From: fjd@eskimo.com (Frederick Dickey)
Subject: Re: The Amazing Cut Away Saturn
Organization: -> ESKIMO NORTH (206) For-Ever <-
Date: Thu, 31 Dec 1992 19:08:37 GMT

ah190@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Stuart Pearl) writes:


>There weren't too many cars on the lot - they can't hang on to them.
>I was short on time at that point, but the rep said I could come again
>any time and take a car out on the interstate.  Anyone else have
>"shopping" experiences?  I'd be interested to see them here.

The plesant shopping experience was a major factor in my decision to buy
a Saturn. My previous car had just dropped dead, and 3 pricy trips to
the dealer hadn't fixed it. So it was "new car" weekend. Because I didn't 
have a drivable car, I was going to buy one at a dealer I could walk to.
I am a hiker, and it turns out there a LOTS of dealers within hiking
distance of where I live, so this wasn't a big drawback.

The closest dealer was a Honda dealer. I know from reading Consumers
Report that you ought to be able to buy a base Civic for WELL UNDER
$10K. So I wander into the lot and check out the stickers. The pricing
on the sticker was consistent with the data reported in Consumers
Report. So far so good. BUT WAIT! Next to the sticker is another sticker
called the ADR (Additional Dealer Ripoff?) sticker. This sticker says that
the dealer added $1500 to the price for the hell of it. This puts the
"sticker" price over $10K (which was my limit). About this time, a salesman
comes up and asks me what I'm looking for. I tell him that I'm looking
for something under $10K. I can tell by looking at the salesman's face
that he wants to turn around and yell out, "Hey Joe! This bozo wants to
buy a Honda for less than $10. Har Har!" He patiently explains to me that
one simply doesn't buy a Honda for less than $10K. Then he thinks for
awhile and says, "Just a minute; I may have something for you." He then
takes me into the showroom, opens a door, walks into the service bay, and 
takes me to the most remote corner of the service bay. Here he shows
me a brand new CRX for $9500 (approximately, I don't remember the exact
price except that it was just under $10K). I look at the CRX and wonder
whats wrong with it. Dealers don't normally put their sales stock in the
service bay. So I say, "What's wrong with it?" The salesman says, "It's
an advertising loss leader." He doesn't say it, but the implication
is that this car exists so that the dealer can advertise that it has
CRX's for under $10K. If then dealer put the car where somebody could
see it, they might buy it. I look at the car for awhile, but a CRX is not 
"really me." So I say, "I've got to sleep on it," and leave. I go home
and wash the slime off me.

Next I go to the Saturn dealer. This is in January of 1992. I didn't
know it, but the dealer has been open for only two weeks. The lot is
packed to the gills with Saturns. I don't even have a chance to check
out a sticker when a salesman comes up and asks me what I'm looking for.
I tell him that I'm looking for a base Saturn. He asks me if $8500 is too 
much (SL's were selling for $8500 at the time). I about faint. This is
exactly what the car is supposed to sell for. No ADR stickers. I have
done some previous research and concluded that I probably can't buy 
anything comparable for less than $8500, so the "no haggling" policy
was not a big turn off for me. Anyhow, I say that I can handle $8500.
The salesman shows me several SLs on the lot, and I pick one that I like.
He then takes me into the showroom and shows me the demo Saturn with the
parts cut away and goes through the spiel. I was was particularly impressed
with the timing CHAIN since my troubles with my dead car started when
its RUBBER timing belt broke. I then go for a test drive. I decide this
is the car for me. Compared to my dead car, the engine noise was no big
deal, so that doesn't bother me. I get back and tell the salesman he's
got a sale and that I'm paying cash. This causes the salesman a problem
since he made a sale while as was out on my test drive. So he's running
around trying to get the paperwork done for two customers. Finally, he
gets the paperwork done and asked me if I wanted to drive the car home.
Since I had to hike to the dealer, I of course said yes. I gave the
cashier a check for $8500 plus tax and drive my Saturn home.

All in all, the Saturn experience was much more pleasant than the Honda
experience. My only concern was that Saturns were yet quite as popular
as they are now. I was really concerned that I might have bought a car
that wouldn't become popular. It doesn't look like I have to worry about
that anymore.

Fred
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