User Profile
Fun with cars, my family and friends. Contact info: Adam Chant 2010 West Ave K PMB 673 La...
» View scdyne's profile
» Send Private Message
Search
Blog Viewer
Operation Desert Life
Monday, October 05 2009 - 12:11 AM
Saturn of Antelope Valley to close?
I was one of the original 14 sales consultants hired by Saturn Team leader, Mike Murphy for Retailer Jerry Lockheart, the original owner of Saturn of Antelope Valley. We spent our first week before the retailer opened in Spring Hill TN. learning everything there was to know about the Saturn experience then returned to open the store by signing our names in the cement of the flagpole out front.
I was by no means a car Sales Guy and wouldn’t have imagined it had it not been for Saturn, but the time I spent selling Saturn’s and building relationships with our community I will never forget. I delivered Saturns to local teachers, fire fighters, Engineers and Students. Today I won a ’99 SC2 and a ’07 SKY, have 5 other Saturns in my direct family and have personally owned 8 Saturns over the years.
I went on to work with a local after market clutch manufacturer to develop a Saturn performance clutch, I worked for a header manufacturer developing intakes, headers and exhaust for Saturns and I even produced a number of my own performance parts for Saturns that were featured on GM SEMA vehicles.
Today Saturn of Antelope Valley is owned by Lou Gonzales and over the last few years since Lou has been President Saturn of AV has sold more cars a month than we did in the first year. As I understand it when they were at their best a single sales consultant could sell as many as 30 cars in a month. Unlike other dealerships in the AV Saturn didn’t have a revolving door policy for sales consultants and some of the employees I worked with when I was a consultant are still (last I knew) working there today.
Now with the Penske Auto Group backing out of the purchase of Saturn at the last minute Saturn of Antelope Valley along with the rest of the 13,000 employees will be out on the street unemployed. Palmdale looses valuable tax revenues and we get another empty building in the community. KIA and Hyundai dealers will purchase many of the buildings, but not here in the AV because both KIA and Hyundai are literally across the parking lot already. It’s a shame that such a great corporation is being closed and we’re loosing another local business.
GM screwed us all for years and when they finally figured out a way to do it right, be competitive and build a better product, they fell on a sword for fear of the change. I’ll probably never purchase another American vehicle again, and especially not a GM. I even removed the GM logos from my Saturn.
Ray Cunneff says...
Why did Penske back out? It should have been a slam-dunk.
( send private message )
roxi says...
From what I can see, GM mfg. has moved to Brazil. Since the Brazilian currency has been 50% stronger against the dollar over the last year, GM has said that exports to the U.S. will cease-most likely from the devalue of the dollar?
Explains the olympics in Rio, doesn’t it?
According to an article in today’s LATimes, Business Secton: B2, Brazil is attractive to GM because the ’s of TEMPORARY workers on their payroll is 30 to 40% in Brazil, and over 50% in the Andean countries.
In tough times in Brazil, they’ve been able to REDUCE dealer margins. Also, Brazil has fewer cars per person than the U.S., thus more of a market for cars. Since dealers in this country offer many brands, they say this makes (it) ‘harder to create a loyalty’.
The Brazilian Gov’t has also agreed to reduce taxes on cars. It is also not profitable for electric car mfg. in the U.S. because Brazil already has ethanol technology in place, started back in the 70’s. Since they make their ethanol from sugar, not corn – there isn’t the ‘food’ loss factor which they claim increases costs in the U.S.
Perhaps just one of the many theories out there as to why GM dumped Saturn.
GM Latin America unit still rides high
Interview with GM division President Jaime Ardila
(
send private message
)
138hwy says...
SCD..
So, will someone take their inventory?
WHEN do they close? I bought a car there and am looking for a very cheap, small, transportation vehicle.
Will there be a “going out of business” sale?
( send private message )
Randy Hall says...
I’ve always thought Saturn was a superior car. I didn’t like the German engines they put in the L series but the Honda engines and that original 4 cyl was something special. Transmission still are high on the complaint list but work even when they go “bad bump.” Saturn will follow Dawoo. But Dawoo was hidious crap.
