I just ordered a Saturn SL1 after considering a few imports. Frankly, the Saturn
way of doing business and service was a *very* big plus. I hadn't bought a new
car since I bought my Honda 4WD back in '85, and I was unbelieveably offended by
most salespeople I met.

Saturn was indeed very different. I made three different visits to the dealer where
I bought my car, and was never pressured. Saturn also had the best after-sales
support, and the fixed pricing made it *very* easy for me to decide exactly what
I wanted to buy. Another big selling point was running into my mechanic at the
dealer. He's been fixing imports for 20 years...and bought a Saturn, based on
what he's seen and heard from his customers. 

Saturn also has a good extended warranty program; $675 for 6 year/60K miles, 
fully refunded if you don't use it. That works out to an actual cost of $170 or
so, based on the 6 year treasury rates. Using savings account rates it's more
like $120. In the first three years it also buys you free rental during any
warranty work, without counting against the refund.