Consumer Car Buying Advice Blog

The news that the Penske Automotive Group could acquire the Saturn brand from General Motors could prove to be good news for many bad credit car buyers.

History of Saturn

Here at Auto Credit Express, we can remember back in 1990 when Saturn dealers first began selling cars. Back then, the company specialized in small, 4-cylinder cars that were both affordable and economical to drive. Assembled on a spaceframe chassis, these cars were built using dent-resistant polymer panels.

This meant that these S-Series cars were not only fuel efficient (the models equipped with manual transmissions were rated at 40 mpg highway using the EPA formula at the time), they were also durable – resisting small dings and dents as well as being impervious to road salt damage.

The first generation Saturns were also available in a number of different body styles – sedan, coupe and, beginning in 1993, a station wagon.

Yes. Those were the days when the company was building affordable cars – vehicles that were absolutely perfect for bad credit car loans. Since then, the company has, in many ways, lost its way. Today, the least expensive model, the Astra, is still a fairly reasonable $16, 495, but the body is made of steel and the EPA mileage figures have remained stagnant.

A new Saturn

Although the tentative agreement calls for GM to continue production, on a contract basis, of the Aura, Vue and Outlook, the Astra will no longer be imported from Germany (it was a re-badged Opel Astra). This means that, at least temporarily, the least expensive model will be the Aura at $23,300.

But on a more positive note, it also means that Penske Automotive will have the flexibility to source Saturn vehicles from a number of different manufacturers that currently have no American dealer network.

The bottom line

For the bad credit car buyer, the ability to source small, affordable cars from both Europe and Asia could make the Saturn name a key brand in the subprime car market.

“Saturn has a passionate customer base and outstanding dealer network,” said Roger Penske, chairman of Penske Automotive Group. “For nearly 20 years Saturn has focused on treating the customer right. We share that philosophy, and we want to build on those strengths.”

At Auto Credit Express, we think that is certainly good news.

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