Firstly, I am not a "brand" guy. The people who run adn work the automobile industry (unless your last name is Ford) go from company to company with impunity. Lee Ioccoca was the guy who brought us the Mustang when he was with Ford, and then went on to save Chrysler Corp. from bancruptcy. The CEO of Porsche was (and still might be, for all I know) an American. Many of Nissan's, Mazda's and other foreign companies' designs come out of design studios in Southern California. Brand loyalty often doesn't exist on the executive floor if you work for an automobile company. Brand loyalty for a consumer can be very limiting and can lead to disappointment. I'm happy with my Dodge SRT-4, but just because Dodge makes it doesn't mean I would be happy with the Caliber. Another Dodge offering that doesn't show me much is the Charger. The Magnum's a winner, however.
In the case of Saturn, I had a 1999 Saturn SC-2, three door coupe. I bought it because buying anything more exotic after my one and only DUI (in July of '99) would've broken my bank as far as insurance was concerned. So, I had to swallow the "bitter pill" and go for something more basic than my usual rides. I was very, very pleasantly surprised by the Saturn. It was as reliable as the sun, got excellent milage, and, most surprising of all, was a decent road performer. Add to that basic package a set of aftermarket springs, sway bars and Koni shocks, a cold air intake system, a custom built exhaust, 16 lb., 17" alloy wheels and AVS Yokohama tires and custom built driver's and passenger's seats, and that little Saturn brought me a lot of driving fun for not a lot of money over 4 1/2 years and 78,000 miles of twisty roads. On the other hand, I wouldn't buy a new Saturn Ion unless I had no other choice, mostly because of that stupid dashboard! I would, however, strongly consider the Sky's new turbo model if I could use a two seater, which I can't.
Another excellent Saturn model is the AWD Vue, powered by Honda's powerful and reliable V-6 engine.
In closing, I'll relate this story about brand loyalty. In November of 1967, I became the owner of a brand new, 1968 Chevrolet Z-28. I was one of the original members of the Northern California Z-28 Association. In the summer of 1969, I attended the Trans Am race at Sear's Point Raceway in Sonoma, California. Mark Donohue, driving Roger Penske's Sunoco Z-28 (in reality, a GM factory racer), beat the Bud Moore (Ford's factory team) Boss 302 Mustangs of Parnelli Jones and George Follmer, by virtue of fast, efficient Penske pit work. But the Fords were, without a doubt, definately faster than the Camaros. I told my Z-28 club buddies, "I'm buying a Boss 302." "Ford's don't go!" they chanted. "Ford's suck!" "Wanna bet?" I asked. I put up a lot of money, betting about 12 other guys that Ford would win the 1970 Trans Am with their Boss 302 Mustang. Guess what happened?
Brand loyalty not only sucks, it can prove to be expensive!!
Two days after taking these pictures, I picked up my 2005 SRT-4.
