It had to happen sooner or later.

The writing has been on the wall for Saturn for a few years. When Opal stepped in and provided some exciting new styling, there seemed to be a glimmer of hope.

But this week, the Penske Automotive Group canceled their plans to purchase the Saturn unit from GM.

The little brand that could is no more.

Saturn was a wonderful concept: a small company dedicated to the consumer side of things, with a down-home feel and a no-haggle pricing policy.

The brand was particularly popular with women, perhaps because of their limited tolerance for the song-and-dance of the typical dealership experience.

They made some good cars over the years, and it is somewhat saddening to see them close down now with two of their strongest products ever still on the lot. The Sky is the sister to the Pontiac Solstice, fun and affordable small convertibles, and the Aura is a superb vehicle, rivaling the best domestic sedans in performance and build quality.

For buyers, there may be a ‘perfect storm’ of factors at work for those who are interested in the Saturn brand. The combination of end-of-the-year savings and end-of-the-brand savings should be remarkable, almost enough to recommend a new car.

The good news? Any GM facility can comfortably work on the car.

The bad news? There is going to be some dramatic depreciation from now on, but it is helpful that Saturn has always held value pretty well.

Don’t overlook the possibility that a 1-2 year old Aura might be one of the best buys around.

As always, make depreciation work for you instead of on you.

Drive happy!

2007 Saturn Aura

2007 Saturn Aura

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