I'm going to buy a Saturn Sky

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

The lease on my Honda Civic is up in a few weeks, and I have decided to buy my next car. After looking around, I’ve settled on the Saturn Sky.

Yes, it’s impractical, being a 2 seater convertible with no storage space. But I’m a single 30 year old guy with no kids who busts my ass for 50-60 hours a week at work, and I want a toy! So there! Plus, while it looks like a really expensive sports car, it’s actually something I can afford (well, it will still be a lot more per month than the $250.00/month I’ve been spending on my lease, but I can budget it).

When I test-drove it, it was deliriously fun. I’ve never owned a convertible, but my dad used to have a bright yellow corvette convertible, and it reminded me of that. I think I shall like the fun of sporting around town with the top down.

Sure, the gas mileage sucks compared to some of the hybrids on the road. Sure, if I want to haul something somewhere, I’m fucked. Sure, it’ll probably make some of you snicker that I’m pretentious and not well endowed. I don’t care - I like it, and I’m going to buy it!

(I also am perpetually nervous about making big purchases, which is why I’ll spend the next few weeks scouring the net for information on car buying tactics, and I’ll fret about the money all the way up until I sign the loan, and I’ll probably have buyer’s remorse in a month…so, any insights into car buying strategies*, Saturn cars, or pricks who buy covertibles is always appreciated).

*I hate to admit it, but I’ve never actually bought a car before. I’ve had 3 cars, and all 3 times my dad was the one who did the negotiating. I got my current car right out of school (about a week before I had my first post-school job), so he co-signed the lease. Now that I’m a grownup (even if in name only), I figure it’s about time to do this thing myself. But I’m a little uncertain about the process. I did find an old Straight Dope thread “ask the car salesman”, which was useful, but I’m also appreciative of any tactics or strategies.

2

You might want to rent one for a week, just to see if you can live with all the limitations of such a small car.

3

One thing you might want to consider when comparing cars is reliability and durability. A car that’s fun now, but spends half its life in the repair shop after 100K miles, would be considerably more expensive than you bargained for. (I have no idea whether that’s true of the Saturn Sky or Saturns in general, btw. Just sayin’ it’s worth looking at.)

4

Saturn dealers are ‘no haggle’ pricing. Meaning the price you see on the sticker is the price you pay. I have bought 2 Saturn’s, and the dealer will not budge on price. You can negotiate on trade in value (if you have one, but it sounds like you won’t have one), interest rate (if financing through them) or maybe service (get 2 years of oil service, etc.), but the dealer is not allowed by GM to change the price on the car.

That being said, Saturn is a GM brand and the Pontiac Solstice is the same car. Unless you are set on Saturn, you may want to check it out.

5

Congrats! The Sky is definitely a hot car: I recently considered it, myself, until I decided that I couldn’t live without a backseat of some kind and got a Mazda RX-8 instead. Still, every time I see one on the road I’m like, “Pretty!!!” :slight_smile: That, and the Pontiac Solstice. Mmmm, Solstice… But I digress. I remember the very first time I saw a Sky on the road: it came up from behind me (natch), and I said out loud “What is that?”

Saturn is known for their “no-haggle pricing”: the price on the sticker is what you will pay. I’ve never bought from Saturn but my mom just did for the second time, and she loves the “no haggle” part. I have no idea if that means you actually get a decent price, though. But Saturns seem like good cars in general, and like I said I definitely considered the Sky for a little while.

EDIT ON PREVIEW:

Maybe under the hood, but the Solstice’s styling is definitely not the same as the Sky’s.

6

The big complaints I have heard are:

  • The shifter feels rough and has a long throw. The gearbox is the same one used in the Hummer H3 and Chevy Colorado trucks, so it isn’t really the best choice for this kind of car

  • The roof mechanism is tricky and inconvenient to put up or down, c compared to it’s competitors.

If you haven’t yet, I would suggest also trying out a Mazda Miata with retractable hard top (PRHT). The Miata owns the small roadster market, and the new retractable hard top they have is quite a piece of work - fastest one on the market, even faster than the Mercedes SLK, and you lose NO trunk space versus the regular rag top.

