GM Extends Credit Card Earnings to Saturn
by John Horner
May 13th, 2008 5:02 AM
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Strange but true: I possess a "GM Card" credit card. For every $100 charged to the card I get a $5 discount against a new GM vehicle (up to a certain amount, not to used in a blinding snowstorm, etc.). I signed-up for the fantastic plastic back when I was a loyal GM customer and shareholder. Two crappy GM minivans later, I've jettisoned both GM stock and vehicles. But the card still sits in my wallet, mostly unused. Saturns and Saabs have always been excluded from the GM Card program. Until now. I recently received notice that "Your GM Card Earnings are now redeemable on an eligible, new Saturn vehicle!" Rethink discounts? How long before Saturn gives up on their vaunted One Price policy? There are already reports of Saturn dealers using inflated trade-in values to [s]get around[/s] undercut the no-haggle policy. More to the point, what is so great about no-haggle pricing in the Internet Age? Why would anyone be stupid enough to pay full sticker for an Aura when the Chevy dealer across the way is playing Let's Make a Deal on a Malibu? Hang on; remind me again why both the Aura and the Malibu exist?
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We have a GM card with $1,000+ in earnings. Do you think that's enough to get me to step foot into a Chevy dealer? When there is nothing interesting on the lot that gets over 20 MPG? And the salesmen are frothing at the mouth and look at you like shark chum? Nope. No way. But for a Saturn? You know, I kindof like the Opel brand. Good idea, GM. Unfortunately, its WAY WAY WAY too late.
Matthew, you could always get a Cobalt SS or even an HHR, both of which achieve over 20MPG. Or you could use that money to get a good deal on a Saturn Astra straight out of Opel's plant and fresh off the boat from Europe. I've had a GM Card since it debuted and back when you could get earn a few thousand off a GM purchase. I finally used it in 2006 to score an LS2 GTO for a song. Like Matt I never thought I'd own a Pontiac, but this car is amazing in every respect. I guess that's because it's not really a Pontiac, but either way I'm still thrilled with it two years and 25,000 miles later.
holydonut has some good points. Not only do a lot of people not realize that the Aura and Malibu are fundamentally the same, but some people still don't realize that Saturn is GM. A couple years ago my wife was dropping something off at someone's house and they noticed her Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme. "Oh, you drive a Saturn, too!" he said. (Really? Come on, the styling wasn't that similar.) "No, it's an Oldsmobile, but they are both GM," she responded. She said they stared at her as if she had started speaking in tongues or something. I guess GM had done a really good job of not drawing attention to the fact that Saturn was a GM brand. Of course, then they decided to throw that all away a few years later . . .
Ooh... I use a GM Card as well ($1600+ so far) and I was somewhat disappointed that I couldn't use it for Saabs or Saturns, only because I knew of Saturn's coming lineup, and I dig the 9-3 if I had to choose a GM 4-door. Now that Saturns are available, the Sky Red Line and the Astra Red Line (if we ever got one) look very tempting. Of course, I just bought a new GTI in late January, so I'd have to wait until that's paid off for any toy car purchase, which would hopefully be the next-gen Sky Red Line. I was really waiting for a Vette, but I can't afford one of those, and would probably only be able to use $1k on it anyway.