Saturn: A cornerstone of my childhood that will never return

I miss Uranus more than Saturn but that's a different story altogether. 

I grew up putzing around in Grandma's Saturn wagon. Grandma really let me hone in my 3 pedal skills at the age of 13 in it too. I think it's because she had one too many glasses of wine at lunch but hey, those memories stuck with me forever and Saturn has always held a spot in my heart because of that. The rebadging and demise of the brand was sad. Same with Pontiac. It's a shame we got left with Buick here simply because of their success in China....

Plus their race cars.....#TBT | Want to race a Saturn? Here's some insider know-how. | Articles | Grassroots Motorsports

SL2  memories: spin-on filter for auto trans, power button- trans didn't upshift until max rpm, chirp from the tires on the 1-2 shift, 3-4 shift at 104 mph, "NO DENT DOORS", possibaly the quickest car I have ever owened.

Speaking of keeping love alive, I saw this the other day and had to snap a pic:

pedalboy said:

chirp from the tires on the 1-2 shift, 3-4 shift at 104 mph

That was the clogged valve body, which interestingly on these cars is on the TOP of the transmission (right below battery tray).

I do miss this car often:

My bride and I were wed on 1999-03-20.  (25th anniversary is right around the corner!)  My father-in-law was a lifetime UAW member, and they drove anything with a GM badge on it.  For the last two years she lived with him, prior to our marriage, he had her driving a 1998(?) Saturn SL.

5MT.  No power steering.  I think it had front lit gauges.

I've very much enjoyed reading the nostalgia in this thread, but I don't share it.  I drove the Saturn a fair bit, including as the getaway vehicle from Warren First Assembly of God to the Hartville Kitchen for our reception, and then later to our wedding night lair. 

By my wedding at age 28, I specialized in bad cars: multiple Fieros, a 1981 Caprice Classic Estate, a 1985 Renault Encore... you get the point.  In my estimation, the Saturn had only two things going for it: it was almost new so it hadn't broken yet, and it was remarkably fuel efficient.  I disliked everything else about it.

From a business perspective, it was hard to understand Saturn's inception.  The intent was to prove GM could build a competitive small car?  Great!  The way to do this is to pour huge money into a completely new division that had its own powertrain, fabrication, assembly, and dealer network?  Hey wait...

In grand GM fashion, they boogered it up.  Saturn's cost overruns were so high that GM could never recouped the investment.  Some say "The S series was a better car than the Cavalier of the day."  Yeah, what wasn't a better car than the Cavalier? In 2002 I purchased a 1995 Ford Ford Econobox wagon with 91,XXX miles on it.  It drove far better than any Cavalier, and better than my wife's SL, too.  111,000 miles later we gave that car away.  It wasn't maintenance-free (shocks, tires, brakes, plugs, etc.) but it was almost repair free.  I'm not suggesting the Ford Econobox was a great car; it wasn't.  I'm suggesting that Saturn's product wasn't great.

A well-run organization would have used the billions of Saturn's startup dollars (an unimaginable sum for the time) to end the fiefdoms at GM, and actually improve their existing products, including their small cars.  GM couldn't do this.

I remember going into my local Saturn dealer shortly after the Astra arrived.  Here was a compact car that cost effectively as much as a Japanese counterpart, and it burned a lot more fuel.  I couldn't work out at all the value proposition, and judging by its sales, neither could many other people.

And then there was the Ion.  I remember an article in one of the prominent auto mags written after Saturn's demise, about how Chevrolet used the Ion as the basis for the Cobalt.  (I rented a Cobalt in Vegas in 2009.  It wasn't great, but it didn't suck.)  I remember the article interviewing a Chevrolet executive who told the author that there were a lot of problems with the car they had to clean up before they started assembling the Cobalt.  I believe it.

Again, I've greatly enjoyed the nostalgia in this thread.  Here's to all you who love(d) your Saturns.  I can relate.

