Buyers beware! A new Saturn could be problematic.

I’m not going to write an obituary for Saturn because too many drivers of the brand are still living and breathing. However, if you currently own a Saturn or are thinking of purchasing one of the remaining models or a late model used version, “buyer beware” is a significant catch phrase.

After Penske put the final nix on their deal with General Motors to buy Saturn, the Detroit automaker stopped producing the brand. This will leave approximately 12,000 new Saturn’s up for grabs on dealer lots.

With the final date for dealership closings set for October of 2010, many will sell off their inventory and move on with their lives. Some dealers may prefer to stay open until the bitter end, but most I suspect with either change brands, convert to used cars or sell off their real estate. As an aside, I hear Kia is currently courting many of the soon to be obsolete Saturn dealership owners.

With this rush to bring everything to closure many potential buyers will be lured in by what should be some great deals with major discounts on both new and used Saturn’s. But with great deals also come some great potential problems.

With Saturn closing, service will become a major issue. Most Saturn dealerships are standalone and only sell Saturn cars. This is unlike the model for other GM brands such as Chevy, where one dealer could sell and service Chevy, Buick, and GMC vehicles.

General Motors has announced that other GM dealerships will maintain warranty service on newly purchased, as well as older Saturns that are still covered by warranties. Here is where the major headache lies.

Although GM is trying to remain user friendly for existing and potential Saturn owners, the plain truth is most of its dealers have never serviced a Saturn under warranty and have little incentive to maintain the parts inventory or mechanical expertise needed to work on these cars.

A true case in point. A friend who owns a 2002 Saturn VUE told me that he received a letter from his dealership which was closing, informing him of the closest GM dealer that would be happy to service his car.

After having an air conditioning problem last month he brought the car into the recommended GM dealer. To his dismay, not only didn’t the service manager have the part he needed, but even if he did, lacked the proper parts catalogue or service manuals from Saturn to fix the problem.

So two things can be gleaned from this story. First even with significant savings, in my mind there is too much risk in purchasing a new Saturn. There are great discounts and better incentives to be found with other brands including many made by GM.

Secondly, if you do have a Saturn that is past warranty like my friend with his VUE, you are better off going to a local service station for repairs. They probably have much more expertise working on Saturns than GM mechanics who service new non-Saturn vehicles in existing General Motors dealerships.