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I first learned of the Sky around Thanksgiving, 2004. At the time I was thinking about a Chrysler Crossfire as I had stated after buying my Triumph Spitfire in 1979, "when Detroit makes a decent two-seat roadster, I'll buy it."
I made a deal with my daughter, now serving in the US Army, that I would buy the Sky now, and let her have it in a couple of years when she gets to a post that allows her to have a car (or when I am done playing with it.)
I loaded the screen saver in February of 2005 or so. I've been looking at a silver pearl car every day, several times a day, since then. I saw the car in person for the first time at the Anaheim Auto Show Sunday, October 9th.
I have been on every conceivable waiting list since at least then. I got the call in February that I could come in and make a $1,000 deposit if I was serious. I was at the dealer the next day and made a deposit, and was allowed to fill out a "template" outlining exactly what I wanted on the car.
I chose Silver Pearl, Red Leather, Manual Tranny, XM Radio, 1-CD Monsoon (with XM and MP3, I did not want the complexity of the multi-disk). I declined on the Spoiler having never seen one, but now they look pretty cool. I stuck with Non-Chrome wheels thinking that they would match the body color nicely, and indeed they do. I was told that I was "#2 in all of Orange County" to place a deposit.
License plate "SKY2007" was ordered about a month ago, but it hasn't come in yet.
#1's car came in and he declined due to lack of trunk space. I test drove it on Saturday, April 22nd. Dark Green, Tan Interior. The power was adequate; better than my Spitfire and Porsche 356, and comparable to my Porsche 924 I would say. It was more than adequate to move the car the way that I wanted to make it move. Handling was the best of any car that I have ever driven - bar none.
I was told that mine would be in "any day."
Mine arrived on May 9th. I picked it up that night. It had 12 miles on it then, 216 now. The dealer totally treated it (and me) with complete respect. My sales guy said "nobody has driven it. We didn't even take it to gas it up. You can drive it there, and we'll fill it up on my credit card." I took it for a quick hop while they ran the credit.
MSRP was $25,550. I was told that I would pay a $3,000 premium when I made my deposit. Later, I was told that it would be $2,995 and they would install an interior motion alarm that would keep people from mucking about inside the cockpit when it was parked with the top down. That was the only dealer add-on. It was installed by the time I picked it up. It works GREAT. I learned that I have to reach in and retrieve my laptop from the passenger seat BEFORE I lock the doors - or it goes off!
California Sales tax (7.75 percent) and $200+ for licensing made it come to over 30 grand by the time all the numbers were added up.
I've been driving the car for two days now. AND????
I could not be more pleased. It is delightful. I wish the window controls were further forward - or better yet - on the center console like my Saturn Vue. I wish there was a power door unlock button there, too. I wish I didn't have a Mayan Temple in the trunk. But those are trivialities. Three times now in two days, people have pulled up alongside and asked "Wow! What IS that?" One of them was in a Porsche 911 Cabrio, and he said "that car has PERFECT lines. Very nice!"
Tonight I had dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory on Balboa Penninsula. I had the valet park the car. He put it right in front. The valets said "We see a lot of cars, but this is the first one of these we have seen. It is AWESOME. The interior is incredible."
I asked, "What do you think I paid for it?"
One guy said "Seventy-five. Eighty?" The other said "Less than that. Mid-sixties, tops."
I said, "MSRP $25,550." They responded, "HOLY CRAP!"
My car was the fourth Sky that I ever saw - one at the Auto Show, the green one I test drove, and the "dealership car." I still have NOT seen one on the road. But, from what I am told, mine is one of the first in Orange County. My wife and son say that they saw one at a local shopping center with a crowd around it, but they get out more. (I gotta work all day so I can pay for mine.)
Was it worth paying $2,995 for an Alarm System to get one of the first cars? Yes. For me it was. Summer is just around the corner. It was 82 today. I plan to take it down PCH to San Diego this weekend, and up the Big Sur coast to Monterey to show it to my little soldier the weekend after that.
I was looking at the BMW Z4, or the Porsche Boxter S or the Chrysler Crossfire - all of which would have placed me well into the 40s or 50s or more - not the 30K I paid out the door for my Sky - loaded with everything I wanted. Don't tell Saturn, but I would have paid a lot more for the car because I think it is the best looking of all of them.
For over a year I have been looking at a picture of a Saturn Sky rotating on my computer screen. A "virtual reality" car. A fantasy. Now it's real. When I walk into my garage, or look out into a parking lot - there it is. Just like on the screen. Except now I have a key in my pocket, and I can drive it to wherever I want to go.