It's a little strange seeing that car here, but I love it.  Back in spring of 2021 I was dating an adventurous lady and bought a '94 SL2 in Mountain View CA off Cars & Bids.  23K miles and it looked like it had been in a garage all it's life.  I suggested a road trip and she was game.  Flew into San Diego and rented a car to drive up the coast to SFO where my daughter picked us up in the new (old) Saturn. 

We continued on north to wine country, up the hill to Tahoe, and back to Wisconsin.  I have some better pics somewhere (including one of me trying to install a new stereo while she drove up a mountain on I80).

My daughter has it now.  52K miles.  I was under it yesterday - haven't seen the insides of a drum brake in decades...

In reply to jwagner (Forum Supporter) :

That SL 2 is exactly like the 92 I bought new off the showroom floor except mine was blue.  Fresh out of high school (times were different, a kid with a job could afford such things then) and with my reference points being that my parents always had American cars (their most recent ride was a Buick park Avenue with a Chevrolet celebrity before that) the SL2 with its twin cam engine and manual transmission felt like a spaceship in comparison.  It seemed fast and modern and maybe even a little European.

The plastic body panels and "space frame" construction also seemed state of the art and the Saturn name built off the NASA/space exploration that was a source of national pride (my generation watched the tragic challenger explosion live on one of those cart tvs they pulled into our classroom just for the occasion- space was a big deal).

if Saturn had been allowed to build on that car, they might still be around.

My first (and thus far, aside from my wife's truck which isn't truly 'mine', only) truly New car was a Blackberry (very deep purple) 2000 5-speed SL2. I still have the Polaroid of soon-to-be-college-graduate (again, was finishing my Masters) Ashyukun standing in front of it in the St Louis Saturn dealership (it's buried in a box or I'd pull it out and scan it).

I had that car for about 15 years, driving it back and forth from New England to the Mid-West multiple times and constantly being amazed at just how much crap I could stuff into it. Honestly, I'd probably still have it if The Dancer hadn't put a cap on the number of vehicles we could own (not unreasonable given our limited driveway space) and I decided to sell it so I could buy other cars to fix up, drive for a while, and then flip. I still occasionally think that I see it driving around town a decade later, though I can't be certain that it's actually mine. 

As others have said, I really wish GM had let Saturn stay independent and hadn't turned it into yet another company selling rebadged Opels only to kill it off later because, surprise! it was just another division and didn't have anything really unique to offer. There was a rumor in the DeLorean community that DMC Houston tried to buy the Sky/Solstice factory & production line to use the platform to make their own new 'DeLorean,' but it either fell through or wasn't ever really a thing (which reminds me, I've not heard anything lately about the 'new' electric DeLorean, which I imagine was yet another attempt by DMC-H to try and drum up news coverage). 

About the only things I'd do differently were I to be able to do it all over again would be to 1. have bought a SW2 instead of an SL2 for even more carrying capacity and 2. have sold the El Camino sooner so I could keep the Saturn as a DD for at least a bit longer.

In reply to ProDarwin :

Damn, that thing looks GOOD with those wheels. I always liked that body style. My best friend's dad bought one new when we were in highschool. I think it has aged well, actually. Although, I haven't seen one in real life in years. 

Remember the 90s when this was a huge key?  I would pay good money for a key that small now.

So much love for my first car, a 1995 SL2 manual in that teal color. 95 is the best year because cool original body, but vastly improved updated interior. Bought it off my aunt in 2004 with 99,000 miles on it. She had it since new, and instead of fixing up brakes, tires, and suspension bought a new Highlander hybrid and gave it to me for $500. The weekend I picked it up I drove from NJ to Pittsburgh, picked up 2 college buddies, and went camping in Canada. We put 1500 miles on it with the steering wheel 30 degrees off center and bad tires and brakes. I found out at 6'2" that I could sleep diagonally in the trunk with the front seat forward.

