General Motors announced the demise of the Saturn division in 2009, and the final views and prospects left showrooms as 2010 models. Go back to the 1990s, though, and Saturn was orbiting high with its no-haggle sales and rust-proof plastic body panels. During that decade, before the Opel-derived models appeared, there was only one Saturn available: the S Series. Today’s Junkyard Gem is an example of that car’s long-roof model, which sits in a bump of Denver area self-service.
The first model year for the Saturn van was 1993; production continued until 2001 (the sedan and coupe remained until 2002, after which they were replaced by the Opel-based Ion).
Saturn used a very simple naming system for members of the S Series family: sedans were SL, coupes were SC, and wagons were SW.
The numerical part of the S Series model names indicated the trim level. This car is a deluxe SW2, the most expensive Saturn model of 1998. List price was $14,255 for an SW2 with manual transmission (about $26,390 in 2023 dollars).
Not many Americans wanted a new car with a manual transmission in 1998, but this Saturn has one. A 1998 SW2 with automatic cost an extra $860 (about $1,592 today).
Because the original buyer of this car spent liberally on options including air conditioning ($960), power locks ($370), AM/FM/cassette radio ($260), alloy wheels ($350) , and so on, we can assume that the five-speed manual was selected out of preference and not because of a penny pinch.
The biggest difference between the 1998 SW1 and SW2 can be found in the engine compartment. The SW1 got a single-cam 1.9 inline-four with 100 horsepower, while the SW2 got that DOHC version with 124 horsepower.
During the 1990s and their growing SUV craze, Americans fell in love with wagons even faster than they abandoned manual transmissions. However, some buyers still wanted green wagons with three pedals as the new century approached.
A quick search of this car’s VIN shows that it was sold at Denver’s Abandoned and Impounded Auction in February. The ignition lock is broken and the ignition switch hangs, waiting for a screwdriver to start the car. The last few weeks of this car must have been interesting.
Saturns could still rust underneath, but it was hard to dent the plastic body panels.
I’m a clown I’m a clown!