And was it worth the wait?
Oh yeah.
I made a deal with my daughter, now serving in the US Army, that I would buy the Sky now, and let her have it in a couple of years when she gets to a post that allows her to have a car (or when I am done playing with it.)
I loaded the screen saver in February of 2005 or so. I've been looking at a silver pearl car every day, several times a day, since then. I saw the car in person for the first time at the Anaheim Auto Show Sunday, October 9th.
I have been on every conceivable waiting list since at least then. I got the call in February that I could come in and make a $1,000 deposit if I was serious. I was at the dealer the next day and made a deposit, and was allowed to fill out a "template" outlining exactly what I wanted on the car.
I chose Silver Pearl, Red Leather, Manual Tranny, XM Radio, 1-CD Monsoon (with XM and MP3, I did not want the complexity of the multi-disk). I declined on the Spoiler having never seen one, but now they look pretty cool. I stuck with Non-Chrome wheels thinking that they would match the body color nicely, and indeed they do. I was told that I was "#2 in all of Orange County" to place a deposit.
License plate "SKY2007" was ordered about a month ago, but it hasn't come in yet.
#1's car came in and he declined due to lack of trunk space. I test drove it on Saturday, April 22nd. Dark Green, Tan Interior. The power was adequate; better than my Spitfire and Porsche 356, and comparable to my Porsche 924 I would say. It was more than adequate to move the car the way that I wanted to make it move. Handling was the best of any car that I have ever driven - bar none.
I was told that mine would be in "any day."
Mine arrived on May 9th. I picked it up that night. It had 12 miles on it then, 216 now. The dealer totally treated it (and me) with complete respect. My sales guy said "nobody has driven it. We didn't even take it to gas it up. You can drive it there, and we'll fill it up on my credit card." I took it for a quick hop while they ran the credit.
MSRP was $25,550. I was told that I would pay a $3,000 premium when I made my deposit. Later, I was told that it would be $2,995 and they would install an interior motion alarm that would keep people from mucking about inside the cockpit when it was parked with the top down. That was the only dealer add-on. It was installed by the time I picked it up. It works GREAT. I learned that I have to reach in and retrieve my laptop from the passenger seat BEFORE I lock the doors - or it goes off!
California Sales tax (7.75 percent) and $200+ for licensing made it come to over 30 grand by the time all the numbers were added up.
I've been driving the car for two days now. AND????
I could not be more pleased. It is delightful. I wish the window controls were further forward - or better yet - on the center console like my Saturn Vue. I wish there was a power door unlock button there, too. I wish I didn't have a Mayan Temple in the trunk. But those are trivialities. Three times now in two days, people have pulled up alongside and asked "Wow! What IS that?" One of them was in a Porsche 911 Cabrio, and he said "that car has PERFECT lines. Very nice!"
Tonight I had dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory on Balboa Penninsula. I had the valet park the car. He put it right in front. The valets said "We see a lot of cars, but this is the first one of these we have seen. It is AWESOME. The interior is incredible."
I asked, "What do you think I paid for it?"
One guy said "Seventy-five. Eighty?" The other said "Less than that. Mid-sixties, tops."
I said, "MSRP $25,550." They responded, "HOLY CRAP!"
My car was the fourth Sky that I ever saw - one at the Auto Show, the green one I test drove, and the "dealership car." I still have NOT seen one on the road. But, from what I am told, mine is one of the first in Orange County. My wife and son say that they saw one at a local shopping center with a crowd around it, but they get out more. (I gotta work all day so I can pay for mine.)
Was it worth paying $2,995 for an Alarm System to get one of the first cars? Yes. For me it was. Summer is just around the corner. It was 82 today. I plan to take it down PCH to San Diego this weekend, and up the Big Sur coast to Monterey to show it to my little soldier the weekend after that.
I was looking at the BMW Z4, or the Porsche Boxter S or the Chrysler Crossfire - all of which would have placed me well into the 40s or 50s or more - not the 30K I paid out the door for my Sky - loaded with everything I wanted. Don't tell Saturn, but I would have paid a lot more for the car because I think it is the best looking of all of them.
For over a year I have been looking at a picture of a Saturn Sky rotating on my computer screen. A "virtual reality" car. A fantasy. Now it's real. When I walk into my garage, or look out into a parking lot - there it is. Just like on the screen. Except now I have a key in my pocket, and I can drive it to wherever I want to go.
And was it worth the wait?
Oh yeah.
