2002 Saturn SL with A/C $9,995 (NEW) YMMV

Sounds like it is a semi-secret national promotion.
If you buy their "package deal" you can get a special price.
The one I saw was an SL with AC for $9995.

At any rate Saturn is now open to haggling, at least on the SL's.

I think this is a national promotion so I hope I'm not breaking any Fatwallet rules with this post

Yeh, and carsdirect lists this vehicle at 11,035$ Is this a significant difference? Yes. Does it make any difference in most of our lives? No.

You would have to be nuts to buy one of these cars. An old lady hit me with her Saturn while I was bike riding. My bike received less damage than her car! Really, the front was all messed up, and my rolling over the hood put a nice dent in it.

<< "no-haggling" thing is a gimmick >>

You are right, when they claimed their store is no-haggling, people will just buy it at full price. but if you really knows how to haggle price, you will always win.

Same story as Car-Max, my friend actually paid $1500 under the no-haggle price.

What you are referring to is an addendum. The addendum has nothing to do with the MSRP from the factory. It is added at the dealership. It is a complete joke to show more money for your trade, etc. Also they will get you on Customer Service fees on the deal sheet in the business office.

There is not much markup on any of the compact/small cars anymore from American Automakers, so as they say in The Phantom Menace, you were right about one thing, negotiations were quick.

<< My bike received less damage than her car! Really, the front was all messed up, and my rolling over the hood put a nice dent in it. >>

How do you dent a car that is made out of plastic? Sort of like denting a Corvette.

Thanks for the post!

It's too bad that whenever there's an automobile thread the looneys crawl out of the woodwork to express their 'opinions' of said vehicle and tell you what's best.. It's not as bad as banandtech but these threads tend to degrade into pointless pissing contests.

No one really cares who thinks Saturns suck, it does nothing to add to this thread.

We have had our Saturn SC2 for about 4 years and have about 38,000 miles on it. We have had many problems with it that shouldn't happen with a car with this few miles on it and regular service. The only good thing (although it's important) I can say about Saturn is that their customer service has been excellent. We have had two problems (starter and power window) since the car went out of warranty and with a call to their 800 number and speaking with the service manager, they have paid for the majority of the cost of the repairs. The problem is that neither of these problems should have happened to begin with. YMMV.

Saturns are one of the most reliable cars our there. Nothing major for the 4-5 years we had ours.

Here's a good website to check out if you are shopping for a car: www.carbuyingtips.com. This place lists many of the scams dealers use on buyers, and how to avoid them. Interesting reading.

Carbuyingtips.com quote about Saturn cars:

"If Saturn invites you to a free BBQ or picnic, make sure you go, you paid for it."

After checking out one of the recommended sites on this board http://www.carbuyingtips.com/car3.htm
this is what I found:

Saturn: What's The Deal With Saturn Dealers?
There is no deal, that's how Saturn is setup. Saturn owners I've talked to like their car. All Saturn dealers charge MSRP, no way around it, even if you sleep with the owner. I can't go there and get a better price than you. There's no pressure at Saturn because the price is set, you'll either buy or not. You'll pay $1500 more than competing cars, but people don't mind. Saturn, has nothing to hide, it's MSRP so they can't play shell games with the selling price. This is good for people who might be raked over the coals. Think twice about trading in your car at Saturn, they are as stingy with trade-ins as they are selling new cars. Since you're paying MSRP, why give one cent more profit? Sell the trade-in yourself. Decline the rust proofing, paint sealant, try to get floor mats for free. Be careful, one Saturn dealer pulled the "Spot Delivery Scam" on one of my coworkers, so read my warnings on avoiding this scam in Chapter 5. If Saturn invites you to a free BBQ or picnic, make sure you go, you paid for it. One Saturn dealership linked to this article on their website! Now that's bold, a car dealer escorting their customers to the information that other dealer lawyers tried to get shut down. They care enough about their customers that they tell them to come check out this site to see what they'll encounter at other dealers. Don't buy a used 1994 Saturn, they had alleged driver seat safety problems.

Saturn for 4 years here. VERY reliable car. It starts every morning.

I think Saturn mailed out information on getting those 1994 Saturn seats fixed. If you buy an used one, you may still get it serviced for free from Saturn. There's supposily a catalytic converter problems with the 1994 models that violated the CA air quality. Maybe somebody can dig up more information about these things. I would sure like to know.

p.w.

Info about Saturn body panels:

- on most models, the hood, roof, and trunk lid are made of steel
- the roof on the wagon is plastic
- on most models all side panels and trunk rear (vertical portion) are plastic
- on the larger sedans, rear quarter panels are steel

Saturn body panels are mounted on a spaceframe, like the Pontiac Fiero.

FYI, the basic lease formula. The dealer's price is usually similar, but different than this.

best,
dig

How do you dent a car that is made out of plastic? Sort of like denting a Corvette

I have seen several Saturns where all but the hood and trunk lid are plastic..those 2 parts were metal...

quakefiend: I love it!

best,
dig

Bought a '94 SL2 from a dealer auction about 3 years ago, it had 60,000 miles on it. Now it has 180,000 on it and still runs beautifully. Best $6,500 I ever spent! I go into the dealer regularly for the 3,000 mile services and they always let me drop the car off. They drive me to work and take me back for my car in the afternoon. Best deal around, for $25 they lube/oil/filter + wash/vacuum and drop me off/pick me up. I've only had to replace the tires and do regularly scheduled maintenance, other than that the ONLY thing I've had to do is replace the alternator once and get new brakes (about 50,000 miles back as I recall). Still on the original clutch too

It has nothing to do with the deal, but I love my 94 Saturn! My other car is a '94 Corolla with 110 k miles. Old Car = NO CAR PAYMENTS = Fatter Wallet!

OATS, I heard that WSRT stuff off and on for about 15 years!

I called my local Saturn dealer today about the $9995 special. Most dealers are only being allocated a few each. The dealer is getting 1 more in this month and is holding for me. I'm going to testdrive a similar one on Monday and make up my mind.

Kind of basic transportation, but for the price with a/c, I think it is an awesome deal! Dealer told me it was $2500 under normal msrp. You may want to move on it if you have any interest.

If I recall correctly the SL doesn't have power steering. It's great for normal driving as you get a better feel of the road but it's a real pain doing low speed maneuvers like parking. If you aren't looking for sporty car the SL is a good choice especially at 9995. If you want good performance and handling though, look at the SL2. It has 15" tires, sport tuned suspension, variable speed power steering, and a 124hp engine. If you tend to push your car, make sure you get an extended warranty. A Saturn isn't exactly a $45,000 Lexus.

Even so, you still lose 30-40% of the car's value in the first year. Buy gently used in cash and you're much better off financially.