[bill oxley]

Hi folks,

I've owned three Saturns since the mid 90's and have to say that their latest models are shadows of the ones I've owned. The new ones have that puzzling mid-dash speedometer and very average materials used in the interior. That being said, I was very excited to see the fine lines and design of the Sky. I owned a 2000 Miata for a couple of years, but gee whiz, while it was a great little road car, it was just too small and underpowered. The Sky looks neat.

Question: What are the exterior materials? The Miata was metal and I spent hundreds of bucks de-dinging it; however, my previous Saturn's exteriors had that hard plastic material which was dingless...and a great benefit to the car and my pocketbook.

Does anyone have the answer? Thanks

 

[swatthefly]

the body will be steel. sorry bout the dings!

when i was at the show, i heard a ton of people mocking saturn because of the plastic bodies that they have. i personally would rather have the steel panels. the paint looks better, and the car has a much better feel to it. kinda hard to describe. (safer too!)

 

[achieftain]

I would agree that keeping a paint job smooth and glossy is easier on steel. Not to downplay plastic, but the plastic noses on most cars are tough to clean the bugs off of.

 

[swatthefly]

I would agree that keeping a paint job smooth and glossy is easier on steel. Not to downplay plastic, but the plastic noses on most cars are tough to clean the bugs off of.

not only that, but if you look close, the paint takes a slightly different color on plastic than on steel. compare the lines where your bumper meets your fender (on most cars). you'll see a difference.

and also, you get a better *thump* when you close the door to the car. plastic just doesnt sound the same.

 

[gostraighter]

I heard that saturn is getting away from the plastic body panels all together. I guess it is more expensive to manufacture and there is a problem of creep with the plastic over time. I personally like steel bodies better.