WHat about the others....

[Ravenfreak13]

What happens to the other 4 million Saturn owners who expect to walk into a saturn dealership and spend $15k on a car....now that Saturn is "movin on up"...what happens to us....That astra better be cheap or else Saturn will loose MANY current customers.

[Intrepidation]

What happens to the other 4 million Saturn owners who expect to walk into a saturn dealership and spend $15k on a car....now that Saturn is "movin on up"...what happens to us....That astra better be cheap or else Saturn will loose MANY current customers.

Well, I'd assume the Astra will be prices around 15k at least as a base or mid-level model. Sure, you'll end up paying more for an Aura than an LS, but just look atthe quality design difference. At least the price raise is justifiable right?

[Flybrian]

Well, I'd assume the Astra will be prices around 15k at least as a base or mid-level model. Sure, you'll end up paying more for an Aura than an LS, but just look atthe quality design difference. At least the price raise is justifiable right?

For many, no. Some people just want a car and don't really care about soft touch interior trunk lining and dual-dampened fuel caps.

[Intrepidation]

For many, no. Some people just want a car and don't really care about soft touch interior trunk lining and dual-dampened fuel caps.

I guess there is always the Aveo/Cobalt/Malibu then

[Ravenfreak13]

For many, no. Some people just want a car and don't really care about soft touch interior trunk lining and dual-dampened fuel caps.

Me! I'm not going to caress the dash everyday..I just have to look at it...soft or hard dont matter...fuel caps....w/e....and trunk lining...its the trunk...no one sees it.

[Flybrian]

I guess there is always the Aveo/Cobalt/Malibu then

But they don't have Saturn's friendly image, no-haggle pricing, and good service after the sale. I think the reputation and methodology of many Chevrolet dealers sold more SLs than plastic panels.

[Intrepidation]

The thing is, the Vue and Ion are the only cars that seem to actually sell at Saturn. I've seen at max 10 L-series in my life. That's not very much. We all know they sell slow, same with teh Realy (which I've only seen one). The Astra or whatever the next gen Ion will be called will probably be more expensive, but not by too much (expect in higher trim lvls maybe). The Vue will probably go up some, but since it's already big for the compact class, it shouldn't ggrow much and the prices will probably rise by maybe 1k or so. could be wrong, but that's just my thinking. Besides, until those 2 vehicles are replaced, there's still cheap cars to go alongside the newer ones.

[Ravenfreak13]

But they don't have Saturn's friendly image, no-haggle pricing, and good service after the sale. I think the reputation and methodology of many Chevrolet dealers sold more SLs than plastic panels.

Yeah...you're right...although I did choose Saturn over everything else because it still looks new to this day with some minor scratches. And very oddly those ugly black bumpers came in handy for me recently....I drove the front corner of the car into a fence pole...luckily there was a scuff...if those bumpers wouldve been painted...talk about chipping!

[toesuf94]

For many, no. Some people just want a car and don't really care about soft touch interior trunk lining and dual-dampened fuel caps.

Hey now! I take offense to that statement - as there are few more rewarding features that you interact with that are more tactile than the dual-dampened fuel caps...much like Gieco figured out with the caveman references - do a little market research! Now, I'll have the roast duck with the mango salsa.

I see your point on the basic transportation module with the plastic paneling that Saturn offered, and that they are going to loose thier identity by going to these upscale models. I think you have to look at it this way: Saturn is betting that you like your car and the Saturn experience so much that you will decide to move up to the new models they are offering you. They are hoping that by adding a more upscale product, they will attract the buyers of Nissan and Toyota to their cars as well as bring you all along for the ride - all in an effort to gain market share.

[PurdueGuy]

I bet the base Astra, or whatever replaces the Ion, won't be much more than the base Ion. The Ion manual with nothing on it but AC and floormats (which is about as stripped down as you can actually get them from what I'm seeing) is about $13.5K. A base Astra at $14-14.5K with more standard features would be ok, and probably very doable.