Saturn Sky.
We lost a few good friends with the implosion of the Detroit auto scene during the financial crash of 2008. Legendary nameplates – Pontiac, Oldsmobile and Mercury – were discarded to the trash heap of history as companies restructured; even a relative newcomer, Saturn, was deemed expendable.
But you can use these demises to your benefit if you're looking for a used car. Because the marques are gone, some have the potential to become future classics. A lot of those cars were not that great when it came to quality, performance or design, but you can still find something that, if you want to own it for a while, can at least keep its value in a few years and may even appreciate if you keep it shiny and running. Let's look at a few from the past decade or so, and let's keep it around $15,000 or less.
Sensible
The Marauder nameplate was used by Mercury in the 1960s and revived in 2003. It was a "high-performance" version of the Gran Marquis large sedan and built in St. Thomas, Ont. It was available only in black, with different front and rear fascia and a slight change for the interior. But what made it desirable was that it was based on the police package offered by Ford, with a 302-horsepower, 4.8-litre V-8 and more robust mechanicals under that mean-looking body. Only, it proved not to be that desirable with the public and was discontinued in 2005. It's hard to find nowadays (adding to its future appeal) but if you do, it should be for less than $10,000.
As with the other long-time nameplates, Oldsmobile's best days were well behind it when General Motors euthanized the brand in 2004. There's not really a standout future classic for Olds in the 21st-century, but if you're in love with the rocket logo, you could look at the Aurora. One of the first to be known as "not your father's Oldsmobile", this swoopy sedan was supposed to change the game for the brand when it debuted in 1995. It was known to have decent handling and performance along with a distinctive look. A redesign in 2001 made the car more mainstream in appearance, though a V-8 was offered beside the standard V-6. The Aurora ended along with the brand in 2004 with a special run of "Final 500" cars; good luck finding those. You can find the Aurora for less than $10,000 – not exactly rare, but distinctive enough to be interesting.
Indispensable
Two of the most exciting cars to come out of Detroit in the past few decades have been the Saturn Sky and its stablemate, the Pontiac Solstice. Both are stunning little two-seat roadsters that surprised everyone when they debuted for the 2006 model year. As the more upmarket car, the Sky is the one to aim for, especially the high-performance limited edition Red Line version. But as such, it will be pricey, around $20,000 and up and out of reach for our budget. If you can't wait to save for that future classic, go for the Solstice, which can be found for less than $15,000 if you look hard. It also had a limited-edition, high-performance GXP model, which would also be more desirable and more expensive. As the short production runs of these cars ended in 2009, when the Saturn and Pontiac nameplates were mothballed, they have that rarity that would be desired in a classic.
Questionable
Don Hanney is a long-time classic car enthusiast and the man behind the Barrie Automotive Flea Market. At the final gathering of the year in September, the 86-year-old lamented the dearth of modern-day cars that might one day grow into desirable collectibles – especially one segment.
"You don't have many cars from 1989 to now that are worth restoring. Who the hell would want to restore a 2000 minivan?"
And that's all that needs to be said on the subject.
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