At $7,500, Does This 2007 Saturn Redline Roadster Mean The Sky's The Limit?

Today's Nice Price or No Dice Saturn Sky is arguably the better-looking of GM's Kappa platform twins, so much so that it was used as a basis for the European market Opel edition. Let's see if this modded Redline has an equally good-looking price.

Volkswagen didn't invent the minivan. That honor arguably goes to the oddball Stout Scarab of the 1930s, although fewer than half a dozen were completed before the company gave up on car building. Despite not being the originator, VW seemed to own the consumer headspace for minivans until Chrysler upended the category in the 1980s. Today, however, old Chrysler minivans are largely ignored in the market, while VW Type 2s and later editions are coveted by collectors.

Having never been officially sold here, the 1989 VW LT35 that came our way on Monday was an even quirkier option for Volkswagen van lovers. A former fire brigade van from Germany, it had been kitted out as a camper. That, and the expectation of '80s-like performance and comfort, sullied opinions on the van's $12,000 asking price. When the dust settled, that mustered nothing more than an 80% 'No Dice' loss.

Do you like coming across random crap, or does the unexplained leave you cantankerously frustrated? I'm feeling all sorts of curiosity as to what exactly the meaning of the "13 CAMS" decal on the door of today's 2007 Saturn Sky Redline is. I've checked and am sure that the 2.0-liter turbocharged Ecotec four under the clamshell hood only has two cams. I also searched the Interwebs, and the closest thing I could find is a 2016 horror movie titled "13 Cameras."

Regardless, that decal is likely easy to remove, and the car underneath appears to be in excellent, well-maintained shape for its nearly 20 years of age and 164,000 miles of use. This is also the Redline model, which at the time was Saturn's performance branding. Originally, that meant a healthy 260 horsepower from the little engine that could. According to the ad, however, certain mods to the engine made by the present owner have boosted that number to closer to 300 horses.

Another change to the car involves its identity. Based on the Kappa platform, the Sky shared all of its underpinnings with Pontiac's roadster, the Solstice. That car was a lone gunman, but the Sky was sold in Korea as the Daewoo GX2 and in Europe as the Opel GT. The present owner has gathered all the proper Opel lightning-bolt badges and GT nameplates and applied them to this Sky. That includes the steering wheel airbag and even the floor mats, going that extra mile. 

That steering wheel also has an aftermarket wrap, which surprisingly looks well stitched around the rim. Another interior upgrade is a chromed metal shift knob for the five-speed stick. That must be a challenge to use on hot, sunny days when your welder's gloves are left at home. The rest of the interior appears stock and in passable condition, although the car's age is belied by the phone mount on the windscreen.

On the outside, everything looks good in the photos, save for those weird "13" decals shown in some pics. Aftermarket Vors TR4 alloys in gunmetal have been fitted with Continental tires with just a year's use on them, and all look to be un-abused.

As noted, the seller says this Sky has been well maintained. To support that assertion, the ad offers a list of replacement parts and services performed over the past two years. Those include expected work like replacing the water pump and battery, as well as some unexpected efforts such as a new driveshaft and greasing of the sway bar links.

Along with all the keeping-it-on-the-road work, this Sky has seen several modifications. Those include better breathing via a cold air intake and a high-flow catted downpipe, as well as a re-flashed ECU, tuned for 93 octane. Other changes noted include new pads and rotors all around and a switch to coil-overs at each corner. No mention is made in the ad of whether all the original factory parts will come with the car, but that would be an incentive for anyone not fully on board with the seller's updates. According to that seller, this Sky is "Turn key and go enjoy making turbo noises through the twisties." The only issue mentioned is a small oil leak, reportedly from the pan gasket.

Acknowledging that few of us like modified cars, we'll now have to decide whether we're on board with this one's updates given its $7,500 asking price. That gets a clean title and those promised extra ponies, so perhaps it's in the realm of possibilities. It does, after all, seem to have been well-cared-for and properly maintained—those sway bar bushings are probably still happily holding onto their grease. But is it our cup of tea?

What do you think? Is this Saturn Sky a deal at that $7,500 asking? Or do the mods and miles make this roadster a pie-in-the-sky dream?

You decide!

Detroit, Michigan, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.

Hat tip to Don R. for the hookup!

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