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Should I Buy a Car From a Dead Brand?

Jonathan McGrew

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1,571 views June 29, 2010

Angular Front Exterior View - 2009 Saturn Astra 3dr HB XR

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Over the last year or two we have seen several automotive brands fade from the market place. Most of these were from GM including Oldsmobile, Pontiac and Saturn. Recently, we also lost Mercury (Allen Jackson will have to go back to singing about Ford trucks, I guess). This brings up the important question: Should you buy a car brand that has gone out of business?

Steering Wheel - 2009 Saturn Astra 3dr HB XR

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Front Seats - 2009 Saturn Astra 3dr HB XR

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There are a couple of angles on this, but generally I like to look at this like you would buying a collector or classic car, except there are a couple bonuses that make it less expensive. With most of the discontinued car brands, the parent companies are still in business and therefore the warranties are still backed and enforceable. This also means that there are still certified service facilities, especially with GM since they share parts and design theory across their brands. Since parts sharing is a normal practice and GM had to have inventory prior to the disbandment of their other brands, it is also unlikely that parts will be scarce for any of the “dead” brands still on sale on car lots around the U.S.

What are the benefits of buying a brand that has been removed from the market? Well, the chances are that there is a lot of hesitation in the market to buy these types of vehicles. That fact alone could save you thousands of dollars on the purchase price, especially on something like a Saturn Astra (basically the exact same car as the European Opel version). You might also be able to negotiate additional benefits to make you feel secure in your purchase. The bottom line is that the underpinnings of most of the discontinued brands still live on in current models still being sold, so really if you choose to buy a Pontiac G6 or Saturn Sky you could be showing how savvy you really are in the automotive world. Something to keep in mind though, cars like the Sky, Trans Am, GTO may be seen as collectors items and that wouldn’t make them less expensive.