Why my wife and I bought a Saturn Astra

[Zane Merva]

Shortly after we got hitched last July, my wife Kate and I knew we had a big problem. Gas prices. With a gallon of regular floating around $4 at the end of the summer, the Chevy S-10 truck my wife would drive to work in each day was set to suck up more than its fair share of her first year teaching salary in gas alone.
To be fair, we live in the woods of New Hampshire by choice. We never expected however, that her dream job would pop up an hour away. 100 miles of driving a day and a truck that on its best day could average 18 mpg had us scrambling for a better answer.

Being the obsessive perfectionist, I started cramming the numbers on what it would take to buy a new car. I considered a range of potential fuel prices, fuel efficiency of dozens of models, insurance rates, and even added hybrid models into the mix. By the time it was all done, I had one helluva Excel spread sheet.

But as many of you know, the most economical choice in the world is not the right choice if your new spouse doesn’t like driving it. Lucky, my wife only had a few requests. She wanted it to be “cute”, safe, and to sip unleaded like her Grandmother sipped tea at 4 o’clock. She always liked the color blue, so I added that to the “must have” list as well.

If a potential purchase could muster through the demands of a third grade teacher without issue, it was in for serious scrutiny when it came to my Excel worksheet. Weeding out models that had great fuel economy but cost too much or were too small was fairly easy. It was once we narrowed the list down to a half dozen options when things got tough. Which car had the best ride? The most features? The best driving feel and ergonomics?

My wife would be spending an awful amount of time in our choice every day- so to get a vehicle she could not only live with, but fall in love with was paramount. It’s unfortunate that at this point in the car buying process marketing gimmicks, stereotypes, and misinformation dominate the mind of most new-car buyers. What’s cool to own? What looks the best? Test drives are extremely important but can be hard to relate to one another when you only get a few minutes in a particular vehicle. My secret weapon? I’ve had over 100 cars in my driveway in the past two years- nearly all of them for weeks at a time.

My work as the Executive Editor at AutoInsane.com has been one heck of a ride- literally. From $100,000+ luxury cars to $10,000 eco-mobiles, I’ve driven a wide choice of new cars on the market for the last couple years. From seats that massage your rump to cars that can almost drive themselves, interiors covered in luxurious leather to dashes constructed of playschool plastic- I’ve seen a wide gamut of cars and features I’ve loved and hated.

After narrowing the choices down to a small handful of models, I was having my doubts. Maybe it was pre-buyer’s remorse but the prospects of having to settle on one single model to buy with our hard earned money was daunting. I ruled out buying a hybrid because Kate would be driving 95% of her commute on the highway. I scarily calculated that gas prices would have had to hit nearly $8/gallon before buying one would be cost effective for us. We also ruled out the smaller options. If you didn’t know, teachers carry around a lot of stuff. Kate needed room for decorations, supplies, papers, and people. Aside from the dismal mileage, one of our biggest gripes about the S-10 was a lack of space and seats.

You would think a person who reviews cars would know from day one which car he and his wife wanted to buy. Nope. After visiting a few dealerships we became so frustrated we all but decided to call it quits. After a few encounters with sleazy salesmen and being told what we wanted would take weeks or months to special order, we had enough. Defeated and on our way home, we passed the Saturn dealership in Manchester, NH.

For all the calculations and estimates, the one car that never made the list ended up being the one we bought. A 2008 Saturn Astra 5-door XR. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t an impulse buy. After a test drive we went home, crunched the numbers again, and everything started to make sense. I had never driven an Astra before, but it didn’t take much time behind the wheel to know it was winning us both over.

Specifically, there were a couple reasons why the Astra got the nod. The 5-door model is surprisingly roomy. With fold down rear seats, even large posters and projects can fit with ease. OnStar paired with side airbags and stability control gave us both peace of mind. To know that my wife is always a button push away from help not only reassures her but gives me one less thing to worry about. The price and fuel economy are amazing. The fit and finish of the Astra is second to none at $20,000 (which was the sticker for our 5-door XR) and even competes with vehicles twice as expensive. Extra features like heated seats, the sport handling package, automatic transmission, rain sensing wipers, and uplevel CD-40 audio system didn’t break the bank and are comforts we never expected to get for the price.

Sure, these are options you can buy on a lot of cars. However let me say from experience, rarely do I see them designed and executed as well as they are in the Astra. At the same price? Never.

Those reasons alone made for a great case to buy, but it was the Saturn experience that sealed the deal. I specifically have to give credit to Neil Messenger from Saturn of Manchester, NH. From the first handshake he treated us with respect and patience. After the paperwork was signed, I told him it was the best dealership experience we ever had. He humbly explained it was part of of buying a Saturn and the reason why he worked there in the first place. He’s totally right but I still think he should get a raise. The no hassle, no haggle, Saturn policy is a breath of fresh air. In these hard economic times, dealerships who want to survive had better take a closer look at what Saturn is doing right.

We picked up our Astra in early September and my wife has had a smile on her face ever since. With over 14,000 miles on the odometer our ownership experience has been trouble free. The best part? My wife averages around 32 miles to the gallon every single day and absolutely loves her car. What else could a husband want?

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Zane is the Executive Editor of the automotive review website AutoInsane.com and an avid photographer.

[Thomas]

Didn't mean to sound so harsh, my dealer closed a few weeks back without warning and it kind of bothered me. San Antonio Texas, a 3 hour drive, is the nearest dealer to me. I've had my Astra since last July, I already have 18,000 miles on it (long commute) and it has been problem free, gets good mileage and is fun to drive. I don't know if I would have bought it if I knew what was going to happen to Saturn though.

[Rob]

Zane

I know the feeling. My sales rep is no longer at my retailer either. Just the uncertainty of what's going on caused his departure. Bummer..

But I'm still getting top notch service.

[Zane Merva]

Thomas- so far no complaints. The car now has over 17,000 miles on it and continues to run like a top.

I also wanted to add that I've recently found out Neil Messenger no longer works at Saturn of Manchester. I tried to contact him to let him know about this blog post however the dealership couldn't tell me anything about where he has gone to now.

[Thomas]

But try to sell it now, or get service if you still have a dealer. Hope the car lasts.

[Zane Merva]

Thanks Steve & Rob! Rob- as embarrassing as this might be to admit, I just had not driven or looked at one yet. It seemed too small for us to consider until we took one for a spin- then we were hooked.

BAYRE- that's great mileage... good luck with your Astra!

[BAYRE]

Bought my Astra at the end of August, and just rolled over 20,000 Miles on the Odometer. I too am averaging about 32MPG. Only doing 94 Miles per day too and from work, but the Astra has truly been a great car thus far. Hope the trend continues....

[Rob]

Zane

Congrats and great blog. I'm right there with Kate and liking blue. Both of my Saturns are blue! Look forward to more about your experience.

One question though, what about the Astra was it that it didn't originally make the massive Excel spreadsheet?

[Steve Janisse]

Great story. Thanks for sharing it, Zane! Love the site. Congrats! Steve