First car I ever did an oil change on, after the warning light came on in WV and the dipstick showed empty at the nearest quicklube (a walmart) so they refused to do it. Also learned to change brake pads (never did drums or fluid) on it, and changed the radiator. It kept heating up on long drives but would cool when I put the fan on the heater core. Found cracks in the plastic tanks on the side so the rad only had 1/2 coolant in it.

it was the car I brought my first dog, a German shepherd, home in. 124HP was super fun with 2800 lbs and stick, tore up mountain roads all over Appalachia. Always got at least 35mpg. It also was great at hauling kayaks on the roof with just some foam blocks and cam straps through the doors. I wish I had the pictures of an 8 person whitewater raft (Avon Ranger) on it. 
I put 140,000 miles on the car, and after I got married I sold it to my neighbor (after teaching her stick) for $800. I would love to find one to keep in the future, but hard to find now!

ProDarwin said:

Remember the 90s when this was a huge key?  I would pay good money for a key that small now.

These industries don't get that men hate large keys. Or they just don't care.

In reply to Dneikirk :

Too late to edit, but found a photo! Proper kayak carriage was discovered to be 180 in both horizontal and vertical planes.

and my favorite part of the keys, there was a spare for your wallet that was the size of a credit card. You could unfold the key from the card to use it!

edit to add photo of key card from saturnfans forum. 

Saturns are becoming rarer to find these days, but hey, I still come across a Saturn Sky every so often. It's not too late to relive your childhood, Colin! 

In reply to J.A. Ackley :

I wouldn't say no to a Saturn Sky, especially a Redline model–though an earlier Ion Redline is my kind of funky.

It is kind of funny to think of a Saturn as a rare car.

SWMBO replaced a Z28 Cavalier she bought herself new when she graduated HS with a brand new Saturn Ion. She went with the sedan despite my protestation that the "coupes" were actually easy to get into because it had a suicide door for rear passengers.

Upon hearing that, the Saturn salesperson looked me dead in the eyes and asked me what a suicide door was? I wanted to walk away. No one that automotively illiterate has any business selling cars.

By then, Saturn had already lost the plot. A less inspiring car had never been produced. Electric steering was numb. The car had very little torque, and was abysmal in the snow. She kept it less than 3 years and traded it in on a GMC Accadia as soon as she could get her hands on one.

Colin,  If you want to re-live the 90's, the car I posted pics of several posts above will be looking for a new home after Thanksgiving.  Looks a lot like the one you posted pics of....  The 23K mile car I bought off cars & bids a few years ago now has 50K-some miles and has been great transportation for my daughter, but given that I'm pretty much out of the picture she has lost her free wrenching and needs a never-breaks kind of car.  Thinking of a Corolla or some similar transportation appliance.

4cylndrfury said:

SWMBO replaced a Z28 Cavalier she bought herself new when she graduated HS with a brand new Saturn Ion. She went with the sedan despite my protestation that the "coupes" were actually easy to get into because it had a suicide door for rear passengers.

Upon hearing that, the Saturn salesperson looked me dead in the eyes and asked me what a suicide door was? I wanted to walk away. No one that automotively illiterate has any business selling cars.

By then, Saturn had already lost the plot. A less inspiring car had never been produced. Electric steering was numb. The car had very little torque, and was abysmal in the snow. She kept it less than 3 years and traded it in on a GMC Accadia as soon as she could get her hands on one.

I'd call a GMC Acadia about the least inspiring vehicle on Earth though. I'd feel more driving a street sweeper.

DW and I take online art classes from our library.

During class last night, the instructor let drop that she drives a 23 year old Saturn.  It was a group session or I would have asked her for the details.

