Flashback Friday: First Saturn Sold Today in 1990

[Charlie]

A new story entry has been added:

Flashback Friday: First Saturn Sold Today in 1990

On this date in 1990, Saturn sold its first car. According to the St. Petersburg Times, the first Saturn - the blue SL2 sedan shown above - was sold just after midnight to Elaine Terry at Saturn of Clearwater. "I wanted an American-made car and decided to give it a try," Mrs. Terry told the newspaper. It was a 25th wedding anniversary present. USA Today and CNN were reportedly at the retail facility to document the event. "I kept it for 10 months and put over 5,000 miles on it. People all over the country wanted to buy the car from me. One man in Las Vegas was talking up to $100,000 for it."

[walt]

Where is the car now?

[Charlie]

Originally Posted by walt

Where is the car now?

That's a good question. I haven't heard. I wonder what happened to Saturn of Clearwater after Saturn closed? Maybe someone from the area knows?

Charlie

[PaulR]

Originally Posted by Charlie

That's a good question. I haven't heard. I wonder what happened to Saturn of Clearwater after Saturn closed? Maybe someone from the area knows?

Charlie

Right, the news story gave us the background on the car but nothing of what became of it. Where is the car now? Did the dealer keep it around all those years? Did some car museum buy it later? What happened to the two cars the lady got from the dealer in exchange for the "first Saturn ever sold"? The article mentioned that one of them went to her son that was attending college at the time. Did he thoroughly thrash the car, as most college kids do, and has it long since been junked? What about the ladies car does she still have the replacement Saturn? I know that this is over 20 years ago but I wish the writers would please not tease me with this kind of a story and then leave me hanging.

[ohioguy98]

After reading the news clip, I also wonder how the national press was already there at all, let alone at midnight. How would they have known when and where the first Saturn was going to be sold? Obviously it must have been a planned and/or staged event.

The photo attached to the story reminds me of when we bought our new Satty in '97. When we showed up to take delivery at the appointed time, our car was prepped and parked on the showroom floor just like that one. After the paperwork was completed, we were handed the keys as we posed for photos by the car. Then, as a big group of dealership employees gathered around and waved, we drove it off the showroom floor ourselves, and down the road we went. It was a little more fuss and ceremony than I preferred at the time, but in retrospect it was symbolic and kind of cool.

We no longer have the photo nor car. I wish I had kept both.

[409 jim]

Hi,

Nice photo of a 1992 SC1 coupe (my favorite model) This one is a later production one, at that, as there are no windshield washer nozzles in the hood.

As far as I know, the first production Saturn is in the Heritage Museum, it is a 1991 SL2

Anybody know of any Saturn prototypes around that were built in the Fiero plant?

[saturnsctwo]

Originally Posted by walt

Where is the car now?

does anybody have it's vin number?

[saturnsctwo]

Originally Posted by Charlie

A new story entry has been added:

Flashback Friday: First Saturn Sold Today in 1990

she only kept her 25th wedding anniversary present for 10 months??

[westwind999]

It would be interesting to interview Elaine after all these years. It seems Lokey Saturn still had the car in 2009:

http://www.tampabay.com/news/busines...-brand/1040825

[fetchitfido]

Originally Posted by saturnsctwo

does anybody have it's vin number?

Educated guess using posted info of the car, Different Racing's VIN Decoder and some random looking check digit calculator:

1G8ZJ5471MZ100001

Actual serial number (and corresponding check digit) is probably different as the posted '91 SL2 is the first one _sold_ and not the first one off the assembly line.

[cityhawk]

Originally Posted by westwind999

It would be interesting to interview Elaine after all these years. It seems Lokey Saturn still had the car in 2009:

http://www.tampabay.com/news/busines...-brand/1040825

A promising lead. Anyone in the area know what became of Lokey Saturn? Is it a different dealership now? same ownership? Perhaps someeone there knowws the whereabouts of the car.

[85HP]

Paul Lokey is still very much in business with several dealerships. He would probably know. Contact info is here:

http://www.lokey.com/dealership/staff.htm

[02OrangeSC2]

Anyone ever find out anymore about what happened to this car?