

http://www.studebakermotorcompany.com/

Which is anotehr reason to think somebody somewhere just might want to keep Saturn going.


13 posted on 10/06/2009 10:55:04 PM PDT by TBP (Obama lies, Granny dies.)
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To: ROTB

Saturn makes great stuff now. We avhe an Aura and we love teh thing. I was looking forward to buying anotehr aura down the road. Oh well.


14 posted on 10/06/2009 10:57:53 PM PDT by TBP (Obama lies, Granny dies.)
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To: Moonman62

“I believe GM took away Saturn’s independence and brought most of its management back in house.”

Which is exactly the problem. Saturn needs to be put out on its own, not killed.


15 posted on 10/06/2009 10:58:53 PM PDT by TBP (Obama lies, Granny dies.)
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To: TBP

Hot Damn! Built in America, by Americans.

parsy, who might have to park his 85 Dodge


16 posted on 10/06/2009 11:00:28 PM PDT by parsifal (Abatis: Rubbish in front of a fort, to prevent the rubbish outside from molesting the rubbish inside)
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To: ROTB

BTW, according to our Saturn dealer, the current 2010 Buick LaCrosse body was supposed to be the new Aura design, but when they struck the deal with Penske, they decided to keep the design in the GM family.


17 posted on 10/06/2009 11:01:45 PM PDT by TBP (Obama lies, Granny dies.)
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To: parsifal
parsy, who figures someone would buy it

It comes with family parsy. No Thanks.

18 posted on 10/06/2009 11:03:17 PM PDT by eyedigress
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To: TBP

My first car was a ‘55 Chevy Belair (265), next was a ‘63 Belair (283 Powerglide), then a ‘65 Chevelle (6-cylinder, three-on-the-tree), a ‘70 Monte Carlo (a rare SS454!), a ‘75 Nova (350, 4BB, M21), an ‘86 Cavalier Z24, an ‘88 Corsica, a ‘92 Lumina, etc., etc. All Chevys. Born and bred on them. Not anymore. No more Government Motors in the Howard household.

Now there’s 2 Hondas (Accord and Civic) in my driveway. Great cars.
If you take reasonable care of them they last forever.


19 posted on 10/06/2009 11:06:44 PM PDT by Lancey Howard
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To: Baynative

My first car was a 55 chevy two door post. The previous owner had put a corvette engine and tranny in it and had a tuck and roll leather job done in Juarez. That was forty years ago. I wish I had it now.


20 posted on 10/06/2009 11:12:08 PM PDT by pallis
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To: TBP

I’m thinking about getting a 2010 Chevy Malibu. But I’m waiting for dealers to be hurting so bad that they’ll almost give me one. Nothing like capitalism!


21 posted on 10/06/2009 11:59:38 PM PDT by AlaskaErik (I served and protected my country for 31 years. Democrats spent that time trying to destroy it.)
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To: TBP

My immediate family owns 3 Saturns. (2 - 2007 Vue’s and 1 2007 Ion). My extended family owns 3 more Saturns. My wife and I had a 1998 SL2 and loved it! We now have a Vue and we love it too.


22 posted on 10/07/2009 12:09:21 AM PDT by teletech (Friends don't let friends vote DemocRAT)
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To: pallis
Ford makes complete crap.

I'm putting transmissions into 2 simultaneously right now and not for lack of maintenance either, ones a 2005 Expedition with 67,000 and the other is a 2003 Focus.

The radio knob in the Focus melted, the motor mounts went at 50,000 miles, the fuel pump at 16,000 miles.

A leak in the evaporator required disassembling and removing the ENTIRE Interior dashboard to gain access.

Going to be buying foreign from now on.

23 posted on 10/07/2009 12:16:21 AM PDT by Rome2000 (OBAMA IS A COMMUNIST CRYPTO-MUSLIM)
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To: Baynative

I bought my first car, a 55 Chevy, in 1960. Several GM cars followed as well as Dodges. Then along came Toyota. Nuff said.


24 posted on 10/07/2009 1:17:16 AM PDT by billhilly
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To: billhilly
I bought a new dodge work truck in 1974, drove it for construction for 32 years. Put on tires, radiators, plugs etc. but never once had to tear into the main engine. IT still was not burning oil when I sold it. Got a Chevy now and it's okay but nothing to brag about.
25 posted on 10/07/2009 1:25:07 AM PDT by fish hawk (Lord, help us to attain knowledge and the wisdom to apply it toward your ultimate will.)
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To: TBP

I was raised with a ‘buy American’ attitude. I have always been a Chrysler person since I bought my first new car in 1991. I’ve bought 3 more brand new Chrylser products since then and loved them all. But of course things change.

I will NEVER buy any commie clunker. After what the unions have done, I will also never buy anything made by the UAW. They don’t care about the country or anyone else but themselves so why should I care about them.

So, what I will do when it comes time to buy another new car is I will buy one assembled here in the US by non-union workers and that will be priority number one when selecting my next brand.


26 posted on 10/07/2009 2:36:54 AM PDT by dajeeps
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To: dajeeps
After what the unions have done, I will also never buy anything made by the UAW.....

New Slogan?

"Steer Clear of the Union Label"

27 posted on 10/07/2009 3:48:59 AM PDT by libertarian27 (Ingsoc: Life, Liberty and the Department of Happiness)
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To: TBP

My first car was a Saturn. I loved that car “like a teenage boy loves his car” as hubby said to me. I’m very sad they are getting rid of this brand. And I really don’t understand it, aren’t (weren’t) saturns the fuel efficient, economical vehicles they want people to drive?


28 posted on 10/07/2009 4:05:50 AM PDT by jocon307
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To: TBP

I drove Chevies for 30 years, but bought a Mazda three years ago. I won’t go back to GM especially now they are government owned.


29 posted on 10/07/2009 4:39:12 AM PDT by The Great RJ ("The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money." M. Thatcher)
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To: pallis

We have had 2 Saturns and loved them. Back to Volkswagon for us when a new car is needed.


30 posted on 10/07/2009 4:43:44 AM PDT by kalee (01/20/13 The end of an error.... Obama even worse than Carter.)
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To: TBP

I’m a very satisfied two-time Saturn owner. I was preparing to buy the Sky. Now, fuggaboutit.

I’ll go buy a real car, instead of a government motors job.


31 posted on 10/07/2009 5:50:02 AM PDT by NTHockey (Rules of engagement #1: Take no prisoners)
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To: NTHockey
Ordered in February '07 I took delivery of my Sky RL in August ‘07. Chili Pepper Red with a two-tone leather interior.

I guess I now have a collector’s item . . .

32 posted on 10/07/2009 6:08:51 AM PDT by BraveMan
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To: NTHockey

I own two Explorers and a Ford Van also. The Chevy S10 Blazer I had was and absolute piece of junk. Literally falling apart as I drove.

My brother is driving KIA vehicles and they seem to be really good automobiles. My Honda was excellent also.

No more UAW vehicles is a good policy to promote. I might move away from Explorers too, eventually.


33 posted on 10/07/2009 6:14:24 AM PDT by Big Giant Head (Running my computer bare naked for over a year with no infections at all.)
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To: NTHockey

This is why we need to find a new buyer and save the brand independently of Government Motors.


34 posted on 10/08/2009 9:46:52 AM PDT by TBP (Obama lies, Granny dies.)
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To: teletech

We have a gold Aura and love it!


35 posted on 10/08/2009 9:47:59 AM PDT by TBP (Obama lies, Granny dies.)
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