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I can answer a lot of questions for you if you want to PM me.

8

As a former automobile service department employee, the words ‘retractable hard top’ make me shudder. Since you’re buying your next car instead of leasing it, you might want to consider the cost of repairing this feature if something were to go wrong after the vehicle went out of warranty.

I have to advice on the Sky except to say that I think they’re cool! :smiley:

9

Regarding Saturns in general…I bought my little SC2 brand new in 1994…it has 85,000 miles on it and still runs great. No serious problems, still looks good and at this point, most likely will keep it until it falls apart - but considering most people easily get 150,000 miles or more, I figure I have another 15 years or so and who knows, by then I might be able to sell it as a “classic”.

However, didn’t they close the main Saturn plants and start making these cars elsewhere? If that is the case, I have no idea if the new Saturns are as reliable as the older ones were.

I like the look of the Sky, but would have to get in and drive one first to see how it feels. Otherwise - I would say, “go for it”. Besides, they are sexy enough that I can imagine you will never have a problem finding someone to buy it from you.

10

Oh pish. Repairing convertible top mechanisms are a character building experience.

11

You are right.

I don’t pay too much attention to what a car looks like, as long as it gets me where I want to go.

From one of the reviews I found online.

These cars are essentially identical, with the same 2.4-liter inline four cylinder engine, manual top and great handling. The Sky had a 5-speed manual, the Solstice a 5-speed automatic transmission. Other than that, the two cars are identical, except for styling differences.
I know most of the reviews I read about the Sky compared it to the Solstice and said it was the same car. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen them side by side before, but now that I look, I prefer the lines of the Sky.

12

How about a 2005 Toyota MR2 Spyder with 10,000 miles for the same price.

13

I thought Saturn did away with that policy? I read, although I am not certain, that Saturn had to “restructure” into a more traditional brand a few years ago, which meant that they also went back to the traditional haggling that’s common with car buying.

14

Nope, same no haggle experience as always. :slight_smile:

15

A friend of mine owns a Sky. It’s definitely a hot car. And it’s definitely a toy that’s only practical for a single person who doesn’t need to haul a lot of stuff. I’d love one myself, but the next new car in my future is more likely to be a family-friendly sedan.

16

I think you’re being silly… but can you drive over and pick me up when you get it so we can go for a ride?

17

Dude. Buy it. Don’t listen to us as we’re a wierd demographic. (buy it buy it buy it)

I spend quite a long time living with the drawbacks of a two seat convertible with no trunk. (89 Corvette) Still have it. It’s been 12 years. I’ve survived.

This isn’t about practicality, it’s about doing something YOU want to do, not listen to how wise or unwise it is. It will be precisely as reliable as any car you buy, for the period of time you’re likely to have it.

You wanna haul something, rent a truck. 99.99999% of the time, it’s just you, so why carry around the extra enclosed space?

You’re gonna be making payments on a car for a LONG time (or pay a LOT up front), either way, you wanna spend it on something you like, not something that’s an appliance. It’s just a dollar more.

My only advice to you is:

WEAR. SUNSCREEN.

18

I would definitely cross-shop the Miata even if you don’t like it just so you have something to compare the Sky’s strengths and weaknesses. Although I wouldn’t bother with the retractable hard-top. The Miata’s soft top is a thing of joy to operate, especially compared to the tent-like contraption I have to assemble on my car. When I had a Miata, I could open and close the soft top from the driver’s seat at a red light with time to spare. The hard top is just dead weight (IMO) on a car that nearly exemplifies the simple and lightweight road to fun.

As for living with such a car, my last four cars have been two seat convertibles. I have never thought to myself, “Geez, I wish I owned a bigger vehicle.” Not once.

19

I agree with this 110%. You are young, you have no “requirements” in terms of what you HAVE to carry around (kids, a ton o’groceries), apparently you can afford it. Buy it.

And wear sun screen.

20

Thanks, all (and especially Ms. Monkey for the helpful advice on PM).

I think next weekend is the time (assuming I can track down one with a manual transmission - you’d think that would be common for a sporty roadster, but noooooo).

I’ll see if I can get them to throw in some SPF 15 as a dealer incentive.