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Hatchbacks Saturn Astra Saturn Astra
97 messages, Last post on Jul 13, 2009 at 9:58 PM
You are in the Saturn Astra Forum. Your Host is pf_flyer
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Replying to: bricknord (Feb 21, 2008 12:15 pm) I guess the sales person at the Saturn you went to did not explain why you encountered these hurdles. 1. The conquest is paid to the dealership by GM, the dealership gives you 750 off and then is paid back by GM, they cant bend the rules or they don't get the $750 back. 2. The markup on saturns is the lowest in the industry, as a matter of fact the GM employee price on a saturn is lower than the invoice! 3. Saturn does not honor the GM card because they do not pack 500-1000 more dollars on the price of each car to cover the discount the card provides. They pass that savings on to all the consumers...even the cardholders because you are not overpaying to begin with, for example; the outlook, acadia, and enclave are all the same suv. The outlook is 2500 less than the gmc, and 3500 less than the buick apples to apples. 4. Can't help you with the grad rebate, but keep in mind that gm is LOSING $2500.00 per astra sold. the same astra you get here for 21k costs 27k(USD) in europe (source: the wall street journal). 5. Good luck with any toyota, the markup is robbery, the product is nowhere near the quality it was in the past, and the warranty is half that of a saturn. Just wanted to give you the straight facts. Saturn has the highest satisfaction, service, loyalty, and resale of any domestic vehicle. Sure they have some issues like all car companies, but come on... they are one of the most honest and fair priced car companies in america.
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| According to ONSTAR the Astra can not communicate with onstar for onboard vehicle diagnostics or service. Have tried to find out from Onstar & GM when they plan to overcome this problem, but have gotten nowhere. Has anyone gotten any information on this problem & is GM going to extend the service to compinsate for the lost Time? | |
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Replying to: pistonhead72 (Mar 01, 2008 11:21 pm) I actually found the Astra by accident while test driving an Aveo and the sales person trying to show me a Cobalt and we walked by several Astra's that were parked on the Chevy lot since both lots are owned by the same people. I looked at the Astra and saw the price and asked for a sales person. I test drove the car and with out a doubt it was the best feeling, handling and best built car I had driven. I went home and did more research and thought about it and as another poster stated when all was said and done I had to decide, did the Astra drive and feel better built enough to be worth the extra $2000 over what I could pay for another hatchback, Ie. Nissan Versa, Hyundai Accent, Chevy Aveo, Mazda Whatever it was I sat in and felt cramped, Toyota Yaris, otherwise known as that cartoon car from Who Framed Roger Rabbit. For me the answer was yes absolutely. I do wish that the OnStar diagnostics worked and hope that they do enable this feature in the future, other than that I have no complaints and in fact this was the best car buying experience I have ever had. |
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Had my 2-door for a little over a month. Got the second silver Astra that rolled into the lot, and sill haven't seen another (even a 4-door) on the road with me. Based on the type of driving I do (mostly commuting at speeds perfectly suited for its modest "go"), I'm really quite impressed with it. As has been said, the seats and interior quality are/is incredible and of a much better quality than other imports. As has also been said, the engine shifts to neutral when you come to a complete stop, and there's a slight flat spot when you hit the gas again. But after a month I'm noticing this less, as the tranny starts to work in. I was never one to floor the accelerator after a stop anyways, so this is usually an issue brought up by gear-heads that makes me roll my eyes. Mileage is expected to get better over time too. But a couple of things that have been touched on that are worth clarifying: 1) Cupholders: There are, in fact, 6 cupholders if you REALLY feel you need them. There's one in the main console, and it's a little out of reach. Very European, meant to keep your hands on the real, off your Big Gulp. For my two-door, there's a little sliding tray that comes out right behind the center console with two more cupholders (it's attached to the front of the rear seats). There's also one in the glovebox (useless really), and two on the far walls of the rear (one each of the passengers). That's more than enough. And far more than the single one you can find in the interior shots. 2) See a two-door in person. The pictures don't do it justice. I was all set to buy a 4-door, but fell in love with the silver 2-door when I saw it. I'm also at an age where more doors don't matter to me right now. 3) A little thing: the 4-door has glasses compartments in lieu of access handlebar-things above the two front doors. My 2-door only has one of these on the driver side, the passenger has the usual handle. 4) A case for Saturn's friendliness: Up here in Ontario I was able to use their Grad bonus (two payments covered by GM), a Wish & Win event that was on at the time ($1100 off), and all of the GM points on my GM Visa (almost $400). They also accepted my junker '92 Camry into their Car Heaven program (another $1000). I know that GM/Saturn is ALREADY losing money by bringing these cars over, so for them to be willing to give me all of these discounts, without batting an eye or trying to sell me on something else is a testament to the company. I'll happily buy another Saturn in the future if they keep making cars that look this good. |
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i work for saturn and when the astra came out i was greatly disappointed. way too overpriced. the automatics are annoyingly slow. we finally got a 5spd in and it was a lot better. the shifting was so smooth, i was jealous of it in comparison to my 07 kia spectra 5 138hp. then i raced it and was again greatly disappointed in this new saturn astra 138hp. my kia beat it by at least 2 1/2 car lengths each time. ever since saturn has gone with the opel formats, they have strayed away from their roots. the sky redline is fast but the body cant handle the beating and the transmissions suck. the 08 vue (which isnt opel) has a good motor but everything else is cheap mexican crap and was developed in south korea (no wonder it looks like an older model kia). the aura is the best car saturn has, yet the camry beats it in EVERY category. and the astra was supposed to be the answer to the new wave of european style fashion. it fell way short of its mark. i do like the 18 inch rims though on the XR. since the astra has been on sale on Jan 1st, the dealership i work for has only sold 1 astra. thats gotta tell you something
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Replying to: stefen68 (Mar 04, 2008 1:11 pm) Vue was designed in Germany and is based on Opel GTC concept shown in 2005 and on the production Opel Antara. Astra, Vue and Aura have all been widely praised by Automotive Press as great improvements over the models they replaced. Astra is not intended for race use.
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Replying to: moparbad (Mar 06, 2008 4:13 pm) http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/front_website/gallery.php?id=250227 How about multi-link independent rear suspension? http://newsletter.autoexpress.co.uk/c/1YVsNU4djk8Da4A " The rest of the line-up is front-wheel drive, although engineers have developed a new multi-link independent rear suspension set-up. That should ensure the Vauxhall delivers handling to match the class-leading Focus. Expect to see the first concept car previewing the new Astra at a major motor show in 2009. UK sales will then start a few months later." That's right! See ya in 2009 
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Replying to: creakid1 (Mar 13, 2008 7:40 pm)
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Replying to: v_d (Mar 14, 2008 1:07 pm) These days, only B-class cars like the Honda Fit, VW Polo & Ford Fiesta (Verve) ride on torsion-beam rear suspension. The Corolla/Matrix is finally offering optional multilink rear suspension in this country. |
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Astra handling is very good. Much better than a Corolla, Focus and IMHO better than a Civic.
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