A few Saturn stories:

There was a Saturn dealer in one of those dealer-row type of areas and had the Honda dealer next door.  All of the early dealers had the "cut-away" car.  This was a prototype that had half of the body panels removed and often had one of the outside door panels laying on the floor next to it.  Part of the sales presentation was to jump up and down on the door panel on the floor and then kick a door panel on the car to highlight the flexibility.   A few of the customers would work their way to the Honda store and tried the same thing on one of the showroom cars.  Caving in the outer door panel.  

The internal quality reports had a ranking of all GM small cars tracking problems per thousand vehicles (DPTV - deviations per thousand vehicles).  The Cavalier was a better car by GM's own measure.  JD Powers and the general public had a different perception and that is what sold them.  

I worked there from 1993 through 1996.  It was a bit cult like.  The labor contract with the UAW was unique for those who signed up for it. For those who "had" to move (they were currently in lay-off status) or lose their job, they were just pissed.

When GM announced Saturn starting up in Spring Hill, TN, the locals were so glad to to have them.   Saturn ended up moving 9,800 families to the area south of Nashville and due to the way capitol gains taxes were accessed when selling a house, those 9,800 families bought a house that was equal or greater in value than where they came.  They all came from higher cost of living areas.  This huge influx of people drove up housing prices and made the market explode jamming schools with all of these kids and making it necessary to build new schools and the taxes that go with that.  Once the reality of all of that set in, none of the locals had anyting good to say about GM/Saturn.  

I went to a Saturn dealer and salesguy showed me a styrofoam engine head explaining the superiority of a 4/valve head.  

I acted freaked out and asked why would I ever buy a car with a styrofoam head.  Then he gave me a detailed explanation about it only being a model piece and I threw down my best Edith Bunker; Ohhhhhh.

Datsun240ZGuy said:

I went to a Saturn dealer and salesguy was showed me a styrofoam engine head explaining the superiority of a 4/valve head.  

I acted freaked out and asked why would I ever buy a car with a styrofoam head.  Then he gave me a detailed explanation about it only being a model piece and I threw down my best Edith Bunker; Ohhhhhh.

There was a complete Styrofoam shop in the powertrain building there.  Look up "lost foam casting".   In the shop office in the Styrofoam area there was a window that the tour trolley would pass by every day.  One of the guys in that office took two foam blocks and glued on two of the twin cam heads on each.  Then took a hot wire knife and cut an angled section out of each block through the centerline of the crank. so that when glued together it was a DOHC V8.  It always would get comments from those on the tour who understood that they were working on a V8.  Nope. It sat in that window the whole time I was there.

GCrites said:

4cylndrfury said:

SWMBO replaced a Z28 Cavalier she bought herself new when she graduated HS with a brand new Saturn Ion. She went with the sedan despite my protestation that the "coupes" were actually easy to get into because it had a suicide door for rear passengers.

Upon hearing that, the Saturn salesperson looked me dead in the eyes and asked me what a suicide door was? I wanted to walk away. No one that automotively illiterate has any business selling cars.

By then, Saturn had already lost the plot. A less inspiring car had never been produced. Electric steering was numb. The car had very little torque, and was abysmal in the snow. She kept it less than 3 years and traded it in on a GMC Accadia as soon as she could get her hands on one.

I'd call a GMC Acadia about the least inspiring vehicle on Earth though. I'd feel more driving a street sweeper.

Well, if youve never driven an early example, you might be justified in that opinion. I have driven one however, and found it remarkably agile for a mid size SUV. Plenty of power and the real hydraulic power steering was crisp and gave plenty of feedback despite the vehicles heft. It drove with much more manners than the last GM SUV I'd driven (a late 90s Blazer), and really felt more like driving a car than it should've.

Night and day difference when compared to the Ion that felt like more of a penalty box than the industry disruptor it's predecessors had been

Still have mine, had my 2001 since 2009. at one point we had five saturns in our driveway. for the most part easy to work on and very easy to rescue from vehicle abusers / neglectors.

One day i'd like to run an ITB setup.

I daily my car, replaced the very tired o-rings ,charged the system, back in business with AC.