# Could Saturn Be Saved? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 27, 2009, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-saturn-be-saved/515363 "2009-10-27T22:57:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2009, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-saturn-be-saved/515363/1 "2009-10-27T22:57:42Z")
I received a letter from Jill Lajdziak, the GM of saturn. She thanked me for my support, and said that the brand would be closed down (due the the breakdown of the Penske deal). A sad day-is there anyway that the brand could be saved? I wish TESLA could take it over!šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2009, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-saturn-be-saved/515363/2 "2009-10-27T23:17:38Z")
Limbaughā€™s not blowin money on a sports team anymore. Maybe he could buy the brand? ---
**Author:** ![wmfellows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c2a13f/32.png) [@wmfellows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wmfellows)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2009, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-saturn-be-saved/515363/3 "2009-10-27T23:29:50Z")
I hate to make a useless post, but in reading the title, I opened this wondering what was wrong with the planet. Apparently there are also automobilesā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![fuzzypickles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9d8465/32.png) [@fuzzypickles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fuzzypickles)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2009, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-saturn-be-saved/515363/4 "2009-10-28T00:02:11Z")
> [@wmfellows](#): > > I hate to make a useless post, but in reading the title, I opened this wondering what was wrong with the planet. Thankfully, Jupiter is safe. (For now.) ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2009, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-saturn-be-saved/515363/5 "2009-10-28T00:08:04Z")
Better get your tires rotated now, just in case it canā€™t. šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![Sateryn76](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Sateryn76](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sateryn76)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2009, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-saturn-be-saved/515363/6 "2009-10-28T00:44:03Z")
I was wondering why they 86-ed the Saturn brand, of all the crap names theyā€™re making. Saturn has a certain attitude, and my SL2 has been nothing but reliable. The dealership and service guys were great, and it was a brand with a culture. I mean, couldnā€™t we do without Pontiac and Oldsmobile? Blechā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2009, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-saturn-be-saved/515363/7 "2009-10-28T00:56:16Z")
ā€œIf we let them get Saturn now, theyā€™ll be after Uranus next!ā€ šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2009, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-saturn-be-saved/515363/8 "2009-10-28T01:23:32Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > I received a letter from Jill Lajdziak, the GM of saturn. She thanked me for my support, and said that the brand would be closed down (due the the breakdown of the Penske deal). > A sad day-is there anyway that the brand could be saved? > I wish TESLA could take it over!šŸ™‚ Funny you say that because their factories were just bought by an electric competitor called ā€˜Fiskarā€™(sp?) I wonder if itā€™s the scissor maker. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2009, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-saturn-be-saved/515363/9 "2009-10-28T01:27:11Z")
[Fiskar](http://www.fiskars.com/wps/wcm/connect/fiskars_landing/Fiskars/en/US) -scissors etc. [Fisker](http://karma.fiskerautomotive.com/) -electric vehicles. ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2009, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-saturn-be-saved/515363/10 "2009-10-28T01:28:17Z")
> [@Sateryn76](#): > > I mean, couldnā€™t we do without Pontiac and Oldsmobile? Blechā€¦ We are. Oldsmobile is done and Pontiac is being phased out. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2009, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-saturn-be-saved/515363/11 "2009-10-28T01:53:55Z")
> [@Squink](#): > > [Fiskar](http://www.fiskars.com/wps/wcm/connect/fiskars_landing/Fiskars/en/US) -scissors etc. > [Fisker](http://karma.fiskerautomotive.com/) -electric vehicles. Pretty cars. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2009, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-saturn-be-saved/515363/12 "2009-10-28T02:03:59Z")
> [@Sateryn76](#): > > I was wondering why they 86-ed the Saturn brand, of all the crap names theyā€™re making. Saturn has a certain attitude, and my SL2 has been nothing but reliable. The dealership and service guys were great, and it was a brand with a culture. No, it was a brand with a cult. The brand was never profitable, and it never made a real impact in the popular consciousness other than as a cheap econobox. None of the current models are anything but rebadged GM products. Thereā€™s really no point in keeping the line. And this is from a former Saturn owner. šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2009, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-saturn-be-saved/515363/13 "2009-10-28T02:05:20Z")
Itā€™s funny, I never understood the love for Saturnā€™s I always thought they were hideous. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2009, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-saturn-be-saved/515363/14 "2009-10-28T02:27:32Z")
> [@mswas](#): > > Itā€™s funny, I never understood the love for Saturnā€™s I always thought they were hideous. I have a 2000 Saturn SL1 and it gets 38 mpg with an automatic. The engine has a steel timing chain. The plugs and wires are easy to change. The car can be towed without a trailer which is why you see motor homes pulling them. The body is a space frame design that uses flexible body panels so it doesnā€™t dent or rust. In 125,000 miles Iā€™ve replaced the battery and plugs/wires plus normal fluid changes. It has been a trouble free, economical car. Unfortunately, Saturn did away with their core cars and rebadged other cars which makes them expendable. If I had a barn I would buy a couple of them and rebuild the motors/transmissions. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2009, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-saturn-be-saved/515363/15 "2009-10-28T02:32:15Z")
Hmm, it seems like there was this late millenial idea that practical cars had to be ugly. Iā€™m glad that the electric car companies are not sticking with the notion. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2009, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-saturn-be-saved/515363/16 "2009-10-28T02:52:25Z")
Yeah, until Penske realized how beholden to GM heā€™d remain. Saturn was not just a sales model but it was also a group of products that started separate but grew closer to the standard as time went on. Had he wanted a car company Roger (after 45 years of following his star I claim a little familiarity) shouldā€™ve made his offer in the early 90s. OTOH, he should take to his heart this truism: ā€œTo make a small fortune by owning a car company you start with a LARGE fortune.ā€ He beat the odds and should be happy. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2009, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-saturn-be-saved/515363/17 "2009-10-28T02:54:08Z")
> [@mswas](#): > > Hmm, it seems like there was this late millenial idea that practical cars had to be ugly. Iā€™m glad that the electric car companies are not sticking with the notion. Though itā€™s a pleasant change! (Iā€™m not wasting my time linking to ugly electrics of the past four decades. šŸ˜‰ ) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2009, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-saturn-be-saved/515363/18 "2009-10-28T03:48:56Z")
Well, Saturn hasnā€™t made Saturns in a while. Last few years, they have retooled and re badged Opels. The plastic paneling, a great idea, went bye-bye. I still own one of the last SC2ā€™s made, and itā€™s a great car. But the Astra was meh. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2009, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-saturn-be-saved/515363/19 "2009-10-28T03:50:17Z")
> [@TWDuke](#): > > We are. Oldsmobile is done and Pontiac is being phased out. GM is toast. They should have kept Saturn and Pontiac and shitcanned Buick and GMC. Buick make people yawn, and GMC is useless if Chevy keeps the truck line. But Saturn had the Astra, and Pontiac had the G8 (not to mention the little roadster they both shared). What does Buick have that made it a keeper? ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2009, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-saturn-be-saved/515363/20 "2009-10-28T13:22:54Z")
Buick has great sales and reputation in China, plus it doesnā€™t really overlap with the other GM brands. Pontiacs can all be sold under the Chevy brand, as can the Astra if they want. The Saturn brand never made an impact so killing he dealer network isnā€™t a big problem. If the cars are good, GM will still sell them no matter the brand. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-saturn-be-saved/515363.md?page=2)