( send private message )
Randy Hall says...
Perhaps Obama will soften his heart and write another check on our backs for our great-grandchildren to pay.
( send private message )
scdyne says...
I haven’t spoken to anyone at Saturn of AV so far so I can’t speak for them, but I assume that they will probably start blowing cars out soon. Other Saturn Retailers across USA have already started 40% off inventory blow out sales from what I hear.
GM will continue to support all warranty claims at local GM dealers, I hope you like Rally .. The big R Rally .. R stands for rip off..
Randy, the L850 ECOTEC engine found in the L series and Ions is a Lotus/Opel/GM/Saab conglomeration of engineering designed to meet the needs of every segment of GM. It was really a Lotus design massaged by Opel and completed by GM powertrain and GM SPO.
I love the 1.9L LLO of the first generation Saturn’s but for overall performance-ability and longevity nothing beats the ECOTEC. It really is a much better designed engine – however would have never been as good had it not been for the lost foam casting process pioneered by Saturn on the 1.9L motors.
For those who may not know if you look at a saturn engine it looks like gray Styrofoam. It starts as exactly that, but is melted away during the casting process leaving an exact copy of that in aluminum.
By far my biggest complaint with GM is the elimination of the S-series transmissions. GM has almost no other automatic transmission in stock form that can handle the abuse and put on the miles like a Saturn transmission can.
Randy depending on what Lou does with Saturn of AV I will be you it would be a good business decision for you to advertise the knowledge and ability to work on Saturns. I know a lot of people were pushed away from Rally in favor of Saturn and knowing now that they may be forced to use them for service could make an opening for your business. Obviously not any under factory warranty vehicles, but anything over 2 years old is out of the 5/50 they offered in the last few years.
Now that people are worried about where to have the Saturn serviced it would be opportune to hear a radio spot or see a billboard telling them where to go.
I’m not telling you how to run your business, but just thinking someone should offer a large customer base a helping hand.
(
send private message
)
annette tappa says...
It’s a real shame, I liked the cars and will always remember them as the first “dentless doors”. Not to mention that many will be out of work. To bad Ford didn’t buy them out.
( send private message )
138hwy says...
Sooooooo,someday soon there will be cars selling at Saturn of AV for 40% off?
Tell me when because I will be there.
( send private message )
Randy Hall says...
Forgot about the ecotech, that engine is in a lot of GM cars as well, and is a very reliable engine. That German engine looked like a bastard under the hood and I can’t believe anyone would have bought it. I see lots of Saturn but they don’t break like most cars today. Service to keep them that way is my business now. That and smog check. I really don’t have to advertise I’m working at 110% capacity now. When I can reliably do 150% production I’ll hire more help. We see about 50 cars a week with ARO of $330. NOP is about 30% and GP is close to 60%! If those numbers mean nothing to you they didn’t to me either last year. Today it puts my kid through college, and she does customer retention from her notebook in Berkeley. I love this world and technology and am sad to see a wonderful car like Saturn have to go. I’d rather see Subaru go, that car sucks!
( send private message )
138hwy says...
hmmmmm.
I own a Saturn ion and glad to hear the comments about the car.
( send private message )
marino says...
I’m surprized Obama didn’t bail them out with our money.
( send private message )
YugHsram says...
A (real) four-cylinder roadster (even whilst completely OEM). It even spanked a 600cc crotch rocket.
( send private message )
scdyne says...
I think AVP will have a story about this in the Saturnday morning Paper. I was called today for a quote. I look forward to possibly hearing how Lou feels about this and his next move.
Maybe we can get a new BMW dealer across from the old BMW dealer? Anyone remember Gruble BMW?
(
send private message
)
Would you like to comment on this blog post? Login to talk back!
Just a mom says...
Very sad as it will be more out of work from office staff to Mechanics. It’s all such stimulating news isn’t it.
( send private message )