My 2003 Saturn Ion 2, which was actually made in Springhill, Tennessee.
Last year, my beloved Robin (i.e., my 2003 Saturn Ion 2) was orphaned.
General Motors ditched the Saturn brand, couldn’t pawn it off on any other buyer, and so let the American-made subsidary die after a scant 25 years.
I had been happily on my second Saturn, with the Ion following an 1993 SL1.
Once GM abandoned ship, my heart just wasn’t in it to continue with the brand — as much as I’ve been happy with Robin.
So today I said good-bye when I traded it in for a 2010 Ford Escape.
I had wanted to get a Saturn from the day I first heard about them back in the early 1990s: a different kind of company, a different kind of car.
- Saturn salespeople were low-pressure.
- The cars were made in America.
- I could drop one off a cliff and walk away.
So why did the company go belly up? General Motors higher-ups and the union. Neither wanted a different kind of status quo.
At heart, I’ll always be a Saturn person. I’ll keep my car for at least seven years. I’ll aim for American — although nothing is just American anymore.
May whoever buys Robin love her and get another seven or more years out of her,
PawPrints Productions 